Only God is Great

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Thursday, December 30, 2010
    • In the days following Christmas, we can easily get caught up in all of the presents (both received and still hoped for, due to all of the sales!) and miss HIS presence! Take time to reflect on the gospel…the "good news"…that was proclaimed to the world…

    The proclamation from the pasture…

    And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10

    This is how God came to save His creation…

    Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, willingly leaves His Father’s majesty by not only taking on human form, but doing so as an infant. The Creator of the entire universe is "reduced" to a helpless baby, totally dependant upon His parents. The angels declared, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:14) In an intentional inversion, angels (the grandest created beings) declare God’s message to shepherds (the lowest of the low, in that time and place). It is "human nature" for us to make much of our little…to brag and boast about the smallest of thing. It was the making little of His much that revealed most marvelously God’s incomparable glory!

    So what does God’s glory have to do with us?

    First, God saves us for His glory…

    "…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…" Romans 3:23

    Second, God aligns us to His will for His glory…

    "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one…" John 17:22

    And third, God calls out through us to the lost of the world for His glory…

    "…I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." John 17:23

    Ascending the throne at the age four, Louis XIV rules as king of France for 72 years, the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed by his own power, he called himself the "Great Monarch" and declared, "I am the State!" But in 1715, King Louis XIV abdicated his throne to death.

    His funeral was nothing short of spectacular. The great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to their king, who lay in a solid gold coffin. To dramatize the deceased ruler’s greatness, a solitary candle burned above his coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch.I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." John 17:23

    Ascending the throne at the age four, Louis XIV rules as king of France for 72 years, the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed by his own power, he called himself the "Great Monarch" and declared, "I am the State!" But in 1715, King Louis XIV abdicated his throne to death.

    His funeral was nothing short of spectacular. The great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to their king, who lay in a solid gold coffin. To dramatize the deceased ruler’s greatness, a solitary candle burned above his coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch.

    At the appointed time the funeral service began, and Bishop Massillon, who presided over this official act of state, stood to address the mourners, including the assembled clergy of France. When the bishop rose, he did something that stunned the nation. Bending down from the pulpit, he snuffed out the lone candle representing Louis XIV’s greatness. The people gasped. Then in the darkness, came just four words from behind the open Bible:

    "Only God is great!"

    Indescribable Says It All!

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Thursday, December 23, 2010
  • Labels:
    • When you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder.

    “Nana, is Papa showing pictures of his trip again?” It was the closing program for VBS 2000. The kids had been their predictable “cute”. The songs had been sung with great enthusiasm. The workers had been honored. The missions offering, being typically over and above the goal, had been wildly applauded. There was just five minutes left to go, and then the crowd would have cookies!

    Having been asked to close the celebration with a simple gospel message, and wanting to make it visually clear, I had asked Travis Lockyer to create a few power-point images for me. As I stood to speak, Linda and Deborah rose to go get things moving in the kitchen. On the way from the back row to the Hospitality Center, five-year-old Deb, seeing my slides on the wall, asked, “Nana, is Papa showing pictures of his trip again?”

    When you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder. That year we had been to Haiti. You cannot show enough portraits of poverty so as to effectively communicate the stench and despair. Nor can you verbally describe, in adequate terms, the experience of worshipping the Lord with those who have nothing, yet having Jesus, have the joy of having everything they need. And we had been to Greece to follow the path of the Apostle Paul; then onto Israel to “walk where Jesus walked”. Journal notes and albums of photos simply could not do justice to what we saw and heard. When you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder.

    So the perfect description of the Baby of Bethlehem seems almost beyond reach. In fact, the Holy Spirit appears to wrestle with the language, trying to describe the indescribable. He chose at least 256 names for Jesus:
    • “Wonderful”
    • “Counselor”
    • “Mighty God”
    • “Everlasting Father”
    • “Prince of Peace”
    • “Lamb of God”
    • “Savior”
    • “King”
    • “Lord Most High”

    “And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” Luke 2:20

    “And there was a prophetess, Anna (Grace)…and she was advanced in years…and at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38

    Yet the Christ Child remains infinitely beyond description. No portrait does Him justice. No title says it all. If you have seen Him, can you explain Him? Indescribable, it seems, says it all. For, when you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder.

    See you Christmas Eve, Church!
    Pastor Tom

    "What Kind of Savior?"

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Tuesday, December 21, 2010
  • Labels: ,
    • Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
    Let men their songs employ;
    While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
    Repeat the sounding joy,
    Repeat the sounding joy,
    Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

    So goes the 2nd verse of Joy to the World! For many it is a favorite Christmas carol, and perhaps for most of us, we sing along without any reflection or contemplation… The Savior reigns… Exactly what kind of a Savior are you looking for? From what do you want to be saved? Some want to be saved from illness, from debt, from difficult times… We look for someone to somehow fix our problems, solve our dilemmas, work a minor miracle on our behalf…

    But God desires that we have a much different view of our Savior… God’s present to us is God’s presence with us! Immanuel… God with us…

    “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

    The Christmas story is about a Gift from God, a Gift of God, for the Gift IS God!

    “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

    Christmas is not just about the birth of Jesus… it is the beginning of a story of "good news" that God, the Creator of the Universe, desires to be in a personal relationship with His creation! The perfect God, having a personal relationship with a sinful human could only be accomplished through the cross and the empty tomb.

    “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

    Unto us a child is born! Unto us a son is given!

    (Christ Jesus) "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father". Philippians 2:6-11

    Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns!

    A Gift in the Hand...

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Thursday, December 16, 2010
    • What do you bring to the child who has everything?

    We blew it big time. Having enjoyed eight day’s free use of a story-book cottage on the famous Cape Cod, we were struggling to figure out what to bring home for each of the grandkids. It had been a financially, as well as emotionally, stressful year so dollars were somewhat limited. But we ALWAYS bring gifts from afar whenever we travel. (Yes, even if our wanderings are only as far away as Omaha or KC). So for the second time in as many days, we found ourselves upstairs in one of those quaint toy-shops on the island, diligently searching for the PERFECT gift for nine different kids. You know, the thing that “makes their day” and brings incredible excitement to their faces at its opening.

    And then the shopkeeper made a suggestion. “Why don’t you buy them each a Webkinz? These are the hottest things out. In the next few months they are going to be the rage all over the country! They each get a pet and then, with it, access to a website. They can play with their pets on the computer, can invite their friends to join them on THEIR computers…it’s going to be the hottest thing ever!”

    Yeah…right. So we picked out nine probably disposable gifts, not one of which was a Webkinz, packed our bags and headed home. We should have bought a Webkinz! That is obvious now…who KNOWS how many Webkinz later.

    So here we are, in another one of those seasons of dilemma. What gift do we bring to the Child that has everything? What gift will we give at His party? After all, it IS His birthday and we don’t want to come with empty hands!

    He has the angels of heaven awaiting His every wish. He has the Father’s approval and the wealth of Eternity as His inheritance. He has the sun, moon and stars as living playthings. He has the command of all creation, the fish in the waters, the animals on the land, the birds in the skies. He lacks for nothing, nothing at all! So what gift will we bring to Him on this, His birthday?

    The perfect gift? Seems so simple. And it costs so little. But it brings Him more joy than any or every elaborate thing. The gift you bring to the Child who has everything? His mother simply gave Him her heart!

    Wonder why we didn’t think of THAT in that toyshop on Cape Cod?

    “And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Luke 2:18-19

    See you Sunday, Church!
    Pastor Tom

    P.S. Don’t forget to bring HIM your gift!

    PEAC PLZ

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Wednesday, December 15, 2010
    • “Grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”
    Titus 1:4

    “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men…”
    Luke 2:14a

    In the opening of his letter, Paul desires that Titus, his spiritual son, would be the recipient of ‘grace and peace’. Especially this time of year, we read and hear that phrase so often, that perhaps it has lost its true meaning…

    Grace and peace, as Paul writes, is from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice that ‘peace’ follows ‘grace’. It is grace, from God the Father, which provides the context that we, sinful people, though we ought to die because of our sin, are granted unmerited favor…

    God stoops down to help the undeserving and to pardon the helpless sinner.
    1. Grace declares that humans are helpless
    2. Grace declares that God is able and is merciful
    3. Grace declares a God-enabled radical new way of living

    So what is the form of God’s unmerited favor? The better question is ‘who’ is the form of God’s unmerited favor! His only Son Jesus… And it is through the Son that true peace is afforded…

    Peace with God… "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

    Peace with others… "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

    Peace in adversity… “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27

    Peace within… "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

    The Grace of God is the Peace of Christ!

    “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” – Titus 2:11,13

    PEAC PLZ

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Friday, December 10, 2010
    • The sign of Peace is everywhere…

    I caught a glimpse of the silver car rapidly approaching in my side-mirror…it went past us like it was on a time-intensive mission. I was doing 75 miles per hour. Them? A whole lot more than that! But in spite of its passing speed, I could not help but notice the large decals on the car windows. The “peace symbol” was boldly displayed. And, being a fan of “personalized plates” (some call them prestige plates…whatever. We actually claim three…the VW reads THE NANA, the Odyssey is tagged 21 REV 4 in remembrance of Dawn-Marie, and the mother-in-law’s Miata bears the plate HER MOMS J)…I digress. Being a fan of “prestige plates” I glanced on the rear bumper and it read PEAC PLZ. The sign of Peace is everywhere…

    The classic “chicken foot surrounded by the ring” is on most all of Lucky Brand’s jewelry. Tie-died t-shirts sporting the symbol are reminding us of those hazy days of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Almost expect to see a “Jesus Bus” careening round the next corner as the classic VW transport of choice finds revival! “Peace” is showing up everywhere these days. As Linda headed downstairs for her daily morning workout, I noticed her t-shirt read, “Dream Peace”!

    The sign of Peace is everywhere…or is it?

    Monday provided a delayed opportunity for some serious Christmas gift pursuit as we headed up to Omaha for shopping and some PF Chang’s. Around 2:00, we were in the checkout line at TJ Maxx (“cashier # 3, please”) when it was announced that there had just been a shooting in the parking lot. We had waited for our spot in line and weren’t about to surrender it for such unconfirmed danger. So we waited, we paid, and we headed to the van. And sure enough…there WAS a shooting in the parking lot! Yards and yards of yellow police tape cordoned off the major portion of the east side of the parking slab. Flashing lights on a dozen or so official vehicles marked the scene. Uniforms seemed to be everywhere. We quickly slid into our Odyssey and drove away as rapidly as possible. Peace is everywhere…or is it?

    “Peace on earth”…the mantra of the season. Yet so few have peace. Internal? Their souls are deeply troubled and anxiety dominates the thought life. Horizontal? Peace with those round about is fragile at best. So many relationships discover in this season of celebration just how deeply fractured those trusted commitments have become. Vertical? “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying ‘Peace, peace.’ But there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:14 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 58:21

    The speeding silver car with the decals and the personal plates spoke volumes in those minutes immediately following the parking lot shooting on Monday. PEAC PLZ. I wonder if that driver knows that God answered the longing of their restless souls. That He HAS sent the One who is our peace.

    “He will be called…Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace…” Isaiah 9:6-7

    See you Sunday, Church!

    Grace and Peace,
    Pastor Tom

    The Uncommon ‘Common Faith’

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Wednesday, December 8, 2010
  • Labels:
    • Titus 1:1-3 "Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

    Titus 1:1-3 Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

    for the faith of those chosen of God
    … and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
    and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness
    …and with all your mind,
    in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
    …and with all your soul,
    but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior;
    …and with all your strength

     "…to Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior." Titus 1:4

    “…my true child in a common faith…”
     
    Paul was the ‘Jew’s Jew’… a man whose pedigree and lineage was from Abraham himself, devoted to being a scholar of the law as well as a self-appointed enforcer of the same. His early passion to the law drove him to persecute the ‘cult’ that he saw as following this Jesus…
     
    Titus was a Greek, a Gentile. A lineage that was deemed as not part of the promise of the Old Testament law. He wasn’t even circumcised so how could he even hope to find favor with God??
     
    And yet, working together in ministry, the ‘spiritual father’ Paul pens this personal letter to Titus, whom he calls his ‘true child’… Paul declares a special relationship with Titus all because of ‘a common faith’… God has shared His gift of salvation with all peoples… including Gentiles!
     
    "…remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Eph. 2:12-13
     
    A Jew and a Greek… One whose early hope was solely with the law, and one who seemed to have no hope at all…

    No one is so near to God as to not need the gospel. And no one is so far from God so as to be beyond the reach of the power of the gospel.
     
    United by the gospel through the person of Jesus Christ!
     
    "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7
     
    "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:28

    No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done—you can be reconciled to God by faith alone plus nothing!



    Arise, Shine

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  • Posted by Jennifer Baldwin
  • Friday, December 3, 2010
    • The sun will rise because He died.

    “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” Isaiah 9:2

    I have my Husker-red shirt on as I study here in my church office today. Pastor Troy has also worn his “red”…but, as I pointed out to him, his is dangerously close to SOONER red. It’s big-game weekend once again! And with each of these major athletic challenges comes the echo of Coach T.O.’s infamous statement in the immediate aftermath of painful disappointment, “The sun will still come up in the morning.”

    Last evening my grandson, Tate, asked me to sit with him and watch the most recent DVD he had checked out at Gere Library. It was a documentary on the weather. (Probably normal fare for a scientifically wired adult…not typical selection for a six year-old-boy, unless of course, there is an adult mind living in that-six-year-old body…and there is!) And the show opens with the Aztec Indians’ story of the origin of the sun.

    Their explanation? Major gods willingly died to cause the sun to exist. But the gods must be pacified, so every evening it was considered necessary for a human life to be offered as a sacrifice to the god of the sun in hopes that satisfaction over the offering would cause the sun to rise the next morning. The sun will rise because they died.

    The gods of man’s creation can never be satisfied. They demand full allegiance, sacrifice and unending, exhausting, costly service. A life sacrificed on their altar tonight simply reminds their worshippers that another life must be placed on that same altar tomorrow. They believe that the sun will rise ONLY because they died.

    Into the darkness of a world where futile sacrifices brought no lasting relief, no peace and no hope, Jesus came as the Light of the World. And He gave Himself to the altar so that all who turn in faith to Him alone, might discover the hope of eternal life. They will live because He died. The sun will rise because HE died!

    It’s only Friday afternoon and far too early to know how the game this weekend is going to turn out. We know for certain that someone wearing “red” will be euphoric over victory. And that someone else wearing “red” will be deeply disappointed. But whichever way the final scoreboard reads, Coach T.O. would rightly remind us, “The sun will still come up in the morning.”

    And of far more serious consequence, the blessed hope of those who have ceased from their futile efforts at pacifying their self-made gods and have turned in faith to the Light of the World, the sun will rise because HE died.

    “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. And the nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3

    See you Sunday Church! (Win OR Lose)
    Pastor Tom
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