From the Vineyard newsletter on 11/18: The Great Commission-Part 1.

Our church mission statement is taken from the Great Commandment and the Great Commission (the stuff every believer is supposed to do). The Great Commandment is to love God above all else, with all of our strength/personhood. Then the Great Commandment is to go unto every people and teach them what Jesus taught the Apostles, which has been taught to every successive generation of Christians (also known as evangelism and discipleship). So literally half of our life mission as God’s people is to share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know him and teach them to likewise obey his commission. However, telling people that does not usually make them want to run out and tell their neighbors about Jesus. Most Christians seize up with fear, others balk at the idea, explaining that is why we pay tithes so the pastor can do it, and if the pastor keeps talking about it, they eventually move on to another church that will do all of that for them (religious consumerism). 

So rather than telling people what they are supposed to do and brow-beat them into submission (or leaving), let me invite you to begin with prayer. Prayer is powerful! Of all the people that I have led to Christ over the years, not one of them came without prayer. Either mine or a faithful person who prayed for them other than me. Many a person came to Christ because of the prayers of a faithful mother, father, or grandparent. Over the years I have developed a list that I keep in my journal of people that I am praying for their salvation. I often add to the list, but I also get to cross-off those who have already come to Jesus. Some people have been on that list for a long time, but most are on the list for only months before coming to Jesus. On a rare occasion, I have the painful job of crossing-off my list someone who has passed away whom I don’t think ever received Jesus. In those moments my prayers become more fervent, not wanting any more on my list to perish without the gospel.  

So this week, I want to invite you, this is the time of year we begin making our lists of what we want most. Would you consider making a list of people whose salvation you are praying for? Then do me a favor? Send me your list! If you like, let me know and I will share that list with our prayer team so we can pray for them too.  

Grace and peace,
Hal

From the Vineyard Newsletter on 11/11: Count Your Many Blessings

The holiday season is upon us; today is Veterans Day (be sure to thank our veterans for their service and sacrifice), and in two weeks it will be Thanksgiving, followed by Advent and Christmas. From here to the end of the year it can be a real mad-dash to New Year.  So before you get ramped up with holiday traditions and general busyness, let me invite you to join me in one of my favorite November traditions, “Count Your Many Blessings!”

From here to Thanksgiving I want to invite you to focus on how God has blessed your life: friends, family, work, home, transportation, you name it. Maybe you have been able to travel, or you have your grandchildren living nearby? (I know I wish mine did!)  I am grateful for this church body, not just as a job, but for genuine friendships, the attitude of service, worship, and many other blessings. I love central Florida for the great weather, the beauty and greenery, and the easy access to fun attractions and fresh vegetables all year long.  

Let me invite you to stir up an attitude of gratitude in our church and community, among our friends, family, and neighbors. Will you join me? Starting today (with thanking our veterans) and then every day for the rest of this month, let’s make a real effort to post on social media one thing each day that we are grateful for. You can do more if you like, but let’s give God the glory and credit for the goodness in our lives. Then let’s take a step further; let’s be sure to write notes to our family and friends. You can text, mail, or email it; you can scribble a note in their lunch bag, draw on their mirror, or hide a sticky-note in one of their books. But let’s make a real effort to appreciate what we have, who we have, and give thanks to God and to the people around us. 

One more thing: would you be willing to bless a stranger? Let me invite you to pick up the tab for a stranger. It could be a coffee, or fast-food, or something else. It does not have to be big, but sometime this month bless a stranger.  If they ask you why, tell them God loves them, no strings attached. Then do this: walk away without preaching--no strings--just make sure they know God loves them. 

This is how we do life together in Christ. We love God, we love people, and we pass it on. We connect with people, we grow in Christ, we give generously, we serve God and man, and we live ordinary lives by the extraordinary power of the spirit at work within us.  

Grace and peace,

Hal

From the VCC Newsletter on 12/17: The Faithfulness of God- Something to Celebrate

Have you ever considered that Christmas is more about the birth of world missions and less about the birth of a child?The God who gave us his Son did so because he loved the world and wanted that no one would perish but have everlasting life. The first coming of Jesus (Advent) was not just a sweet story about pregnant Mary and her fiancé traveling to Bethlehem, to avoid judgement by the neighbors or even to pay taxes to Cesar. It is the fantastic account of God’s faithfulness to humanity, keeping his word from Genesis 3, and his multiple promises to the people of Israel, the Kings, and the Prophets. It is a story of redemption, not just for a lucky few nor a cover up, but an important chapter in the very long story of redemption, forgiveness, and love.  In one week from today we will be celebrating that God took this mission so personal that he sent no one less than his own Son.

At this time of year I am often asked if celebrating Christmas is something we should do in light of the many non-Christian winter festivities that have become part of Christmas tradition. Actually, I think that is one of the best reasons to celebrate Christmas. Jesus took the extraordinary step of becoming fully man while retaining all of what it meant to be fully God. His incarnation becomes the message itself. The very heart of missions is that we engage the world with the gospel by becoming all things to all men, so that we might save some. And our God takes sinful humanity and makes us Saints. He takes all of our failings and turns them into the message of reconciliation. So then he who redeems all things, redeems our winter festivities,  traditions, and our cold hearts and makes them new. If I can believe in the redemption of the humanity and creation (Revelation 21.1-5) then can anything be too hard for God to make new?

In the spirit of missions, redemption, and Christmas, I hope you will invite your friends, family, and neighbors to hear the Good News on Christmas Eve at one of our two services (4:00 or 6:00 pm).

Merry Christmas!

From the VCC newsletter on 8-6-2018: Encountering God in Worship

As a child I remember going to mass, sometimes at 6:00 am for the a-capella mass in Latin. My dad had to learn Latin so we were forced to learn it as well. (For which I am actually grateful now.) My mother preferred the high mass with full choir and pipe organ; so did I. Even as a child I was aware of the many styles of worship. I went with my neighborhood friends to a Baptist VBS, cub scouts at the Mormon church, and attended a church in Canada that used guitars. So I knew there were a lot of ideas about how to meet God. I enjoyed the high quality music of high mass at St. Patrick’s.  However, in my teen years, when we moved from El Paso to Midland, Texas, I sensed the presence of the Lord in worship for the first time. I still remember the song, On Eagles’ Wings by Josh Groban. It was beautiful. For days I sang that song, and I even volunteered to go to church the next week because I wanted to experience worship like that again. For many weeks I searched of that connection.  Eventually it faded back into “just church,” and I lost interest. My friend attended a charismatic church he thought had cool music. It was weird for me, as a Roman Catholic, but not terrible. Still, I did not sense the presence of the Holy Spirit as many others did that day.

Years later, long after I made my commitment to Christ and became a pastor, I still wondered about the sense of God’s presence I felt for those few short weeks in St. Anne’s in Midland, Texas.  It wasn’t until I met a man named Dennis Jernigan who led us into the presence of God on a Friday night of worship at a local church. It forever changed my life and set me on a course of study about worship and the presence of God. Like my On Eagles’ Wings experience he was an anointed worship leader, full of the Holy Spirit, singing a simple song.  I wondered how I could continually enter into this encounter with God. Was it about the worship leader? Did it require certain songs? How do I experience God in worship?

I certainly believe the worship leader matters and the songs matter, but even more important than either is the worshiper’s heart, readiness, willingness, and relationship with God. While it is possible to get caught up in a wave of other people’s spirit-filled worship, nothing can quench your encounter with the Holy Spirit like distraction, tiredness, anger, or worse yet, your own sin. For many years it has been my practice to get to bed early on Saturday night so I could enjoy worship. Most people assume it's because it is a work day for me, but this is a huge miss. My goal is to encounter God on Sunday morning. I want to be in his presence wholey. I want to sense the Holy Spirit’s power, follow his lead, hear his voice, and most importantly, support those around me being drawn into his presence, experiencing the overflow of my worship.

When it comes to worship, the best way to encounter God is for you to come rested, undistracted, focused on meeting him, and determined to minister to one another. That last part is probably the most important. The reason a great worship leader makes a difference is not just through anointing but by desiring others to enter in. The best way for you to have a great worship experience is to do the same. Come prepared for the sake of others.

Next week, we will continue with part two of how to experience God in worship.  

A GRATEFUL HEART

It's been awhile since I wrote my last post. That post on was on July 2; a few days later, on July 9, my world was rocked hard by the death of my son, Joel. As I have emerged from the shadows of the valley of death, I have seen God walk me through my fears, through the evil surrounding me, and prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies (Psalm 23).  Here now, as we come upon the feast of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of how much I have to be grateful for, in spite of this year’s losses.

In the past year I have lost my father-in-law, who I loved very much. Then I lost two dear friends in January, one to cancer and the other to suicide. Then just as the year seemed to take an upswing--crash--my son committed suicide. We were very close.  Our family was tightly knit, so then how did I not see it coming? Why didn't he talk to us? I will never be able to answer those questions . . . and so goes more loss.

Yet, this I know, I still have an amazing family. I love my children! I love my mom, step-dad, mother-in-law, brothers-in-law, etc. They are the best of family. Just weeks before Joel died my oldest daughter got married to a great guy. I really love him. He takes good care of her, and he loves our family. His family is also a great blessing, and they have been very supportive. Also we have another grandchild on the way.  But above all else, I have a loving wife who I get to share this life with.

I also have many, many friends who have stood by me in the most devastating moment of my life. They did not run away, but instead, ran to my side. Some of them came from great distances to uplift  and care for us. Some of them live here in town, and they are still helping me day-by-day. They listen. They don't try to solve my hurt (they cannot); they don't try to say something meaningful (neither should you); they just sit and listen, and then they pray for me. They invite us to dinner. They do little things to remind us  we are loved.

I have enjoyed some very special times with my friends and family. I have enjoyed the pleasant weather of Florida. I have been to the mountains of North Carolina  and twice driven from coast to coast this year. I have been to my hometown, El Paso, Texas, to eat tacos and hug friends. I have been on a sailboat in the Pacific Ocean and fished quiet lakes in Florida.  I turned 50 this year, and I am in good health, enough to run a few 5k races. I have a beautiful home; I enjoy exotic foods, and I can even afford to buy some. I have transportation, AC, and I can go on, and on, and on.

This Sunday I am beginning a series of messages on  A Grateful Heart. Just writing about this makes my heart lighter. I’m excited.  Just sharing these thoughts breaks through the cloud of darkness and ushers in the light of hope. I am grateful!

The best part of it all? God has never let me down. Some are surprised that I can say that. They are thinking about my son's suicide. Joel was an amazing young man. I loved his sense of humor; I miss his hugs. I enjoyed some very special times with him. I also lived through a few of his bad decisions, and he lived through some of mine. When I made them, and he suffered, I asked him for forgiveness.  He gave it to me. Likewise, I had to forgive my son many times over. I always taught my kids  they have to own their “stuff,” their decisions and actions It's not someone else's fault when they do wrong, and, it is not God's fault.  It certainly wasn’t God’s fault that Joel made a bad decision that cost him his life. I cannot be disappointed with God over Joel's decision. So I say again, God has never let me down, not even in my second darkest hour. (My darkest hour was when I was lost in sin and without hope.)

Every day, I am so grateful God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to rescue me in my darkest hour, and that he comforts me in every dark hour since.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

A few weeks ago (in March) I had a dream about the urgency of prayer in our church, followed by several confirming words, dreams and visions from others in the body. It was a real wake-up call to make sure that prayer had its proper place in the church, drawing us not to religious practice, but deeply into intimacy with Jesus.

The problem was busyness! We all get busy, we all have too much to do, but the truth is that we don't stop and pray because we have time, we pray because we need the power of the Hoy Sprit for living. We pray because we need direction from our heavenly Father. We pray because we need the mercy of Jesus. We do not pray because we must (as in law) we pray because we must (as in our deepest need to be whole).

Here we are now, about one month out form that first urgent call to pray. Since that time I have certainly changed my prayer routine, made more room in my schedule throughout lent and I have committed to keep that space for the Lord. I have heard from several people that they needed that call to action as well, and who have reoriented their lives to be more intentional in relationship with God. We have also seen a renewed interest in our prayer meeting, which we moved to Tuesdays at noon.

At the same time, I also see that the dire warning has passed and there is a tendency to let the urgent fade into the background of normalcy. It is easy to let complacency creep back in and for us to begin doing everything in our own strength. It is all too easy to let our stomach decide that we need to eat now before we pray. To let urgency demand we skip prayer meeting to spend time catching up on work. To let TV take the place of intimacy not only with God but also with those whom we live.

Most of us have expressed some level of concern for our nation in recent months both during the election and afterwards. Some have taken to political posting, arguing, and letting fear control their view of life. Others have buried their heads in the sand or on pinterest posts to avoid the ugliness of political debate. Yet the truth is that what we are talking about when we speak of the civility of a society, its manners, it social decorum, its moral underpinnings, and the issues of justice in a society is that the real need is for revival. For people to be transformed. We cannot transform a society except one heart at a time being transformed by the love of God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The need in our land is less about making America great again, and making America good again, as in good like God is good, as in intentionally becoming more and more like Jesus Christ.

So one month later my real reason for writing is wondering, what will it take to bring us to our knees in prayer? What will convince us that our deepest need is for God? Politics do not change the world, they only reflect the condition of the hearts of those who vote and those who lead. Laws do not change people, God proved that on day one when Adam and Eve chose rebellion over relationship with God and broke his laws bring about sin and death. The Law of the Old Testament did not save us, that was Jesus who died on the cross because we were guilty of violating the Law. More laws will not make our society better or more free, or more moral. Putting the ten commandments on court house lawns will not change our society unless we first write them on our hearts.

Our deepest need is not for social transformation but personal transformation. Pray without ceasing is not a rule, but a way of life that takes me into the presence of God to know his heart, to know his will, and to empower me to do his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

RESURRECTION SUNDAY

As we head into Easter I regularly deal with people worried about Easter Bunnies, about colored eggs and even the word Easter. The word actually appears in the King James version of the Bible and literally means beginning, as in the beginning of the Christian Calendar. The Resurrection is the beginning for the Christian Church. While Good Friday does lay the ground work for the resurrection, it is the resurrection where death is defeated and new life begins. It is the resurrection that gave the church hope. On Good Friday hope seemed dashed, but Sunday came and revealed through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that the cross was not defeat but triumph. So Easter was canonized in the early church as the beginning of the Christian calendar.

This year as I prepared for Easter during the season of Lent (the 40 days of preparation) I decided to cut off social media and other media to clear my head, and to clear my schedule. It was one of the best lenten decisions I could have made. Lent isn't about giving up something, but about preparing, and sometimes that leads me to give up something to make room for that which is truly valuable. So we fast, not to deny ourselves but to make room. Sometimes people fast meals so they can spend that time in prayer instead of eating. Sometimes we fast from other activities. I my case, I fasted from media and spent those hours normally eaten up by Facebook, television, and radio to renew my relationship with God and my family. Now as I head into Easter I am experiencing new resurrection power in my personal life.

Have you experienced resurrection power? The power of the Holy Spirit to bring back to life things in your life that seem to be lost, dead, or dying? As we head into Easter to celebrate the resurrection let me invite you to tap into the resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead, and will can raise you to new life as well, regardless of how dead things may seem. There is hope in the power of the Resurrection.

Small Things Done with Great Love

Little things done with great love will change the world. It is a concept borrowed from the life of Mother Teresa; the idea that the little things we do are what make a real impact rather than the big things we do on occasion. It is the idea that the real heroes of our lives are not just those who in moments of bravery act selflessly, but those who act selflessly day-by-day.

In the mundane get-by-world there are a thousand little decisions we make every day about our responses to others. Responses that communicate love and value or communicate disappointment, disillusionment, and dissatisfaction. It is that moment when grace and mercy call us to reflect on the way we disappointment with our own short-comings and to recognize that any grace and mercy we extend is just something we loan because we will inevitably need it back.

Jesus’ example reminds us that he first loved us. That was why he came to give his life as a ransom, a task which first meant living a mortal life in which he died to himself every day on his way to the cross and to perfection. His everyday little deeds made him perfect, that we might be forgiven. See how little deeds done with great love did indeed change the world?    

Blessed Be His Name: When He Gives and When He Takes Away

A few years ago Matt Redman wrote a song entitled, Blessed Be the Name. The chorus of that song says, “He gives and takes away but blessed be his name.” That chorus reflects a foundational theology of the church, that God is good, but that we do not always understand why he does what he does. It also reflects that life is bitter-sweet, that the good and the bad are always right there together. I have been reflecting on that truth recently as I have been in the middle of getting this new church up and running.

This has been one of the most exciting church starts I have ever been a part of, and I really love all the people who are part of it. Every morning I awake with a sense of expectation and excitement about pastoring this church plant. In the midst of this excitement and joy, I have also been choking on a bitter pill, the demise of a church I planted about 15 years ago in Michigan. That Michigan church was once an exciting and vibrant church, it made the news paper many times for innovative outreaches, it was known in the community as an outward focused church, and it employed three full time pastors and several part time staff. Today, there are only 30-40 people, no staff, and the little group that remains want nothing to do with the vision that they began with. It is so sad . . .

As I look at both churches I am grateful for both of them. The lesson learned at the church in Michigan have shaped the church I am now planting in Florida. Many times I saw the Lord intervene on our behalf and I think of the faces, the names, and the events that led many people to salvation, to deeper walk with Christ, and the many healings, deliverances, and life changes that came through that ministry. The Lord gave those blessings full well knowing that one day that church would be in the state of health that it is now. Even now he is blessing this new church plant, and only he knows if it will be here in two years, fifteen years, or 100 years. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord. In the midst of both the success and the failure of two churches I have questioned what might I have done different, did I leave the one church too early, should I have intervened more after I left. No, I am certain that God told me whom to leave in charge, when to leave there and go to Mexico, and to come here to Florida rather than return to Michigan. I am certain he knows what he is doing. I am certain he gave me and my family to the church in Michigan, and it was him that led us away, even though it was very hard to leave. He gives and takes away, but blessed be his name.

Even so, I must admit that as I think about what has happened in Michigan I cannot help but be concerned for the other churches I have planted, or worked with, and even this plant now. I want to build with silver and gold, not hay, wood and stubble (1 Corinthians 3.12). How do I reconcile it all? I must own that which is my doing, but more over I must trust God in what he is doing. That he loves all those involved even more than I.

Advent 2011: Week Two, Because God Loves

We generally celebrate Christmas with gift giving but often it is out of compulsion (e.g. they gave us something, family relations, etc.) rather than love. Too often our giving is marked but what we feel we must do, rather than genuine love for the receiver of our gift. This attitude is in contrast to God’s actions that first Christmas when he sent his Son. It was not out of obligation to the Law, nor any necessity, that God felt compelled God to send Jesus. The Father could have left us to die for our sins, and it would have been just and right to do so, but because of his great love for us, he sent his Son.

One of the most famous passages on this aspect of God’s love is in 1 John 4. The Apostle tells us that God is defined as love and that the manifestation of his love was God sending his son Jesus into the world to save us, which parallels an even more famous verse (John 3.16), which tells us that God’s motivation for sending Jesus was love rather than condemnation. In 1 John the Apostle says that the overflow of our love for God ought to result in loving one another in this same manner as Jesus, by us laying our lives down for one another. He also says that genuine love for God will result in our obedience of God, overcoming our circumstances, and in overcoming the world. That is victorious living! Not that God would take us out of the world, but that we would live Christlike lives in the midst of it. Take a look at this passage:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (ESV)

As you read in this text, God is defined by love, of course he is also defined in the Bible (in other texts) as just, as merciful, as righteous, as victorious, as holy, and as the beginning and the end. There is no single adjective that can describe God, he is all of these things at one time, all the time. Which is impossible for us to get our heads around.

Nonetheless, in this text, the Apostle focuses in on love as God’s motive for sending Jesus; it is a powerful statement. Across the ideological scope of world religions, none has defined their god’s motivation for interacting with humanity as being because of love. In many circles, lust was a motivation, but not a sacrificial love. In fact, sacrifice in most world religions is on the burden of the worshipper, to bring a suitable offering that could appease the anger of the god(s). In the Christian faith, our call to sacrifice is not about costly gold, silver, or some kind of costly gift given to an idol or deity, but through imitation of Jesus, laying our lives down for others, an imitation of God’s love for us, but never as an act to appease God. Paying Jesus’ actions forward like showing mercy and kindness we then become love too.

The good news this advent week, is that in Christ, we have been given the Spirit of God when we confess Jesus as the Son of God, and thus the Holy Spirit empowers us to live a new kind of life. A life that is free and not motivated by fear, which has to do with punishment. Instead, real Christianity is motivated to share and to show the same kind of love with others. This is why the Apostle then points out a contradiction he sees in the lives of some who claim to walk with God. How can you love God and hate your brother? A common misunderstanding in this passage is that if you do not show love to others that God will not love you, but that is not what this says. Neither does this passage does teach that you show God love by loving your brother. Instead this passage is like the “warning light” on your dashboard. If the tank is empty you cannot keep driving. If there is no oil in the car it will stop running. If the brake light is on eventually you cannot stop. Likewise, if you do not love your brother, than you do not love God. Its not that God is preventing you, it’s a warning light, your lack of love for others is telling you that you do not really love God either, no matter how much you go to church, no matter how much money you give, no matter how faithful you are at coming to church events. If you do not love your brother your warning light on the dashboard of your life is saying, there is a problem with your faith, it is running on empty, and because you don’t love God.

It would be a mistake to read the Apostle as condemning the readers, rather understand that John is alerting them to their condition. The same is true in my message now, nothing concerns me more, nothing gets my attention quicker, than when the red light on my emotional dashboard goes off warning me that I have treated my wife, my children, or my brother or sister in Christ with less than love. I don’t mean I was simply cranky. I don’t mean that I had a bad day. I don’t mean that I joked around too rough. I mean, when I act intentionally without love toward other human beings, it tells me that I do not love God.

A few years ago, I had a person in my life that was pushing my buttons, mistreating me, and speaking evil of me, and making “light of me” to others. I was particularly disturbed because it was an old friend who I trusted implicitly. I was crushed by this person’s actions. Over a course of a year, the repeated action began to wreck havoc on me, my family, and on my performance as a pastor. I started out hurt, but I became angry, and when that person was struggling ill, I eventually refused to pray for the person. Eventually I became so bitter that I felt joy when this person was unable to function because of affliction, and I suddenly realized that my idiot light was not just blinking, it was going off like a siren trying to call me back from the spiritual melt-down. In that moment I realized my prayer life had dried up, that my heart was cold, and that I was skeptical of every believer and every church. I was in danger, far from God, and in that moment, I asked God for forgiveness and prayed for my friend, and started my journey back to God who never stopped loving me. The Apostle tells us, “You cannot love God whom you cannot see if you do not love your brother whom you can see.” When hate gets in your heart it crowds out God. Its not that God stops loving you, it’s that there is no room in your heart to love God if you hate your brother.

Likewise, if we do not like God’s ways, but prefer the ways of the world, that is an indication that we do not love God either. This message was written 2,000 years ago to the churches in Asia Minor, but there is no more pertinent message to the modern church. Often we have propagated the faith like we are selling big screen TVs. Many have bought into the gospel only superficially so as to escape the flames of hell, but have no love for God, God’s people, or God’s ways. This superficial faith comes to loathe the very works of God as burdensome he warns his readers, and that is another warning light on our spiritual dashboard. If every time you read that an attitude, action, or behavior is out of bounds, you find yourself angry, irritated or frustrated with God, the church, and his people, that is a good indication that you do not love God. Again, it is not that God is rejecting you, or rejecting your love, it’s the idiot light on your personal dashboard telling you, something is wrong. It is time to evaluate your relationship with God. Why does God make you mad?

In contrast, when I am in love, or feel love for another, it is my great desire to do what pleases them, even if it makes me stand out. In fact, that is one of the early signs of being smitten. Its true not just of romantic love, but in familial relationships also. Pleasing my parents, pleasing my children, pleasing my closest friends. It is my love for them that motivates me to behave differently. Even to the point of standing out from those around me. As Christmas is upon us I can think of no greater example than all that we go through to communicate to our loved ones how much we love them than travel, expenses, and time spent demonstrating how we feel. So then it should be no surprise to us that how we feel about God’s way, his church, and his people, tells us if we love God like he loves us.

That first Christmas God gave us the gift of Jesus. He gave us the best he had to give, he gave us his Son, Jesus, so that we could be with him forever. If love was enough motivation for God to send his Son to die for us, how much more likely is it that God will send his Son to bring us all home? Advent is the season of preparing our hearts for Jesus’ return, his second and final coming. Advent is about renewing our confidence in Jesus’ return on the anniversary of his first coming by revisiting the messianic promises, God’s motivations, and God’s past actions, so that our hearts maybe renewed with confidence that Jesus will come again.