Proximity

It is interesting how much we desire to be relationally close to people but also try hard to be separated from them. (Awkwardly gives cell phone a condemning look.) We allow the busyness of life and often things that are not important to cloud our judgment of what truly is. Proximity is important. Proximity allows us to go beyond surface relationships into deep, meaningful ones. Proximity allows us to learn, listen, and, in turn, lead with the grace and the love of Christ.

1 Samuel 3 relates the story of Samuel’s calling. This follows the narrative of his mom desperately desiring a son and the spiritual situation in Israel and Eli, the high priest’s family.

1 Sam 3:1-3 “Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.” (emphasis mine) NLT

The Ark of the Covenant was the seat of God’s physical presence. Samuel had proximity.

1 Sam 3:10 “And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” (emphasis mine) NLT

In Hebrew, this verse states, “The Lord came and stood and called…” Samuel had proximity to the presence of the Lord. This proximity served a purpose in Samuel’s life, as it does in ours. Through proximity, we learn:

              To listen to the voice of God.

              To submit to the will of God.

              To lead others into a deeper relationship with God.

All of these exemplify Samuel’s life as he becomes the spiritual and political leader as the last judge of Israel. Even transitioning from the judges to the kings, Samuel plays a pivotal role. He anoints Saul as the first king of Israel. He later rebukes Saul for rejecting God’s direction. Shortly after that, Samuel anoints David, the man after God’s own heart. It is interesting to note that David also had proximity to God. That made him a godly man, but that is a blog for another day.

Proximity is essential to any relationship. I love my dog CAP. My wife does not love my dog but tolerates him because she loves me. Now CAP listens to me. He has learned my voice and is mostly obedient. He is very loyal and protective of me because I am the one who spends time with him, feeds him, and sneaks him food from my plate. CAP loves cooked veggies. He has learned to be near me because he is bound to get something from me.

The one and only Cappidoodle, Cappuccino, Capicola, Cappadocia, Captain America

Proximity to God is not just about what we can get from Him but is genuinely rooted in our desire to be near Him. I love the words of Paul to the Philippians, “I want to know Him.” That is the true essence of proximity. I want to know Christ. Yet, as I get to know Christ, I also learn His voice. I hear Him when He speaks, and I long to be obedient to His will in my life. That is the effect of proximity.

I encourage you to spend more time with those you love. Be present. Spend more time with God just because He is God. Learn to hear His voice and be ready to obey. If I’ve learned anything from CAP it is the fact that proximity to the Master matters.

Drift

The word drift invokes different things to different people. If you own a boat, you may imagine lazily drifting on the lake’s surface as you nap. Others may imagine their cares drifting away…que Rainbow Connection by the Muppets. I’m going to take a wild guess that most people are thinking of video games such as Mario Cart or Tokyo Drift. I must be honest: if you can make Mario drift, I’m unsure if I like you right now.

In many circumstances, drift is a dangerous thing. A ship sailing from the US to the UK can be off by miles if it only drifts a few inches off course without making corrections. Our spiritual lives are very much like this. It is also well illustrated throughout the history of Israel and Judah. Good kings came and went, making minor corrections to the drift caused by evil kings that came and went. Both Israel and Judah eventually drifted so far from their relationship with God and their intended purpose that they went into captivity. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) never fully returned. Judah did return but still struggled with drift.

In my sermon this past Sunday, I focused on guarding the church from drifting by remaining true to our Core Values. Those answer the question, why do we exist? For C3AG, there are five values: Spirit-filled, Multicultural, Missions Engaged, Discipleship Driven, and Outreach Oriented.

In this blog, I want to focus on us as individuals. F. B. Meyer pastored in England in the late 1800s and was a prolific writer. In his book, Shepherd Psalm, he outlines four reasons we might need our soul restored (Psalm 23).

First, The Neglect of the Word and private devotion. You WILL drift from the Lord if you are not spending time with Him apart from corporate worship. Being a Christian equals being in a committed, monogamous relationship. I am His, and He is mine (Song of Songs). It takes work to foster that relationship. It takes spending time with God to foster that relationship. You will drift if you are not in the Word.

Second, Meyer points to Unconfessed Sin. Romans 10:9 NLT: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The KJV says to confess and believe. Confession is part of repentance. If we are unwilling to admit we have sin in our lives, there is no forgiveness for us. Like a person in a 10-step program, it begins with admitting the problem…sin.

Third is Worldly Society. I love how the Chosen comes on. A few teal-colored fish swimming against the current. Drift occurs when an outward force pushes against us. That might be a water current with a boat, an air current with a plane, or the world’s current with a believer. Satan wants your relationship with God to fail. He wants you to drift. He will put pressure on you so that you drift. Often, it is so slow we barely notice.

Finally, Meyer points to the Neglect of Commands. Suppose I can put this in my words: disobedience. When God says don’t, and we do, we are disobedient. When God says do, but we don’t, we are disobedient. King Saul got into trouble when he offered a sacrifice only a priest should offer. Samuel tells him that “obedience is better than sacrifice.” Our willingness to obey protects us from drift. It keeps us close to the Father. It is for our protection.

What F. B. Meyer writes from Psalm 23 is illustrated in 2 Kings 23 as King Josiah brings about the most significant correction in Judah’s history. 2 Kings 23:25 says of him, “Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.”

May the same be said of us. So yes, drift while playing Mario Cart, but guard your spiritual life from it. A small drift can have a big consequence.

I Hate Discouragement

Life can be extremely discouraging. Discouragement is defined as being in a state of loss of confidence, enthusiasm, or dispiritedness. I would add the loss of hope to that definition. Most often, discouragement comes from situations that are part of being human. It may be a health crisis, challenges in your marriage, worry over kids, or being stuck in a routine that you feel there is no way out. All these things may discourage us. It’s not easy, but it is part of life…grumble…grumble…grumble.

This week’s lesson comes from 1 Sam 30:1-8. Take a moment to read that. I’ll wait.

A W Tozer writes in his book, The Counselor, “It is part of my belief that God wants to get us to a place where we would still be happy if we had only Him!” I will never profess that God is the root of my discouragement. It often comes from the tension between what God wants and what I want. Let’s face it: as humans, we want what we want. As believers, we also recognize that what we want is often not best for us. So, we are discouraged.

My wife and I have a beautiful, spunky daughter who is now spreading her wings as an adult. She is currently halfway around the world, serving in a foreign nation for three months. Last Wednesday night, as I sat thinking about her trip, I realized that God was calling me to a place of total surrender of my daughter.

From the first moment I held her, I acknowledged that she belonged to God. As her dad, I grapple with being unable to protect her and be there as she is halfway around the world. I was driving in my car alone and quietly praying, and the Spirit spoke to me; I recognized I now must trust God for her entirely. I’m not discouraged today; I strengthen myself in The Lord, My God. I trust Jesus to take care of my baby girl.

David was in a desperate situation. Everything and everyone was suddenly against him. Our text highlights several details of this situation. David and his troops were away from their families. While gone, their families and possessions were captured by their enemy. These soldiers encountered tragedy and loss. These, the toughest fighters of Israel, openly wept.

This was also personal for David as he was now separated from all three of his wives and his children. Michal was taken by her father Saul and given to another man. Now, Ahinoam and Abigail were taken by these raiders. David’s men looked for someone to blame, but David began looking for a solution. David did what every believer should do; he strengthened himself in the Lord. David turned to God’s arm for help because that was his only option.

In verses 6-8, we see that David called the priest, and he enquired of the Lord. It seems obvious, but we tend to mess this one up…along with many other things. I want you to look at how Saul and David handle desperate situations differently. One commentator believes these two things happened on the same day.

David was desperate for deliverance, so he sought the Lord for direction.

King Saul was also desperate for deliverance but sought a medium at Endor.

Due to these two situations, Saul was promised death, but David was promised life. It’s almost as if Saul approached God from an unfamiliar position. While the direct translation from verse 6 says, “he strengthened himself in YHWH his God.” For David, this was a personal relationship. He took his desperation to the one he knew could fix it.

See, this principle applies to us as individuals and to the Church. Can you say with confidence that He is the Lord, MY God? It is personal, and in times of discouragement and desperation, you know to run to Him. Rather than focusing on our weaknesses, we must focus on Christ’s strength.

How? By seeking His will. God wants to use our moments of discouragement to drive us back to a place of surrender and prayer. To seek Him above all else. To make Christ our highest goal.

Don’t be discouraged; strengthen and encourage yourself in the Lord Your God. I hate discouragement, but I’m thankful King David gave us a plan. Now, it’s up to us to do it.

This blog is partially adapted from my sermon, The Lord, My God, Jan 21, 24.

Live the Life

Do you ever wake up in the morning with the urge to hide? It may be a cold, gloomy winter day, and you just aren’t feeling it. Or it may be a bright sunny day with birds chirping and a warm late spring breeze, and you just aren’t feeling it. We all go through moments when we want to hide. There are a million reasons this could be true. Sometimes, we hide from situations and experiences. There are times when we are overwhelmed with feelings of can’t.

Last week, we looked at David’s second anointing. He had three: one when Samuel showed up at his dad’s house, one when Judah made him their king, and one when all of Israel gathered and made him king. I focused on the second one last week as we looked at the fact that YOU ARE CALLED. I opted to begin with David, though Saul was Israel’s first king.

King Saul had two anointings. The first occurred when he looked for his dad’s (Kish) lost donkey. He seeks the help of the Prophet Samuel, who anoints him to be Israel’s first king—some time passed between that occurrence and the second, maybe days or weeks. We really don’t know.

Let me set the scene for you. By the way, you can read about this in 1 Samuel 10:17-27. Israel asked for a king. God directs Samuel to anoint young Saul. Samuel then brings Saul before the nation to crown him their king. After all, in this case, Israel desired to look like the other nations.

So, Samuel calls the whole nation to the city of Mizpah. Tribe by tribe and clan by clan, the nation parades before the prophet. They came to the tribe of Benjamin to the clan of Matrites and the family of Kish—cue climactic music. I prefer “Zadok the Priest” by Handel. I have included a link for your listening enjoyment: https://youtu.be/5xWhclVLQyI. The winner is SAUL SON OF KISH. The heavens open with a chorus of voices. The sun directs its beam to the spot of coronation…and no one can find him. You can almost hear the scene deflating. They had to inquire of the Lord to find him. “And the Lord replied, ‘He is hiding among the baggage.’”

King David was willing to step into his call while waiting on God’s timing. King Saul, most likely dealing with insecurity, nervousness, and questions of worthiness, could not see himself as king.

I want to point out that at the first anointing earlier in this chapter, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, and he began to prophesy. Saul had not yet learned to trust the Spirit over his abilities. He had not yet learned that his worth and value were rooted in his God rather than his ability.

For a while, and we will come back to this many times this year, Saul looked like he would be a great and godly king. Saul never fully learned to surrender to the Spirit’s leading and never fully grasped who he was in God.

Before we are too hard on King Saul, remember that we are guilty of the same. I often hear people say things like this: I am unworthy. I can’t do that. Do you know my past? You don’t know what I have done. I want to make something obvious. If God says you are worthy, who are you, a mere mortal, to question His opinion? You have a choice. You can either hide behind the baggage of your life or step into the plan and calling God has for you.

I like the smell of leather as much as the next guy, but I don’t want to live among the baggage. I want to see where the Spirit leads stepping into my divine destiny. That’s my prayer for you. Know who you are in God and fulfill God’s plan. Who knows, you are likely called to reach someone no one else can reach! Stop hiding behind your baggage. Step out and live the life God has for you.

Join Me For The Journey

I’m a planner. Those who know me are currently chuckling or rolling their eyes at me. I can feel it through the internet. For the past 11 years, I have made it my practice to lay out as much as a year of sermons in advance. Sometimes it is not that much. It depends on what God is directing our church toward. Last year, 2023, we spent the entire year in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), except for Dec., I usually have a Christmas-centered series for that month.

I begin praying and planning in June/July for the following year. Last Summer, the Lord began to speak to me about ministry Lessons from the Kings of Israel. I ordered a large wall sticky note. It was beautiful to see all those pages hanging on my office wall. Well, at least for a planner like me.  Eventually, the Lord showed me 52 lessons from the lives of Saul, David, and Solomon…mostly. We will touch on other kings here and there. Of course, this will point to the ultimate King, Jesus.

I will preach this series and post a weekly blog from that week’s message. You can find that blog here at throughtimeblog.com or in the Church Center App under C3AG Louisville.

So, I invite you to JOIN ME FOR THE JOURNEY.

The first two weeks of this series will focus on aspects of King David’s and King Saul’s callings. I have chosen to begin with David as he is a positive story—next week, Saul’s…well, not so much.

I invite you to pause here and read 2 Samuel 2:1-7. (From this point forward, I will assume you know the context.

There are several important actionable steps here. For the sake of brevity, I will list each without much commentary.

Lesson 1: Ask God for His general will in your life.

“After this, David asked the Lord, ‘Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah.’ ‘Yes,’ the Lord replied.” 2:1a

Lesson 2: Ask God for His specific direction.

“The David asked, ‘Which town should I go to?’ ‘To Hebron,’ the Lord answered.” 2:1b

Lesson 3 – Verse 3: Be obedient to God when He answers.

“So David and his wives and his men and their families all moved to Judah.” 2:3

Through David’s prayers and act of obedience, God moved him into his calling. In verse 4, the people of Judah crowned him their king. His obedience did not simply make him Judah’s king, though that was a huge step to fulfilling God’s call. David honored the people of Jabesh-Gilead, which was not a part of Judah but the half-tribe of Manasseh, and, in turn, invited them to support him as their king. This sets up the consolidation of David’s power across all of Israel. 7.5 years later. That’s right. There is no indication that the people of Jabesh-Gilead followed David at that time. I hate waiting! But God often calls us to seasons of waiting.

Ultimately, David is the pinnacle of the kings of Israel. That started through prayer, obedience, and waiting.

Many of us wish to see God’s will fulfilled in our lives, but we fail to pray and act in obedience when the time comes. We certainly do not like waiting, but we learn to trust God’s plan in the waiting. These lessons are pivotal to our journey this year, so I chose to begin with David rather than Saul.

We are focusing on reaching 1,000 for Jesus in 2024-25. For that to be accomplished, we must pray and act in obedience. To see God’s will accomplished in your life, you, too, must pray, act in obedience, and be willing to wait on God’s timing.

I invite you to follow my blog so that you are notified each time a new one is posted, likely on Wednesdays of each week.  

JOIN ME FOR THE JOURNEY!

I’m Back, Baby!

In the words of Frank Costanza, “I’m Back, Baby.” It has been a long time since I have had the opportunity to blog on an ongoing basis. My PhD journey will hopefully close on Jan 11, 2024.

My goal next year is to write a weekly blog/devotion based on my sermon series, Lessons from the Kings. These devotions are practical thoughts on leadership, morality, and following God in all aspects of our lives. We will explore the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Kings of Israel and Judah. Of course, this will point us to our Lord and King, Jesus. I will also throw in a few extra blogs on a wide variety of topics.

I hope that you will join me on this journey. For greater insight, I also hope you will join us online or in person at www.C3AG.org as I preach through this series.

I pray that you and your family will have a Merry, Christ-centered Christmas and a New Year full of the Holy Spirit.

It’s great to be back,

Darren

Is 9:6 “For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” NLT

“Is Anyone Worthy?”

Last night, Sunday, February 12, my wife, oldest son, a group from our church, and I traveled to the campus of Asbury College. We drove 70 min from our home to participate in the amazing move of the Spirit that broke out there during a regular chapel service this past Wednesday. No one seemed to know what happened that morning as the students gathered. As they worshipped, something shifted, and now 100+ hours later, this move of God is still going and growing.

We arrived on campus around 4 in the afternoon. It was sunny but chilly as we walked across campus from a parking lot with few spots remaining. Entering the chapel, we realized that sitting was not an option. Our group moved down an aisle, standing out of the way as best we could, letting others in and out. There was an immediate awareness of the gravity of what was occurring. Hughes Chapel seats approximately 1,500, but there were easily 1,800-2,000 people in the sanctuary, foyer, halls, and basement.

I stood in the aisle, wondering what this moment would be like. I saw many familiar faces. People that did not come with us, but I have known throughout my life in Kentucky. As I looked around, I felt the Spirit nudge me with a question, “are you here to see them or Me.” Immediately I turned my attention to Him rather than those around me. At that moment, the worship team sang, “Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?” Suddenly, I could not see clearly as my eyes filled with tears, and the overwhelming presence of the living God consumed me. For the rest of the two hours we stood in the chapel, I began to weep every time I focused on Christ.

After thirty minutes, a group stood to leave, and we found seats. It was then I began to notice many things about this sovereign move of God. I had a notebook with me. I sat and wrote down these 11 thoughts:

  1. God’s presence is thick in the room. There is no place where God is not.
  2. College students are leading the way. Seamlessly, worship teams transitioned without missing a beat.
  3. There is no overt demonstration of the Spirit, but there is a divine hunger for Jesus in the room. (Matt 5:6)
  4. Order is evident through professors giving instruction, the students leading, and the participants following as the Spirit moves.
  5. The Spirit’s presence seemingly comes in waves of worship and spontaneous adoration. Unexpectedly, the room goes almost still except for the students singing on stage.
  6. There is no central person, evangelist, etc., only Jesus.
  7. Most people participate rather than observe.
  8. There are no stage lights, fog machines, dimmed sanctuary lights, audio-visual equipment, expert musicians, or singers. Yet, the Spirit of God moves. (Perhaps the seeker-sensitive church should take note. All we need is a hunger for Jesus.)
  9. There is no single denomination but the body of Christ.
  10. There is a sense that we are witness to a historical moment that could easily change the course of our nation, more importantly, will change the course of a generation.
  11. There is no sense that this will end anytime soon. It will be like the great Charismatic Renewal sweeping the globe. That move of the Spirit started on a February morning in a normal chapel service at Asbury College in 1970.

Driving the hour and 10 min home, I contemplated what I had just observed and what the Spirit is saying. Now, twenty-four hours later, I still ponder and pray. As I sit on my bed typing these words, my mind drifts, my eyes tear, and my heart hungers. “Is anyone worthy? Is anyone worthy? … He is!”

Thank You, AG

I have not had the opportunity to write for many weeks. The last few months have been a whirlwind of travel and holidays. I’m also working on a Ph.D. which significantly limits my writing time outside of assignments and dissertation preparation.

Today I want to write about my love for our fellowship. Fellowship is a mark of Christ’s church. It moves beyond a mere knowledge of someone to a relationship with that person. Doing life together, if you will. I was born into an Assemblies of God (AG) family. The AG is not a denomination but officially a fellowship. As with any relationship, we may have disagreements, but as with a healthy family, those things fade away for the sake of unity and fellowship.

Growing up AG, attending AG colleges, pastoring an AG church, and now serving in AG leadership affords me a family beyond my physical one. This is a spiritual connection. The AG is now well over 80 million people worldwide. Some estimate that number in the 120-160 million range (we cannot accurately count in closed nations). Through the blood of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of the body of Christ, I am connected to each one of these.

Now please understand that I do not assume there is no connection to other denominations or organizations. Nothing could be further from the truth. But God saw fit to place me in a tribe, a place of connection. As I sat at my desk contemplating a blog topic, I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of belonging. Because of my background and experiences, there is nowhere in the world that I do not know an AG global worker.

I have some good things going on in my life right now. As I read a book authored by one AG friend, I picked up a prayer card from another, and texted one of our national leaders. I was struck yet again by the sense of belonging and family that the AG has provided for me. Do I believe we are the only ship in the ocean? Of course not. Nor do I think we have a lock on salvation, missions, the work of the Spirit, or anything else for that matter. Thank God for that. I also appreciate the deep relationships with non-denom, oneness, independent Christian, and Methodist friends. We are all in the same body. Maybe just a different line in the family. That could be a blog for another day. This blog is meant to be a thank you to the AG.

So, thank you, Assemblies of God, for the summer camps where my life was transformed. For mentors that keep my life grounded and in check. Thank you to the professors who poured into my life at two AG colleges/universities. Thank you to my friends that serve around the world. You challenge my selfishness and my willingness to give it all to Jesus. Thank you to our local AG church, C3AG, Louisville, KY. It is an honor to serve as your pastor. Thank you to my AG parents and grandparents that set into motion finding Jesus at an early age, being filled with the Spirit at the altar of an AG church, and being called into ministry at Camp Crestwood. Thank you to my wife, who I meet at an AG college.

My purpose in this blog is not to be arrogant about the AG but to genuinely thank those who have significantly impacted my life. God chose to use the AG as one conduit of His blessing in my life. In our modern world, denominations are losing their former influence. Many are drawn toward the independent churches that they feel more closely model the early church. I get that, and I do not criticize those with that opinion. I just disagree. I am often asked by young ministers, why do I need credentials with the AG if God has called me? That too is a blog for a future time, but one aspect is belonging.

I have an opportunity to make deep and lasting connections. I love General Council (our national meetings are held every two years) because it is like a family reunion. It is a joy and a privilege to walk around the exhibit hall and see friends and those with a profound effect on my life. Somehow, I come away each time with a few new friends also. No, the AG cannot get you into heaven, and yes, it is just a small portion of the body of Christ worldwide, but it is my place of belonging. It is my tribe. As we often say in the AG, Our Church, Our Family. I am thankful.

The Star

What a joy it is to celebrate the birth of our Savior. His birth was like none other in history. This divine birth was marked by many miracles prophesied of old. One of the most intriguing and questioned miracles is the Star of Bethlehem. It is one of my favorite things to study, and I have done so for more than 10 years.

Matt. 2:1-12 “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. He asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you  who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.” NLT

Though this star is an amazing miracle, we must not forget that Jesus Christ is the true star of Bethlehem.

Balaam prophesied of His coming in the early days of Israel. Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.” A star will come out of Jacob…the light of the World. It should not surprise us that God used a celestial miracle to mark the birth of our Lord. Psalm 19:1 tells us that “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

The coming of the Messiah, God come to earth, the forgiveness of sin, and the ultimate restoration of our sinless world surely affect even the cosmos. The light of the world has come.

First, let’s look at the problem…What was it? Secularists point to the star as an impossibility.

Yes, a new star is possible, but not likely, and it certainly could not point to a house. Of course, this opinion discounts the miraculous power of our God. There are generally four accepted possibilities of what this star was.

Planets moved in retrograde motion.

A comet that’s tale pointed to the house.

The formation of a new divinely appointed star.

Or the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, reminiscent of the pillar of cloud and fire.

In the end, the star was simply a miracle.

Second, we look at the purpose. What was it for? We know, of course, that the star served to point the Wiseman to Christ. The light pointed to the light. In his gospel, John uses this analogy, stating, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” John 1:9-10 The light of Christ still shines in our dark world. Interestingly, Paul refers to us as stars serving the same purpose. Phil. 2:15 “so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” We are to be stars shining in the heavens pointing people to Christ just as the Star of Bethlehem did.

Third, let’s look at the precedent. Will it happen again? His first coming was marked by this star. His second coming will also be marked by signs in the heavens. Acts 2:19-20 “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” Rev. 1:7 ““Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So, shall it be! Amen.” When God leaves His throne and the splendor of heaven to enter into our fallen world…all of nature is affected.

We wait as we see the signs in the heavens that mark the soon return of our Lord. Each Christmas, the miracle of the star reminds us that Christ is the Light of the World, it should motivate us to be lights pointing to Christ, and it should challenge us as we see the signs of His return. It should also remind us that our God is a God of the miraculous. Those things that man cannot understand or explain are simple for our God. The greatest gift, the greatest miracle you can experience in your life, is salvation. Jesus, the light must come into your life and change you.

Peter says it like this, 2 Peter 1:19 “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

This Christmas season, allow the morning star to rise anew in your heart.

The Greatets Day in All the Year

My favorite version of the Christmas Carol, excluding the Muppets, starred Albert Finny in the 1970 musical version titled Scrooge. In this beautiful and energetic rendition, Mr. and Mrs. Fezzywig sing the song “December the 25th”. This song declares it to be the greatest day in all the year…sung in your best British accent. I love Christmas and have studied its details for the past 20+ years. As I mentioned in my last blog, this year, I am attempting to answer questions surrounding Christmas by way of my opinion.

Today I want to dive into the controversial issue of the date of Christ’s birth. Like many other details, we cannot prove one way or another. Scripture does not tell us. In many cases, we miss the point if we quibble over the date. Still, over the past few years, I have seen an increasing number of believers stop celebrating Christmas as it is rooted in pagan traditions. I find this thought interesting as many Christian traditions are older than the pagan traditions. We are always said to borrow from them rather than them from us.

December the 25th became the date of Christmas because early believers coopted a celebration to the Roman Sun God…or so you have probably heard. Is this really what happened? I studied Roman and Greek mythology in high school, and I don’t recall a sun God of any importance. Author John Seward writes of this possibility in his book Cradle of Redeeming Love (Ignatius, 2002). He states, “The message would be that Christ is the true and eternal sun and Son….” An article on Crosswalk.com states,

“If the dating of Christmas was influenced at all by pagan celebrations, the most likely candidate was a holiday established in 274 AD by the Roman Emperor Aurelian (around 214-275 AD) called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, “The Birth of the Unconquered Sun,” on December 25. However, it is equally possible that Aurelian was attempting to co-opt a date that already had significance for believers. According to history professor William Tighe, “The date had no religious significance in the Roman pagan festal calendar before Aurelian’s time, nor did the sun play a prominent role in Rome before him.”

At least two early Church Fathers believed December the 25th was the correct date and was celebrated in Alexandria, Egypt, around 100 years before establishing the Sun God holiday. Crosswalk.com continues,

“The tradition for December 25th is actually quite ancient. Hippolytus, in the second century A.D., argued that this was Christ’s birthday. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Church, January 6th was the date followed. But in the fourth century, John Chrysostom argued that December 25th was the correct date, and from that day till now, the Church in the East, as well as the West, has observed the 25th of December as the official date of Christ’s birth.”

Many believe Jesus could not be born in December in Bethlehem because shepherds were in the fields.  Many ancient Jewish texts and traditions speak of sheep in the fields throughout the year. They still have to eat after all. From what I understand, sheep are not big fans of dried hay. While it is true that Israel can be cold at times, Bethlehem and Mt Hermon, for instance, likely had a vast range of temperatures. We cannot base the accuracy for or against a date based on our opinion of the weather. Again, even so, the sheep were still hungry.

While many may believe that Christians always co-opted from pagans, I often think pagans co-opted from Christian traditions. Suppose Christmas on December 25th predated the Sun God celebration. In that case, it stands to reason that the Romans, wanting to minimize Christian influence, set a date for the Sun God on the same date. As a side note, this Sun God is not even Roman, but Persian. Again, quoting Corsswalk.com,

“By the time of Aurelian’s reign, it appears that the God Mithras (originally a Persian deity who was said to be either the son of the sun or the companion of the sun) was earning popularity among traveling Roman soldiers. Aurelian decided to seize on an opportunity to bring a monotheistic cult to the Roman Empire, and his motivation likely was to compete with Christianity – a growing monotheistic religion that he saw as a threat to the empire.”

Whatever the actual date, the purpose is to recognize and worship Christ, be thankful for His first coming, and live in expectation of His second coming. Yet, I do not support giving to Satan what the Lord has redeemed. Paul writes, in Rom 14:6, “Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.” However and whenever you celebrate Christ’s birth, may the gravity of Emmanuel, God with us, impact your worship and your life. I agree with Fezzywig, December the 25th is “the greatest day in all the year.” It has been for 2,000 years. Let’s keep it that way.

https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/was-jesus-really-born-on-dec-25.html