WHAT'S NEW?

Standing on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the old city of Jerusalem on New Year's Day 2020, was quite a moment for me.  Having experienced the city several times before, I was prepared for the tension that hangs in the air caused by the crash of humanity and the clash of religions.  What surprised on this day was a resurging hope for the newness to come.   

In the Apostle John's vision of Heaven recorded in Revelation 21 he sees "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband" (v. 2).  Then he hears the One seated on the throne say, "Behold, I am making everything new!" (v.5).

Gazing upon this place called the "City of God" on the dawn of a new decade gave me a refreshing vision of the God we serve.  He is a God who specializes in making all things new!  He can take ancient relics, even conflicts that span the eons, and from them bring something beautiful and new.  And one day, He will! 

We don't have to wait until Jesus returns to experience the newness of God.

A Pharisee named Saul knew what it was to hang on to the old with a passion.  But when he encountered Christ everything changed and he became a new man with a new name - the Apostle Paul!  Paul reminds us that newness of life is available to us all in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!"  Even in his weepy narrative called Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah finds peace in the assurance that God's mercies never fail, indeed "they are new every morning" (Lam. 3:23).     

As we embark on a New Year and a new decade, has it occurred to you what God may be making new in your life?

WALK THIS WAY

It's been almost a year since I stepped into a Sabbatical of sorts from blogging. And to be transparent, most of that time I questioned the real value of posting blogs. Finally, it hit me that with so many exciting things happening at First Church, it's worthwhile to use any means available to help people wrap their minds and hearts around what God is doing! So, I plan to use this site to lean into some of the new initiatives underway at our church this year.

We began 2012 by unveiling our "spiritual growth" plan. It's called THE JOURNEY because that's what the Christian life is...a journey. The Bible sums up what the journey is all about in 1 John 2:6, "Whoever claims to live in God, must walk as Jesus did."

So how did Jesus "walk"? There are 5 basic steps on our journey that we need to take to walk (live) like Jesus. Scour scripture and you'll find that Jesus integrated all of these into His life - I call them "The 5 C's" --

(1) Celebrate in one Worship Service each week.
(2) Connect with one Small Group.
(3) Commit to one Area of Service within the church and within your community.
(4) "Cast" for one pre-Christian this year.
(5) Create one Moment With God each day.

Again, these are BASIC steps, but everyone has to begin somewhere. All of us are at different points on the road. The question is, which one of these five steps do you need to focus on in 2012 to grow in your spiritual life? For you, it may mean starting with step #5 or step #2.

We'll be hearing a lot about THE JOURNEY and "The 5 C's" at First Church this year...and I'm looking forward to travelling on the road to spiritual growth with you this year!

TRAGEDY IN JAPAN

Like so many of you, my heart also breaks for the people of Japan. The catastrophe they've suffered with a 9.0 earthquake and the devastating tsunami that followed is too much to wrap our minds around. Now add to all of the carnage the impending threat of a nuclear meltdown. The suffering of those in Japan and the effects their suffering will have on people around the world (even in our backyard with Toyota's national headquarters located in NKY) is beyond words. Thankfully, God understands the cry of our hearts when words are insufficient.

Let's continue to pray throughout each day for the Japanese people, for the wisdom and courage of their leaders, for those grieving the loss of loved ones, for those displaced, for those who've yet to be rescued, for the relief workers, for those brave men fighting to regain control of nuclear reactors, and for the Presence of Jesus to be made real and powerful throughout the land.

This weekend at First Church you can participate in taking relief and hope to the people of Japan through giving. Special offering envelopes will be available for the next few weeks if you'd like to participate. We've partnered with Samaritan's Purse led by Franklin Graham and will be sending all funds recieved directly to this very effective relief organization. You can also find a link to their website at www.1stchurchofchrist.org.

God's Word gives us these words of hope for such a time as this: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress...be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:1-7, 10a, NIV).

ON THE CUSP OF SPRING

Once when Jesus was really hungry, he saw a fig tree by the side of the road in "full leaf." Figs were a key source of food for folks in the first century. So, Jesus heads over to the fig tree looking for a tasty snack only to find it had no figs! It was like false advertisement - green leaves everywhere, but no fruit. Jesus makes a powerful statement by literally cursing the fig tree. Mark 11:14 records the curse: "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."

Fig trees bear fruit twice a year in the Holy Land, every Spring and Autumn. Jesus' encounter with the fig tree was in early Spring. Being on the cusp of Spring right now, I can identify with how Jesus must have felt, can't you? We are SO ready for the trees to bud and the flowers to bloom! I'm "hungry" for Spring to produce it's long-awaited "fruit!"

Jesus was disappointed that this particular fig tree promised more than it delivered. It was full of green leaves but had no fruit. Another Biblical metaphor for this is when the land was undergoing a severe drought. A dark cloud appears on the horizon bringing hope for much needed rain. But the cloud passes over and brings no rain!

Here's the point of the curse - Jesus is not cool with "appearances only." Living for God means we produce fruit. Jesus said that he "chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last" (John 15:16). God wants us to make a real difference in life. I'm usually pretty good when it comes to "talking the talk." But God is not pleased unless I'm "walking the walk." We produce "fruit" when we back up what we say we believe with how we live.

As we stand on the cusp of Spring, let's refuse to be "leafy trees" that fail to come through with the fruit. Like the warm sunshine and refreshing rains of Spring will set orchards up for a fruitful harvest, God's power and grace can set us up for fruitful lives!

How Will You Enter 2011?

As we begin the first work week of the New Year, this scripture from my devotional reading jumped out at me, Jesus said: "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" (Mark 10:14-15).

How do I enter 2011? Well, after reading that passage, I want to head into what lies before us in this New Year like a child who comes to Jesus with complete trust and total reliance on Him.

It may sound strange - if you heard me sing, it would sound really strange - but I ocassionally break out the old Book of Hymns I grew up with during my devotional time. I love contemporary worship songs, but I also love how some "ancient" hymns of the faith capture the heart and reality of following Christ.

As I reflected upon "coming to Jesus" this New Year with the humility and faith of a child, the hymn "Jesus I Come" popped into my head. Not really remembering the lyrics, I opened the Book of Hymns and was blown away by how fitting the words are for beginning a new day, and a New Year! Here's the first stanza:

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;

Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to Thee;

Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth,

Out of my sin and into Thy-self, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Isn't that a great resolution for the New Year? It covers a lot of life...joy, health, finances, and relationship with God! Perhaps the deepest line, and the one that has motivates me most says:

Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;

Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee

Like a child, I "come to Jesus" in 2011 humbled by His love for one like me, and ready to live in a bold faith that presses forward the glory of His cross!

How will you enter this New Year? Will you "come to Jesus"? He's ready and waiting for you!

WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHERE WE'RE GOING

When the holidays hit we tend to get a little sentimental. I usually think about the generations who have preceded us, especially my late father and grandfather. In commenting on modern society someone said, "My grandfather had a farm, my dad had a garden, and I've got a can-opener!" That's a perfect description of my roots.

Sometimes I wonder how just much we have lost through the generations in the name of progress. Don't get me wrong, I'm really grateful for the high-speed, two-horsepower can-opener on our kitchen counter. That thing could cut through the safe door at Fort Knox! But the canned green beans and corn from Kroger are a far cry from the fresh veggies my grandparents used to grow.

Most concerning of all is what our culture seems to be losing in character. Every day in America we lose thousands of the relatively few remaing veterans of World War 2. Those men and women are well into their 80's and beyond now. When they have all passed, our nation will have buried one of her greatest generations, if not the greatest. That generation was defined by its self-sacrfice and strength of character. The kind of "self-denial" that Jesus calls His followers to seemed more prevalent in that day, than the rampant "self-promotion" of our day.

I hear young people today speak of their desire for "fame" like it's an entitlement. Perhaps it's the result of web networks like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs like this, and even YouTube that broadcast who we are to the world. Maybe it's the result of American Idol and all of those "reality" TV shows. However we got there, our culture's desire for "fame" is there in a big way.

This contrasts with the heroes of generations past. When my grandfather passed away in 2008, we found out that he had been awarded the Bronze Star for uncommon valor during the second World War. He had never before spoken of it, not even to his wife of over 60 years! That story is fairly common among war heroes, particularly from generations past.

I'm not trying to say that "fame-seeking" is necessarily a bad thing, or that hiding acts of heroism is necessarily a good thing. It's just a general observation that captures a contrast between our culture compared to that of those who've gone before us.

Rather than just being sentimental during the holidays this year and missing my fore-fathers, maybe I can try to incorporate a few of their quickly "fading" character traits into my life. Maybe I'll even start a garden.

ONE MONTH TO LIVE?

The new teaching series we're diving into during October called "One Month to Live" really settled in with me last week. I was teaching for a spiritual renewal week at a church near Richmond, VA. The pastor there, Bill Wines, took me on a tour of two incredibly historical sites. One was the Hollywood Cemetary in which three Presidents and hundreds of Civil War casualties are buried. The other was the site of the Battle of Cold Harbor in which tens of thousands of young men died as the South defended Richmond against the Union army's advance.

Strolling through such a historical cemetary reminded me that we are all "terminal." But it was seeing the trenches dug by Confederate soldiers on the battle field at Cold Harbor that really brought this reality home to me. The trenches in which young men fought and dead are still there! You could almost hear the bullets, smell the cannon smoke, and see the bodies of dead soldiers. It was a sobering moment to gaze upon those trenches, dug by young soldier's hands. For many, they were digging their own graves.

The Psalmist writes, "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath" (Psalm 39:5).

I'm not tyring to to be a downer, but it's important for us to grasp the reality of our own mortality. Why? Because when we realize that fact that we are terminal -- last time I checked the death rate for humans is one out of one, a full 100% -- it makes a difference in the way we live!

Tim McGraw sings a song called, "Live Like You Were Dying." It tells the story of a man in his 40's who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. When a friend asks him how he responded to that news the man says, "I went skydiving, I went rocky mountain climbing, I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu. And I loved deeper. And I spoke sweeter. And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'," and he said, "Some day I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dyin'."

What difference would it make in your life today if you knew you had only one month to live? What would you do? Who would you see? What would you make right in your life? This life is brief. But God is clear that there's an eternity to come and where we spend it will be determined by how we spend this life.

I'm ready to live like I was dying...how about you?