Always

 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season… (II Timothy 4:2 ESV)

Always

Pipers pipe.

Not every occupation articulates their action so obviously.  Doctors do not doc.  Plumbers do not plumb.  Carpenters do not carpent.  Professors rarely profess.  And we hope to see Road Workers work more than we actually do…  but Pipers Pipe.

Because of the trouble with Judas Iscariot, many see these eleven pipers as representing the eleven faithful disciples.  And here they are tooting their tooters.  But really, they are doing more than that.  They are doing their job.

The job of the pipers is to preach the word, in season and out of season.  In other words, all the time.

The gospel, the power of Jesus, is not something that only comes out on Sundays.  It happens, and pipers pipe about it, all the time.

Occasionally, we remember to mention how much we adore Jesus.  When circumstances really demand it, we mention the necessity of the cross in our lives.  When pressed, we admit we know Him.  We are not good pipers.

But the power of the gospel of Christ is at work all the time.  There is ONE piper who always pipes. 

And that is Jesus Himself.

He pipes the gospel in good times and bad.  He pipes the gospel when life makes sense, and when it does not.  He pipes the gospel no matter the weather.  He pipes the gospel whether we are paying attention or not.  He knows the gospel, He loves the gospel, He is the gospel.

We can not always pipe.  But Jesus can.

Day Twelve: Twelve Drummers Drumming

How High?

Day Ten: Ten Lords a-leaping

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15 ESV)

How High?

Ten Lords… ten commandments.

I liked to obey my grandfather.  I am not sure why, but whether it was respect, affection, or love, but when my grandfather asked me to jump, I would not complain, query, or balk.  I would ask, “how high?”

These leaping lords are like that.  Notice that they are not hirelings, servants, or underlings.  They are lords!  Yet there they are, leaping.  Leaping is not jumping half-heartedly.  Leaping is not jumping sullenly.  Leaping is not jumping cautiously.

These guys, lords though they be, are leaping!

For Christians, obedience can work like that, too.  When we realize God’s forgiveness, we begin to want to obey Him.  When we know the Father’s love, we want to obey Him.  When we are aware of the Son’s sacrifice, we want to obey Him.  When we understand the Spirit’s touch, we want to obey Him.

We have been adopted into the King’s family, yet we leap to obey.  Because Christ, in us, compels us to joyfully obey.  Because Christ, for us, has obeyed on our behalf.  Because Christ, before us, has leaped to obey HIS Father, too.

We do not obey.  But Christ can!

Day Eleven: Pipers Piping

Expression

Day Nine: Nine Ladies Dancing

Expression

Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! (Psalm 81:1 ESV)

Some music causes our toes to tap.  Better music causes our toes to tap and our bodies to move.  Even better music causes our toes to tap, our bodies to move, and our arms to wave.  The best music causes us to dance.  Even stodgy Midwesterners like me know this.  Sometimes it takes every ounce of repression I own to stop myself from dancing.

These dancing ladies represent the fruits of the spirit.  As a reminder, they are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Sometimes we have viewed those fruits as commands.  But instead, these are nine things that we get to do when we know Jesus, and He knows us.  Like our response to some music, our response to being with Jesus is to be those things.

I imagine those nine ladies dancing because they can not help themselves!  In the same way, be loving, joyful, peace-promoting, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  Because we just can not help ourselves!

We do not do those things by act of will, practice, or perfection.  We do them because in Christ, we get to!

We can not show fruit on our own.  But in Christ we DO.

Beauty

Day Eight: Maids a-milking

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. (Psalm 34:5 ESV)

Beauty

They are not just maidens, wholesome, attractive, and admirable; they are also hard at work. 

The number of maids a-milking matches up with the number of the beatitudes: eight.  Adhering to the principles found in the beatitudes leads to beauty… not as the world sees it, but as God intends it.

Perhaps here, these ladies are shown as complete in both being and in action.  The idea of ‘maids’ implies beauty… and their work, rather than merely being consumers, points to being beautiFUL.

As Christians, male and female, striving to live as Christ’s ambassadors, we can think of these milking maids.  Christ’s ambassadors get to be beautiful.  Not in the shallow, ever fading, visual sense that many attempt… but instead, beauty of being, and beauty of doing.  Being focused on Christ, and Him alone.  Doing the work to which He calls us, and nothing else.

That can make us whole, complete, and beautiful.

Focusing on ourselves, we can not be beautiful.  But focusing on Christ, we can.

Comfort

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, (John 14:16 ESV)

Comfort

I wonder if the original composers of The Twelve Days of Christmas snickered a little bit when they wrote of this gift.  The swans, while not quite doves, are with some poetic license, referring to the Holy Spirit, and the seven swans refer to the seven gifts of the Spirit.  So this gift is a bunch of gifts.

The incarnation, the birth of Christ, happened because mankind was in dire straights.  We needed saving.  Isaiah foretells the coming messiah in terms of  the intense human need for comfort.  In Isaiah 40:1 he set the stage: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”  Isaiah goes on to describe how the gospel is entrenched in comfort, not mild comfort after a bad day, but internal, eternal, and un-devastating comfort. (Isaiah 51:19; 57:18; 61:2; 66:13; et. al.)

But because the full effects of our salvation are not manifested until we reach heaven, Christ lovingly and thoughtfully offers the Holy Spirit as a continued comfort.  The way that comfort is found is the point of this part of the song.

Do you need comfort?  The full continuum of comfort, from the physical pain of a stubbed toe, all the way to the mind-numbing sorrow that follows awareness of sin, loss of a loved one, or societal collapse, are all offered through the seven gifts of the Spirit.

The seven comforting gifts are:   Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgment, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, and the Fear of the Lord.

We can not reliably comfort.  But Jesus can.

Creation

Day Six: Six Geese a-laying

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12 ESV)

Creation

This verse is not about the gift.  It is not about the geese. This verse is about what those geese are doing.  They are laying eggs.

At times we become so used to the amazingness of the mundane that our eyes only look way, way up to find things for which to praise God.  But this verse reminds us that the daily, seemingly automatic, commonplace events also are under Christ’s rule, and are worthy of our attention and praise.

Even the ongoing natural events in creation.

These days our society seems to have forgotten where everything came from.  Ideas range from a theory of a Big Bang, to an eternal progression of matter and energy.  Or we just do not think about it, but let the effects of creation go on around us unnoticed.  But our Triune God made everything, upholds everything, and has redeemed everything.

That gift of egg-laying geese reminds us that the one true living God, the God of Christians, has His fingers in everything that happens around us.  Geese do not just lay eggs, Christ made it so, makes it so, and will make it so.

We can not control creation, even though we try.  But Jesus can.

Foundation

Day Five: Five Golden Rings

 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  (I Corinthians 3:11 ESV)

Foundation

Economically, different materials have been seen as the foundation of society.  Ancient Africans often used valuable shells.  Settlers in Kentucky sometimes used whiskey.  For many years, the American economy was built on gold.  Lately, we hear about bitcoin, information, and technology as our economic foundations.

When this song was written, economies were just starting to be based on a standard of gold.  And so the song, in a powerful dramatic moment, announces the gift of gold… gold to fill one’s five fingers!

The golden rings represent the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.  The foundation of a Biblical Worldview in the same way that gold was the foundation of medieval Europe.

But the Pentateuch is only foundational when we realize that it directs us to Christ.  In the New Testament, the Pentateuch was referred to as The Law, and Christ says that He came to fulfill The Law… to give it meaning… to make it true…

We might think that the foundation of society is monetary policy, or military strength, or political power.  But it is not.  The foundation of society is the Law of God.  He is sovereign, even when we do not acknowledge it.  His Law is strong, even when we can not see it.  His creation of this universe is the foundation of all existence.

And while we can not stand on that foundation on our own, in Christ, we can.

Beauty in Truth

Day Four: Four Calling Birds

  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. (Psalm 50:2 ESV)

Beauty in Truth

A calling bird is not a particular avian breed.  Rather it is a type of bird, any bird, that makes beautiful sounds.   Crows are not calling birds, but robins are.  Parrots are not calling birds, but meadowlarks are.  Emus are not calling birds, but canaries are.

But beauty is not really in the ear of the beholder.  Beauty is found in things that adhere to God’s character, truth, and Person.  The beautiful dulcet tones of calling birds are beautiful because God made them that way.

These four calling birds represent the Biblical gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  They are beautiful because God spoke them.  They are beautiful because they speak God’s truth.  They are beautiful because they were carefully crafted, just like all of Scripture, to bring God’s truth to God’s people.

They are not the Most Important Part of the Bible… but they are a clear description of the life and death and life of our Jesus, and are therefore the kind of beauty of which we need more

Our creations are not beautiful because we declare them so.  They are beautiful when they are God-directed and God-inspired.  And we can not always do that.  But Jesus can.

Nutrition

Day Three: Three French Hens

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (I Corinthians 13:13 ESV)

Nutrition

Nutritionists present new arguments every few years about what a truly balanced meal looks (and I suppose tastes) like.  Sometimes eggs are in, sometimes eggs are out.  Sometimes meat is in, sometimes meat is out.  Sometimes fruit is in, sometimes fruit is out.  Sometimes kale is in… well, kale usually is considered in.

I am glad that when it comes to what God gives us to be Spiritually balanced, He is pretty clear about the three things we need to have, and to give.  Those three are faith, hope, and love.  There are a lot of other useful and good things, but those three are always in.

French hens, throughout much of late medieval Europe, when this song was probably written, were the most common source of protein.  French hens were plentiful, inexpensive, easy to care for, and sort of tasty.

In modern America, maybe macaroni and cheese are like French hens.  Inexpensive, common, easily found and prepared, and sort of tasty.

The beloved in the song receives lots of French hens.  The gift giver probably is making sure that the beloved gets what they need. 

And so we Christians find what we need in faith, hope, and love.  And we receive them only through Christ.  He is where our faith is focused.  He is the aim of our hope.  And He IS love.

We can not provide these for ourselves.  But Jesus can.

Forgiveness

Day Two: Two Turtle Doves

But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10: 3,4 ESV)

Forgiveness

At one point, I realized that a turtle dove was not a winged tortoise.  I was sort of disappointed.  Even so, turtle doves are significant because after lambs, turtle doves are the most commonly sacrificed animal in the Old Testament times.

The two turtle doves most likely refer to the Old and New Testaments.  And they direct our attention to He who is smack dab in the middle of the those two parts, Christ Jesus.

The sacrificial system of the Old Testament did not offer forgiveness of sins, but rather pointed the way to Christ.  The Messiah would do what those sacrifices only tried to do.

And the New Testament looks back to that Savior, and says, “Only in Christ is forgiveness and restoration to God!”

When we get to the point in our lives that we realize we have broken our relationship with God, we might try to fix it by being better tomorrow… but that does not work.  We might try to fix it by trying really hard to obey… but that does not work.  We might try to fix it by promising, hoping, ignoring, denying, or some other activity… but those do not work.

The only way to be forgiven is through the sacrifice not of two turtle doves, but of the one Messiah.

We can not give ourselves forgiveness, but Jesus can.

The Cross

DAY ONE: A Partridge in a Pear Tree

 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (I Corinthians 2:2 ESV)

The Cross

Christianity has become associated with a lot of things, lately.  When the world thinks of Christianity, they often think of legalism, hypocrisy, more rules than sense, and insensitivity.  The world is probably not accurate, we hope.  But yet, one wonders if the problem is more in us, than in our viewers.

Paul says the core of Christianity is Christ, and Him crucified.  But we seem to have many cores.

The first day in the song refers to a partridge in a pear tree.  Partridges are fascinating birds.  When a mother partridge is threatened, she will step in front of the predator and fall down, faking her own death so her family can escape.

Other than the faking part, that sounds a lot like Jesus dying to save His family.

And when the Old Testament foretells the Messiah’s cross, that cross is usually referred to as a tree.

It is interesting that this illustration is repeated more than any other metaphor in the song.  Twelve times, each verse, each rendition, we repeat that the beloved received a partridge in a pear tree.

That can remind us, like Paul, that the cross is the center of our salvation, our lives, and our hope.

A lot of things claim our attention as centers.  Money, popularity, career, heritage, our plans.  But only Christ is really necessary, really central, really all.

We try to cling to many centers, but only Jesus is that center.

Twelve Days, and Jesus Can

Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11 ESV)

The Twelve Days of Christmas (and Jesus Can)

I know, the twelve days of Christmas actually BEGIN on the 25th of December, and last until the celebration of the Epiphone on the 5th of January.  But we are going to examine those 12 days, as presented in the well-known song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, starting tomorrow.  For two reasons, really.  First, I did not think of it until this morning.  Second, these days are not Biblically commanded holidays, and we can think and talk about them any time it works for us!

There are stories about the song, Twelve Days.  Stories that describe how during times of political and religious oppression, this song was used by wandering bards to give the gospel message in a hidden yet delightfully open manner.  Stories that claim that the song is a careful presentation of the most important 12 teachings of the Bible.  Stories that examine the symbolism of numbers in the Bible and how some numbers relate to the mystery of the Incarnation that we celebrate at Christmas.

I am personally not sure of the veracity of some of those stories.

But on reflection, each of the twelve days in the song have a valuable, encouraging, and challenging message that is particularly found at this time of year.

So for the next twelve days, that is what we will try to examine.

And it will be easier than you might think.  Because the centrality of Christ Jesus in every truth will give us our common thread.

We can not always make sense of mysteries, patterns, and ideas.  But Jesus can.

Applause

Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. (Matthew 6: 1 The Message)

Applause

A young Quarterback had a fantastic game.  He came into the game while his team was losing, and turned the score around and they ended up victorious.  But the Quarterback astonished a reporter when he was interviewed after the game.  Asked his favorite part of the day, we all expected the athlete to choose a moment of skill, drama, or leadership.  But the Quarterback, instead, named when his eyes found his parents in the audience.

He played for an audience of one.

When we attempt to do good deeds, show love, or help someone, Jesus reminds us to stop seeking applause.  It is hard, I admit, to ignore accolades and praise.  But when we notice that applause, God is not impressed.

Instead, like that football player, seek the Lord’s eyes. 

The good news of the gospel is, though, that though we fail to seek His approval, Jesus does not.  His Father said, “this is my beloved son.”  His Father accepted His sacrifice.  The Son does everything for the Father.  And because of the gospel THAT TOO is all done on our behalf. 

The Father applauds the Son’s life, and death, and life.

We do not deserve the Father’s applause, but Jesus does. 

Enough

My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. (Ecclesiastes 12:12 ESV)

Enough

When I was very young, my pastor, who taught a Bible class at a local college, asked a pre-teen and me to attend the class and be interviewed.  I do not remember what the point of the class was.  But I remember one question in particular.  We were asked, “If your house was burning down, what one thing would you grab on the way to safety?”

 I answered first, and wisely listed irreplaceable photographs, warm clothes, and a flashlight.

But the other young person gazed toward the ceiling and said, ‘My Bible.’ 

I thought he was silly, because there is usually nothing special about THIS Bible.  It is easily replaceable.

But now, I might understand what he actually meant.  Nothing is more precious than the Word of God, in whatever form or media you devour it.

We do not need movies, recordings, commentators, articles, books, CD’s, DVD’s or magazines.  They are useful, valuable, and worthwhile, yes.  But they are not necessary.

But the Word of God is what we need.  It is enough. 

And Jesus is the Word.

We cannot declare what needs to be known.  But Jesus can.

Enough

Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. (Genesis 41:57 ESV)

Enough

It is fine and good for us to know and expect that Jesus provides enough.  But how does He do it?

He certainly could magically make enough food appear in our freezers and pantries.

He certainly could mysteriously provide gifts through unexpected visitors, forgotten resources, or coincidental timings.

But I have found that usually, the Lord uses regular means to accomplish His amazing acts.

The Lord provided for the needs of Egypt, and particularly for Joseph’s hungry family in Canaan through the regular, simple, logical means of Joseph’s foresight and planning.

And the Lord often provides for us in the same way.  We eat via paychecks, investments, foresight, and planning.

Notice that Joseph’s foresight was the result of the Lord’s revelation to Joseph in dreams.  But Joseph spoke, acted, and was successful in bringing the Lord’s Word into physical reality.

He does this for us, too.

He gives us enough, often using our abilities, gifts, and spreadsheets.

We can not have enough on our own, but with Jesus we can.

Enough

So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. (II Kings 4:44 ESV)

Enough

You probably remember the well known (twice performed) miracle Jesus did of feeding a crowd of people with a small amount of food. 

But this story of Elisha performing a similar miracle is often unnoticed. But it should not be. 

It was not a new thing for Jesus to feed a bunch of hungry folk.  In fact, it is a rather common theme in the Bible.  And when we see it, we can find encouragement that our needs will be met, or more than met, by our Lord.

When we ask for, ‘our daily bread,’ in the Lord’s Prayer, remember that when we see people’s needs being met in both the Old and the New Testament, those needs are met with abundance.

Do not get bogged down with cynicism.  See what the Lord has done and have peace.  Do not try to be more clever and predictive than the Lord.  See what the Lord has done and have peace.  Do not be ruled by abacus and spreadsheets.  Remember that the Lord’s math is one of the ways He blesses His people, with generosity.

We can not provide enough. But Jesus can.

Enough

And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. (Exodus 16:15-16 ESV)

Enough

Yesterday, a friend cooked a plate FULL of bacon as a gift for me.  I shared a bit of that delicious bacon with DeAnne, but most of it, I ate myself.

Because I am not very good, at times, knowing when I have ‘enough.’

After the depression of the 1930’s, people who endured the hard times often tended to horde necessary commodities.  Because having suffered, they, at times, were not very good at knowing when they had ‘enough.’

Both because our selfish tendencies cause us to usually desire more good things, and because our insecurities and ignorance about the future cause us to fear we will lack something, we are poor judges of what is ‘enough.’

But the same Lord who sent manna to the wandering Israelites knows what tomorrow looks like, too.

And He not only knows what actually IS enough, He provides it.

He blesses us, sometimes surprisingly, with grander provision than bacon… and He knows when it is enough.  He provides for us, sometimes surprisingly, with what we really need, in HIS understanding, and He knows when it is enough.

We cannot accurately determine, ‘enough.’  But Jesus can.

Beloved

… and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 ESV)

Beloved

I have quietly argued many years ago with my cousins about which one of us my grandfather loved best.  We KNEW he had to love one of us more.  We all thought, at various times and during particular events that he loved this one!  Or that one!  Usually, we all argued that it was we, ourself. 

He never said, of course.

But Jesus’ Father did say.  He declared here that He loved, loves, and will love Jesus.

My cousins tried many things to gain our grandfather’s love.  We did yardwork, we gave gifts, we had sleepovers, we told him jokes, we praised him, we listened to him, we hugged him… we loved HIM.

But none of those things gained our grandfather’s love.  He simply loved us.  Because he understood love.

When it comes to our Heavenly Father, we often try to gain His approval, favor, and love. But our good deeds, church attendance, Bible memorization, or evangelism efforts do not cause our Father to love us.

He simply loves His children.

But the cool, confidence-building thing is this.   God loves us without conditions, but only through Christ Jesus.  As the Father said, “this is my beloved Son,” He waves His hand towards us, His other children, Christians, too.

Jesus is the only way to know God’s love.

We can not earn love, but Jesus gives it.

Win

I’ll set fire to Magog and the far-off islands, where people are so seemingly secure. And they’ll realize that I am God. (Ezekiel 39:6 The Message)

Win

A number of nations are mentioned in this chapter of Ezekiel, and many people have spent a lot of time trying to figure out to whom those references refer.  Some believe that ancient Gog and Magog represent modern Russia and China.  Some have posited that the nations represented here are hints of particular historical characters like Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan, and Mao Tse Tung.   Some have equated the nations and tribes of Ezekiel with religions like Buddhism Taoism, and Hinduism. 

But prophetic literature can be tricky. 

I believe Ezekiel’s intent is to comfort God’s people whenever wild crazy nations, ideas, or worldviews attack the people of God.  The names are monster-like, scary sounding, and threatening.

But whether the events described took place in 70 AD (my personal understanding), the late middle ages, last week Thursday, or at some point in the future, the point being made is simply and profoundly this:  God always wins.  And not a vague, religious God… but our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Line up with Jesus if you want to live.

Gog, Magog, Russia, China, Atilla, Genghis, Mao, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, humanism, statism, or individualism ultimately do not stand a chance against Jesus.  He has won, is winning, and will win. 

We can not count on winning, but Jesus can.

Heroes

Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. (II Kings 2:14 ESV)

Heroes

Elijah was the hero of Elisha.  Elisha wanted nothing more than to be like Elijah, in every way that he could.  Some legends speak of Elisha copying Elijah in hairstyle, speech patterns, and habits.

But I think Elisha learned something important here about heroes. Elijah was only worth following because Elijah pointed people towards the Lord.

Elijah’s hero, the Lord God of Israel, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the only hero worth following.

Elijah’s cloak was not magical… it only parted those waters in imitation of the Lord parting the Red Sea.  The cloak was symbolic not of Elijah, but of Elijah’s God.

If you want to be a hero, remember that.  Our heroic efforts fall short.  Our heroic plans mislead.  Our heroic desires are usually selfish.  The only way to be a hero is to point people towards the Lord… like Elijah’s cloak.

We cannot be heroes, but Jesus can and is.