salvation

The Longest Christmas Journey – Part 2

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the wise men went home to their country, the shepherds to their fields and Mary and Joseph after a time of hiding in Egypt returned to Nazareth. But when their travels were over, the journey of Jesus had just begun. The first leg of His trip had brought Him to our world, but for the next thirty-three years Jesus walked the second leg of His journey on His way to find us. Yes, God allowed Himself to be born as a fragile baby boy, but Bethlehem’s story is only half told if we all we do is walk away from the manger scene with warm fuzzy feelings.

In reality, the path from Bethlehem’s stable to Golgotha’s hill was even farther than the one from heaven to earth. After three years of healing the sick, comforting the outcasts and showing what God’s love was really all about, Jesus was left alone. On the cross He had no one to comfort Him and no one to understand, except His Father in heaven. Then with His final breath He surrendered His life for ours. There, at the cross Jesus finished His journey as He paid for our sins with His blood. In thankful astonishment let’s trust Him with our hearts, so that our journey that began with Christmas will lead us all the way to Heaven’s door!

The Signature of God

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The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 ESV

One of my favorite reasons for going to the beach is to watch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. Any sunset is beautiful but the most spectacular require some clouds on the horizon, for the sun to light up with amazing shades of red, orange and yellow below the canopy of a fading blue sky.  When my sister-in-law passed away recently, I was reminded of sunsets in our own lives. Our years of day trips into Chinatown, Christmases at the big house when all six brothers and sisters gathered and walks in Golden Gate Park reflected off the clouds of sorrow that came with the phone call telling us of Diane’s passing.

Though grief has settled on our horizon, God is painting the colors of sunset on our hearts with hope. Diane’s hope was not in the doing or possessing of anything here on this shore, but across the other side of the sea with Jesus Christ. The beauty of the hope we hold onto when the blue sky of our passing years fades is His signature which says, “This life is mine, and a new and happier one lies across the sea.”  There we will meet Diane again, where we will be able to run up heaven’s hills and together breathe deeply of its pure air. Our life here is just an unfinished canvas. If we put the paintbrush of our will into the Master’s hands, He will fill our days with His design and sign at the bottom when He is done. Just as every sunset tells us that God has finished another day, so a life that is His will receive His signature, declaring, “This is mine – and all that has passed is only the beginning of all the wonders that lie in store!”

Ringing the Bell

/ pastorpete51 / 13 Comments

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17 ESV

When I was growing up, my favorite place to play was in my grandparent’s ginourmous back yard. There on summer evenings, my cousins and I liked nothing better than catching fireflies in jars and then watching them flick off and on in what seemed a magical display. We would stay at our game, no matter how late the hour, until my grandmother went out on the back porch and rang the big ship’s bell that my grandfather brought home with him when he retired from the Navy. No matter how loud we were shouting and laughing or how far away we were, the sound of that bell let us know that the time for games was over and we needed to come in and get ready for bed.

Today as we were singing the hymn, “Softly and Tenderly” the words of the chorus suddenly reminded me my grandfather’s bell. I could almost picture Jesus standing out on Heaven’s porch ringing a giant bell as His invitation to “Come home, come home. You who are weary come home.” He is calling all of us, no matter what we are doing or how far we have strayed from God. The clear ringing of that bell is still lovingly and persistently calling us home. Today’s verse spells out, not only an invitation to come to God, but also the wonderful promise of a refreshing river filled with life that waits for us when we come in. Don’t hesitate or linger at catching fireflies, because it is getting late. If you can you still hear His bell ringing; then drop everything you are doing and come home!