Pastor Jesse's Blog
 
Every week, Pastor Jesse will be posting a new blog, so come back weekly and see what he has to say!
 
Christmas Memories
Monday, December 17, 2007
 
One thing that could be easy for me to take for granted is how my parents lead our family when I was growing up. I think for all of us when living life as a child we just think that what we are experiencing is normal. Whether it is terrible or great we just go on as if it is just the way it is for everyone. Now that I have grown up (my wife may beg to differ) I have come to realize that some of the things that my parents intentionally implemented into our family experience is not necessarily normal and many children don't have the incredible childhood that I had. Now as I parent I find myself doing those same things out of instinct but for many parents because they didn't have the everyday example that I had must be intentional about creating the family experience that not only they wished they had for themselves but what they want for their own children.

One of the great experiences that my parents created for us as we were growing up was a wonderful Christmas tradition. I could probably write a 10 page essay on all the incredible things that they intentionally did during this season that made Christmas not only something to look forward year after year but but they created cherished memories that I will think about for the rest of my life. With all of that said the Christmas tradition that I am most thankful for was the intentional time that we spent as a family around the Christmas tree before all the wrapping paper went flying worshiping God because Jesus was given to us that beautiful night some two-thousand years ago. Every Christmas eve after my dad finally got home from the Christmas eve services (by the way, it was torture waiting for him) we would sit down around the Christmas tree and celebrate Jesus. When we were younger each of us would contribute something to this time. Cheri might read a story, Todd would play a Christmas carol on his trombone, and I, well, I would struggle through a song on my alto saxophone. Then one of us, usually my mom, would read the real Christmas story:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I would just like to encourage you to be intentional and take some time this Christmas with your family to create some great traditions that can be remembered for years to come. Within those new traditions take some time to celebrate with your family Jesus. Even if it is as simple as reading the real Christmas story in Luke 2 before you crack open all the wonderful presents! Have a merry Christmas and happy new year. I'll meet you back here in the new year.
 
posted by jesse at 9:21 AM
 
The Truth about Jonah
Monday, December 10, 2007
 
The book of Jonah doesn’t read like I remember the story being told in Sunday school. It always amazes me how Sunday school has really shaped my understanding of God and of Scripture. I am often surprised how often my understanding of a Biblical story can usually be traced back to all the different times we learned about Biblical characters on Sunday mornings when I was little.
Even up to a few years ago when I thought of the story of Jonah I remember it as a positive story with a happy ending. Here’s essentially what I remembered: Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and preach to the people that they must repent or be destroyed. Jonah didn’t want to do it so he ran from God. He ended up on a ship that was being tossed here and there by the waves until the crew finally threw Jonah overboard as the storm instantaneously stops. Jonah is then swallowed by a whale where he spends three days and nights until he finally repents and tells God he will do whatever he is told. The whale then spits him up on the shore and he does exactly what God told him to do in the first place. The people of Nineveh actually listen and repent. God then forgives them and holds back his wrath. So...everybody is happy, The End.
There is only one problem with this understanding of the story. It's incorrect. It is pretty much correct until the people of Nineveh actually listen and God forgives. Jonah was not happy about this. In fact he actually has the gall to say, “Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. Just kill me now, LORD! I'd rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen (Jonah 4:2-3).” What is happening? Jonah hates the people of Nineveh. That is why he didn’t want to tell them to repent in the first place because he was afraid that they would and God wouldn’t destroy them. God isn’t happy with Jonah’s response and the story ends with Jonah pouting outside of the city.
That’s not the story I remember from Sunday school. Here is what I think the book of Jonah is really about. God does call us to obey. But he doesn’t just want our obedience, he wants our hearts as well. Jonah did what God wanted him to do but was very unhappy about it. He wants us to have the proper motivation for obedience. This motivation is based upon our love for our God. What has God called you to do recently? Now we are called to obey regardless of how we feel but my question for all of us is what is your heart saying about it? Are you obeying just to avoid his wrath or is your obedience rooted in your love for God? I would encourage you to spend some time with God evaluating that question and asking him to change your heart if it isn’t correct.
 
posted by jesse at 11:15 AM
 
Come Back to Me
Monday, December 3, 2007
 
The book of Hosea give us one of the most shocking, distressing, even offensive yet perfect analogies of what our rebellion to our loving God looks like. In chapter one God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute so some of her children will be born to him from other men. He says “…this will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the Lord by worshipping other gods.” Wow. I don’t know about you but that analogy is a little depressing. I know that there have been times that I have put other things at the center of my life such as my career, relationships, money, etc. Although we don’t have physical idols in our culture anything that we put ahead of God in our lives is an idol. That means that all of us at one time or another have in the analogy, prostituted ourselves to other things than God. Again, shocking, distressing, even a little offensive but God wants us to see how serious sin is. Even in the midst of this kind of sin God says to you “I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion (Hosea 2:19).”

Now as difficult that analogy can be to hear think about how loving God really is. He loves you so much that even though you and I when we put things in life ahead of him commit adultery by prostituting ourselves with those idols of life God will not abandon you. He is waiting for you to return and when you do, he is waiting with open arms of love.

There are times in reading scripture that I come across a verse that says it so simply, a verse that says it in such a way that if people could just get this one verse Christianity world wide would be so different. “So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God (Hosea 12:6).”

I would encourage you to memorize that verse today. Take a moment to analyze your life. Has anything taken over the position in your life that God deserves? Are you living in the simple principles of love (selflessness) and justice (actively caring)? Are living with complete dependence on God? If the answer is no to any of those questions God says to you, “Come back to me.” He also promises unfailing love and compassion. Amen!
 
posted by jesse at 11:07 AM
 
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