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Maybe Christmas, Perhaps…Means a Little Bit More!

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By Dan Amos

I don’t remember much about Christmases as a kid. I know we had a tree and lots of things wrapped under it. We didn’t have a lot in those days, but my mom and my dad, who was expressionless in words, loved us in giving what they could. I think we would open presents in the morning but got to open one on Christmas Eve. But the first Christmas I really remember something specific was probably in the month of April. I may be combining years, but only my mom and sisters could say differently. My dad had been away on an exceptionally long cruise aboard the USS Oriskany operating near Vietnam. He returned in the spring, and we waited to celebrate until he returned home. That “Christmas” morning I found a train set with a five-dollar bill wound up tightly and sticking out of a window of the caboose. The five is gone, but I still have the train set.

When I think of Christmas, I want it to be more than presents and things. Santa has never been anything more than a cartoon for me, but even the nativity is only part of the story. The first two chapters of Matthew and Luke are pretty much all we have telling us the account of Jesus’s birth, but they are packed with world-changing events.

Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John were relatives of Jesus, and John’s birth about six months ahead of Jesus’s birth puts a whole different light on Luke chapter 3 and the ministry of Jesus’s cousin John. This is the John who preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. It is the John who would baptize Jesus and kick off his ministry, and John who would be martyred for his faithfulness.

Luke chapter 1 also tells of Mary, the young woman who was visited by an angel and told of her favor with God. She conceived Jesus because “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” A virgin, pledged to be married, but never having been intimate with a man, was pregnant. She lived in a small town in a time when it was unacceptable to be pregnant out of wedlock.

In Matthew chapter 1, we are told of Joseph learning of Mary’s pregnancy and his intent to break ties with her. The angel of the Lord visited Joseph, and he heard of the child Mary would bear. Matthew doesn’t name the angel, but Gabriel was the messenger to Zechariah and to Mary.

Luke chapter 2 tells of the journey to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, and the celebration in heaven where the worship spilled over to the Earth. Matthew 2 picks up the story a time later, when the Magi came looking for the king. They had seen a star rise and interpreted it as the sign of a king’s birth. Once in Jerusalem, the star led them to Bethlehem, where it no longer moved.

Herod knew the prophecy of the birth of a king, and when he heard the Magi were looking for him, Herod was scared for his own future. He schemed to get the Magi to lead him to the infant king and sent them to find Him. They did find Jesus and presented Him with the expensive gifts that we all know—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod.

Joseph was then warned to take his family to safety in Egypt. When Herod realized the Magi wouldn’t be telling him where to find the infant king, he ordered his men to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under. But Jesus and His family were kept safe in Egypt until Joseph was again told to return home because Herod was dead.

So, Christmas is more than elves and reindeer, presents, family and parties. Christmas is a miraculous working of the Holy Spirit, foretold in Scripture, revealed in events, and it reveals the worst of mankind, politics, trickery, and murder. But in the end, the intricate weaving of events is the stage from which Jesus would be revealed decades later when the other baby of the Christmas story declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

It’s a huge story of intimate local events to global politics and stellar movements. It would be impossible to put together unless you were writing about it from a perspective of knowing the end from the beginning. Matthew and Luke were inspired to write by the Holy Spirit. That’s our God. At the time of our first sin, he already knew the plan of redemption, of how he would fix the mess we made. Jesus, the Lord saves. Merry Christmas!

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Standing at the Crossroads

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by Cindy Waple

This weekend begins the in-person process of finding a new senior pastor for Elim. Don Rayman will be coming to meet with the elders and members of Elim. It will be our opportunity to “interview” him: to meet him and spend time with him, get to know him, ask him questions, and hear him preach. AND he will also be interviewing us. He will be meeting us and spending time with us, he will be getting to know us and asking us questions. He will hear us “preach”—actually, share—our thoughts about Elim, our past and present experiences of Elim, and our hope for Elim.

I recently was meditating on a passage, Jeremiah 6:16: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’”

The context of this passage is wrath and destruction, but that is not why I chose it.

I chose it because we are at a crossroads and have been at a crossroads since Pastor Martin left. And I would say, even before Pastor Martin left. Change was coming. And we have been looking and asking the Lord, “What is the way You are calling Elim to go?” The elders and the Transition Team spent months exploring that question. And then COVID hit, then racial injustice issues, then reopening the church, then more COVID, then ramping up for the elections, and COVID is still with us and schools are not opening and Elim is trying to reopen, people are leaving, our leaders aren’t doing what we think they should do, and on it goes—and we still stand at a crossroads, looking and asking, “Which is the way to go?” And sadly, depending on who you ask, the answer is varied. Go this way—no, go this way—go my way—no, go that way. And now we stand at the crossroads, divided. More divided than I have experienced during my 18 years at Elim.

Another verse that I was reminded of is John 17:20-21:

My prayer is not for them alone. I (Jesus) pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent me.

Jesus, before His arrest and crucifixion, had one prayer for His followers, that they would be one. And then He adds, “May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent me.”

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we stand at a crossroads and we are looking and asking, “What is the way to go?” I believe with all my heart that there is only one way for us to go, and that is the way of Jesus. It is the way of love, grace, and mercy. It is the way of humility, surrender, and putting others before ourselves. It is the way of compassion, healing, and reconciliation. It is the way of saying, “Not my will, but Your will be done, Lord.” It is only as we seek to follow Jesus with all our hearts, as we seek to walk in His ways, will we find rest for our souls.

For me, and I pray for you as well, following the way of Jesus begins with examining my own heart and motives, then confessing and repenting of being led by my own pride and/or fear, of following my own agenda or the agenda of another on social media or the news, of judging and criticizing those I strongly disagree with (and for me, wanting to prove them wrong), of not loving well—first my brothers and sisters in Christ, and then those I adamantly disagree with (mostly people I don’t even know).

Following and walking in the way of Jesus means I am willing to come together with my brothers and sisters in Christ to lay aside our egos, agendas, latest reports, and stats supporting my opinion and humbly seek together God’s will and desire. To earnestly seek together to love God with all of our being and love one another, to be one in Christ and to truly desire to point others to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Don Rayman will be interviewing Elim. And in this precious church, he will find people confused, hurt, and, yes, divided. But more importantly, I know he will find committed believers longing and desiring to follow and walk in the way of Jesus above anything or anyone else. And if Don is the man God is calling to Elim, then I pray his heart will join with ours and together we can walk toward love, healing, unity, and hope for a whole and vibrant church, walking in God’s truth, sharing the Gospel, and shining the light of Jesus’s love on South Hill. To God be the glory.

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Jesus: Our Great Hope!

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Jeff Foerster

Never

Never will I forsake you. Never will I leave you. Never.

That’s a long time. It’s longer than I can hold my breath, and it’s longer than I can stay awake. I can’t think of a calendar date, nor can I imagine any number of years, decades, or centuries that would nullify God’s promise. And no person, other than Jesus Christ, can make and fulfill this hope.

Friends and family make promises, often with good intention, but do not possess the ultimate power to ensure they are fulfilled. But Jesus lived a life overflowing with prayer-filled obedience to the Father, miracles, and teachings that astounded His hearers. He kept His Father’s word perfectly, even demonstrating power over life and death by raising Lazarus—and Himself—from the dead. There is no power, no authority, no circumstance, no tragedy, no plan that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

NEVER will I leave you.

Leave

Jesus left his perfect dwelling place in Heaven with the Father. He was in perfect union with Father. He gave up glory for mortality. He shed power for weakness.

Jesus set aside perfection. We cling to corruption. Jesus willingly and joyfully came down from Heaven and displayed His life for all to see, even unto death on the cross. We have trouble saying no to a video game, a cookie, or another diversion, and yes, when the Lord of Glory wants to spend time with us.

Jonah saw God’s lovingkindness and fled His presence. Paul saw God’s perfection and turned aside to find his own. But Jesus . . . He sees our brokenness and sin-soaked stature and, like the Prodigal Father, leaves all sense of decorum and dignity and RUNS to us!

You

And as you go, I will be with you. Even unto the end of the age.

As you go. As you do the gospel work of spreading the news of Jesus, introducing people to Jesus and training up disciples of Jesus. Where His work is being done, there we participate as friends and fellow workers with God.

I have family members in Heaven that I loved dearly while they were here on earth and miss greatly since they have departed. But it is Jesus that I want to see most. It is Jesus that I need. It is His presence alone that satisfies, that fulfills. Imagine a Heaven without Jesus. If you can, maybe it’s not heaven you’re imagining.

Jesus is my fulfillment, my hope, my joy. When you read those words, do they ring true? Did they at one time? Shout to the heavens, praise our God, mighty to save! Truly we don’t deserve this God of fierce power, undying love, and amazing grace—but surely, we have Him in Christ Jesus the Lord!

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Compassionate Fatherhood

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By Bill Naron

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” – Psalm 103:13 (ESV)

Fatherhood is rough; parenting in general is rough. Children try our patience, they test our resolve, and they melt our hearts. We can go from disciplining or chastening a child to laughing and playing in a mere matter of hours. Often, we hear the expression, “Life is a roller coaster.” However, with children it is a roller coaster that twists, has turns, goes upside down, and travels at the speed of sound. Needless to say, being a dad is a tough task.

In Psalm 103:13, David compares the compassion that God shows to those who fear Him with that of a father toward his children. I was struck by this statement! How often do I show compassion to my children? Does my compassion look like God’s? Who am I reflecting? So many thoughts came rushing to the forefront of my mind. As a father who follows Jesus, I always make it my goal to show my children the way that God has changed my heart. It is my desire that I would give my children a small picture of my heavenly Father’s heart.

Earlier in this same Psalm, in verses 8-10, David lists attributes that signal the Lord’s compassion. He is merciful and gracious, is slow to anger, does not keep that anger forever, and does not repay our iniquities. In this Psalm, we see the example of how God shows His compassion to those who fear Him. This is what God’s compassion looks like. He sent his Son to pay our debt, to live perfectly the way that we never were able to live, and to make a way for us to become His children. All this was done for us when we were at our lowest point (Romans 5:8).

In the midst of COVID-19 and the usual busyness that comes with life in general, it is easy for me to lose sight of the important things. I can become so wrapped up in the things that I have going on that I neglect to consider the ways that I am engaging with my children. David tells us that God is full of mercy and grace and that He is slow to anger. However, many times I am quick to anger and lack much mercy and grace. In other words, there are times that I am a horrible reflection of the Lord to my children and wife. 

I think that one of the greatest responsibilities that is bestowed upon men is spiritual leadership. We are called to love our wives the way that Christ loves His church (Eph. 5:25), and we are to raise our children to serve the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Our job is to reflect our heavenly Father to our families. Leading our families, serving them like Christ, and showing them the same compassion that the Lord shows us—this is our greatest responsibility.

My challenge to you this week is to join me in starting fresh! Apologize, pray, seek forgiveness, and start doing fatherhood differently. Show your children, your wife, and the world around you compassion. Spend time in the Word with your Father in heaven. Spend time in the Word as a family. Ask questions about what your children and wife need physically, emotionally, and spiritually. By doing these things, we can reflect Jesus to our families and the world around us. 

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Chasing after God with Ambition

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By Bill Naron  

This last Sunday, Pastor Steve preached on the topic of ambition from the book of Joshua. This was a great sermon, and if you have not had a chance to check it out, then click here. In Joshua 14:10, Caleb makes the statement that the Lord had kept him alive for the last 45 years. Then in verse 11, he makes the following statement: “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.”

Upon reflection, I see the boldness of this statement from Caleb. At this point Caleb is 85, and when Moses sent him out, he was 40. In my limited understanding of things, I assume that Caleb is talking about physical strength. As we read through the battles that Caleb fought following this statement, physical strength is part of it. However, I do not think that is the whole picture. He was a God-fearing man and desired to see the will of God accomplished.

In addition to the physical aspect, there is a spiritual aspect to this statement as well. Caleb and this story were not just included in the pages of God’s Word for nothing. The benefit for us as believers today is to see a man of God ambitiously chase the will of God. Caleb saw what God had promised him, and he knew what God wanted to do for the children of Israel. Therefore, he was ready and determined to chase after that promise.

There is a poem by C. T. Studd that I absolutely love, called “Only One Life.” Every stanza of this poem ends with this phrase: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past / Only what’s done for Christ will last.” When I was listening to Pastor Steve talk about having godly ambition the same as Caleb, I thought of this poem. It made me think about the ambition that I have in my own life. I ask myself whether the things that I ambitiously chase are for myself or God.

The strength required to accomplish the purposes of God is spiritual. Caleb lived his life ambitiously chasing after the promises and purposes of God. Ultimately, the things that are done for Christ are the only lasting things that matter. All of us must find ways to cultivate spiritual growth in our lives through consistent time with Jesus. This will help ensure that we have the spiritual strength to be people of godly ambition.

Caleb’s story is included in Joshua for us to learn what it means to have godly ambition. So my challenge to Elim, and what I myself am processing through, is to ask, “Do I have godly ambition? What is my household doing to fulfill the purpose of God? What is Elim doing to fulfill the purpose of God?”

Elim is in a time of transition, and as a church it is important that every individual, every family, and the congregation as a whole wrestle with these thoughts. We are wrestling through what vision of ministry the Lord would have for Elim in the Transition Team. However, this is not something that can only happen at the Transition Team meetings, but this is a conversation that includes everyone. It is my prayer that Elim would find a leader with godly ambition and that we would be a body of ambitious believers who strive to see the purposes of God accomplished.

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Is Jesus Your Reason for the Season?

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By Bill Naron

Christmas approaching is another reminder that another year is ending. The Christmas season is a great time of year for reorienting our lives around the person and work of Jesus Christ. Now, with only weeks left in the year, I find myself reflecting on the greatest point of growth in our family. One of the things that has tremendously blessed our family is the practice of family discipleship.

In the Scriptures in Deuteronomy 6:7, we are given the command to teach the words and statutes of God diligently to our children. In Ephesians 6:4, fathers are encouraged to not provoke their children to wrath, but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It was through these Scriptures that I realized I needed to more diligently pursue the discipling of my family. As my wife and I have tried to incorporate consistent and purposeful discipleship in the house, we have learned a few valuable lessons.

The first lesson that I have learned when it comes to family discipleship is that it looks different from family to family. This point may not seem so profound, but it has been huge for me. I spent countless numbers of hours online trying to figure out what a strong and successful family discipleship program looks like. I found some resources of liturgical readings, some great hymnal resources for families, and even found some blog posts that were filled with suggestions of how to successfully disciple your family. All of these resources are helpful, but what I have come to realize is that how you disciple is not nearly as important as what you teach.

In a lot of ways, we can become so stuck on making sure that we do something the right way that we miss the point entirely. The Scriptures do not call us to disciple our children in a specific way; rather, the concern is that we teach them the words of God. The goal of family discipleship is that Jesus would be at the center of everything we do. Discipleship takes people and helps them shape their lives around the gospel.

The second lesson that has been extremely valuable to me and my wife is learning to have grace for ourselves when Bible time is inconsistent. None of us are Jesus, and we are not going to hit the mark every single time. It is important that as one attempts to disciple their family that they extend themselves grace. The important thing is to make sure that Jesus is at the center of everything. I know from personal experience that when we attempt to consistently get into the Word as a family, it gets messy. This is because so many things are pulling for our attention.

This brings me to the third lesson that I have learned. In our pursuit of family discipleship, we have learned that we have to intentionally place priority on discipleship. Within the average household, each family member is splitting his or her time several different ways. For this reason, it is important that we set time aside and make sure that it is distraction-free. We typically schedule ours for nighttime, because this is what works best with the rhythm of our house. But this is not the only time it takes place. For instance, our family works through a biblical-character calendar. This allows us to take the character qualities we are learning about and identify real-life applications during our days and weeks.

This is a topic that I have become truly passionate about. I desire to see family discipleship become an integral part of the Church in America. I believe that the call in Deuteronomy 6:7 and the call of Ephesians 6:4 are easy to overlook. However, this is a huge responsibility that is placed on the shoulders of parents. Since we have started doing family discipleship more intentionally, our family has been tremendously blessed. We get to see our children grow in the way that they process spiritual things, and as we learn and teach them, we grow as well.

In closing, I want to leave you, the reader, with some encouragement this holiday season. My encouragement is to take the time you are given this season and commit now to a more diligent approach to family discipleship. I encourage you to figure out how your family discipleship will look. Try different approaches; you will never know how it will work until you try. Remember that it will be messy and inconsistent. It is a growth process for every family, so do not get discouraged. Above all, my encouragement to you, the reader, is to examine what is at the center of your family in an honest way. Ask yourself if your top priority is Jesus and how He shapes your family’s decisions.

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