Yesterday we celebrated the third week of Advent by lighting the rose-colored candle, also called the joy candle. The reason for our joy is grounded in the hope that is found only in Christ. We needed a savior (because of our sin), a savior was promised by God, and, because of God’s great love for us, we see that the Son of God himself will come to rescue us.

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For many, Christ enters the story at this point.  It’s the story told through the Gospels, bookended by Bethlehem and the empty tomb. And while this part of the story is central to our faith, it is not the complete story of Christ. There is a prequel to the manger.

During this season of Advent I’ve camped on several passages of scripture that remind me who Christ was (and is) before (and after) the incarnation. Here are just a couple of those passages:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together…For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:15-17,19)

John and Paul are sharing the prequel to the Christmas story.  Before the manger, Christ was with the Father (and the Spirit)…always.  It was Christ who executed the will of the Father to create everything.  And only because of Christ does everything hold together.  (Think about it: Apart from Christ, the molecules in our bodies would fly apart.)  And everything was made for him.  Yes, we exist for Christ.

So what does all this have to do with Advent and Christmas? Simply this: Christ, God himself, all-powerful, always existing, completely superior in every way, chose to enter the creation he made.  Paul says it better than I can:

“Though (Christ) was in the form of God, (he) did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

It was the ultimate act of humility born out of the ultimate act of love.  In the end, it was the only way to save us.  Only the sinless Christ could be the worthy sacrifice to pay the price for our sin.  Only Christ, the perfectly obedient Son of God, could be worthy to intercede for us on behalf of the father.  Only the spotless Christ could be the visible image in the flesh of the invisible God.  Only the grace of God in Christ could provide the saving grace in which we stand every day.

My prayer is that during this Advent season we will be mindful of who Christ was before he appeared in the manger.  Then we can appreciate the astounding humility and endless love that caused him to enter his creation to save it.  And only then can we truly worship him.

Grace & Peace,

Jim

One of the most dangerous and rewarding ways that we can Live Like Jesus is to step outside the walls of the church and serve people in the community. But stepping into the world around us means that things might get a little messy. We will have to interact with people that we would normally not hang out with. We will be confronted with the realities of this fallen world through the pain and suffering that people are facing in their lives.

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:25-29

That is the key question, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus goes on in the parable to expand our view of “neighbor” to anyone in need. In the book Ministries of Mercy by Timothy Keller, he states, “Our nation is becoming a mosaic of different groups, each with a unique complex of needs” (p.25). In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) Jesus describes how the Samaritan came upon a Jew who had been beaten and robbed. The Samaritan provided physical protection from any kind; a new attack, medical assistance by bandaging his wounds, transportation by putting him on his own donkey, and assisted financially by paying for his stay at the Inn. In short, the Samaritan met a whole range of needs for this person. One of our goals and callings in our Christian life is to identify needs in our community and meet them in a practical way. It is by meeting these practical needs that the world will know our love for God and His love for them.

When I heard that our Women’s Ministry was going to one of our local strip clubs simply to let the girls know they are loved; I was blown away. They go to the clubs on a Saturday evening and throw a party for the girls. They bring gifts and homemade cookies with no conditions attached. You can imagine the first few times they went that the girls didn’t immediately warm up to them but as they kept going the girls did open up. The girls have hurts, stresses and brokenness just like anyone. Our Women’s Ministry was able to go out and identify a need in our community and begin to reach out and now has an ongoing relationship with many of the girls. What about you? What needs do you see in our community? How can you reach out and meet those needs?

My friend and pastor Mark taught a sermon at Fellowship a few months ago about the adulteress woman from John 8 (also one of our G6 posts from last week).  He emphasized that Jesus’s response was the perfect balance of truth, love and grace. Jesus didn’t condemn her but he did call her to change (which was actually what was best for her).  Unfortunately, as Mark pointed out, many of us Christians get the balance all wrong.  Sometimes we are “truth light or grace impaired.”

Judgmental folks tend to be grace impaired.  All they want to do is confront, expose and impart shame.  Permissive people tend to be truth light.  They just want everyone to be happy…even if what I think makes me happy is actually hurting me.  Neither one love very well.

If I see someone stuck in a sin, I want to respond cooperatively with God’s Spirit to love that person…to want what is best for them.  And what is best for them? To not be condemned (grace) but instead to join Jesus in living life in his kingdom (which is the only way of living that really works)(the truth).

So how did you do today with other people?  Were you truth light? Grace impaired? Let’s aim to love in grace and truth.

Grace & Peace.

One of the most overlooked factors in determining how we can restore our brothers and sisters is our past experience, particularly our hurts and problems we’ve overcome with God’s help.  Since our greatest life messages comes out of our weaknesses, not our strengths, we should pay close attention to what we’ve learned from life experiences. Rick Warren often says,  “God never wastes a hurt!”  He wants you to be open to ministering to people who are going through what you’ve already been through! Here is a short story to illustrate the point.

A drunk fell in a hole and couldn’t get out. A businessman went by. The drunk called out for help. The businessman threw him some money and told him get yourself a ladder. But the drunk could not find a ladder in this hole he was in.

A recovering alcoholic happened to be passing by. The drunk cried out, “Hey, help me, I’m stuck in this hole.” Right away, the recovering alcoholic jumped in the hole with him. The drunk said, “What are you doing? Now we’re both stuck here.” But the recovering alcoholic said, “It’s okay, I’ve been here before, I know how to get out.

He comforts us and teaches us in situations so that we can help someone else who is going through a similar struggle. Who can relate better to someone who’s had an alcohol problem than somebody who’s been an alcoholic?  Who can better relate to someone who’s going through a divorce, than someone who’s been divorced?  Who can better relate to someone who’s lost a husband or wife in a death, than someone who’s lost a husband or wife? All of our life experiences, God wants to use in the lives of others.

So how should I respond when I see someone caught up in a sin?

I heard a quote attributed to Billy Graham that goes something like this: “It’s my job to love; it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict.”  I wonder how much wounding Christians could avoid if they followed that simple quote.

The first ten verses of John 8 shows me how I should respond when I see someone sick with sin.  The religious leaders brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery (not just suspected…but caught in the act) to Jesus.  Their focus was on exposing and punishing.  How did Jesus respond?  He confronted sin…but not the one the religious leaders expected.  Instead of joining in the shame party for the woman, he confronted the religious leaders for their own sin of being judgmental.  How did Jesus respond to the woman? He was gentle with her and spoke to her need…which was the need to change how she was living.

So when I see someone caught in a sin how should I respond? First, I need to remember, as the psalmist says, that my own sin is always before me.  I have no moral standing to judge anyone.  Once I am clear on that, it becomes much easier to respond in love with a heart to help, not shame.

Grace & Peace,

Jim

What a long strange trip it’s been! Sorry I’m flashing back to my Grateful Dead days. It is hard to believe that it has been over 16 years since I began my journey with Christ. They say, “Time flies when you are having fun.” Who are “they” anyway? Well “they” are right time. This has been the adventure of a lifetime but it sure has gone by fast. With that said I don’t want to waste any more time on the unimportant minutia of life but to focus more of my attention to helping others experience the freedom that I have discovered.

I grew up in a normal family (whatever normal is, right?). Although we were not a very religious family but we were Chreasters! You know attend church on Easter and Christmas. So growing up I didn’t have any kind of spiritual foundation. I was introduced to drugs, alcohol and pornography when I was about 13 years old. By the time I was a junior in High School I was in pretty deep. Parents have no idea what kids are up to these days. By the time I was 23 my life was grumbling when my family did an intervention. Ever see the show? Yeah, it was pretty much like that! I walked out the door with no intention of turning back BUT something began to change over the next few days and I found myself in my first recovery group. There I met a Christian man who brought me to a Christ-centered group at Saddleback Church called Celebrate Recovery.   Here I learned about living my life devoted to God and the tools to help me change.

One the key principles that I have learned is the need to help others. When all other attempts have failed to overcome temptation working with others gets me out of myself which is what this blog is all about.  ^“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” (G6.1) I have learned that all of us are in a unique position to help someone else who is in the same place we were when we started. I look forward to continuing the adventure and hope that you will join.