True Hope

 

“Hope is the only tie which keeps the heart from breaking.” Thomas Fuller

 When was the last time that you had the experience of getting into a new show highly recommended by a friend, but just a few episodes into it you’re bored to tears and are like, “Am I missing something? Am I dumb? Does everyone else have a much more sophisticated entertainment palate than me?” Or you wonder how the storyline of a movie can possibly end well? Things are a mess now, but you hold out hope…“I know they’ll pull it back around at the end; it will all make sense.” But then it doesn’t. 

  Sociologists tell us that the primary American emotion is disappointment. Disappointment is the cause of much of the hidden trauma in American life. Another word for it is “hopelessness.

  Did you know that the Bible mentions the word hope over 120 times? Hope is one of the most important foundations for the Christian. Biblical hope has as its foundation, faith in God and His Word. So while the word hope in English often conveys doubt, for instance, “I hope it won’t rain tomorrow,” that’s not the meaning of hope in God’s Word. Biblical hope is a reality, not a feeling. It carries no doubt. It’s a sure foundation upon which we base our lives, believing and knowing we can trust God no matter what.  

  There are many reasons why people become hopeless, but God and His Word answer every one of them with His sustaining hope. These are some of the more common sources of hopelessness.

  You feel alone or abandoned. On October 4, 1970, famed rock star Janis Joplin, at the age of 27 was found dead in her hotel room. Questions arose as to whether the cause of her tragic death was suicide or an accident. Just before the incident, Janis had confided to a friend, “When I am not on the theatre stage I just lie around and watch television and feel very lonely.”

  You can be in a crowd and feel overwhelmed by loneliness. One can be married or have a family, and struggle with loneliness. Amazingly, in a culture with so many ways to stay connected, loneliness is an epidemic.

  The Lord Jesus understands our feelings of loneliness. He faced them, too. His closest friends – the disciples – didn’t help Him when He needed them most. In the darkest hour of His life, He was all by Himself, crying out to God. His friends weren’t praying with Him, instead, they fell asleep. When He needed them most, they abandoned Him. Yet, to those of us who have trusted Him as our Lord and Savior, He’s promised:  “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

  You feel like life is out of control. We typically experience this in one or more of five different areas of life:  time, money, family, relationships, aging/health. Many are experiencing a growing sense of being out of control in some area of life. While days are twenty-four hours in length, we constantly feel hurried. We seem to have more to do and less time to do it in. Though our world is very affluent, many struggle with intense worry that there won’t be enough. There is often a growing sense of despair.

  Jesus told us that He came to give “abundant life” to those who follow Him. The abundant life is one that’s free of hurry, worry, loneliness, anger or despair.  Jesus put it this way in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” A very real part of being a Christ-follower is the experience of a qualitatively different way of life, a fulfilled one. While our lives may at times feel out of control, our Heavenly Father has the smallest detail under His complete control and we can trust Him.  

  You’ve done something terribly wrong. With the Lord Jesus, nothing is beyond being made right. On the cross, He died for our worst mistakes – all of our sins – past, present and future. Yet, what could be more hopeless than to have murdered someone and then be sentenced to death?

  Karla Faye Tucker was an accomplice to a brutal ax murder of two people and sentenced to death. Soon after being imprisoned, she took a Bible from the prison ministry program and read it in her cell. She later recalled, “I didn’t know what I was reading. Before I knew it, I was in the middle of my cell floor on my knees. I was just asking God to forgive me.” Karla Faye became a Christian in October 1983. Though in 1998 she was executed for her crimes, in one of her last interviews she gave glory to Christ for transforming her life. Some of her last words were: “...I would like to say to all of [the family of the victims] — that I am so sorry. I hope God will give you peace with this…Everybody has been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I am going to be face to face with Jesus now…I will see you all when you get there. I will wait for you.” As the lethal chemicals were administered, she was praising the Lord. It’s the same hope our Savior gave to the dying thief. We too can have that hope.

  You’ve been deeply wounded by someone. Family members are frequently those we trust the most. Our mate is the one we expect to be closest to—until death do us part. We have a deep love for our children, but they can often turn on us. We expect even the closest person in our lives to die eventually, but as painful as that is, it’s not betrayal.

  Betrayal by a spouse, child, family member, or close friend is devastating. It produces a feeling of worthlessness for having trusted an untrustworthy person. It breeds anger and depression. It causes us to second-guess ourselves and raises questions about our judgment. Because of this person’s knowledge of our heart, it’s a devastating wound.

  Many Bible heroes experienced this hurt during their lives: Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus. They show us that we’re not alone. They also show how to handle betrayal and not succumb to bitterness. Jesus’ words from the cross must become our words, “Father, forgive them.”

  One of the wonderful traits of our Heavenly Father is that He will never turn on us or break a promise. Sin cuts us off from God, but He provided a Savior for us. And though God may step back for a little while when we need to learn lessons about the cost of sin, He still loves us and will never forget us or abandon us. We’re His children and He loves us no matter what, even when we’re a hot mess. So while this world may be hopeless, our heavenly Father is the God of hope – our hope! Always remember that!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

 

What's YOUR word for the year?

 “Don't gobblefunk around with words.”  Roald Dahl

 

Do you like words? Do you enjoy playing with words? I do. One of my favorite podcasts is Presbyterian pastor, George Grant’s Word Play. 

 If you Google it, you’ll find that as many famous people took their last breath, they had one last word. For example, as he lay dying, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, uttered his final word, “miserable.” It’s not a surprise that Romantic poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s last word was “beautiful.” Civil War General and later president, Ulysses S. Grant, whispered “water” as he died. On his deathbed, Martin Luther was asked if he continued to stand by his doctrine that helped launch the Reformation, to which Luther gave an emphatic reply, “Yes!”

  It’s amazing how often we describe something with one word. Any restaurant would love to be described as “fantastic,” but “mediocre” isn’t going to encourage customers. We often describe people with a singular word. “Cool” is cool. Yet, most wouldn’t find “cold” a compliment.

  Listen to friends talk and you’ll find that they often have one word that they consistently use (hopefully it’s not an obscenity.) Some people’s lives could be described with one word. A neighbor that’s thoughtful might be described as “kind, whereas a cruel boss is a “jerk.”

  At the beginning of the new year, most of us come up with resolutions. But 9 out of 10 people will fail with their resolutions. 50% of those resolution makers will fail by the end of January.

  Three friends grew weary of making and failing at their resolutions (Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page) and determined to focus on one word each year. Ultimately, they wrote a book, One Word That Will Change Your Life. No resolutions, no goals…just one word that gives meaning, mission, passion, and purpose. One word to help them be their best for the coming year.  

  Every New Year’s Eve they gathered with their children and each came up with a word. Then they made paintings of their words that hung in their houses to remind them to focus and live out their word for the year.

  Do I believe that “one word” is the secret to having a fulfilled and meaningful life? Not necessarily. I do know that the great Greek philosopher, Socrates, was on to something when he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Too many of us drift through life void of a sense of  purpose or meaning. Read the obituaries and you’ll see how trivial too many lives are. God wants us to live with meaning and purpose.

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. illustrates this. On August 23^rd, 1963 a quarter of a million people came to Washington DC to hear Dr. King speak at the Lincoln Memorial. That’s astounding, particularly for that day. Think about it. How did he get so many people to come? He didn’t have a newsletter or a Twitter account. He wasn’t making YouTube videos or using Google ads. He didn’t have a website, Instagram or Facebook.

  Dr. King didn’t have any of the tools that make it so easy today for us to reach people and start movements and yet 250,000 people still came. Why? Because he stood for something important. The cause he believed in moved hearts and led them to action. It was so important that people willingly spread the word and promoted his cause because it was their cause too. If you were going to sum up Dr. King’s life in one word – it would be cause. He lived and tragically died for a cause.

  God is not in the mass production business. He has a special purpose for your life and my life. The Bible is very clear as to what our purpose in life should be. We are to bring glory to our Creator. It is only as we live for Him that our lives have meaning, after all, He designed and created us.

  A life without the right purpose is a miserable one. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, discovered the futility of a life that’s lived only for passing pleasure and this temporal world. Ecclesiastes is a summary of his attempt to find meaning elsewhere. He summarizes his failure at the end: “Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Ultimately, he realizes that life is all about honoring God with our thoughts and lives and obeying His commandments.

  One day we will each stand before God in judgment. Part of our purpose in life is to fear and obey Him. And God generously rewards those who surrender their lives to Him and live for Him. What a wonderful blessing if each of us would hear Jesus say to us as we stand before His throne: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23).

  Maybe you’re wondering what’s my one word? To be honest, I’ve never done this before. Yet if I were going to sum up my goal for 2023 into one word it would be “closer.” At the end of this year, I want to be closer to Jesus than I am now. I don’t want to have to tell anyone that I’m a Christian. I want it be so obvious that they can nearly smell the aroma of the Savior on me.

  One of my favorite accounts from the Gospels is in John 12. A group came looking for the Lord Jesus and they said to one of His disciples, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” As I begin my day I pray that I’ll grow more Christlike. I want to be closer to Jesus and I want others to see Him in me.

  And then I want to be closer to my wife and family. Jane and I are celebrating 40 years this coming July 2^nd. I am so much more in love with her than I was when I said, “I do.”

  I’m also praying that our church family will be closer to the Lord and to each other. It’s only as we’re passionate about the Lord and love each other that we can truly offer hope to a hurting world.

  Do you have one word? If it will help you move closer to Jesus. Maybe it’s time to paint out your word?  

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

How are your 2023 investments?

“That only is worth my having which I can have forever. 

That only is worth my grasping which death cannot tear out of my hand.”  Charles Spurgeon

 It wasn’t until I was in my teen years that I met someone who drank Pepsi. Atlanta has been the home of Coca-Cola since the late 1800s. For a mere $2300.00, Asa Candler bought the recipe for the carbonated soft drink from John Pemberton in 1888. Today Coca-Cola is worth nearly $100 billion. 

  As 2023 rolls around, all of us are looking for good investments. Some will invest in getting more healthy by losing weight, exercising more, and a healthier diet. Others will invest in positive change by pursuing a new career, spending more time with their spouse or family, spending less time on social media or even quitting smoking. While all of those are worthy goals, they only make a difference in this short life. As believers, we want to be wise and invest in eternity. We’re going to live forever, so let’s make investments in the real world. If you’re not already, determine to…

  Read your Bible daily. Can you imagine going on a trip where you have never gone without consulting your GPS? Each day you and I start a new journey into life that we’ve never experienced. We have no idea what to expect, what we will face, or what interruptions or emergencies await us.

  It’s estimated that a little over 30% of Christians read their Bible daily. Is it any wonder many Christians flounder through life and live essentially like unbelievers? We’ll go the wrong way if we’re not checking the map.

  When you use GPS, you use it turn by turn. That’s the way that we need to read the Bible. It’s better to read a little and truly contemplate it, than to do a reading marathon and blow by the details. God gave us His Word for it to transform us to be more like Jesus. It’s not so that we have the “right answers.” We read it so that we become the right kind of people.

  Pray daily. For most believers, prayer is like a spare tire. It’s something you only use when you face an emergency. Yet, prayer is meant to be an ongoing conversation with our best Friend. Most of us have those that we talk to every day, whether our spouse or a good friend. The Bible tells us the Lord Jesus is a friend that’s “closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

  In the early chapters of Genesis God met with our first parents every day. God’s desire from the beginning hasn’t changed. He wants us to meet with Him. He wants us to share our joys and burdens with Him.

  One reason so many Christians struggle with emotional problems and lack peace is that they’ve not learned the habit of prayer. Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

  Attend church regularly. Avid sports fans will nearly stop heaven and earth to watch their team play. If their team wins, they’re elated. If their team plays poorly, they’re frustrated and even angry. If their team loses, they’re disappointed. Many believers are more devoted to their favorite team than they are to the God who gave His Son for them.

  The shutdowns of Covid gave us a false message – that watching worship is the same as being in worship. It’s not. While it’s true that there are times because of work or health, we need to miss worshiping with our church family. Yet, most of us need to be honest about our priorities. We wouldn’t miss work or let the kids miss school for the reasons that we rationalize missing attending church.

  The first thing that God said was not good was for human beings to be alone (Genesis 2:18). God designed us for community. While we can watch church online, we miss personal interaction. While we may receive a blessing, we miss the opportunity to be one.

  We grow spiritually by giving of ourselves not just getting for ourselves. God designed us for each other. We need each other. Faithfully attending the weekly worship gathering helps grow and become more like Jesus.

  Share your faith. Jane and I will have been married 40 years this coming July. There’s no question that she’s the love of my life and my best friend.

  Wouldn’t it be weird if I had friends or neighbors that never knew I was married because I never talked about Jane? It would be hard for others to believe Jane was important to me if I never acknowledged her to others.

  We talk with others about what’s important to us. If you spend half an hour with most people, you’ll know what they value. Our values and priorities quickly bubble to the surface.

  If we really love Jesus, don’t we want to share Him with others? If we really care about others, don’t we want to share the One who can make a difference in their lives, both in this world and the next?

  Think about how easily we talk with complete strangers about the weather, politics, our favorite sports team, and a hundred other trivial subjects. Yet, somehow we can’t seem to get around to talking about the One who changes lives and destinies, and who can change this world.

  The best place to start with sharing your faith with a friend or neighbor is to begin praying for that friend or neighbor. As you pray for them and their spiritual condition, you’ll be amazed at the opportunities that the Lord will give you to share your faith.

  2023 is a new opportunity to invest in what really matters. Let’s commit to investing well this year. Then, when the curtain falls on 2023, we can look back with a sense of fulfillment that we were wise and invested well.  

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Star or R-A-T-S

“If spiritual things become a drag and the message of Christmas is dull you can be sure the problem is not in the message but in your loss of awe and wonder at the message.” Dag Hammerskjold 

One pastor of a small church was directing the children’s program on the Sunday night before Christmas. He was especially excited about the final scene of the production in which four children would give recitations using letters that they held up: S-T-A-R which stood for Shepherds, Trees, Angels, and Redeemer. The scene opened with “Silent Night” playing softly in the background as the children filed onstage holding the posters. The narrator solemnly spoke into the microphone, saying, “And now, four of our children are going to tell you how they feel about Christmas.” On that cue, the youngsters turned over their cards, which should have spelled the word STAR. Unfortunately, they had lined up backward, and instead, the letters said…RATS! 

  Sadly, isn’t that the way that many people feel about Christmas? High prices, snarled traffic, rushed trips, long check-out lines, extra chores, more debt, blown diets, countless Christmas parties, and cold weather. Many just want to get it all over with. Yet, if we fall into that thinking we lose the power of that first Christmas – we lose wonder!

  It’s said that “familiarity breeds contempt. More often “familiarity breeds indifference.” The more familiar we become with something the less fascination we have. The newness fades and we lose the wonder.

  That happens with us at Christmas. We’ve heard the nativity account so many times that the wonder of what happened 2,000 years ago begins to dim. We no longer marvel. We’re no longer amazed. The old story has become just an old story. Yet if we stop and truly contemplate that first Christmas, we’ll find that we’re once again filled with awe and wonder.

  God became one of us. Joan Osborne had a hit song, “One of us.” It asked what if God was one of us.   

What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make His way home.

That’s one of the wonders of Christmas, the Incarnation. God did become one of us. The Creator of the universe stepped into space and time and became one of us. The eternal Son of God didn’t merely add flesh to His deity, He is not just God in a body. God became flesh, human flesh. He became a creature. He didn’t give up anything, He added humanity. It’s why His disciples saw His glory. They saw grace and truth incarnate.

  What does God look like? Since God is invisible He can’t be seen. In Jesus, though the invisible God became visible.

  What does grace look like? What does truth look like? Because they’re abstract concepts, they’re unseeable. But in Jesus, grace and truth became visible, in His person, His words, and His works.

  At His birth, the shepherds and Magi desired to see Him. Throughout His life, the poor, the vile, the rejected, the disenfranchised, and the oppressed were attracted to Him. Sinners flocked to Him. And today, frightened, ashamed, hurting and guilty people still long to see Him. God’s Son is our hope. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

  Christmas is the commemoration of the moment when Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was born into this world to be our Savior. He didn’t come for a visit. He made His dwelling on this earth. This world is now His home. After the cross, when the work of redemption was complete, according to the Apostle John, “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’” (Revelation 21:3). That’s wonder!

  That first Christmas was filled with wonder. Zacharias wondered how he and his elderly wife could give birth to the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:18). Mary wondered how it would be possible for a virgin to give birth to a baby (Luke 1:34). Joseph wondered why he and Mary were chosen to be the parents of the Messiah (Matthew 1:18–25). The shepherds wondered about the angels that appeared to them and what their message meant (Luke 2:13–15). Those in Bethlehem wondered about the story that the shepherds were spreading through the village (Luke 2:17–18). Mary wondered about everything that was happening at the birth of her son (Luke 2:19). Simeon wondered at the blessing of being able, before he died, to see the child-Messiah (Luke 2:25-32). Mary and Joseph “marveled” at the words prophesied by Simeon about their baby (Luke 2:33–35). Those in the temple wondered about the words of Anna, who spoke of the redemption to come through this child (Luke 2:36–38). The Magi wondered about the newborn King for whom they brought gifts (Matthew 2:1–12). Joseph wondered about his dream warning him to take his young family and flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15).

  Those are the moments of wonder recorded in Scripture. Think of how many more moments of wonder there must have been among those who were witnesses to the first Christmas. It was overwhelming wonder!

  Wonder was the message of one of the great hymns of the 20^th century called “The Wonder of It All.” 

There’s the wonder of sunset at evening,

the wonder as sunrise I see;

But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul

is the wonder that God loves me.

  That’s the greatest wonder of Christmas – God loves us! It’s why He gave the first Christmas gift. Have you accepted God’s gift? “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” A wonderful God, His wonderful love, and a wonderful gift! Wonder!

 Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Where's the Manger?

“Jesus took His place in a manger 

so that we might have a Home in heaven.” Greg Laurie

 Can you imagine New Year’s Eve without horns, party hats, champagne or clocks counting down to midnight? What if for the 4^th of July you couldn’t find anything red, white and blue and there were no American flags anywhere, plus no parades, cookouts, picnics or fireworks?

  Yet if you venture into most stores around Christmas, you’ll have difficulty finding a nativity scene. Mangers are as hard to find as a snowball in July. Christmas decorations might include Santa, elves, snowmen, lights, gnomes…even baby Yoda, but it’s rare to find a nativity scene or manger. While they’re rare in stores, they’ve often been banned from public places like parks, malls, schools or government buildings only to be replaced by images of snowmen, candy canes, and reindeer.

  The irony of all of this is lost on a pluralistic culture where Christmas is just another holiday. It’s like celebrating someone’s birthday and completely ignoring the one whose birthday is actually being celebrated.    

  Luis Palau tells of a wealthy European family that decided to have their newborn baby baptized in their enormous mansion. Many people were invited. It was an elegant and elaborate affair. They took off their coats and laid them on the bed in a designated room. Soon the time came for the main purpose of their gathering but then no one could find the baby! To the horror of all they finally found the baby who was now buried under the pile of coats, jackets and furs, nearly smothered to death.

  In essence, in western civilization, we’ve buried Baby Jesus under our other trappings of a Christmas celebration. Why has that happened? The manger represents what we humans are not and what we don’t want to be. The manger represents…

  God in His helplessness. We don’t like to be helpless and we avoid those who we consider helpless. The nativity account in Luke 2 says that His mother “wrapped him in swaddling cloths” (vs. 7). Back then newborns were wrapped in strips of cloth to protect them from the harsh elements. Mothers would wrap the arms and legs separately and then wrap the torso until the baby looked a bit like an Egyptian mummy. It severely restricted the child’s movements. But in a world with little medical care where babies routinely died before their first birthday, it was a way to provide a crude kind of protection. At His birth, Jesus was as helpless as any other baby.

  Decades later an adult Jesus stood before the Jewish authorities, bound and guarded like a common criminal. When falsely accused, He didn’t respond. When reviled, He refused to answer. He stood before His accusers with his hands bound, awaiting a verdict that would end His life. It’s not a coincidence that He entered the world as He left it, bound and helpless.

  God in His humility. How would you respond if someone served your dinner in a dog’s food bowl? The word manger means a feeding trough. Even in that feeding trough, our Savior was already bearing the only cross a baby can bear—extreme poverty along with the contempt and indifference of mankind. In the words of Francis of Assisi, “For our sakes He was born a stranger in an open stable; He lived without a place of His own wherein to lay His head, subsisting by the charity of good people; and He died naked on a cross in the close embrace of holy poverty.”

  This newborn lying forgotten in an exposed stable, resting in a feeding trough is God’s appointed “sign” to us. It’s the Incarnation. God came into this world in the most unlikely way. It’s what Philippians 2:7 means when it says Jesus “made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Nothing about Baby Jesus appeared supernatural. There were no halos, visible angels or choirs singing.

  If we’d been there and had no other information, we’d have concluded that this was just another baby born to a poor young couple down on their luck. Nothing about His outward circumstances pointed to God. Looking at the baby this way, no one would think that He only came for the rich or powerful. No one would suggest that He used His heavenly power to make an easy or grand entry into the world. Jesus came not for an elite few. He came to be the Savior of all the world.

  God in His humanity. “A baby.” That’s all the original Greek says. The word means “an infant” or “newborn.” It’s an ordinary word used to describe the birth of a child. It reminds us that Christ came into the world just as we all do. Even though we often speak of the virgin birth, it should be remembered that the real miracle occurred at the moment of His conception nine months earlier. Jesus’ physical birth was completely normal—or as normal as it could be given the unique circumstances.

  To say that Christ was born as a baby brings us face-to-face with the truth of the Incarnation. Although Jesus was fully and truly God from all eternity, the Second Person of the Godhead took on humanity when He was conceived in Mary’s womb. He wasn’t half-God and half-man, He was fully God and fully man. He never ceased to be God, though He temporarily laid aside the glory of His deity. In some way mysterious to us, Jesus was the God-Man, two natures joining together in His one Person.

  That’s the central truth of Christianity. God entered human history in order to provide for our salvation. What we could not do, He did for us through His Son. Everything else flows from this truth. If Jesus had not been born, He could never have died for our sins and would not have risen from the dead. He had to become like us in order to be able to save us. There was no other way.

  Yet, it’s because Jesus was helpless, humble, and human that this world doesn’t want to be reminded of mangers. The necessity of His manger means that we couldn’t fix it. We couldn’t save ourselves. We must be rescued.

  Our world’s greatest need isn’t a new government program or more education or better housing. It’s not even affordable healthcare.

  2,000 years ago the angels announced our greatest need,  “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

  What we desperately need is a Savior! Thankfully, Jesus came to be our Savior. And while you may not find a nativity scene, you can’t hide Jesus. He’s already come to earth. My friend, have you let Him into your life?

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

The Gift - God's Love for All

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank

 My nephew, Bryce Pegram, and his wife, Chelsea, recently had a daughter and named her after my Mom, Dorothy, (they’re calling her “Dottie”). I teased Chelsea that Dottie will need to learn shorthand someday. 

  My Mom was the best secret Santa. Maybe it was because she had five children but Mom knew how to keep Christmas under wraps. As a kid, it drove me crazy. Like most kids, I was brimming with curiosity, especially about what I was getting for Christmas. My Mom wrote all of her Christmas lists in shorthand. Your name would be at the top of a list and then there were these notes of what looked like chicken scratch. It was impossible to decipher. 

  When she would run errands, there would be a great search of the house for where she might have hidden my presents. I never did find them. Once a present was under the tree, I’d try to carefully pull back the tape and peek. She was great at wrapping gifts too and I never did succeed.

  So what’s the weirdest Christmas gift that you’ve ever received? I’ve had a few over the years. Jane won’t let me share any personal ones for fear that the guilty party might read my blog. But I’m so thankful that in my 40 years of ministry, no one has even given me praying hands.

  Pastors though do periodically receive some “interesting” Christmas gifts. One friend in the ministry received “Jesus Bandages.” Another was given a large bottle of Tequila. One received a Steak and Shake gift card with $7.33 left on it. But that was surpassed by the pastor who received a gift card to a local restaurant…and there was no money on the card! One received a heavy blanket and a pillow from the local hospital. Another one got a Jesus-head candle! The wick was in the top of his head! My favorite though was the pastor who was given a bobblehead of himself. (I think he probably re-gifted it to his mother-in-law).

  Have you ever stressed over finding the perfect present for someone? It’s sometimes difficult to make that decision. Do I get them something they need or want? Do I give them clothes or money? Will they like it? Will they ever wear it? Will they return it? Will they regift it to someone else? Will I see it in next year’s white elephant gift exchange?

  Today we’re starting a new series, Unwrapping the Gifts of Christmas. It’s about the gifts that God has given us.

  So what is it that you want for Christmas this year? Maybe a better question is, what is it you want from Christmas? Or maybe even better, what do you need from Christmas this year? It’s easy to want things that aren’t the best or even good for us.

  God’s focus isn’t on what we want, it’s on what we need. During this season, let’s prepare ourselves for what God has to offer us this Christmas. God has some wonderful gifts if we’ll open our lives to what He has for us.

  The greatest gift is a growing understanding that we can have of God because He came to us in the form of a baby named Jesus. The Incarnation changed everything about how so many thought of God in the Old Testament. Christmas still changes everything. And God’s Christmas gifts are so different from ours. Think about it…

  God’s Christmas gifts are just what we need. All of us from time to time long for things that our Heavenly Father knows isn’t good for us. Like a parent who limits a child’s candy intake, God sometimes doesn’t give us what we think we need.

  For example, most of us think that we need more money. Most of us, even those who never buy a ticket, have thought longingly about what we’d do with all of that money if we won the lottery. Google lottery winners and you’ll find that many of them wished that they’d never won because it ruined their lives. Some even tried to return the money. Yet, God’s gifts to us are always what we need, even if they’re not perhaps what we want.

  God’s Christmas gifts are just the right size. (Just a hint for any husbands, if you’re buying clothes for your wife, it’s better to err on the side of being a little small). God though always gets us the right size. Wise is the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30:8-9: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” God’s gifts are always just right because He knows exactly what will fit our lives.  

  God’s Christmas gifts don’t need a warranty. Other than a car, I rarely ever purchase an extended warranty. God’s gifts never need one. They’re not just timeless, they’re everlasting with eternal benefits.

  One of the problems we all struggle with is that we are far too “this world” in our thinking. We’re like a child obsessed with a Happy Meal toy but missing out on what has true lasting value. One day all the material things that we cherish in this world will be gone…forever. The only thing that we can take with us to heaven is those we’ve led to the Lord. That’s why it’s critical that we share and live out the gospel with our families. All of those things this temporary world tells us are critical will one day be gone. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ lasts forever.

  God’s Christmas gifts never need to be returned. The day after Christmas there will be a long line of shoppers returning gifts that are either broken, the wrong size, or unwanted. Yet, once we’ve accepted God’s gifts to us, we never want to return them – they’re life-changing. They make a difference, not just in this world, but in eternity.

  God’s Christmas gifts are forever. Have you ever noticed when you’re up high, things appear smaller? One nervous airplane passenger finally got up enough courage to glance out the window. He said to the person next to him, “It’s true what they say, people do look like ants from up here.” His seatmate said, “Those are ants…we haven’t taken off yet!”

  Things look a lot different when you’re up high. When you look at our world from outer space, the earth’s surface appears completely smooth. We know there are deep valleys and high mountains, but when you’re back away a few thousand miles, it appears as smooth as a billiard ball. Seeing life from God’s perspective gives His gifts to us true value. Yet, we’ll miss it if we fail to look down at this world from a higher perspective!

  My friend, the best gifts you and I will ever receive are God’s Christmas gifts. They’re life-changing. They’re eternally transforming. As we work through this series, will you choose to let them change you?

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

 

 

Band of Brothers

 

“True friends are like bright sunflowers that never fade away, 
even over distance and time.”

Have you watched the miniseries, Band of Brothers? Maybe during the holidays binge watch it. It dramatizes the history of Easy Company, a parachute infantry regiment from jump training in the States through participation in major war actions in Europe during World War II. Men from various walks of life, different States, and backgrounds came together to literally be a “band of brothers.” 

  In 1975, I experienced my own “band of brothers.” Last summer as Jane and I drove through Atlanta on our way to vacation in Florida, I had one of those “what might have been moments.”

  I’m the youngest of five children. Many of you know that my Mom was killed in a tragic car accident when I was ten. My Dad, though wealthy and successful, was a prescription drug addict. After my Mom’s death, our family spiraled out of control. My two older brothers were married and out of the house. My Dad was rarely home, hitting the clubs, coming home at all hours…sometimes not coming home at all. Both of my sisters struggled with losing their Mom yet still excelled academically. With no one to check on my schoolwork, I just didn’t do it. Though I was in a private school, though a school counselor sought to encourage me to do better, I was bombing out. It’s what happens if you do the bare minimum.

  I was flunking out. I wasn’t a jock and I wasn’t overly good-looking. But there is one group that will always accept you if you’re not popular, athletic or academic – the drug and alcohol crowd. In fact, I was booted from one school for drugs and in my early teen years became a problem drinker. My yearbook was filled with quips that I ought to join AA. Yet, though I seemed like such a fun party animal, I hated myself and hated life. I was depressed and suicidal.

  Unfortunately, my church youth group didn’t help. Because I attended a different school, I was an outsider and couldn’t break into the clique. Yet my Pastor, David Cummins, and his family kept reaching out to me. His one daughter, Miriam, though I was a trainwreck, kept reaching out to me even after she went off to college, Maranatha, in Watertown, Wisconsin.

  I learned that the college also had a high school and you could live in the dormitory, so I determined I would get away from my Dad and go there. I was a Christian but I was miserable. And Miriam had something that I desperately longed for – peace, peace with God. I got a job and was going to pay my own way. Secretly I applied but my Dad found out and was death on it…until he got remarried that summer. His new wife evidently thought, that if this mess of a kid wants to go away to a boarding school in another part of the country, let’s send him. Though I’d never been away from home, not even for camp and never north of the Mason-Dixon Line, they put me on a plane with a few suitcases and shipped me off.

  It probably wasn’t the best idea but it was life-changing for me and several others who like me attended the Academy from similar broken family backgrounds. They’d stuff a high school kid in a room with college students. I was in a room with five college-age men (yes, we had six in a room). So all of a sudden this 15-year-old kid with a southern drawl is in a room with college-age men from Arizona (Tye Rausch), Colorado (Tom Roark), Michigan (Dave Stein), Indiana (Dave Ponce) and Wisconsin (Bob Melford). I was scared, broken, and lonely. At first, I hated it and was ready to hop on one of the trains that ran behind the dorm and go anywhere.

  But God…though I was a few years younger than these five young men, they befriended me and reached out to me. They would pray with me and for me. They became my mentors and examples. They’d comfort and encourage me when I received cruel notes from my Dad. Those guys were there for me. My heart, which was filled with bitterness and hatred toward my Dad and God for taking my Mom and leaving me with my Dad, was transformed by God’s grace. I began to see that God had a greater purpose in the tragedies of my life. It’s why Joseph is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. His words in Genesis 50:20 have been a North Star for me: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”

  So why am I telling you all of this? Because one of the men in the quartet singing for us today, Bob Melford, was one of those five men. Bob is a pastor’s son and loves the Lord. He’s one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever met, musically and athletically. Though I was just a snotty-nosed kid, Bob became a great friend and was like an older brother to me. He loves the Lord and wants to use his gifts for Him. In fact, I’m still friends with all five of those men some five decades later.

  One of the reasons that we are “Grace Church” is that we are committed to being a safe place for those with any background issues or struggles. We are not here because we’re okay. At Grace, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s why we encourage you to take the time to get to know those around you. Listen to their stories. Share yours.

  We are not a “churchy-church.” I pray that we never are. On a Sunday you may be sitting next to someone who comes from a fractured home or has struggled with addiction…or still does. Them being at church is big for them. We are truly a “band of brothers and sisters” from various backgrounds and situations, many of them heartbreaking.

  But we are not victims. We’re victors, not because we pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We’re victors because we were rescued by King Jesus and are trophies of His love and grace.

  Yet, there are so many that need to be rescued. At Grace, we’re part of God’s search and rescue team. We’re committed to not being some religious club. It’s not just the fields of the world, it’s next door, in your neighborhood and mine. It’s a broken world. Suicide is an epidemic. Add depression, anxiety, a host of mental health issues, and addictive behaviors and it’s overwhelming. Our world needs hope. It needs Jesus. Our world needs us to be their friend so that we can introduce them to our Friend.

  I was one of “those” kids at one time. My friend, Bob Melford, was part of God’s rescue plan for my life. Together let’s be part of God’s rescue plan in someone else’s life. Let’s be a band of brothers and sisters making a difference in this world and for all eternity!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.