The First Gift that was Promised.

Well Thanksgiving has gone by meaning now we can start into the Christmas stuff. Never before because we have to remember to be thankful for the gift that is given at Christmas. If I could get away with punching people in the face that start celebrating Christmas after Halloween I would do it. But I don't want a bunch of assault charges against me.

But since we're in the Christmas season I figured we could start a little series leading up to the reason for Christmas! With this series we'll be looking at the beginning of Luke for a couple reasons. 1) I like the book of Luke. 2) It gives us the most information leading up to the birth of Jesus. And 3) Luke is currently the only gospel I've read through since I started my new reading schedule last year. I'm almost through everything else though so then I get to read the other 3. Anyways, let's get started!

So starting in Luke 1.5-25, we see a man named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They're old, they don't have any kids, and they've accepted it. They just go about their usual lives of a Priest and his wife. They were devote Jews, worshiping God and following his statues out of love and reverence for him. One day Zechariah goes into the temple to burn some incense and Lo! there's an angel standing there. Of course he's probably all majestic and formal standing there, but I like to picture him leaning against the alter, picking his fingers waiting for Zechariah to come in. When he does he looks up and goes, "Remain calm... Good news! What you want is going to happen! You're going to have a son! Here's all his stats."

Zechariah just looks at him, probably laughs a bit, then goes, "Na. My wife and I are old. Ain't gonna happen." Well the angel goes, "I'm Gabriel. The messenger for God himself. And because you're mocking God's messenger, and therefore God himself, you're not going to speak until your son is born. Laugh now!" And Zechariah can't speak. Eventually he goes home, and his wife becomes pregnant.

This is the first major event which leads to the beginning of a new age, a new religion, a new covenant between God and his people. This major event is the beginning of a man who will pave the way for Jesus and his ministry.

Looking at verses 14-17 we see the characteristics of this person, who will be named John, or as we know him, John the Baptist.

First off he's going to bring joy to people, because he will be great before the Lord, possibly meaning Jesus himself. He is going to come before Jesus, and will be a great prophet, or messenger from God to the people. He's going to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the message he will give will bring many to God. He'll have the power and spirit of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in all of Israel's history. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

But then look at what Gabriel says about John, "...turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." From this I think what we can gather is that there are many people in Israel at the time who are unprepared to meet their God. They're neglecting their children, they have no care for justice or obedience to God. But John is coming to help restore these people to their proper position and calling. To care for widows and orphans, those less fortunate than themselves, to desire justice above all else, to love what God loves and hate what God hates. John is coming then to prepare people to hear the truth from God himself, taking these teachings and putting them into practice, preaching by action, not just words.

All of which will bring joy to the world, especially those that embody those very attributes because of their relationship with the one who holds salvation.

Praying for the Wicked

Friday in Paris there were some atrocious acts of terrorism performed by a terrorist group of extremist Muslims.

When I read the headlines it felt like I got punched in the stomach. I was instantly taken back to September 11, 2001 at about 4pm when I came home from school and found out about the attacks on our own soil. I imagined that kind of fear and that insecurity being felt by another nation on the other side of the world.

Friday night I had a Lock-in with the campus ministry I'm a part of, and I was speaking on our theme for the year. Basically our study is a more practical approach to the What Would Jesus Do? movement.

As I was writing the sermon, I was asking myself, how does God feel about these attacks? Obvious he is full of anguish and grief for the loss and the indifference towards human life. I'm sure like many of us when we heard the news, God likewise had a righteous anger towards those that committed these acts of terror and wanted to see them receive the just retribution of their actions.

But at the same time, unlike God, we forget that these terrorists are human as well. I know most would say, "People that act like that aren't human, they're monsters. They don't deserve the right to be called human." I in no way am attempting to justify their actions, I gave up attempting to justify sin a while back. But what I do want to do is inform that they believe they are going to bring about the apocalypse, and they act on their faith just as we Christians should act on our faith. This could lead to an entire other lesson, but I'm not going to go that route right now. What we do know is that these men and practitioners of Radical Islam obviously worship the wrong God.

So what we get if we boil it all down, is that the Radical Muslims are worshiping the wrong god and follow a perverted form of Islam. I'm not an expert on Islam, but I'm speaking from what I do know about it. And if we can bring their actions down to them being, in our view, pagans, then they are a people that are out of a restored relationship with God, the true God, who above all else desires a restored relationship with his children/creation. His creation also includes these Radical Muslims many of us call monsters and inhuman.

So Radical Muslims are no different than those that are lost. And their actions reflect their identity of that of a person that does not worship a peaceful and loving god. Again, I am not attempting to justify their sin, or saying that they do not deserve to go unpunished for their actions.

What I am attempting to prove though, is that these terrorists deserve our prayers just as much as the victims of their attacks do. And that is where we get controversial.

Romans 12.14, 17-21: Bless those that persecute you; bless and do not curse. Repay no evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals n his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Luke 6.27: But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

How much more clear could God be? Those that attack and murder are wicked, and their actions are wicked. But they are as in need of salvation as you or I. Even the wicked are called to repentance (Acts 17.30; 2 Peter 3.9).

So what I propose is that we begin to pray for the wicked. They are our enemies, and we are told outright that we are to pray for them. While our view of these people are that they are unworthy of salvation and grace and forgiveness, we must understand that we are too, and that just as God desired us to be reconciled with him, he also desired to be reconciled with them.

The Covenant

No. Not from Halo.

The Old Testament surrounds the Old Covenant.
The New Testament surrounds the New Covenant.
The events that fill both testaments follow the establishment of its respective covenant.

One thing I've been wanting to research recently are the two covenants, are they the same, are the different, is one a physical representation and the other the spiritual truth? These are answers currently above my pay grade. Maybe one day though.

But what I do want to focus on is that we who profess to be saved are in a covenant with God.

Covenant is one of those words that has a ton of meaning, but a simple definition. It means a promise. But it has so much more weight behind it.
When two people get married they enter into a covenant.
When parties sign a contract, they enter into a covenant.
When two friends shake hands and make a deal that loser gives up the sticks, they make a covenant.

God has initiated a covenant with us, through his son Jesus. We have an easy way into this covenant, this relationship, which is faith. And his promise is that in the end we win and we'll receive an inheritance that we didn't earn and we'll be able to be in the presence of God.

But more than that, we now have God living inside of us. Someone to help us get through anything that comes our way, be it escape, support, or sheer will power. God has made a promise to us, and he will not go back on it.