Christmas Begins

Luke 2:16-20 16 And [the shepherds] went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Christmas as a big annual celebration is something that we take for granted as something that has been around forever. However, celebrating the birth of Christ by gathering with close friends and family, giving gifts, and feasting together is only about 800 years old. For the first 1200 years of the Christianity the greatest feast or holiday, the holiest of days, was Easter. Holy week and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus was the single most important event in the life of the church and the people following Jesus. 

Then, in the 13th century St. Francis of Assisi declared that we didn’t need to wait for God to love us through the cross and resurrection. Francis intuited that it was God taking on flesh, his very incarnation set in motion our salvation. God became flesh—materially and physically. We didn’t need to wait for “Good Friday” or “Resurrection Sunday” to solve the problem of human sin, the problem was solved from the beginning. And thereafter, Christmas became the greatest feast and holiest of days in the Christian church, because as soon as God came to humanity and took on flesh himself, the solution was set in motion, from the very beginning. 

And this is something the shepherds, the first witnesses, experienced. They were just living their normal lives and then experienced something astonishing. During this season we are reminded that we have a God that loved us enough that he sent his only son to join us in the struggle that is life on Earth. As you sit in awe and wonder at the glory of Christ’s birth I hope it inspires you, as it did the shepherds, to tell people about the hope that you have, and inspire you to return glorifying God for all that you have seen and heard. 

Merry Christmas!

Heralding Christmas

I have a pastor friend who was given an amazing deal 12 years ago on a then 7-year-old car. He keeps it clean, but at the same time it’s not going to turn any heads driving down the road. What does turn heads is the key. You see this nearly 20-year-old car is a Lexus, and when people see the keys, they make all kinds of assumptions. However, he knows the truth, his family has this car because someone helped them out when they needed a vehicle. His car key portrays an image about him that isn’t true.

Image is something that people think about a lot this time of year. Whether you feel the need to put on a merry face when you’re not really feeling it, or you spend hours crafting a Christmas card photo that lets your family appear perfect. No one ever snaps a photo of a Tuesday afternoon when the house is a wreck, laundry is not done, and someone is fighting about their homework. Reality is too messy.

However, this mess is exactly what Jesus entered into when he came to Earth. He could have come in as a conquering king but chose to come in as a weak fragile infant, to come and experience the difficulty and triumph that is being a person who lives with and among other people. When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they didn’t say, “JESUS IS COMING, LOOK BUSY!” Luke 2 tells us they said,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 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.”

The shepherds heard the good news and went to go check out what was happening. They didn’t clean themselves up. They didn’t make sure everything was perfect. God wanted to meet them the same way he wants to meet you: just as you are. No pretense, no perfection. 

In this season, drop the image and let God draw you in.

Rushing

We have a lot of traditions around this time of year. Some change and some remain steadfast. Our favorite Christmas songs come and go and favorite Christmas meals might change, but there is one tradition that has stood the test of time from the very beginning: traveling during the holidays. Mary and Joseph did it then, and we do it now. Whether you’re just going across town, across the country, or across the world, there is an excitement mixed with angst that comes with traveling during this time of year.

The traffic is bad, the airport is crowded, or you’re riding a donkey while you are “great with child” it all gets in the way of your ultimate goal of being at your destination. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to take care of some business. They didn’t know that while they were there, they would bring the greatest gift of all time into the world, much less that they would do it in someone’s shed.

Luke 2:4-8

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

This time of year, it is easy to get so focused on where we want to go that we forget to recognize where we are. Are the decorations perfect? Is my Christmas card perfect? Did I buy all the right gifts? Jesus, who lived a life of love and humility, began in the most humble of circumstances: wrapped in rags and laying in a feeding trough. He didn’t need to be born in a palace to grow up and change the world.

Don’t reach the end of December only having a credit card bill to remind you of what happened. Don’t run to have the perfect holiday. Run to be closer to Jesus. Run to be more like Jesus. 

Christmas is Coming

What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Is it something wholesome and heartwarming? Do you have one that is so loved it’s become tradition to gather the family so you can all watch it together? More than any other holiday, Christmas has become the one surrounded with the most ritual and tradition. From the movies you watch, to how and when you start putting up decorations, to when the music you listen to becomes exclusively Christmas themed, it feels like a switch gets flipped and we want the world to be a little more wholesome and hopeful.

That’s why, I think, we all have a favorite Christmas movie. Sure, they all have that moment where Christmas is almost ruined, but something happens to save the day—the lights work, the meal is edible, people make it home just in time—and everyone lives happily ever after. Seeing things tied up in a neat little bow takes us out of the chaos that is Christmas in real life.

In real life you must resist the urge to “bless” out the person who cut you off in the parking lot. The turkey can be dry. You have to promise someone their gift is on the way because it got lost in shipping, (and sometimes it “got lost in shipping” because we just ran out of time). I want to encourage you to slow down this season and let go of creating the perfect Norman Rockwell style Christmas.

Christmas isn’t about getting that perfect family photo. Christmas is the time we set aside each year to remember the birth of our savior and the hope we have as sinners. Luke 1:26-33 starts the story like this,

26 …the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”…“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Like Mary, we can be surprised by Christmas, it came out of nowhere and became the most important event of her life. Don’t let the distractions of the holiday season pull you away from the reason that we celebrate.

Remember hope!

Endure

I’m not even supposed to be here today! I’m supposed to be in southern California, where, at the time of writing this, it is sunny and 75 degrees. I was supposed to be there for last Thanksgiving too. Unfortunately, a combination of Covid and other factors has it impossible to see my best friends in over two years. It’s hard enough when plans need to change under the best of circumstances; it hits a little differently when it happens around the holidays.

We look forward with hopeful hearts. We may not know what we’re going to do, but we almost always expect those days to be something special. Then something happens to take the wind out of your holiday sails, and Thanksgiving turns from a celebration into just another Thursday. Worse still is when you’ve met a tragedy around these special days that hangs like a shadow over future festivities.

I wish I could say that the life of the Christian was free from tragedy. Unfortunately, tragedy is part of the human experience. However, what we do have is hope, and hope, though it starts from the smallest places, can grow from a flicker into a flame. 

Paul reminds of this in Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

We never celebrate our suffering when we are in the midst of it. It is only through time and patience that we are able to endure, build character, and produce hope. There are some Thanksgivings that it’s going to be harder to say what you’re thankful for. That’s okay! Hope does not put us to shame. We know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Lord, help us remember that no matter what things look like today, there is always a new dawn, a new morning, a new creation on the horizon. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Amen.

Time Flies

It’s like some weird form of time travel. In no year before do I think we’ve had the collective experience of, “Where did the time go?” like we do right now. It feels like we just started the March 2020 lockdown yesterday, and now the calendar says 2022 starts in forty-something days. For many people, the last year and a half has fluctuated between feeling extremely stressful and extremely boring. I’m sure you can think of your own specific milestones for that time, but I’m also sure there’s a lot of it that just blurs together.

It’s difficult to prepare when completely new experiences are thrust upon you. We will all certainly be more prepared for the next global pandemic (training I pray we never need). However, one thing that we can recognize is how fast time flies. It flies when you’re busy and it flies when you’re bored. Knowing this we need to make intentional effort to slow down and recognize who we are called to be and from that how we treat the people around us.

Paul in his concluding remarks of 1 Thessalonians 5 reminds us,
“Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

As demanding as our recent history has been we need to remind ourselves that it has been that way for everyone. As much as we want people to have the grace to treat us this way, we must also do our very best to show this same grace to the people around us. However, we can only do this if we take the time to slow down and be present in the moment with someone else.

Soon the last year and a half will just be a blip on the radar of your personal history, an interruption to your time flying by. Going forward, how can you capture your time and use it well?

Clocks

Cold take: I think Daylight Saving Time and changing the clocks twice a year is lame! I do appreciate that when we fall back it is the one Sunday out of the year most of Restore shows up on time for church. However, I don’t think it’s worth the weird jet-laggy, “why am I so hungry?” feeling we deal with in the days after as we try to adjust our bodies to the new declared time. Sure, we save a little energy and farmers are a little happier, but at what cost?

Unfortunately, I do not have the political power to sway the world or the US to change. If it was truly an important issue to me, I could move to Arizona or Hawaii, and those are two very different situations. What I must accept is that a change has happened and live into it. If I have a meeting at 4pm and show up at 5pm no one is going to accept, “I refuse to acknowledge a change in the clocks!” as an excuse, they’ll just think I’m late. The times are new.

A similar change happens when you recognize or accept the call of God on your life. You give up the old way of doing things and live into the new person you’ve become. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

This change, that we had no hand in creating, puts away the old creation and picks up the new creation. Where last week you drove to work in darkness now you drive in the light. Where before you were lost in sin, God, through Christ, found you and washed you clean. We can’t hold on to the past, who you were this time last week may be completely different from who you are now, because we have experienced the love of Christ, and have (hopefully) grown. Live into the new creation that you have become through Christ.

With or without Daylight Saving the time you have is now.

Cheer Campaign

Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Election season is over for another year, but more importantly election ad season is over. I’ve had the same phone number since my first cell phone which means that number is on a lot of lists in a lot of states. Around this time of year, I start getting texts from all over that say, “vote for this person or else your enemies win,” or “vote for this person because they are the greatest human being to ever walk the earth.”

The worst part about a lot of these ads is how often people wholeheartedly believe them. Whether they extoll the virtues of one candidate or condemn the wickedness of their opponent, people are ready to jump in with both feet because it’s what they want to believe. And from that belief, they start fights with the people they are supposed to love the most.

Division and disagreement are nothing new, especially when discussing politics. The problem comes when those fights breach the walls of the church. Trust me, I want you to be politically active, vote your conscience, and take a stand for the issues that matter to you. But if you call yourself a Christian, I pray that your relationship with Christ would come before any politician or political party.

Paul reminds us that we are united with one another through Christ. And I hope that your connections of faith are stronger than your political differences. It is a hard tightrope to walk, but you are able to be humble, you are able to value others, and you are able to let someone be wrong on the internet.

Let them know you are Christians by your love!

Past the Past

1 Timothy 12-14 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

In this passage, Paul is recognizing the limitations he had before he came to Christ. By most accounts, before his experience of being called by the Lord, Paul was not a great guy. Haughty and arrogant, Paul went around persecuting people that were following Jesus because he thought they had abandoned the true faith. (Side note: being cruel to someone is not the best method to get them to agree with you).

Then he had an experience, I think many of us would envy, where God spoke directly to him and said, “stop what you’re doing, come and join me.” Paul did a full 180 on life, he repented and started to do everything he could to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. And though he started life as one of the worst of the worst, God still saw him as someone to be loved and someone who could be of use to the gospel.

I don’t think you’ve spent the first half of your life persecuting non-believers (if you are doing that please stop), but I’m sure there are things in your past that you’d rather no one remember. No matter what is in your past you have received the same mercy that Paul did. The grace of God is always available and never ending.

Jesus sees who you were, sees who you are, and sees who you will be, and in all those phases he loves you. If you are running from God, you only need to turn around to see him waiting for you, loving you, and willing to guide you back into the fold.

Every saint has a past, and every sinner can have a future. We just need to accept the grace and mercy that has been offered. 

Shoulder to Shoulder

Matthew 14:34-36 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Jesus, fresh from walking on the water with Peter, arrives at another region full of people who want his help, time, and attention. And it wasn’t just the people that happened to be around that mobbed him, they sent word all around that something big was happening and everyone should come out. 

These were people who wanted just to be near to Jesus, to just touch the hem of his garment, and Jesus made himself available. This contrasts with other religious leaders of the time. For many scribes and Pharisees, the thought of being touched by one of these people would have disgusted them. There was a clear hierarchy, “I may not be a king, but I am above you so don’t you dare come near, much less try and touch me.”

And then we see Jesus, walking shoulder to shoulder with these common people, these sick people, these dirty people. Jesus spent his whole life engaging with the people most of us try to avoid. We usually claim that we are doing it for our own safety. When the truth is probably that we don’t ever want to be associated with “those kinds of people.”

Jesus made it clear who he came to save. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Without him we are all lost, and if we believe that Jesus came to save “us,” we must believe that he came to save “them.” Whatever your personal us and them battle may be, I hope you can recognize that Jesus came to tear down that division.

Jesus came to live a life rubbing shoulders with sinners and showing them that there is a better way. When we live out the calling of Jesus on our lives, we can follow him into unexpected places. Wherever it may take you strive, like the people of Gennesaret to be close to him.

Troubled Minds

Lamentations 3:21-24 –

But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”

The book of Lamentations is a bummer, but it’s a bummer on purpose. It was largely written as a shared cleansing release over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians. (Probably) written by the prophet Jeremiah, Lamentations, like all great poetry, seeks to put the high emotions into words.

Think of a song that means more to you than any other song. The lyrics transport you back to a specific time, a specific place, and a set of specific emotions. It can take your experience and put it into words you didn’t have at the time. Lamentations sought to be those words for the people who experienced the loss of Jerusalem. It was often read in a group setting like many of the memorials we have today to commemorate losses that are shared.

In the midst of the pain and searing loss, Jeremiah takes a moment to remind the people of a hope that is bigger than any loss. The pain may be great, but the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. It may feel as though someone has stolen a piece of your soul, but his mercies never come to an end. We can have hope as long as we hold these things in our hearts and minds.

It’s easy to get lost in our own minds and experiences. In those times of trouble, we can get lost thinking, “the way I feel now, is how I will always feel from now on.” And this is why we need the reminder that God’s mercies are new every morning. They never run out. The Lord is our portion and therefore we can put our hope in him.

What do you do when you need your hope renewed? Where do you turn? He wants to be there for you in your times of trouble.

Let’s Try Again

Hebrews 4:14-16 –Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Before Jesus came along “high priest” was just a role that someone filled. If you needed an answer, you made your way to the person in the role and asked your question. If this high priest was otherwise occupied, you just had to wait. However, Jesus took this system and changed everything. As the great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus became available for everyone, everywhere, all the time. Jesus is fundamentally different from the people who came before who just did their best to fill a job.

This truth binds Christians together to a unified belief in OUR confession: that Jesus came to sacrifice himself on the cross so that we may know eternal life. To do this, he took on flesh, he became a human just like us. He knew God’s perfect plan and had perfect faith, but he also had to live with all the struggle of having a human body that we have today. Jesus got thirsty. Jesus got tired. There were times when Jesus felt impatient. There were times that Jesus ate something, and it hurt his tummy. In Matthew 4 you can read about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, being offered the whole world, and turning it down because fulfilling his purpose was more important.

Jesus knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. He can sympathize and understand the troubles and questions that you bring to him. And though his perfect love never fails, he can be with us when we do. Jesus is always there waiting for us to turn to him. No matter how many times we mess up, or give in to temptation, or have a moment of weakness he is there to encourage us.

“Hey there champ, that’s a pretty nasty spill you took there. I know it hurts now, but let’s get you dusted off and try again.” Even when you feel far away, he loves you completely. Sometimes we just need to accept his grace and mercy.

All the Way

Luke 9:22-24 –  saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

When you read this passage casually it might be surprising to see Jesus talking about taking up a cross—he isn’t even arrested for another 13 chapters. However, crucifixion was well known to everyone in the Roman world. He not only told the disciples that he knew he was going to die but also the how; through the agonizing experience of being crucified. Before the Romans hung person on a cross, they first hung the cross (or at least the main beam) on the person. 

Once this beam of wood was attached to the convicted person’s back their future was sealed. Carrying this cross always led to death. It was an unrelenting instrument of torture, death, and humiliation. If someone took up his cross, he was never coming back. It was a one-way journey. No one sought out a cross, it was always something that was forced upon a person. So why does Jesus ask us to take up a cross and follow him?

I don’t think he wants us to die a horrible and painful death. What Jesus wants us to see is that once we have taken up the cross, we realize and accept that we cannot save ourselves. When that cross is on our back we embrace that this is a one-way trip, and we are all in. We don’t just follow Jesus through the easy stuff. We follow Jesus all the way, knowing that the sacrifice he made on our behalf was the only way we could ever see salvation.

Living this way is rarely the easiest choice, and therefore Jesus called us to do this daily. We must decide each day where our hope comes from. And even in those times when a day feels too long, you can still decide where you find your hope in this hour, in this minute. 

We have been called to follow Jesus, and that means all the way.

By Our Love

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

The number of divisive issues we have faced as a society over the last two years is staggering:  Masks, politics, worship styles, race relations, vaccines, and police behavior, just to name a few. And with each item in this list, I’m sure most of us could express an opinion, and with that opinion find a neighbor or friend who vehemently disagrees. When we are confronted with someone close to us who disagrees, we must choose how we will respond.

Sadly, the most popular response these days is to block, ignore, and ghost. Some people think, “We can’t agree on this one point so I must cut that person out of my life.” This is fine if a stranger is hassling you on social media, block away. However, this should not be your go to response for people with whom you have spent years living life. Especially, when both of you are followers of Christ.

Jesus in John 13:35 said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We are called to love one another in the church. Even when we are on opposing sides of an issue. Agreement is never a prerequisite for love—nor is it a determining factor for who deserves it.

Yes, we are called to stand up for what is right and true, but we never need to do it in a way that demeans another person. When you have a disagreement with someone, talk it out. We are called to strive for reconciliation. If you have sinned against someone, seek forgiveness. If someone has sinned against you, be eager to forgive. This is not an easy calling, and that’s why Christ told us that we didn’t need to do it in our own strength. We can rely on him.

What opinion is causing division in your life? Is your stance on that issue more important than your friends or family? Who can you forgive today?

Called To Be

I had a package that was FedExed overnight to me and was supposed to be delivered on August 23rd. It is now three weeks later, and I have received nothing. It is a very frustrating situation. Obviously, someone isn’t fulfilling their part of the social contract to do their job so that society does not collapse. The problem is, I can’t talk to that person. I can’t tell them, “You’re really bumming me out.” All I can do is wait and bother someone else in a call center who probably listens to people like me complain all day long.

Waiting is the absolute worst! It’s especially bad when there is nothing you can do to help things move faster. In the church, one of the hardest tasks we’ve been called to do is wait for Christ’s return. Jesus told us that He would return, but unfortunately no one will know the day or the hour (Matt 24:36). While we don’t know when he will return, it is clear what we are supposed to do while we wait.

Titus 2:12-14 says,
…say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

We are called to live upright and godly lives. Admittedly, this is much easier to say than it is to pull off. Maybe that’s why we’ve been given so much time to practice. If you interact with people in any way, it is only a matter of time before you run into someone who tests your patience. And this is the time when you need to take a step back, take a deep breath and remember who you are called to be. 

While my lost package is frustrating and inconvenient, flying off the handle at a stranger won’t solve my problem. I need to be eager to do what is good and be nice to a stranger on the phone. It isn’t always easy, and we will have plenty of times when our eagerness needs to be forced and intentional.

We just need to choose to do what we know is right.

Our Hands

Psalm 90:16-17 - Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!

We joked in our staff meeting this week that since all our stuff is in our new building, at 95 Prospect St, and we’ve had our first service that the work is now done. We moved! We did it! However, as anyone who has ever moved knows, the work is just beginning. We have rooms filled to the brim with stuff that needs to be organized and sorted and redivided. Rooms that need to be cleaned or repurposed or (because we’re Restore) have their technology updated.

And this is just the work we need to do inside the building; our real work will be in reaching our friends, neighbors, and community. With the world we’ve all been living in this past year and a half I’d be willing to guess that there are a lot of people who are excited for a fresh start. For many people there has been a shift in priorities or what they want most out of life. This could range from a simple career change to a full life overhaul. 

No matter where we land in this spectrum, we need to remind ourselves to recognize the favor of the Lord that is upon us. Whether your life was interrupted by outside forces or the natural consequences of your own choices, you have the opportunity to start again. As society emerges into a world that is a little different than it was a year and a half ago, we can be a glowing example of God’s glorious power—to your kids, your coworkers, your friends, and if you have them your servants.

The wonderful thing about the Christian faith is that we have and unlimited number times we can try again. We called to try again, to never give up, to let the power of God be established in the work of our hands.

Let’s get to work.

Fingers Up!

I had a friend who was thrust into a pretty big career change. He was leaving a place that started well but had turned toxic over his tenure there. As he was trying to process the transition, he read a book about big life changes (whose name and author have unfortunately been forgotten), one of the chapter titles has stuck with me. The chapter was titled, “Leave with your fingers up!”

In our modern world, and as drivers in New Jersey, this probably conjures a fairly specific image. We all know the feeling of being hurt or disappointed and the desire that comes with it to bring everyone else into it or to lash out. However, what the author pointed out was that the fingers you have up are your thumbs. Walk out the door wishing everyone you leave behind well. Not everyone you leave behind is your enemy so there is no need to make them an enemy when you go.

As a church, we have this choice to make right now. We can leave a wake of hurt feelings behind us, or we can leave with our heads held high and our fingers up. We need, are owed, and seek nothing from the people of this world because we know that our strength and inheritance comes from God.

Paul in Ephesians 1:11-12 says, “11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

We don’t like that we must move. We, at one point, thought Pleasentview Dr. was going to be our long-term home. But it turns out, God had much bigger plans for us and that we were thinking too small. We don’t need to look back in disappointment. We can look forward in thankfulness for what God has already done. And we can look forward in excitement to all the things that God is going to do.

We pray a blessing on Living Word, and all the other churches that have given Restore a temporary home. We are so thankful for the time we had together, and we pray that God will use them to reach more people. 

Thumbs up!

If You Fall I Will Catch You

Psalm 94:18-19

When I thought, “My foot slips,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.

So here we are again Restore. This coming Sunday, August 29, will be our final Sunday at 21 Pleasantview drive. Starting Sunday, September 5, we will be moving into our new facility at Faith Reformed, 95 Prospect Street in Midland Park. Over the course of 2021, the staff and elders have been working feverishly to find a place for Restore to call home. We spoke with numerous churches, commercial realtors, and even a school to find a place for us to land in the fall.

It wasn’t until we surrendered to the idea Faith wasn’t going to work out that everything came together. We had a plan in place that would work but was far from ideal. Just when we thought our foot was slipping, God swooped in and saved the day. Only God could have put things together for things to work out this way for Restore.

Restore, in its 10(ish) year existence, counting this current move, has had four separate locations. Speaking as someone who has moved A LOT, even I would say that’s too many. However, despite that, the community remains strong. Restore, more than any other church I have ever been a part of knows what it means to do life together. If we ended up with an abandoned warehouse or out in a field, this church would remain strong because of this community’s devotion to one another.

There are times in your life when you feel overwhelmed, when the cares of your heart are many. These are the times when we can look to God for support. And the amazing thing about this is that we get to see God work out this support through our community. 

When you experience something traumatic, I pray that there are people around you that can hold you up. And, when you’re back on your feet, you now know what it’s like to come out the other side. You now have the strength to hold up someone else. We get to meet at 95 Prospect St because one member of the community of Christ saw how they could support another member.

God comes through in amazing ways, and He uses the community to do it.

Love One Another

John 13:34-35 - 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In John 13, after Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, he started explaining to them that he wasn’t going to be around much longer. For us reading today it is only a few pages until Jesus is arrested, put on trial, and eventually crucified. Jesus knew that this was the plan. He knew Judas would betray him, he knew Peter would deny him, and he knew that the disciples would need to take the leadership position in getting the cause of Christ to the world.

In this passage Jesus is laying out some pretty heavy news for the disciples. He is telling them that he is going somewhere that they cannot follow. This news devastates them. These disciples were prepared to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives, and now they are learning that they will need to do the hard work without him. And what does Jesus tell them is first and most important? It’s not how to spend the money. It’s not what political affiliation is correct. It’s not how to “own” the other side on social medio. He simply tells them to love one another. 

In Jewish writing the importance of something is indicated through repetition. We see this in descriptions of the angels in heaven worshiping God by saying, “Holy, holy, holy.” God is not just holy, or even just holy, holy, God is holy, holy, holy! In this passage Jesus keeps telling them to love on another.

We have plenty of examples of the disciples missing the point and bickering with one another, and this was when Jesus was with physically them. What are they (or we) going to do when Jesus isn’t physically with us? We need to fall back to basics. Love is mentioned about 57 times in the Gospel of John. In chapter 14 Jesus says, “if you love me, keep my commandments.” And what is that commandment? Love one another.

Our increasingly divided world is easy to see. However, our increasingly divided church is where we can use our influence. Standing up for truth is important, but are you walking in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time? Is your speech always gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may show love to the people around you?

How can you help love come first?

Have Mercy

Matthew 9:10-13 - 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

When we read the Bible, we often like to visualize ourselves in the hero’s position. We are David when he slew Goliath. We are the good Samaritan who stopped to help the injured man. We like seeing ourselves as the good and faithful servant. More often, though, the truth is that we are the helpless one, the one caught gloating over their own power, or the one who doubts Jesus. We are the sinners! Jesus is seen reclining with us.

The Pharisees had setup boundaries to keep themselves holy. Unfortunately, this was only holiness in their own minds. They thought, “If I never associate with those ‘bad’ people then everyone will know that I am a ‘good’ person.” This is something that they added to the law that God never intended.

The Pharisees would have loved today’s social media echo chambers—those places you go where any dissenting thought is shouted down so everyone thinks “the correct way.” The Pharisees take a shot at Jesus by asking how this person who claims to be a teacher can associate with all these “bad” people. And Jesus answers them plainly, “those who are sick are the ones who need the doctor.”

Jesus then tells them, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’” Here Jesus is quoting Hosea 6. In Hosea’s day the people were diligent about bringing their sacrifices, but it had become a rote habit. They were neglecting the purpose, and they were neglecting mercy.

The Pharisees who heard this would have been taken aback because they thought they already knew everything. For us it means we need to take Jesus’s Great Commission to heart and make disciples everywhere we go. They don’t need to look like you, they don’t need to think like you, they just need you to embody the grace and mercy that you have already experienced as a follower of Christ.

Let’s tell everyone we know that Jesus came for them.