His Name in This World: Third Sunday of Advent

Dear Hida (is that right?) Newman,
Thank you so much for your lovely letter and pictures.... As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in the world who (1.) arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2.) Said he was the son of the Great Emperor. (3.) Gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people. (4.) Came to life again. (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb.... Don't you really know His name in this world? Think it over and let me know your answer.
~ C.S. Lewis, from "Letter to Hila Newman," June 3, 1953, Lewis' Collected Letters, III, p.334

Depending on how you tell it, the Christmas story can be very compelling. Often times, though, it gets told with a knowing familiarity - as if retelling it once a year makes one an expert. It's the details that make a person and a story fascinating. Understanding the characters in the story, identifying with their hopes and fears, admiring their courage and endurance - this draws us in. Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Herod, Simeon, Anna - these are all riveting characters. They are more than just names in an old myth. Behind each of their names is another compelling story.

You have a story. When someone says your name, they are summing up in two or three words a lifetime of experiences, drama, crisis, accomplishments, failures, loves, hates, hopes and fears. Your name matters, your life matters, and your story matters.

When you retell your story - is it with embarrassed haste or vain over-interest or knowing familiarity? People have a story of their own life that they hold in their head - and this story shapes the rest of their life. For a lot of people, they need a new story for their life. They need a new name.

In the story of Jesus' birth, he was given several different names - each of them captured a different element of what people expected out of him. Emmanuel means "God with us." Jesus means "God saves." Son of the Most High means "God's Son." Savior means "one who rescues." Messiah means "anointed one." Lord means "one who rules." In C.S. Lewis' story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Jesus is known as Aslan, which is a play off of another name for Jesus - "Lion of the tribe of Judah."

Jesus has many names - and when you discover his names, become familiar with his names, when you let yourself become part of His story, his name becomes part of your name - which means your story becomes part of His story. This means that the story you tell yourself can have a better ending, it can have a new chapter, it can have new characters, a richer plot, a dramatic ending where the hero prevails.

This Christmas, as you reread the story, as you search out rich details to help the story come alive to you - consider how you fit into it. What's the connection between the name of Jesus and your name? How closely associated are the two names? Which of his names do you need in your story these days? What's the story you tell yourself that needs rewritten?

There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4v12 (NIV)

The name of Jesus is powerful yet today. It keeps alive the Christmas story, it keeps alive hope and redemption for your story. Jesus still rescues people from darkness. Jesus still gives people compassion and healing. Jesus still calls people to sacrifice and love. Jesus is still rewriting stories for yearning souls.

Discover the names of Jesus. Let them shape the next chapters of your story.

Excitement of a Child: Second Saturday of Advent

I have read [your book] Treasure on Earth and I don't believe you have any notion how good it is.... I've never seen the hushed internal excitement of a child on Christmas Eve better done. That is something we can all recognize.
~ C.S. Lewis, from "Letter to Mrs. Phyllis Sandeman", Dec. 10, 1952, Lewis' Collected Letters, III, pp261ff

The excitement of a child on Christmas Eve is a pretty special experience. The gleaming eyes, the bouncing body, the incessant chattering, the great restrainment of not touching the gifts tucked in under the tree - it's all part of what makes Christmas so memorable for kids. Unless, of course, the kids are spoiled brats. Whiny kids, self-aborbed kids, greedy kids, unthankful kids have a way of ruining the excitement of Christmas Eve. Same goes for grown ups.

Here's the a quote from Mrs. Sandeman's book about herself as a little child in 1906 on early Christmas morning that Lewis referred to in his letter to her:

"There was not long to wait now before the drama would begin - the curtain was trembling to its rise. The twilight of the early winter morning, the piercing sweetness of the voices rising in the still air, the tune and the words she loved so well, 'Christians, awake, salute the happy morn!' The heaven would open."

We don't talk like that anymore - and I doubt any of us reflect back on our childhood Christmas mornings with this kind of hushed reverence. It's rare that Christmas morning is a holy moment for our kids, let alone us. Even if we read the Christmas story on Christmas morning as a prelude to opening gifts, there is a disconnect between the poverty of the manger scene and the obscene amount of gifts piled up under our tree.

Simeon was a poor old man who got to hold the week-old infant Christ-child. He gets to be part of the Christmas story because he could clearly see who this baby was - and would become. The excitement of a child, the thrill of holding this newborn baby - Simeon smiled not just for this, but because of what God had given Israel through this gift. Salvation, rescue, forgiveness, new beginnings, hope, mercy, love - this is what God was giving Simeon and his people through Jesus.

My eyes have seen your salvation.
Luke 2v30 (NIV)

It's a challenge - whether you have lots of presents this year or a few or none - to keep our eyes focused on what God is doing in the world through Christmas. We recover that holy moment on Christmas morning when we resolve everyday to be God's gift to our friends and family. Not in an arrogant, self-absorbed way, but in a child-like, loving way. Be the gift.

Test of Greatness: Second Friday of Advent

[The great French writer] Montaigne became kittenish with his kitten but [it] never talked philosophy to him. Everywhere the great enters the little - its power to do so is almost the test of its greatness.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p147

The story of Christmas is about a lot of things, but one of them is about how "the God of the Universe, He became one of us...." The great and mighty YHWH of Israel, their Creator and King, entered our world through a peasant girls womb.

Christmas is about how true greatness pays attention to the small ones of the world. Not just "pay attention" in a dismissive or patronizing way, but "pay attention" in the sacrificial  and loyal sort of way.

You have great power in your life, the ability to influence and affect others. Through your actions you can shape how well the day goes for someone in your home or at work. You may not think much about the consequences of your attitude or actions, but there is great power there.

Just because you ignore it or fail to pay adequate attention to it doesn't mean that you have no power over others. You have great power over others, and the Christmas story reveals to us how we ought to use that power.

The test of your greatness comes in how you treat people that rely on you, who need you, who look up to you. Do you take them for granted? Do you give them little thought? Do you consider their needs only after taking care of yourself? Do you value them? Are they better off because of you?

Does your attitude and actions result in a richer life for them? Or is everything pretty much about you? Do you use your greatness, your power, your influence to lift up others and add good to their life? That's what Christmas is about, that's what God did with his greatness.

Will you let God enter into your life? Are you so great that you do not need his intervention and influence? Do you think that God overlooks your littleness or seeming insignificance?

So [the sheep herders] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. Luke 2v16 (NIV)

Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem, he grew up in insignificant Nazareth, wandered Galilee and Judea homeless as a grown man. It's in these kind of situations that God in Jesus rubbed shoulders with the overlooked, the marginalized, the unnoticed, the small people of the world. They were God's neighbors, his fellow wanderers.

To those that let God in, great things happened. Keep letting the great God into your small life.

Just Like Your Father: Second Thursday of Advent

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the Sons of God. We do not know...how things would have worked if the human race had never rebelled against God and joined the enemy.... You and I are concerned with the way things work now.
~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p178

Wouldn't it be great if the best compliment you could give a friend was, "You are just like your father." Unfortunately these days, if you remark that someone is just like their father, it's a derogatory comment. For several reasons, dads overall aren't doing a very good job of demonstrating strong moral character to their sons and daughters. Children are becoming like their parents - but it's resulting in ethically weak, relationally confused, small-minded adults.

But the implication for the Incarnation for us is that we would know God as our Father in a new way. Jesus as the Son of God became one of us that we might become sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven. Christmas is about the beginning of a new kind of relationship with God and others through Jesus. When we consider our own lives, our moral deficiencies, our sinful attitudes, our addictions and weaknesses, we accept our need for help. We need help in the form of imitation - a new model to pattern our lives after, but also help in the form of influence - we need a new power to move us in the right direction.

Ideally for us, our Dads become a powerful model to imitate. Through their presence in our lives, through their demonstration of integrity and capability in the midst of complex situations, in observing their maturing moral character (which means they can say "I'm sorry" and can forgive you), we gain a influential picture of our own future. We become like our parents, or else we react against them (which creates new ways in which we subtly become like our parents...). So what would it take to become like our Dad in Heaven?

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.... No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 1v12,18 (NIV)

To trust the words of Jesus, to believe in his works, to have faith that his way is the wisest of all - this is core to becoming like our Father in Heaven. Jesus is our model for becoming a Son of God, he is also the one who makes it possible. Our letting Jesus teach us to forgive, to repent, to serve, to lead, to love, to give sacrificially, to be wise, to be courageous, to be truthful, to be strong, to be weak - all we learn from Jesus the Son of God helps us become like God our Father. Why wouldn't you want this?

For some of you, one of your great fears is to become like your father. You are ashamed of your father, embarrassed by him, full of disgust for him. Others of you have become indifferent to your father, ignoring his presence, moving on without him. Or you now have to put up with a dad you don't really respect, you don't really know what to do with, and yet he's still there. Let God the Father do some renewing and healing work in you this Christmas towards your flawed dad.

The Son of God became a human to enable men and women to become Sons and Daughters of God. The expectation is that people would remark about us, "You are just like your Father!" And when they do, they will be referring to your acts of forgiveness and reconciliation, of repentance and healing, of servanthood and leadership, of sacrifice and love.

What We Can Understand: Second Wednesday of Advent

We cannot conceive how the Divine Spirit dwelled within the created and human spirit of Jesus.... What we can understand...is that our own...existence is...but a faint image of the Divine Incarnation itself - the same theme in a very minor key.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p147

The Incarnation is a mysterious paradox. We believe that Jesus if fully God and fully human. We believe that the Divine Spirit dwells completely within the Human Spirit of Jesus. How can this be?

It's stuff like this that causes skeptical or scientifically minded men and women to turn away from Christianity. These claims get labeled as fantastic, as religious fantasy, as a mythological legend. There are plenty of stories of the ancient gods who have a human mother and divine father. Stories abound of men who were attributed the title of divinity. So isn't Jesus of Nazareth just another one of those kind of events?

C.S. Lewis made the transition from atheist and skeptic to believer and follower of Jesus. A brilliant thinker and writer, Lewis wrestled with many of the difficult faith issues of his day. His engagement in hard to understand ideas didn't lead him away from faith in God, but towards Him. You may not understand everything about the Incarnation or Christianity, but your doubts don't have to undermine your faith.

The Incarnation - God taking on flesh - is a belief that stretches our imagination. But there are other stories of Scripture which carry this same seed of belief. In the beginning, God created man and woman and breathed life into them - put his Spirit in them, made them in His image. As Lewis says, we are "a faint image of the Divine Incarnation itself - the same theme in a very minor key." It takes faith to accept this as true, it takes work to understand.

Jesus said: Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14v9, NIV). Paul said that the Church is the body of Christ. If we believe in the Incarnation, if we believe that our own existence is but a faint image of the Divine Incarnation, then we believe in the high value of humanity, the sacredness of life, and the sacrificial and servant nature of the church. What we believe matters, it undergirds all our actions. How well do we understand this?

Can you make a connection between your belief in the Incarnation and your work in the world?

God Shatters: Second Tuesday of Advent

My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence? the Incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins. And most are "offended" by the iconoclasm; and blessed are those who are not. But the same thing happens in our private prayers.
~ C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed, p78

We have certain expectations for God. Those expectations are revealed mostly when life is not turning out the way we expected. If we turn to God in prayer during those moments of great difficulty, we often find ourselves disappointed in the way God intervened on our behalf. Usually we conclude that God didn't intervene. And so our image of God sours, and our heart for him shrivels.

An iconoclast is someone who destroys religious images, someone who attacks cherished beliefs. When considering the impact of the Incarnation, one can conclude that God is an Iconoclast. In Jesus, God shatters the old beliefs developed about YHWH. If the devout and pious Jews of ancient Israel struggled to come to terms with God, no wonder that we still do today.

The Jews of the first century had their difficulties, hardships which continually prompted them to seek God's intervention. When Jesus showed up and essentially announced that he was the answer to their prayers for God's intervention in the world - well this shattered a lot of assumptions about God. It may be that your assumptions about God need shattered.

For those who have grown up in the church and still have affection for God - the Incarnation is an opportunity to embrace anew God's idea of Himself. For those who have grown up in the church and have become indifferent to the LORD - or even loathe the idea of Him - the Incarnation is that moment when all your incomplete ideas of God can be shattered. And for those who have not grown up in the church and yet have their own understanding of God - the Incarnation can be a starting point for something real and wise.

My kingdom is not of this world.
John 18v36 (NIV)

Jesus continues to shatter everyone's image of God and the Kingdom. In the midst of our difficulties we may turn to God for help - and when he does, we are forced to deal with Him on his terms. This is where our image of God often shatters - God always deals with us on His terms. And yet the Incarnation reveals the great depths God will go to Be With Us and Be For Us.

As our expectations of God become shattered, may Jesus become the answer to our prayers of intervention amidst our hardships.

The Gift of Judgment: Second Monday of Advent

Judgment is at hand, promise of judgment and threat of judgment.... It is the same sort of ambivalence which Christians have been taught to recognize in the season of Advent.
~ C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams, The Arthurian Torso, p157

The promise and threat of judgment are typical themes for our modern Christmas tunes. But judgment is a gift to us, and it is part of the Advent season. Judgment is a gift in which reality is disclosed, the consequences of our actions are discerned and announced and put into motion.

In a courtroom scene, if I am the one that has been sinned against, I am thankful for the judgment that results in justice and truth. If I am the one that sinned against my neighbor, then I am duty bound to accept the consequences and face reality. That's a crucial kind of gift.

Jesus of Nazareth became the Christ of Israel and the Earth - he came as light bringing hope and truth and grace. But Jesus has promised to come again - and to some it is a threat: he will bring justice and make everything all right. The Advent of Christmas will be followed by an Advent of the Kingdom. 

Judgment will come with the King, and to some degree that makes us uncomfortable because we know what's true of our hearts. For all the good that we have done, for all the good that we have received, for all the good that is in us - there is also much that is dark, that is prideful, that is angry, that is envious, that is wicked.

When light shines on a dark land, those that prospered in the dark will cringe and protest. But those that were being taken advantage of in the shadows will welcome the light.

When you bring truth into a situation that was laced with lies, when you bring grace into a relationship that was built on bigotry, when you bring hope into a place that was burdened with despair - you are bringing light and judgment. That's a difficult gift to bear, but it is crucial for them to receive.

For the day of the LORD is near.
Joel 3v14 (NIV)

When the ancient prophets of Israel proclaimed the coming of the Day of the LORD, they anticipated a time when YHWH would make everything all right. The corrupt rich would be judged, the pious poor would be lifted up; the belligerent enemies of Israel would be humbled, and the righteous rulers would be empowered and honored.

As some of the Jews of the first century looked back on the life of Jesus, they discerned that he was who he said he was: the Incarnated God, the Emmanuel: God with us! The LORD had come, his day had arrived - and gone again.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised to return just as he had come. He promised that he would always be with us - even while he was out of sight. To some this may be a threat. But to those of us that welcome the Advent of Christ season, we are eager for the Advent of the Kingdom. 

We are eager for everything to be restored. We are also humbly aware that we are participating agents of the corruption of the earth. Yet it is this humility and acceptance of God's rule in our life that enables our misdeeds to be redeemed, for our own lives to be used in the renewal of all things.

May you accept the Advent of Judgment as a promise and a threat. May you embrace the Advent of Christ as a gift of grace and truth. May you anticipate the Advent of the Kingdom when everything will be made all right. And may you live now in the light of what is to come...

Quest for Peace: Second Sunday of Advent

When the year dies in preparation for the birth
Of other seasons, not the same, on the same earth,
Then saving and calamity go together make
The Advent gospel, telling how the heart will break.
Therefore it was in Advent that the Quest began...
~ C.S. Lewis, "Launcelot", Narrative Poems, p95

The season of Advent can often be a time of searching. It's common for many of us to search for the true meaning of Christmas amidst the assault of consumerism and hectic schedules. We may find ourselves searching for a friend or a companion to ward off the loneliness and regrets that creep in during the holidays.

As Christians, we are given an opportunity to renew our search for Christ during Advent - not that we lost him, or that he lost us. But our attention and affection can dissipate, focus can diffuse, or we can become indifferent to Him. Advent is the right time for a Quest, for a search to begin again.

The Magi of the East are remembered during the Advent season for their Quest. We don't know how many of them sojourned to Bethlehem - there were probably more than three of them. Their three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh held powerful symbolism - appropriate for a man who was to be a king, whose life would be an offering, and in need of burial spices.

And they weren't kings, rather they were kingmakers - holding power within the vestiges of the Persian kingdom to appoint the next ruler. Magi were wise, scientifically-oriented, famous for their "magic", watchers of the sky, politically influential, and religious. And they went searching for a king of the Jews who they believed was to come and bring peace on earth and good will towards men.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
~ Matthew 2v1-2 (NIV)

The financial debts that burden your thoughts, the quarreling family that breaks your peace; the ailing health, the uncertain future of employment and stability and happiness...it all makes for an unsettling season. The Advent gospel tells how the heart will break; how saving and calamity make.

Do you need to renew your search for Christ this Christmas? In this world your heart will break - but through the calamity will there be any saving?  To sojourn for Jesus in the midst of any of this is an act of wisdom and humility - it is a step forward in the quest for peace on earth, peace in your home, peace through your life. 

God & Life In You: First Saturday of Advent

No woman ever conceived a child, no mare a foal, without Him. But once, and for a special purpose, He dispensed with that long line which is His instrument: once His life-giving finger touched a woman without passing through the ages of interlocked events.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p182

Every birth seems like a miracle. It's only been in the last century that infant mortality rates have drastically dropped. Still, in some parts of the world, to be born - and survive infancy, is stilled considered a miracle. With all the scientific discoveries and medical advances made, it seems to only magnify the miracle of birth. Maybe after delivering a thousand babies in a hospital room, the sense of miracle wears off. But for everyone else, there is still something tender and beautiful and amazing and miraculous about a new born baby.

It's not a big step of faith to believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. It is a step of faith, built upon the belief that God is always at work in the world, that his power upholds the forces of Nature. Science does compelling work in describing the forces at work in our world, but it can't explain their origins, it can't adequately answer "why" - they only have theories. That God miraculously placed a seed in Mary's womb, a divine conception of Jesus - it is a step of faith to accept this, but then every birth is a miracle of sorts, isn't it?

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
~ Luke 1:35 (NIV)

God initiated an opportunity for Mary - become part of a miracle, become part of the Way to save the world. God initiates an opportunity with you - to become part of a miracle. The Same Spirit that made new life conceive in Mary can conceive new life in you. The new life that Jesus represents, that Jesus taught us, that Jesus offers to us - it flows out of this Same Spirit.

If you need a new beginning, if you need to be "born again" or need another chance - God is ready, if you are. In fact, God is the one that planted the seed of change in your heart... He is the one that initiated this opportunity...

The Weakness was the Strength: First Friday of Advent

The Incarnation was God's 'weak moment': when Omnipotence becomes a baby in a manger has 'weakened' itself.... The temptation...is precisely a temptation to evade the self-imposed weaknesses, to be strong, omnipotent, again - to make stones into bread, to be emperor of the world, to do 'levitations'. The weakness was the strength.
~ C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters III, p 409ff

It's not very often that you find yourself in the presence of a man or woman who is content with their weakness. Either you find someone embarrassed by their weakness, ashamed of it, seeking to hide it,  hoping no one talks about it, OR they use it as a crutch, they use it to get attention, they flaunt it. The writer and blogger Julia Clawson recently addressed this from a personal point of view - having been born with half her arm missing below her elbow. She doesn't want you to feel sorry for her, nor does she feel compelled to hide her elbow.

Jesus walking through the dusty alleys of Capernaum, having healed crowds of neighbors, was a walking paradox: God made himself weak by taking on human flesh - BUT Jesus was born strong being filled with the Spirit of God. Upon reflection, there would have been no strength for Jesus to offer had he not first embraced the weakness of Advent, of coming to the manger of Bethlehem. The self-imposed weakness by God in the flesh made possible the gift of strength to those that believed a new beginning was possible.

My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.
~ 2Corinthians 12v9 (NIV)

This is the story of Jesus, it's also the story of St. Paul, and it can be the story of you. For when you are weak, you are in need of grace. And it is when you are weak that you are in a position to receive grace. And it is these moments that allow you to become strong. This enables you to someday to be able to give grace when you are strong.

"For when I am weak, then I am strong." That's what Paul says, but that's not what we always think. When you apologize due to a weakness, you strengthen the bonds that tie you together. When you are vulnerable and thus feel weak, you strengthen the core of your relationship. When you lean on and rely on and accept help - which may cause you to see yourself as weak - you are strengthening the community of friendship around you.

So do you need to apologize to someone this Advent season? Is there a "I'm sorry" that ought to be coming from your mouth, from your heart? Or do you need to ask for help? Or do you need to give grace?

May you spend these holidays and Advent "weaks" considering that God is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine... especially when we are weak. This is the story of the Incarnation, this is central to the true meaning of Christmas.

Starting Anew: First Thursday of Advent

In this descent and reascent everyone will recognize a familiar pattern: a thing written all over the world. It is the pattern of all vegetable life. It must belittle itself into some thing hard, small and deathlike, it must fall into the ground: thence the new life reascends. It is the pattern of all animal generation too.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p148

From the breath of God the first human received life. Humanity flourished and migrated across the globe. But along with this progress comes a darkside: pride, anger, envy, lust and greed. The world became inhabited by a humanity full of God's image and spirit, but corrupted and spewing out deathly vices. Death wasn't the point of creation, life was - so what was God to do next?

Built into the cycle of our existence - including plants, animals, and humans - is that of seeds. A seed is sent out, it is embedded, it dies, and from it comes something beautiful, necessary, and full of life. And also the capacity to reproduce more seeds. Jesus, so to say, is the second breath of God into humanity.

God comes into our world, Jesus being a second seed of sorts - he is embedded into our world. The Incarnation is a story of Jesus literally coming into existence on our planet through a divine seed. A divine seed that develops into a human being just like us, through the womb of peasant girl Mary of Galilee.

The Incarnation of Jesus was eventually followed by the Resurrection. When we let God plant his divine seed of truth and grace in us, we let him make the Resurrection possible for us. When we trust God, we let God breath into us a new kind of life. When we follow the way of Jesus, we let God begin a new kind of Incarnation in us.


A new seed is embedded in us, so that when we die, a new kind of life can emerge. And not only for us, but for all those around us who benefitted from the life God planted within us. The seed God puts in us is intended to result in more seeds in others: more truth, more grace, more trust, more life.

Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.

If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.
~ John 12v24-26 (The Message)

What part of you needs to die?
What ground in your soul needs turned up and prepared for a new kind of seed, a new kind of beginning, a new kind of life?

Let God plant in you the seeds of truth, grace, and trust.
Let the old you die, that the new you may be born this Christmas morn.

Miracles Today: First Wednesday of Advent

Just as every natural event is the manifestation at a particular place and moment of Nature's total character, so every particular Christian miracle manifests at a particular place and moment the character and significance of the Incarnation.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p143

Do you believe in miracles? Jesus did. He purposefully initiated miracles throughout his ministry in the villages and winding roads of Judea. The first miracle of Jesus recorded by the Apostle John is at the wedding in the village of Cana, where he turned water into wine. The effect of this miracle on the disciples was astounding - the glory of God shone through this act, and the men and women who witnessed it put their faith in Jesus. That's the power of a miracle.

"Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host," Jesus said, and they did.

When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn't know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, "Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best till now!"

This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
John 2v8-11 (The Message)

The Incarnation is a miracle. So much of the life of Jesus is a miracle. Why shouldn't it be? God is entering the world to do a new work - that in itself is a miracle. According to C.S. Lewis, a miracle is when "God breaks into Nature with a new sequence of events." The Incarnation - God taking on flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth - is the greatest miracle of all. Every miracle of God is connected this one Grand Miracle.

Does God still do miracles? Sure he does. Just because they don't make it to the 6 o'clock news doesn't mean they don't happen. It takes eyes of faith to see a miracle. And it takes a humble heart to receive a miracle. For those with hard hearts and proud eyes, miracles are few and far between. To receive a miracle is not like being the recipient of a magic trick. The point of miracles was to point to our Father in Heaven - grace and forgiveness and healing and hope were why Jesus intervened in a person's life.

What do miracles look like today? Well, since Jesus isn't walking around the countryside, miracles are not as obvious as they used to be! But the Church is supposed to be the Hands and Feet of Christ - so do miracles occur through the Words and Works of Christians? Sure they do. Grace is a miracle. Forgiveness is a miracle. Life Transformation is a miracle. Love is a miracle. Healing of souls and hearts is a miracle. Enough food for the hungry is a miracle. Helpful hands to the diseased and disabled is a miracle. Welcoming hearts to the disgusting is a miracle.

Too many times miracles get pigeon-holed to great signs and wonders, confusing events that are hard to explain. They lead to arguments and doubt and desires for God to do the fantastic. Jesus refused to do miracles in order to make for a good show. His miracles flowed out of his mission, his identity - he was born out of a miracle, his life was a miracle, and he intended to be a blessing and a sign to everyone he touched. His miracles revealed the glory of God, it prompted people to discover God to be trustworthy, believable, worth putting their faith in.

When the family discovered the need for more wine, they didn't expect a miracle. You rarely get a miracle when you plan for it. Miracles are a gift. From God. Through us. Be open to God. Become a generous gifter. Follow the way of Jesus in loving the unlovable and untouched. It's this kind of life that is able to see and accept miracles.

Stoop to Lift: First Tuesday of Advent

He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him. One has the picture of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden. He must stoop in order to lift, he must almost disappear under the load before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p148

In our world, what goes up must come down. But in God's way of doing things, what goes down will go up. Or, as St. Peter observed: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."  

The way of Jesus was to humble himself in order to meet us in our humiliating condition of sin and pain, wandering and hopelessness, striving and surviving and ambition and war. The way of God to lift us up out of our humiliation was to have Jesus join us there. Since God lifts up those who humble themselves, Jesus becomes our hope for being lifted up out of our mess.

Jesus is both the one who lifts us up, and he is the model of how to meet others in their humiliation, and lift them up. If we will be humbly honest about our condition, we will be prepared for Jesus to lift up our chin, to lift up our hearts, to lift our souls. If we will be humbly loyal to Jesus, we will be used by him to lift up the chins, hearts, and homes of those in our city, our neighbors, our fellow believers.

Jesus became one of us to show us how to live, and he became one of us that he might bring us back up to him. The two go together. We know that we will want to be with Jesus in heaven when we want to be used by Him to help lift others up out of their sin, their poverty, their mess.

When we seek to exalt ourselves, we will be pressed down. When we follow the example of Jesus and humble ourselves - even to the point of death, in order to help lift up others, we will be exalted. We walk the way of humility out of obedience, but also out of imitation. And we walk under the burden of humiliation knowing it is the true path to exaltation - and it will be an apt reward we are prepared to receive and properly enjoy.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
~ Philippians 2v9-11 (NIV)

Who has God placed in your path that needs lifted up out of sin? Lifted up out of poverty? Lifted up out of a mess?

Are you too proud to stoop?

If not, what have been the rewards of humbling yourself?

Who Needs Rescued: First Monday of Advent

The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a fetus inside a Woman's body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.
~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p179

We're so used to the idea of God entering the world as a baby that we often forget to pause and ponder it. God of the universe becomes a fetus. The Creator of galaxies nourished by an umbilical cord. It's hard to grasp the idea since we've never been a deity, and we can't remember our own conception. But maybe we can entertain the idea of becoming a slug or a crab!

What's the value of a slug or a crab? To what lengths would someone go to rescue them? The Hermit Crabs that live in the Gulf of Mexico need rescued - and there are plenty of scientists and volunteers who are jumping in to help. Slugs and crabs are amazing creatures, gifts from the Creator, an important part of our ecosystem. Humans are made in the image of God, the crown of creation, the gifted stewards of the Earth. And we need rescued. Desperately.

It may be difficult to fathom why God entered the world via a womb. It may be impossible to fully understand what it was like for the Eternal Being to become like one of us. But we needed it.
We still need him.

Who in your life needs rescued? Who do you need to go to to help?

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
~ Philippians 2v6-7 (NIV)

The Grand Miracle: First Sunday of Advent

The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, come into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him. It is precisely one great miracle. If you take that away there is nothing specifically Christian left.
~ C.S. Lewis, "The Grand Miracle," God in the Dock, pg80.

According to Lewis, a miracle is "an interference with Nature by supernatural power." The Incarnation is a miracle - it is God inserting himself directly into our humanity. The grand miracle of God becoming one of us points us towards the reward: that we might become one with Him. Jesus is what God looks like as one of us. Jesus born as an infant, Jesus named Emmanuel: God with us. It's a name pregnant with meaning, a name that we must grow to understand and accept and experience.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
~ John 1v14 (NIV)

What can compel us to give grace? What can enable us to accept truth? It would take a miracle. And that is what the Incarnation is about - Jesus coming to show us what grace looks like, how to live by the truth. We worship God best when we live out the way of grace and truth as demonstrated by Jesus.

Who needs grace from you? Who needs truth from you? May it be your best gift this Christmas season.

Don't Take My Word For It

By Matt Kennedy

Acts 17

Don’t Take My Word For It.

As I read through Acts 17 I am finding it hard to focus on just one thing to discuss. There is so much in this chapter that I love. This is hands down one of my favorite chapters in this book.

Let me focus on Paul’s visit to Berea (vs. 10-15). The main point of this section is found in verse 11; “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Paul preaches the same message everywhere he goes. He tells everyone that Jesus is Messiah, that he had to suffer and rise from the dead and reasoned with them from the Scriptures. The Bereans display an attitude towards truth that I think we all could benefit from adopting ourselves. Verse 11 says that they received the message with Eagerness and then Examined Paul’s message with the Word of God.

I ask myself how ‘eager’ I am to come to Anchor each week and worship with you all? Is that a word that describes me? Am I EAGER to hear God’s truth proclaimed or am I just coming out of a religious duty? One will keep me faithfully and joyfully coming back to corporate worship each week. The other may do the same but not with a light and joyful heart but rather with a heart that is tired and burdened with the yoke of religious duty. With this kind of heart I will soon find excuses to not bother joining the body in corporate worship… even if it is just for this one week (Not a good thing B.T.W.)

The other characteristic the Bereans had was an ability/willingness to EXAMINE the Scriptures and test Paul to see if what he was telling them was the Truth. This is so important to do. While I am convinced Tim (and any guest speaker he invites to fill in for him) is faithful to prepare a message that is true to God’s Word, those who speak are still fallen people who have the potential to get it wrong. That is why we should never let our eagerness to hear the Word hinder us from examining the Word ourselves to make sure what is being taught is Truth.

Examining the Word for ourselves does a couple of things:
1. It increases our knowledge of God’s Word.

2. This increases our joy and love for God Himself.

3. This in turn increases our Eagerness to know Him more.

4. This causes us to want to Examine the Word even more.

Do you see the pattern here? 1 leads to 2, 2 leads to 3, 3 leads to 4 and 4 takes us back to 1. This circle inevitably produces in us the noble character the Bereans had. But by all means –

Don’t Take My Word For It.

Other Plans

Acts 18

By Joe Leatherman

But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Acts 18:6 (New International Version)

Such an interesting turn of events in Paul's life. Paul was born a Jew, trained by Gamaliel. He knew the language, he knew the culture, he knew the life style. Why did God send him to teach the Gentiles? He was perfect for the job he had, an understatement really, and yet God had other plans for him. 

The first thing that comes to my mind is Paul's faith. Becoming a christian isn't by any means a median for making your life easier or less worrisome. If that was the case we wouldn't have to make an effort to trust God. Paul, I'm sure, was quite comfortable preaching to a group which he was familiar with. Something he knew he was qualified for, something he was sure of success. 

In this situation Paul's faith isn't tested, but after he decides to go to the Gentiles God comes to him in a dream:

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." Acts 18:9-10 (New International Version)

This is something I in many ways struggle with. How do I perform what God wants me to do when I'm out of my comfort zone? This is inevitable. God has a funny and clever way of putting us in situations that we do not expect and are not prepared for. Despite the unexpected Paul was able to have faith enough and put worry aside to go and teach to the Gentiles, just as he stated, he was clear of his responsibility. 

Through day to day life I try and remember this passage, remember what Paul so humbly did without question. I try and remember this so I'm prepared for the unexpected and prepared to be uncomfortable. I want people to benefit around me from God's word, I can't always do this in a comfortable position.

When You Can't Run Away...

Acts 16
By Tim Hallman


What can you do with the people in your life who drag you down, who depress you, who despise you, who undermine your efforts to succeed, who resist you, who seem to suck the life out of you?

One strategy is to get away from them. But what if you can't, what if you're stuck around people with toxic attitudes? What if they are your family? What if they are fellow coworkers? Classmates? "Friends"?

There's a fascinating prayer that the early disciples often worked their way through - here's part of it: "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." In one particular instance - after a tense encounter with the religious authorities of the city - here is what happened: After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29-31)

Notice the theme of the prayer: for those that are threatening us - God enable us to speak into them with courage and truth, work through us to bring healing to those that threaten us, if necessary perform signs and wonders to those who threaten us that they may have a change of heart. God answered that prayer again and again and again, as recorded in the stories of the Acts of the Apostles. And he still does that kind of stuff today. If you want him to...

On one occasion, Paul and his ministry partner Silas were in the Roman colony of Phillipi. They had begun a small church there. While walking the market streets, a fortune-telling girl started harrassing them. When ignoring her didn't work, Paul spun around and cast the demon out of her. This made the owners of the slave-girl furious. A riot ensued, and Paul and Silas ended up in jail. But notice what they did: they brought healing to the girl who threatened them. Signs and wonders were brought to bear on this enslaved fortune-telling girl - for her freedom and the honor of the Lord.

A jailer was given command to watch Paul and Silas closely - these beaten, flogged prisoners were to be put in stocks. Around midnight an earthquake struck the jail, resulting in all the prisoners being free to flee. Except that Paul and Silas urged all the inmates to stay (they knew that the escaped prisoners would be caught and killed, and the jailer would be executed as well). The prisoners stayed, and the jailer was stunned. Through these signs and wonders, the jailer who had oppressed Paul and Silas became a disciple of Jesus. Paul and Silas cared about their oppressor, and healing, and baptism, and rejoicing was the result.


Who are the people who are very hard to deal with in your life?

Who are some people that seem to only make it harder for you to move forward in your life?

Who are some people in your life that think, say, and do evil with little or no remorse?

Who are some people that seem to threaten what you value?

What's your response to them when you can't get away? Join the early disciples in their prayer for those that are a threat to what is good and right and true: "Now, LORD, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."


And as you pray this again and again - keep in mind your willingness for the LORD to use you to help answer those prayers.

Who Is Welcome to Worship with You on Sundays?

By Tim Hallman,
Acts 15

Before Paul came on the scene, most of the Christians were Jews. Peter and John, along with James the brother of Jesus, gave leadership to the new Christian movement there in Jerusalem. In fact, the Christians were considered a sect of Judaism. The new Christians still worshipped in the Temple, attended the synagogues, observed the Feast days, offered sacrifices and prayers as required, and still considered Torah to be authoritative. The big difference was the belief that Jesus was the Messiah promised by the LORD, he was the promised King of Israel, the Son of Man, the Son of God. Everything was now being filtered through what their understanding of their Lord Jesus Christ.

But once Paul came on the scene, he started missionary journeys that eventually resulted in many Gentiles becoming Christians. It started with the God-fearers, those Gentile men and women who observed the Jewish customs and worshipped the God of Israel, but who had not been circumcised. They gathered at the synagogues for the Torah readings, and they responded to Paul's preaching the gospel. These Gentiles were then influential in other non-God-fearing Gentiles coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Within a decade, there were more Gentile Christians then Jewish Christians.

Tensions rose as the Jewish Christians wrestled with how to accept the Gentile Christians. There were Christians, particularly some of the born-again Pharisees, who were convinced that Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to be fully Christian. This kind of thinking reveals how fundamentally linked was their understanding of Jesus and Jewishness and Torah. Jesus had said that he didn't come to abolish Torah, but to fulfill it.

In Acts 15 a council is convened in Jerusalem to determine what to do with these boiling tensions. Do the Gentiles need to be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses (Torah) in order to be considered Christians? (This assumes that Christianity was the fulfillment of Judaism... that it is Judaism plus belief in Christ as Lord). Torah was a boundary marker for who was an Israelite. If you observed Torah, you were understood to be a child of Abraham, one of the elected citizens of Israel, included in God's promise of blessing. And circumcision was the physical marker of your inclusion in this ethnic and religious community.

Peter gets up to speak, a full-blooded Jew, observer of Torah, first disciple of Jesus, leader of the apostles. He shares his story of how God taught him to welcome the Gentiles as they are - and to not require circumcision of the body. Gentiles don't need to become Israelites in order to be Christians, he learned; the gift of the Holy Spirit is the new sign of welcome. God revealed a new chapter in his plans for how people enter into community with him. Jesus is now the way, not the Temple, not the Torah, not the Feasts, not circumcision.


Paul and Barnabas go on to show that through them God produced many signs and wonders amongst the Gentiles - proof that God accepted them and welcomed them into the community of believers. God welcomes those who believe in Jesus - regardless of their ethnicity. And then James gives the final word.  He quotes from the Prophets, showing how the plan included Gentiles all along. No one quite expected God to work like this, but the evidence was in and how could they argue with it? The new Christian movement was to make no distinction between color of the skin, accent of the tongue, or tribal affiliation.

This was a really big step forward for the early church. It was not the easiest thing to let someone who is not like you worship next to you. To know that your ethnicity was dominant, that it was the one with religious power - and to know that you are now going to become a minority and you no longer hold that same influence... that is a humiliating situation.

And yet Peter and Paul and James and others were full of grace as they acknowledged the new reality. Paul was called by God to bring the good news to the Gentiles, those pagan tribes that occupied the WHOLE world. Everyone was welcome, anyone who believed in Jesus was embraced. That was a very good part of the good news.

Who lives around you that is not like you? Are they welcome to worship with you on Sundays? Even if they dress different? What if they smell or sound different? What if they make you feel uncomfortable? You can appreciate the leap of faith the Christian Jews made in welcoming the Christian Gentiles. And now we Christian Gentiles must keep the welcoming arms wide to all those Pagan Gentiles who are seeking God.

We who do the welcoming bear the burden of sacrificing our preferences in order to help others experience the acceptance of God.


God changes hearts, but he uses our arms for welcoming. 

How God Uses You

By Tim Hallman
Acts 14:27-28

On arrival, they got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in. Then they settled down for a long, leisurely visit with the disciples.

How does God use you? Are there moments where you are aware of when God is using you? Do you look back and ever have "aha!" moments of when you now perceive that God had used you for his work?

Having read through the first half of the book of Acts, it has surely become clear that when God uses a man or woman, there is a certain amount of unpredictability as to what the outcomes will be. This chapter is one more example of how being a disciple of Jesus, of letting God work through you, produces unexpected results.

It's to be expected that there will be opposition to the gospel of God, and that there will be welcome acceptance of the good news from Jesus. But which individuals who will oppose or accept is always a surprise. Sometimes it is the wealthy who accept and the zealous crowds who oppose, sometimes it is the women who accept and it is the men who oppose - or it could be the other way around. Sometimes the opposition gets violent, the threats get murderous.

When Paul and Barnabas scoot out of Iconium to avoid getting beat up, they end up in Lystra - a town of non-Jews, a village of pagans who worship the local deities and the Greek gods/goddesses. Before the apostles get preaching, they meet a lame man at the city gate. Paul discerns his readiness to be healed, his willingness to believe the good news of Jesus. The lame man is set free from his infirmity, he hops up and skips on home.

The crowd, however, responds in a very unexpected way: they proclaim Paul and Barnabas to be Hermes and Zeus! It's all that the two apostles can do to stop the pagan festival and sacrificial feast in their honor. Paul's preaching gets the priests to cease their preparations of the oxen, but then some zealous Jews show up from Iconium. They get the stirred up crowd even more stirred up! Instead of a celebration of Zeus coming down to them, the pagan villagers stone Paul and leave him for dead!

What a turn of events! As Paul prayed his way through the stoning, as he absorbed the blows and struggled to remain conscious, he must have wondered: is this how God uses me? Yes; yes it is. Barnabas waits till the crowds dissipate, and then drags his pal out of the rubble. They get out of town, get Paul patched up - and then they head back to Lystra and Iconium and the other villages to encourage the disciples there! And yes, this is how God used Paul - the hobbling, scarface apostle announcing the reign of God the peacemaker:

After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn't be easy: "Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times."

How does God use you?

You are not Paul. Nor Barnabas. You are you. And if you've signed up for the kingdom of God, then you are under the rule of God. And you are instructed to love God and love your neighbor. And that is enough to get you in trouble like Paul. This presumes, of course, that you love from the depths of your being, that your generosity is sacrificial, that you do not play favorites with the rich or poor, and that you speak the truth as a gift of kindness.

How does God use you?

The hardships you endure as a result of your submission to loving God and loving neighbor will give you ample opportunity to encourage those who try to love but are burdened with timidity, anxiety, and a pre-occupation with their self. Your love of God and love of neighbor will bring you suffering - if you seek to love in the name of Jesus. And this is how God uses you.

How does God use you?

You Won't Believe...

By Tim Hallman
Acts 13:36-41

If you go to church, you learn that there are several names that can get hung around your neck. Most famous is the name of Christian. Lately the word has been Jesus-follower. There's disciple and brother/sister in the Lord. Some might throw in holy-roller and hypocrite! Another common one is believer. It's a crucial one, even a central one. At a very deep level, it's the core.

It's one thing to say you believe in God, it's another thing to say you believe in God. I didn't just write the same thing twice. The first statement focuses on God's existence: do I believe God exists? Yes - you and 80% of other Americans. The second statement is about trustworthiness, credibility, reliablity - do I believe in God, that he will prove himself capable and true?

Lots of people easily share that they believe in God. But what you believe gets expressed in your attitudes and actions. Plenty of people believe in God, but their also quite bitter towards him. They believe in God's existence, but they don't believe in God's capability. God has proven to be disappointing to them, rather useless when it comes to stopping the terrors of our existence.

But what about those people that believe in God, those who believe in God's ability to overcome evil with good? They believe that love is the greatest of all, that death of the seed leads to birth of the flower? What about those people who believe in God's existence, but even deeper than that, believe in God's great capacity to heal, restore, inspire and welcome? You rarely see what God is able to do if you don't first believe in him.

For the first century citizens of Israel, those loyal Jews in exile under the Roman Empire, they were having a very difficult time believing in God. They accepted the existence of God, but they were stumbling - they just couldn't believe in God resurrecting Jesus from the grave. If Jesus was crucified, why would God resurrect him? Jesus died under a curse, how could God vindicate him? Unless...unless what Jesus said about life and love, about God and goodness was true...

Here's how Paul puts it in one of his speeches to some Jewish thinkers wrestling with their belief in God:

King David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now. But the One God raised up—no dust and ashes for him!

I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on.

But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

Don't take this lightly. You don't want the prophet's sermon to describe you:
'Watch out, cynics;
Look hard—watch your world fall to pieces.
I'm doing something right before your eyes
That you won't believe, though it's staring you in the face.'
~ Acts 13v36-41

There are many people I care about who really, profoundly wrestle with believing in God. At some level, they are unsure of God's existence. Science is such a powerful force for discerning reality, and God just can't seem to be seen through the telescope or the microscope. But again, for these men and women I care about, they have too few people in their life who really believe in God. How can these agnostic and atheist friends of mine believe in the credibility and capability of God if they are devoid of anyone who bears the fruit of that kind of faith?

I know too many Christians who confess Christ as Lord with their lips, but then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. The most common denial is not just the abuse of chemicals, emotions, bodies,  possessions;  but the quiet, disturbing despair of fumbling their problems and sorrows. They drown in worry, they agonize over their unhealable, unseeable wounds. You doubt that God is good, that he will be with you and lead you through the ache. We believe in God, but we won't believe in God.

You believe in God?


Why won't you believe in God?



O Lord, I believe! Help me in my unbelief...

When were you first called a Christian?

By Tim Hallman
Acts 11:26

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

When were you first called a Christian? Where were you when you were publicly declared a Christian? Have you always grown up with that title? Was it something given to you as a child? Did you choose that label as an adult? Do you ever pause to consider what it means to be called a Christian?

Antioch was like an ancient Chicago, a massive trading center on the crossroads of the region. It was a place of great wealth, powerful merchants, famous politicians, and lots of infamy. Antioch was home to a variety of ethnic groups including many Jews. And this included some Jews who had come to trust in Jesus, who they called Lord and Messiah.

The name "Christ" is the Greek word for the Hebrew word "Messiah." Both words mean "anointed one." Whatever the Greek word means, it takes its identity from the Hebrew word and it's context. The Hebrew idea of Messiah is rooted in the hope that God would send a deliverer to Israel, get them out of exile and then rule them justly, with mercy, in humility. 

The Messiah, as the anointed one of God, would come from the line of King David, thus the rightful one to lead the restored nation. Jewish communities, scattered all over the Mediterranean world due to exile and banishment, longed to be reunited in the Promised Land. It'd been a long time since Israel was a sovereign nation, able to freely abide by Torah, observe the Sabbath unpersecuted, and worship in the Temple without harassment.

Some Jewish men and women, as you know, came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Based on what they saw Jesus do, what they heard him say, and what they experienced through his death and resurrection, put their faith in him as the anointed one. And this put them at odds with other Jews who remained unconvinced of his identity as God's Messiah for Israel.

Some of those unbelieving Jews were motivated by their desire to keep political or religious power, or their wealth. Others were sincere Jews for whom Jesus did not fit their preconceived notions of what their Messiah ought to do. Jesus the Messiah undercut the power of the elite and confused the hearts of the pious.

The Jewish families who came to the conclusion that Jesus was indeed Israel's deliverer came to be seen as still part of Judaism, but part of a sect. These Jesus-Jews still observed Torah, still kept Sabbath, still ate kosher, still worshipped at the Temple and visited the synagogue. But they did all of this believing that YHWH, the God of Israel, had sent Jesus of Nazareth to be the One to rescue them from exile.

Israel had been in exile to Assyria, then Babylon, then Persia, then Greece, and now Rome. Four-hundred years later, Jewish families were ready for freedom from oppression, the grinding poverty was wearing them out spiritually and physically.

One the Day of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was full of Jewish men and women from thousands of miles away in every direction, the Spirit of YHWH swept into town. Tens of hundreds of Jews came to believe that Jesus really was the Messiah. All the evidence for his identity as God's anointed one which they had been weighing in their hearts and mind came to a trusting conclusion. Now there was a city full of Jewish Jesus followers, they were a community to be reckoned with. But what to call them?

In Antioch, ten to twenty years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the crowds finally settle on a name for the Jews (and now Gentiles) who believed. What set these Jews apart from their fellow Jews was their belief about Jesus: that he was the Messiah, the Christ, the true King of Israel. It's a particularly dividing belief, especially when you mention this king's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus was the Christ you couldn't see.

Obviously there were endless ways to mock the early Christians for what they believed. But then why did the movement continue to grow? Not only were these Jesus-followers famous for their belief in his being the Christ, but because they imitated the way of the Christ. (The "Way" used to be their other name, until "Christian" stuck.) These Christ-ians or Messiah-ians became famous for their love of neighbor, their compassion for the poor, their integrity in business, their trustworthiness in community. People could question the identity of Jesus as Christ, but they had a hard time arguing with the works of Christians done in the name of the resurrected and ascended King of Israel.

In Antioch, city of immigrants and merchants and soldiers and vagrants, Christians earned their name. They knew what they saw when Jesus was killed, buried, and raised up. These Christians grasped what God was now doing in the world. In the name of Jesus the Christ, they went about their life, in the big cities and little villages. Yes they were at times mocked for believing in the resurrection and ascension. But they were also given assurance again and again that the life of Jesus and the promises of God gave birth to light amidst the darkness of a very pagan land full of dark idols and unending empires.

What makes you a Christian? Why are you still a Christian? What is it about Jesus that still compels you to follow Him? What makes you thankful to be known as a Christian? What makes you ashamed? What's the best contribution you can make to our world in the name of Christ?

Find the Poor, Find God's Ears

By Tim Hallman
Acts 10:30-43

Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.


What's it take to get God to answer our prayers?

How many times have you prayed to God for him to help you out, and you got nothing?

How come some people always seem to get their prayers answered, but you come up empty?

If you're really honest, you really don't want God to answer your prayers. What you really want is for your life to be convenient, pain-free, prosperous, and always happy. You don't really want God's will to prevail in your life, you want God to prop up your life aspirations. Thus, God rarely answers your prayers. He probably doesn't even hear most of your prayers.


Be honest: you don't even really care about God. You care about yourself - and you are interested in God as long as he helps you further your plans for yourself.

I'm not trying to be harsh or judgmental, I'm just attempting to be really honest with you concerning myself. The paragraph above is unfortunately true for me at times. Is it ever for you?

Cornelius had offered up many prayers, he had given many gifts to the poor before his encounter with God. Timing is everything. God hears the prayers of those that are willing to be patient with him and kind to the poor. God is on the side of the poor. If you want to know the heart of God, get to know the poor - more than that, start to love the poor around you.

If your prayers are really about ways to honor God and less about furthering your agenda for your life, then you don't mind how much time it takes for an answer. If you are tapped into the heart of God, your prayers go up in confidence and trust. The prayer and it's answer are more about God's work in the world than my will. And to the degree that I have a heart for the poor, I'll have more of a heart for God.

And as I grow a bigger heart for the poor, I'll learn to offer up bigger prayers with more heart.

As I reflect on this story with Cornelius, I am forced to reconsider the way God works in this world. Cornelius is the Roman, a soldier - the face of an Empire. Rome is famous for their political innovations and military might. Rome brought "peace" with a sword and a cross. Cornelius carried a sword. And yet he worshipped the God of Israel and was generous to the poor of Caesarea.

I'm very curious to know how Cornelius the Centurion became an atheist in the eyes of the Romans and loyal to Yahweh of the Jews. We know about Cornelius all these years later because of his heart for God and his heart for the poor. Neither of these connections was normal, encouraged, or valued by the Roman Empire. Cornelius was courageous.

Could Cornelius have been central to this story had he not been generous to the poor? No. Would God have heard this soldier's prayer had he been closed to the needs of the local widows and orphans? No. God would connect Cornelius to Peter, and through this encounter reveal that God accepted pagans and Jews, Romans and Israel - all were welcome to join the Kingdom of God. And central to this new identity is one where followers of Yahweh have a heart for the poor.

You can't be loyal to God but be ignorant of the cries of the oppressed.

The poor are motivation for your prayers, the poor inherit the kingdom of God. One can't be like Christ and walk away from the misery of the poor. One can't trust in salvation through Jesus if one won't be the hands and feet of the Savior to the poor.

If you want God, if you want God to hear your prayers, if you want God's will to prevail in your world, then be generous to the poor, then hear the prayers of the poor, hold the hands of the poor.

Jesus came to Cornelius after all those years to affirm his salvation, and to use his life to announce salvation to the whole Empire. Jesus can use you, he will hear you if you will hear him, if you will listen to him: feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, visit the prisoner, care for the widow, clothe the orphan.

Our Empire needs more women and men who will dig deep, live courageously and keep praying to God while they care for the poor.

God Says, "I Want To Use You!"

by Carla Castro

I too have fallen into the abyss that has swallowed up the great Anchorite bloggers for the book of Acts. I know that for me, it has been a combination of increased working hours, summertime busy schedules, and the constand go-go-go that comes from having two little ones.

For those who are following Acts, this is the week for Chapter 12.

My intention for writing today, however, has little to do with Acts. I figured, Pastor Tim has given me the access for this blog, so I will use it. ;)

Yesterday, I joined four Anchorites (Pastor Tim, Pat Minch, Steve Dennie, and Terry Leatherman), who I strongly admire for their work and dedication to the church, at the Global Leadership Conference being led by Willow Creek out of Chicago.

It was an honor for me to join them for many reasons. Often, I feel like I'm just one person, what change can I make? Often, the sense of, I'm still too young to be impactful hits my soul. Manytimes, I wonder, why would God want to use ME, imperfect, drama magnet, overweight, lazy, OCD, sinful me to teach others about Him?

Then I realized, because I am His child. Because He loves me.

It was a lesson that was admist the speakers yesterday, and today again, I'm sure. But it wasn't the primary lesson. There were many speeches about leadership, how not to fall, how to follow God's will, how to have a higher purpose, but amongst all those, the first and foremost whisper that I got from God was: I want to use YOU.

And God can use all of us. No matter if you are struggling with an eating disorder or the pinnacle of good health. No difference if you have been born and raised a Christian believer since you were biologically born, or if you lived a life walking alongside Satan before being reborn as a Christian. God does not matter the color of your skin, your IQ, your educational background or you financial status. He has made each of us wonderfully different, so we can impact one another. So we can mentor one another. So we can lead one another.

If you grew up perfect, in a world full of perfect people, how boring would that be? What would you have to strive for? What would you have to show for growth? What would you have to talk about? Nothing. And if we were all perfect, why turn to God? If you have everything, no purpose, no goals, you would need nothing else...including God.

And I don't know about you, but I lived once in a life where I felt like I had it all. Sure, there was more I could obtain, but it was all fruitless. It had no purpose. It was mundane and dull. And I would choose ten thousand struggles if I can have my Savior by my side than a perfect life without Him.

Now, do not mistake this as saying that we should stay put in our sinful and fallen lives. No, this is just saying that God will use you, no matter what you are coming from, no matter where you are right now.

It is now our time to rise. We are called to have our hand out, reaching for that next marker of progress. We are asked to continue to grow, for years and years, into the best Christian leader we may become. And it's a gradual and slow process. Isn't God the best at making us wait?

That's been a huge struggle for me the past year or so since re-accepting Him into my life. He has time and time again told me: "Wait." It's the hardest thing to accept in our give-it-to-me-now consumerist society. You want a movie right now? Stream it into your tv or computer. You want to read that book right now? Download an ebook. You can't afford those nice clothes? Charge them. It works for economics. Not with God.

God will change us, strengthen us, call us to progress and improve. And we should have the desire to rise to that request. But slowly.

So, to bring this back to Acts. Reread it. Look at it closely. Circle or make a note in your Bible of who God chose as His leaders through it all. Was it those who were born into fame and fortune? Or were they the underdogs, the little guys, the people like you and I who woke up asking, "Why would God want to use ME?" And then, pay attention to what they did when God revealed His challenge to them for what He wanted to do in their lives. Pick one to dive into further. Do some additional research. Find a Biblical mentor for your life. And let me know how it goes! :)