Great Expectations - Rev. Darryl Duer
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas is just the beginning...
Christmas Eve Message from Rev. Michael Smith
The message of Christmas is something that we need each day. It is not meant to be put away with the rest of our Christmas decorations. In fact - Christmas is just the beginning.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The Manger
“We cannot
approach the manger of the Christ child in the same way we approach the cradle of
another child. Rather, when we go
to his manger, something happens, and we cannot leave it again unless we have
been judged or redeemed. Here we
must either collapse or know the mercy of God directed toward us. The throne of God in the world is not
on human thrones, but in human depths, in the manger. Standing around his throne there are no flattering vassals
but dark, unknown, questionable figures who cannot get their fill of this
miracle and want to live entirely by the mercy of God.”
-
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
Merry Christmas
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Simeon's Search
Luke 2.
How long would you be willing to wait for the fulfillment of God's promise in your life?
Learn a lesson on faith from Simeon.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Zechariah's Son
During the season of Advent we hear familiar Christmas stories with the whole host of characters represented. By now I am sure you heard about Zechariah or there was some reference to John the Baptist made during one of your worship services. This is all pretty standard stuff. You can read Zechariah's story in Luke chapter 1.
Here are a few fundamental things I wanted to highlight about the Zechariah story:
1. He was a priest
2. He was doing his duty in the temple
3. He was at the altar
4. An angel appears...
This is what the angels says in Luke 1: 13-17
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(V) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
I italicized verse 16 for a special reason. So often when we think of John the Baptist we talk about his weird clothing and lifestyle. Or we focus upon the role of the preparation for Christ that was his calling. He will indeed bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. I just wanted to take a moment to think about where this message was given and whom it was given to.
Picture the scene: Zechariah burning incense at the altar of the temple of God. He is doing his priestly duty. But isn't his priestly duty to help bring people to God in the first place? It is as if the angel Gabriel gives the message to Zechariah that his son is going to do the very thing that he (and his generation) were not doing. I wonder how that might have felt? If you read the rest of the story, obviously there are more important issues at hand. The miracle of Elizabeth's conception, the setting-apart and special naming of the prophet to lead the way for the Savior, etc. I mean his mind must have been blown at the very fact that he was going to have a son in the first place, rather than what he was going to do. You see this in his reply and questioning of the angel which ultimately leads to him being silenced for the duration of the pregnancy plus another week. But I don't want to miss this subtle point.
There are things that our children are going to do that we are not able to do. Particularly for those who are serving in the area of ministry, it is a humbling reality to face and understand that one day our children will reach those who we were not able to. Why is this the case? In order to reach someone who has never been reached, you must do what no one else has done. Even if it seems out of the ordinary. Reference: John the Baptist.
Though I think it might come across as a bit rude (sorry Gabriel), the message to Zechariah is actually still a message of hope. Your son is going to do great things for God, even though we know it will cost him his life - like the majority of the prophets of God. This is my hope for my son - that he will do even greater things than myself, and be able to accomplish the areas of my weakness and lacking. There is always hope.
Here are a few fundamental things I wanted to highlight about the Zechariah story:
1. He was a priest
2. He was doing his duty in the temple
3. He was at the altar
4. An angel appears...
This is what the angels says in Luke 1: 13-17
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,(V) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
I italicized verse 16 for a special reason. So often when we think of John the Baptist we talk about his weird clothing and lifestyle. Or we focus upon the role of the preparation for Christ that was his calling. He will indeed bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. I just wanted to take a moment to think about where this message was given and whom it was given to.
Picture the scene: Zechariah burning incense at the altar of the temple of God. He is doing his priestly duty. But isn't his priestly duty to help bring people to God in the first place? It is as if the angel Gabriel gives the message to Zechariah that his son is going to do the very thing that he (and his generation) were not doing. I wonder how that might have felt? If you read the rest of the story, obviously there are more important issues at hand. The miracle of Elizabeth's conception, the setting-apart and special naming of the prophet to lead the way for the Savior, etc. I mean his mind must have been blown at the very fact that he was going to have a son in the first place, rather than what he was going to do. You see this in his reply and questioning of the angel which ultimately leads to him being silenced for the duration of the pregnancy plus another week. But I don't want to miss this subtle point.
There are things that our children are going to do that we are not able to do. Particularly for those who are serving in the area of ministry, it is a humbling reality to face and understand that one day our children will reach those who we were not able to. Why is this the case? In order to reach someone who has never been reached, you must do what no one else has done. Even if it seems out of the ordinary. Reference: John the Baptist.
Though I think it might come across as a bit rude (sorry Gabriel), the message to Zechariah is actually still a message of hope. Your son is going to do great things for God, even though we know it will cost him his life - like the majority of the prophets of God. This is my hope for my son - that he will do even greater things than myself, and be able to accomplish the areas of my weakness and lacking. There is always hope.
The Magi's Search
Matthew 2: 1-12
Hope - seek it, find it, offer it.
Hear the history of why the '3 Kings' made the journey in the first place. It wasn't just about a star...
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Herod's Search
Matthew 2 -
Who was Herod? What led him to do the unthinkable? What does this story teach us about God? What does it teach us about ourselves?
Monday, December 3, 2012
A Sufjan Christmas
"In between hipsters and God is Sufjan Stevens." This time of year draws me back into the mystery of not only the Incarnation, but the wondrous mind of Sufjan Stevens. What a weirdo, but I love him. Take for instance his recent compilation - Silver & Gold where we find the following carol. The first 1:20 is standard odd Sufjan with different instrumentation to the carol of the bells. Then all of a sudden comes the beauty of Sufjan- his poetry and melodic story telling. Great stuff. It just wouldn't be Christmas in the Smith household without him.
"Carol Of St. Benjamin The Bearded One"
I can see you there
Oh, in the snowbank
With a snowman at your side
In my heart and in my spirit I concede
The things you want in life you have to really need
This is a matter of life
Only parents cry
Oh, when they want to
Show the world they're still alive
And in my heart and in my spirit I believe
The draft beneath the doorframe comes to challenge me
This is a matter of life
Oh, be kind to me
Oh, Benjamin who
Keeps his hands inside his sleeves
And in my heart and in my spirit I can read
The way he brushed his beard against the cedar tree
Keeping his eyes upon me
I can see you there
Oh, in the snowbank
With a snowman at your side
And in my heart and in my spirit I can see
The things you want in life you have to really need
Oh, in the snowbank
With a snowman at your side
In my heart and in my spirit I concede
The things you want in life you have to really need
This is a matter of life
Only parents cry
Oh, when they want to
Show the world they're still alive
And in my heart and in my spirit I believe
The draft beneath the doorframe comes to challenge me
This is a matter of life
Oh, be kind to me
Oh, Benjamin who
Keeps his hands inside his sleeves
And in my heart and in my spirit I can read
The way he brushed his beard against the cedar tree
Keeping his eyes upon me
I can see you there
Oh, in the snowbank
With a snowman at your side
And in my heart and in my spirit I can see
The things you want in life you have to really need
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