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Posts Tagged with Christmas

Advent Devotional (Week Two)

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Introduction: Is the Christmas season more like a full-throttle, peddle-to-the-metal, the wind blowing the patio furniture into the neighbors’ backyard kind of feeling?

I have not been consistent in my life to build much of a Christmas tradition. As a pastor, I’ve unfortunately treated the Christmas season as more of an important and good interruption to a preaching series. I am not suggesting that we should pick up traditions just for the sake of picking up traditions, however, I’ve learned that the modern Protestant like me likes to protest for the fun of it. Sometimes to my shame.

Last year I received a book on the church calendar for Christmas that has been sitting on my desk in my home office. When the outside temperatures were still reaching 90 degrees, long before I normally think of eggnog and candy canes, I opened that book and began reading. I read it with caution, but with the hope of learning how the larger Christian community views holy days. I’ve learned a lot.

For example, this advent devotion is a result of reading that book. Historically, I would step out of my current preaching schedule the week before Christmas and get right back to it as soon as possible. Understand this, I like preaching expositionally, I think it’s a greater discipline for me than to preach topically. Yet there is something good for the soul to reflect with Christians around the world on the same subject at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong here. I think we are right to protest the popish shenanigans of Roman Catholicism. But I have to be reminded that there was a church before Roman Catholicism and there is a church now. The protestant reformers were aiming to reform what had gone wrong. They were not protesting the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, sit down with your family again this week and reflect on the Christ with me.

Sunday, December 8, 2024
Question: What does the name Immanuel mean?
Answer: The name Immanuel means “God with us.”
(- Read Matthew 1:23)

Find time today to talk about the morning worship service. What songs do you remember singing? Can you recall any phrases that were especially meaningful to you? Do you remember the sermon text David preached from? What was the main subject? Do you need to make some adjustments to your life?

Read: John 14:27

Monday, December 9, 2024
Webster defines PEACE as “In a general sense, a state of quiet or tranquillity; freedom from disturbance or agitation; applicable to society, to individuals, or to the temper of the mind.”

How are you at being free from distractions or agitation?
What keeps you from living at peace with your family, your church, or yourself?

“In the world
you have tribulation, but take courage;
I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33b)

Tuesday, December 10, 2024
This word “peace” assumes silence or quiet; as, peace to this troubled soul. In the Psalms, we often see the word “Selah”. This word is not fully understood in English but at best it is a type of musical notation for the singer to stop speaking for a moment, reflect upon what you just said or heard, meditate on that. We are not normally very good at being quiet. What could you fast from today? It could well be a good thing that you set aside today and obey the Holy Spirit’s instruction to “REST”

READ Psalm 46:9-11
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Read: John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (NASB)

What do you remember about the sermon on Sunday?

Join others today at 2 PM, 5:30 PM, or 7 PM to pray for our church and our community in the Thanksgiving Room of Eastside Baptist Church. We will pray for the revival of God’s church and the conversion of sinners.

Thursday, December 12, 2024
Compare Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 2:14

What is the blessed hope in these Scriptures?
How should we conduct ourselves until He returns?

Friday, December 13, 2024
Sing or read: What Child Is This

Saturday, December 14, 2024
Prepare for the Lord’s Day Gathering. Do you plan in advance what you will wear to church on Sunday? Many years ago a pastor friend of mine, who is no longer living, explained to me why he always wore a tie when he preached. It had a profound impact on me. I can’t remember the last time I attended church without wearing my best clothes. Consider how you might dress if an earthly prince invited you to eat at his palace. Would you give any consideration as to how you might dress? If you say no, you likely think too highly of yourself. You are invited to the Lord’s Table on Sunday to commune with Him. Yes, it’s true, you can come to the table without your best clothes, but consider how what you wear could reflect what you think about God.

The catechism question for Sunday, December 15, is…
Question: Who is the Prince of Peace
Answer: The Prince of Peace is Christ the Lord.

  • Isaiah 9:6-7

Sunday, December 15, 2024
Plan to attend at least two (if not all) of the following opportunities to gather with each other today.
9:15 AM: Sunday School
10:30 AM: Morning Worship
5:30 PM: Membership Meeting

Christmas Messages

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I am one of the lest romantic preachers you will ever hear. I rarely give to special days on a calendar more influenced by a greeting card industry than eternal doctrines of the unchangeable God. But, give me any chance to preach on the incarnation of immortal God clothing Himself in the flesh of mortal man to save him, I’ll preach this all year long. Give me Christ!

A Post Christmas Note and Blessing to My Family

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The Christmas weekend was filled with great moments.

As always, there’s something about snow fall on Christmas. Even though it is statistically low to actually have a ‘white Christmas’ we have enjoyed two in a row here in Twin Falls. I had multiple times to gather with my biological family and my church family. All of those times were treasured times.

Christmas Eve at Eastside:

In those rare years that Christmas actually lands on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) it is even more special for me to gather with my church family on Christmas day.

(The sound did not record properly on the Lord’s Day so there is no archived recording of this gathering)

Snowy conditions made travel to the church house difficult, but I’m not known for cancelling a regularly scheduled Sunday morning or Wednesday night prayer gathering (this may have made me unpopular with my children from time to time when they were younger). There are legitimate times to cancel a gathering and I’ll leave that door open for that possibility, but I’ll reserve it for the kind of day that will be memorable. (My practice of not cancelling is not an indictment against churches that do.)

I’m of the opinion that if I was out of milk on this same day and had a box of cereal in the cupboard, would I go to the grocery store for more milk? I don’t even have to really think about this, the answer is nearly automatically, ‘yes, of course I would go get milk.” Is not God more important than milk? Of course he is. So why would I let a lesser thing cause me to put my life at risk but hope my church cancels a worship gathering? This kind of thinking may have some legitimate flaws in thinking, but It is what I would do if I were out of milk.

So, yesterday, after a weekend of sleet, snow, freezing rain and the more fresh snow, followed by howling wind most of the night I gathered at 204 Eastland Drive North with a band of believers for our regularly scheduled Sunday morning worship service. (no audio recording available.)

familyThen my grown children and their lovely wives gathered at our home, along with my mom who now lives in Twin Falls. During this time we read Scripture together, shared gifts with each other, ate lunch together and played a game of Monopoly. During this time I like to always give a verbal and written blessing to my family. The verbal is more general and applies to all of our households. The written is personal.

I’ll share with you the verbal (which is also written but I do speak it out loud). As the patriarch of my family now, more than ever I must be an honest blesser of my household.

I first drafted this in 2014 and have tweaked it with a few additional lines over the past three years.

The Thompson Home: (originally drafted in 2014)
May our homes be homes where the will of the Lord is sought after with feverish hunger.
May our homes be homes where the bible is read, heard, loved and taught.
May our homes be homes where the glory of God and his favor rests in our neighborhoods.
May our homes be homes where mercy falls and warriors rise for war.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May our homes be homes where husbands are faithful, true and strong.
May our homes be homes free from slavery of the flesh
May our homes be homes that are filled with songs of the redeemed.
May our homes be homes where the shout of joy is heard among the saints.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May our homes be homes where wives provide sanctuary and rest.
May our homes be homes where the Lord is not only called Lord, but is also a welcomed Lord.
May our homes be homes that glow bright with the Lamp of Scripture.
May our homes be homes where strangers meet Christ.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May our homes be homes with the sound of children.
May our homes be homes where the beauty of Christ is upon display with child-like faith.
May our homes be homes where the warmth is felt from the fire of God that comes from the family alter each day.
May our homes be homes where godly men and women are raised and homes where missionaries are sent.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May the grace of God be tasted by all who reside and enter these homes.
May the songs of our faith be the soundtrack of our homes.
May the sound of the Gospel never be missed with the words spoken in our homes.
May the mercy of God be the motivation of all activity in our homes.
Oh, might God give us these kinds of homes….

Why “Happy Holidays” Doesn’t Bother Me (and a few things that do)

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It’s an annual discussion that I’ve weighed in on before. And like most, I have an opinion about it.

I hear this often… “We need to put Christ back in Christmas!”

I will be a guest on “Top Story” (AM 1310 KLIX radio) on Thursday, December 15 at 9:00 a.m. to talk about this very topic. (Invite others to listen in.) How a discussion airs out on live talk radio is unknown until it’s over, but I’m thankful for the invitation to think and talk out loud about it.

So let me be brief on the topic in print and I’ll flesh it out live with Bill Colley tomorrow.

First, I agree that we need to put (or keep) Christ in Christmas.

Now let me identify who I mean by “we”.

There is a segment of the population that is responsible for putting and keeping Christ in Christmas, and anything for that matter. Those with the duty to put Christ in Christmas are born again followers of Christ, the Messiah, it is the work and duty of the church not Target.

If Christians are expecting the general, secular marketplace to hold a high standard of Christ, at any time of the year, then followers of Christ are looking in the wrong direction. To expect the marketplace to do anything other than “cash” in on an opportunity is a great misunderstanding and really is unfair for a Christian to expect a secular – free market to do anything spiritual.

I can respect a business that doesn’t use the name of Christ to promote themselves if they don’t hold to biblical standards in their merchandise or business policies. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for pressuring a business to misuse the name of Christ by my “demanding” they use the name of Christ in their seasonal promotional or extra signage or employees saying “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” during the Christmas season.

As a Christian, I respect that a Christian business wants to put Christ first in their business. I enjoy supporting and promoting these businesses by my being a faithful patron.

Bottom line for me, use whatever verbiage you want in your business dealing. Make sure that your greetings are sincere and meaningful. Saying “Merry Christmas” is important to me. I use it with everyone and am not offended if someone responds with “Happy Holiday”, nor do I automatically assume that anyone who wishes me a “Happy Holiday” is not a Christian.

When I turn my attention to the church house I get quickly to a matter of another kind.

There is a serious problem if by “we” we mean “the church”, then we are in another discussion of another kind. In all that the church does, she needs to have Christ as the primary. Not tradition, not seasonal emotions, not even family. These are and should be very important, but Christ is first and last for the church.

What we do with Christ in our lives will impact our traditions, emotions and family.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Comfort and Joy

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This weekend (Saturday, December 19) my column will be posted in the Twin Falls – Times News, Sunday (December 20) is my 29th wedding anniversary and on Christmas Eve (December 24) I’ll gather with my church family and family for special occasions. It really is a most wonderful time of the year.

 

An early look at Saturday’s column:

Tidings of Comfort and Joy!

Like our own national anthem (there are actually four verses) there are other verses to our beloved Christmas carols.

Most of us would be able to remember the familiar tunes to “Joy to the World”, “Away in a Manger”, “Silent Night”. We would be able to even work our way through that first verse of these seasonal treasures.

But, like our national anthem, if your life depended upon reciting any of the other verses we would not be able to save ourselves.

Play a short Christmas carol game with me right now just for the fun of it. Name the Christmas carol these verses belong to.

  • God of God, Light of Light eternal,
    lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
    Son of the Father, Begotten, not created. 1
  • The shepherds at those tidings
    rejoiced much in mind,
    and left their flocks a-feeding
    in tempest, storm, and wind,
    and went to Bethlehem straightway,
    the blessed babe to find. 2
  • For Christ is born of Mary,
    and gathered all above,
    while mortals sleep, the angels keep
    their watch of wondering love.
    O morning stars, together
    proclaim the holy birth,
    and praises sing to God the King,
    and peace to all on earth.3

On this coming Lord’s Day, and for the past several weeks the church house has been singing these songs that speak of the coming of the Christ, the Messiah.  This coming (advent) was the fulfillment of ancient prophesy of Old Testament prophets of Yahweh.

The birth of the Messiah both indicts and excites. Consider this with me.

There is no need for the promise of a Messiah unless there is a need for freedom. If there is a need for freedom then there is a foregone conclusion that there is enslavement. If there is enslavement then there is a hope that freedom will come.

But how, when, by what means, who will bring this freedom?

The authors of many carols seem to want to take us on an historic journey to that little town of Bethlehem and see this promised Messiah. As if someone who wants to take you by the hand to hastily guide you to a place where they just found a treasure they want to share with you.

This is the kind of comfort and joy any enslaved prisoner wants to here. “Today, your freedom has come!” The redeemer has come! The one who will make all things right, the one who not only can pardon us from our debt of sin, but will then settle the debt with the one we’ve offended.

This need for a Messiah, Jesus the Christ, is of great comfort as the truth is shown we are unable to save ourselves. If we could, there is no need for a Messiah. All of humanity, enslaved to sin, long to hear the tidings of comfort and joy.

This, this is Christ the Lord! There are no greater tidings to reach the ears of men than this.

This first coming of the Christ is of great comfort and joy. Believe, trust this! This first coming (advent) of Christ was to seek and to save, His second coming (advent) will be to judge. If the first is true, the second must be true as well, and it is!

Merry Christmas!

1  O Come All Ye Faithful
2 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3 O Little Town of Bethlehem  

Stop Trying to Save Yourself

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In preparing for the Christmas Eve service at Eastside Baptist Church coming up on December 24, at 6:00 p.m. I came across an last year’s message. It was also published in the Times News as my Here is a good reminder to all of the redeeming work of Christ. By the way… you are invited to join us.

TimesNews: December 28, 2013

Audio Version:

Stop Trying to Save Yourself

As one devoted to giving my attention to the study of the Bible and the preaching of the Bible to
a weekly gathering of Magic Valley residents, I hope to be clear and concise on a matter of
greatest importance.

It is likely that you have crossed paths with the biblical nativity scene somewhere in the past
several weeks. Have you stopped long enough to consider that scene? After all, why would
anyone make such an ordeal of this baby in a manger? It is just a baby right? If so, why do so
many people want to display this manger scene and why do so many want it removed from
public places? How is it possible that a baby in a manger and a man on a cross can generate such
opposite emotions?

Take a moment with me and ponder one more time and ponder these acts of the Almighty God
toward humanity.

According to Scripture, all have sinned against God and are found insufficient to reconcile this
offence of sinning against God and justly condemned to face the full wrath of God. Do not try to
save yourself from this wrath.

Be mindful of this; if it were possible for us to save ourselves, there would be no need for God to
send His only begotten son, born of a virgin, to eventually satisfy His wrath against sinners on a
cross.

God put the value of heaven at a price that we are not capable of paying. As God placed a value
on heaven, it required that He bring all of humanity through the death, burial, and resurrection of
His son. Will you still hold that your good works are sufficient to buy heaven for yourself? Will
you dare to gamble on any price less than the blood of His only begotten Son?

Have you considered this insult?

Why would he put His only begotten Son to this task if a better deal could be offered? Why
begin with a manger? Why a cross if this act of salvation could be done any other way? Why
even attempt to barter with such a requirement as this?

To accept these terms means we must be humbled by the weight of such an offence. To accept
these terms means we are too weak, too sick and completely spiritually bankrupt to meet the
terms and in need of a Redeemer.

As you begin to see the manger scenes removed from yards look quickly to the cross of Golgotha
and see the price due for our wretchedness. Believe quickly with joy! Rejoice that this payment
has been made and is credited to your spiritually bankrupt account. It is no longer insufficient.
This cross will be, to some, an offence and foolishness, to others it is the best news we have ever
heard.

Stop trying to save yourself.

They Heard the Angel of the LORD

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Christmas 2012As the snow continues to accumulate I thought I would share a quick favorite moment from the past few days with my family. We gathered at Silas and Bianca’s after the Christmas Eve service of Eastside Baptist Church. This was a first time in several years for Renee and I to have both boys present on Christmas. The first time to have Christmas with our daughters (in-law). And always a treat to be with Renee’s dad.

Several years ago I read about an idea of setting out shepherd bags instead of stockings on Christmas morning (HT: John Piper). I asked Renee what it would take to do this, and of course she was eager to help make this happen for us. We both went to work reading and researching what a shepherd’s bag even was. www.slinging.org became the main help on how to make a shepherd’s bag. I also thought I would make slingshots for everyone.

This is an idea I wish I had acted on years ago. But rather than wish I had done it again after this Christmas, we did it. Renee was a huge encouragement and participant in the project.

The main reason for doing this was to help keep a less secular emphasis on this important day. I think Christmas is worth every effort a Christian can put on it as a day that should evoke celebration and worship to God. Many times, however, this reason is lost in the secular rush of the moment. My family has made major shifts on how we handle this day but none as helpful as this one, I feel.

There were moments in the production hours that reminded me of our early years with small children in our home and little money. We usually made gifts for each other. It’s helpful that I’m married to a creative and capable wife who always helps.

The kitchen became a workshop once again, but this time with a fresh emphasis on a class of people who first heard the good news that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. I enjoyed researching and reading about the shepherds and the unlikely band of ruffians to receive such grand news.

I must say that Renee would get a little nervous when I would announce that I was going out again to check test the slingshot durability. I’m sure there were no window anywhere near a shepherd. How would you inform the insurance adjuster that your husband was out in the front yard testing the slingshot production when the rock hit the window? Fortunately we didn’t have to make that phone call this year.

Here are a few photos of the project. If you would like more information on this idea please let me know, I’ll be happy to share with you more.

Shepherd Bags
Renee had already made the bags. My job was to add shoulder straps. A shepherd bag was used to hold a slingshot and rocks.

Slingshot
The slingshot was a shepherds weapon to fight off predators. In this photo, Renee had just brought me lunch. Perfect meal for slingshot production.

Monstrous Depravity

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“Concerning [Jesus] we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” (Hebrews 5:11) The Christmas buzz continues to deafen humanity to the gospel. Think about this… nearly every store you enter right now will be playing gospel driven Christmas music (at least some of the music.) The gospel, being spoken in secular market places and look at the effect it has on us; very little.

He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10 NASB)

How bad do we need the Gospel? Even at the age of 71, a Twin Falls man was caught shoplifting on ‘Black Friday’. On Thursday, November 29, the  Times News reported that he stole some sheets and candy bars: Total value – $32.54

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