Vengence.

“Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing.  I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”  But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.”  Jeremiah 11:18-20

I read a devotion this week about vengeance and it reminded how I was taught at St. John’s Lutheran to forgive and turn the other cheek and these passages from Jeremiah seem to say “Judge them now Lord; I want to watch."  But if we condemn Jeremiah or other people in the sin filled world who say similar things, we might be missing something that is really important.  It is true that as Christians we are forbidden to take revenge; forbidden to curse or wish ill on other people and are instead told to pray for our enemies and to show love to them if it ever happens that we can do them a good turn.  All of that is true.  But none of that invalidates our thirst for justice while living on this side of Heaven.  We can learn from Jeremiah.  Angry as he is, he does not take justice into his own hands; he leaves it to the Lord.  Father, we turn our times of being wronged over to You.  We place them, all of them, at the foot of the Cross of Your Son Jesus, the reason of Advent.  Take them and deal with them in Your time and in Your way.  As we forgive those who have wronged us and our country, may Your Holy Spirit come and dwell within them and change their lives; inside and out.  Lord, please help me to lean on You when I am unjustly hurt by this world and help me to turn to You completely.  In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Just imagine.

“Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is he, this King of glory?  The LORD Almighty; He is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:9-10

Imagine that you were born to the richest father in this world, grew up in a palace and got accustomed to having the very best of everything.  Whatever your heart desired was what you received; the finest garments ever made and nourishment that money could buy and your life was seemingly perfect.  Then your dad took you aside and told you about a plan that he had in mind for you.  He was going to send you to Gonaives Haiti and the boy in the attached photo would be your brother and when you were old enough the pair of shorts he is wearing would become your shorts.

Our Savior left Heaven to come to earth and be born in lowly a stable in Bethlehem to a young couple with few resources; and after three decades He was nailed to a cross by the people He came to save.  We have so much to be thankful for this Advent season; prepare the way for the King of glory; give thanks for all that He has done.  I will close the devotion today with the words from the hymn ‘Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates’ that was written by Georg Weissel in 1624.

“Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!  Behold, the King of Glory waits; the King of kings is drawing near, the Savior of the world is here.  Life and salvation He doth bring, wherefore rejoice and gladly sing: we praise Thee, Father, now, Creator, wise art Thou!  A Helper just He comes to thee, His chariot is humility, His kingly crown is holiness, His scepter, pity in distress, the end of all our woe He brings; wherefore the earth is glad and sings: we praise Thee, Savior, now, mighty in deed art Thou!  O blest the land, the city blest, where Christ the Ruler is confessed!  O happy hearts and happy homes to whom this King in triumph comes!  The cloudless Sun of joy He is, who bringeth pure delight and bliss.  We praise Thee, Spirit, now, our Comforter art Thou!  Fling wide the portals of your heart; make it a temple set apart from earthly use for Heaven's employ, adorned with prayer and love and joy.  So shall your Sovereign enter in and new and nobler life begin.  To Thee, O God, be praise for word and deed and grace!  Redeemer, come!  I open wide my heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!  Let me Thy inner presence feel, Thy grace and love in me reveal; Thy Holy Spirit guide us on until our glorious goal is won.  Eternal praise and fame we offer to Thy name.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

The journey.

“Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” Matthew 2:7-9

Back in the day, when I lived in Haiti, and left my apartment in Petionville to go out into the countryside to visit the Lutheran Churches and Schools, I often thought about the journey of the Magi.  They had a star to guide them; not OnStar, a star from God proclaiming that the Savior of the world had come down in Bethlehem.

Finding the children in attached photo who attend the Lutheran School in Saltedere was a memorable task; the town was somewhere in the Plateau Central.  No map, no road markers, no GPS but only another Haitian with me who had been this way once before; or so I had been told.  We drove north up Mont Cabrits (Goat Mountain) then further north to Mireabalas, Hinche, Thomassique and finally to Saltedere on dirt roads.  We drove through many bridgeless streams and always got stuck in the mud at least once as the Haitian driver would cautiously ease our truck into the muddy slough rut like an old man lowering himself into a tub of hot water rather than shift down and charge into the mire and rely upon the momentum and four-wheel drive to pull us through.

The Magi found the promised King who had come to earth for them, you, me and the children who live throughout His creation.  May you find a moment to ponder their journey to find Him, your journey to find Him and the importance of sharing the message of Salvation with ears that have not yet heard the true message of Christmas.  I close this devotion with the words from the hymn ‘As with Gladness Men of Old’ which were written by William C. Dix in 1860.

“As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold; as with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright, so, most gracious Lord, may we evermore be led by Thee!  As with joyful steps they sped, Savior, to Thy lowly bed, there to bend the knee before Thee whom heaven and earth adore, so may we with willing feet ever seek Thy mercy-seat!  As they offered gifts most rare at Thy cradle, rude and bare, so may we with holy joy, pure and free from sin's alloy, all our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King!  Holy Jesus, every day keep us in the narrow way; and when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last where they need no star to guide, where no clouds Thy glory hide.  In the heavenly country bright need they no created light; Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown, Thou its Sun which goes not down.  There forever may we sing Alleluias to our King!”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

The reason for the season.

“For in him you have been enriched in every way with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge; God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.  Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” 1 Corinthians 1:5-7

Have you heard the ‘reason for the season’ line recently?  Seems like mankind has always been trying to understand the reason for things; Adam and Eve were trying to have the same ‘knowledge’ as our Creator.  We want to know why God did things the way He did and what holds for our future.

Our Triune God doesn’t reveal His plan for you, me or for the over 52,000 children attending Christian schools in Haiti.  God does reveal Himself to us when we are sad, lonely, injured by the sin of this world, lost, in trouble and even when we celebrate.  He revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus Christ who walked among us two thousand years ago and is still here today with the Holy Spirit; among us.  I close today with the words from the hymn ‘Come, O long expected Jesus’ which was written by Charles Wesley in 1835.

“Come, O long-expected Jesus, born to set your people free; from our fears and sins release us by your death on Calvary.  Israel's strength and consolation, hope to all the earth impart, dear desire of ev'ry nation, joy of ev'ry longing heart.  Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a king; born to reign in us forever, now your gracious kingdom bring.  By your own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by your all-sufficient merit raise us to your glorious throne.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Our needs.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

I read a story in a devotion yesterday, about a man who lived in a small, humble house in the mountains with windows that were very high on the walls facing the South.  One day a bird happened to fly in when somebody forgot to close the patio door; probably had some children from the city visiting on that day.  The bird tried to leave by flying out of the clean windows and tried again and again but its efforts continued to end with a thud.  The man opened the door and tried to shoo the bird in the direction of the open door but it continued to fly into the windows; losing strength and desire with each attempt.  Finally, it became tired and fluttered to the floor and the man stepped to the side of the open door and the bird cautiously evacuated the house walking to the freedom of the outdoors.

This story caused me to consider all the fluttering around that many people in our cities are doing at the present time trying to prepare all that ‘needs’ to be prepared for Christmas without spending time to stop and personally consider how important this Advent season is for you, me and the children attending Christian schools in Haiti. 

We spend so much time preparing programs, presents, feasts, decorations, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, upcoming travel plans and we lose sight of the simple, important truth about Advent season.  We continue to smack into a clean window when God has opened the door for us with the simple story of how He sent His Son Jesus to be born through the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem and this Christ child would live with us, die for us and redeem us from our sinful lives.  Please set aside several moments when you are fluttering during this Advent season to personally give thanks for the only reason for Advent; Christ came to earth full of grace and truth.  I close today with the hymn ‘Savior of the Nations, Come’ which was written by St. Ambrose in the middle of the third century and later translated in German by Martin Luther in 1524 at the age of 41.

“Savior of the nations, come, Virgin's Son, make here Thy home!  Marvel now, O heaven and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth.  Not by human flesh and blood, by the Spirit of our God, was the Word of God made flesh; woman's Offspring, pure and fresh.  Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child of the Virgin undefiled!  Though by all the world disowned, still to be in heaven enthroned.  From the Father forth He came and returneth to the same, captive leading death and hell; high the song of triumph swell!  Thou, the Father's only Son, hast o'er sin the victory won.  Boundless shall Thy kingdom be; when shall we its glories see?  Brightly doth Thy manger shine, glorious is its light divine.  Let not sin o'ercloud this light; ever be our faith thus bright.  Praise to God the Father sing, praise to God the Son, our King,  Praise to God the Spirit be ever and eternally.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Family traditions.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2: 8-14 (KJV)

Family traditions come and go through the decades of our journey.  As I grow older and many in my family either dies or moves away, there is one thing that I still like to do during Advent.  Dust off the King James Bible or select it in the Bible Gateway APP and read Luke 2:1-18 and be reminded of how the story or the Birth of Jesus was first read to me as a child.  Back in the day, I remember when my congregation switched from the KJV to the NASB and then the NIV and now the ESV and am reminded how much my soul misses hearing it in the KJV.

The child in the attached photo attends the Lutheran School and Church in Ouanaminthe and listens to or reads the story of the Birth of Jesus in French.  Verse 11 proclaims “Un Sauveur vous est né aujourd'hui dans la ville de David; c'est lui le Messie, le Seigneur.”  This child learns that born this day in the city of David is a Savior.  A savior that will protect her and rescue her from death, the devil and the vodou priest; Christ the Lord is His name.  Martin Luther wrote the fifteen verses of the hymn ‘From Heaven Above to Earth I Come’ in German in 1535.  An inkwell, a pen, several sheets of paper and a servant of the Lord spent countless hours to bless us with these words to this Advent hymn.

“From heaven above to earth I come to bear good news to every home; glad tidings of great joy I bring, whereof I now will say and sing: To you this night is born a child of Mary, chosen virgin mild; this little child, of lowly birth, shall be the joy of all the earth.  This is the Christ, our God and Lord, who in all need shall aid afford; He will Himself your Savior be from all your sins to set you free.  He will on you the gifts bestow prepared by God for all below, that in His kingdom, bright and fair, you may with us His glory share.  These are the tokens ye shall mark: the swaddling-clothes and manger dark; there ye shall find the Infant laid by whom the heavens and earth were made.  Now let us all with gladsome cheer go with the shepherds and draw near to see the precious gift of God, Who hath His own dear Son bestowed.  Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!  What is it in yon manger lies?  Who is this child, so young and fair?  The blessed Christ-child lieth there.  Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest, through whom the sinful world is blest!  Thou com'st to share my misery; what thanks shall I return to Thee?  Ah, Lord, who hast created all, how weak art Thou, how poor and small, that Thou dost choose Thine infant bed where humble cattle lately fed!  Were earth a thousand times as fair, beset with gold and jewels rare, it yet were far too poor to be a narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.  For velvets soft and silken stuff thou hast but hay and straw so rough, whereon Thou, King, so rich and great, as 'twere Thy heaven, art throned in state.  And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee to make this truth quite plain to me, that all the world's wealth, honor, might, are naught and worthless in Thy sight.  Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled, within my heart, that it may be a quiet chamber kept for Thee.  My heart for very joy doth leap, my lips no more can silence keep; I, too, must sing with joyful tongue that sweetest ancient cradle-song: Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto us His Son hath given!  While angels sing with pious mirth a glad new year to all the earth.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Life's unfair.

“The LORD is righteous within her; He will do no injustice.  Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail.  But the unjust knows no shame.” Zephaniah 3:5

Often time, we feel that life is so unfair.  Well, what did you expect?  Look around you; we live in a sinful world.  It’s been this way since the initial temptation and subsequent failure in the Garden of Eden.  Even the flood couldn’t wash away all of the sin that has followed.  Heavenly Father, we really need You to find a quiet and peace filled spirit within us.  To make that happen, we need You to come in like a flood.  Occupy us like water filling empty spaces in a stone filled jar.  Occupy the reserved portions of our lives where anger is festering and the secret places where grudges are being stored.  Please Lord, sweep through the houses of our hearts; don't miss one room or a single area, cleanse every dark closet, look under every rug and behind every piece of furniture.  Let nothing go unnoticed as You take full control of our motives during Advent, as well as our actions.  Deep within our hearts, sweep us clean of blame and revenge, of self-pity, judging and keeping score.  Enable each one of us to be big enough to press on, regardless what unfair treatment we've had to endure.  Remove and heal the scars of ugly treatment and harsh words.  Keep us from licking our wounds.  Forgiveness comes hard, but it's essential.  Help us forgive, even those who never acknowledge their wrongdoing toward us.  Give us peace over turmoil, and erase the memories that keep us offended.  We need fresh hope to go on!  We ask this in the name of Him who had no sin and did no wrong but died for the unjust; Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Comfort during Advent.

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.  A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together.  For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 40:1-5

What brings you comfort during Advent?  In our culture in this fallen world, some may find a fleeting moment of comfort when all their ‘preparations’ for Christmas are finally accomplished.  When that last batch of cookies is baked, that last gift is purchased and that last detail for the family gathering has been completed.

What is truly important is the message that the voice in the desert was calling out, “Prepare the way for the LORD.”  Do you still recall what filled your Holiday plate five years ago?  Do you recall what your favorite gift was ten years ago?  Do you remember who was born two thousand years ago that the Prophet Isaiah was writing about?  That is our focus during this Advent season.

The child that I am holding in my arms in the attached photo is a little girl named Suzette and at that time in 2002, she lived several miles west of Torbeck in Southwest Haiti in a one-room house made of sticks and palm fronds that is standing just behind us.  If she is still alive today, I can tell you with much assurance that she still has the red bear that she is holding and she knows about Jesus.  This simple small gift was sent to her from Lindie Nord’s class of students in Sioux Falls, SD.  Suzette didn’t have a toy box in her house, probably just a space in a drawer where her two outfits were kept, and the red bear; a most precious gift.

Some have called me a ‘nagger’ and accused me dumping a load of Lutheran ‘guilt’ in my devotions from time to time, but if there is one message that reaches you today it is this; first and foremost, celebrate Christmas for the real reason for which God brought His Son to this earth.  Reinforce that message with your friends and family this year and if you can, help prepare the way for children like Suzette to also go and tell the real reason of Christmas with the people along her pathway.  I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People’ what was written by Johann Olearius, 1671.

“Comfort, comfort, ye My people, speak ye peace, thus saith our God; comfort those who sit in darkness, mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.  Speak ye to Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them; tell her that her sins I cover and her warfare now is over.  Yea, her sins our God will pardon, blotting out each dark misdeed; all that well deserved His anger He no more will see or heed.  She hath suffered many a day, now her griefs have passed away; God will change her pining sadness into ever-springing gladness.  Hark, the Herald's voice is crying in the desert far and near, bidding all men to repentance since the Kingdom now is here.  Oh, that warning cry obey!  Now prepare for God a way; let the valleys rise to meet Him and the hills bow down to greet Him.  Make ye straight what long was crooked, make the rougher places plain; let your hearts be true and humble, as befits His holy reign.  For the glory of the Lord now o'er earth is shed abroad, and all flesh shall see the token that His Word is never broken.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

No more catalogues!

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

Dear North America; please, no more Christmas catalogues in my mailbox or in my inbox.  I began the count after Labor Day and have stopped as number eighteen and nineteen arrived today and there were hundreds more on the internet.  I wonder how long it took the Magi to decide on bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts for the newborn King?  Do you suppose that they did their shopping before they left or did it along the way?

The attached photo is of a class that attends the Lutheran School in Saltedere which is in the Central Plateau of Haiti.  I doubt that they get many Christmas catalogues there and am sure they don’t know what I am talking about.  While I lived in Haiti not one ‘wish book’ appeared at my address; life was good and it was not hard to focus on the true meaning of Advent and consider what the Christ child meant for me and for these children and for this fallen world.

Not sure what you are shopping for this year with supply chain shortages, but if you, your family or your Bible study group would be interested in sponsoring the school like the one in Saltedere, it would cost roughly $3,300 to feed their school for a whole year.  The 66 children attending this school will be sharing the real meaning of Christmas with their neighborhood and the generations to come in their lives as their bright lights will shine brightly in a country that still has much darkness from vodou.  I close today’s devotion closes with the words to the hymn ‘Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning’ which was written by Reginald Heber in 1811.

“Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid; Star of the East, the horizon adorning, guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.  Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining; low lies His head with the beasts of the stall.  Angels adore Him in slumber reclining, Maker and Monarch and Savior of all.  Shall we not yield Him, In costly devotion odors of Edom and offerings divine, gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean, myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine?  Vainly we offer each ample oblation, vainly with gifts would His favor secure.  Richer by far is the heart's adoration; dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.  Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid; Star of the East, the horizon adorning, guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Advent; so much more.

“Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” 1Timothy 3:16

Dear North America; the season of Advent is so much more than Black Friday; colored strings of lights on houses and trees, windchill and snow, presents, catalogues, fruitcakes and mistletoe hung in doorways.  After what we have endured the past couple of years, we should know too well that Advent is so much more than stuff under the tree.  The Apostle Paul writes that godliness is a mystery and it truly is, because we mortal North Americans living in this fallen world, can seldom comprehend just how awesome it really is; only our Heavenly Father and Creator can do that.

The ‘minds’ of our sinful world cannot begin to wrap their ‘knowledge’ around the truth of our Savior being born to a virgin in Bethlehem; doesn’t make any sense to us how this could possibly happen.  This ‘mystery’ is the answer to the problems in this world.  This ‘mystery’ is what is truly important to this world Charley Brown.  

The importance of feeding these children who attend the Lutheran School in Dondon is also a ‘mystery’ to many living in North America.  Seeking and saving the lost was the message and direction from our Savior, the Christ child, left with us.  As you go about your family tradition during Advent, please consider sharing of your blessings to bring a meal of hope to these children that are being prepared to be His missionaries in Haiti.  They will be taking the true message of our Savior to the lost, still living in fear of the vodou priest in Haiti.  I close today with the hymn ‘A Great and Mighty Wonder’ that was attributed to have been written by St. Germanus in 1734.

“A great and mighty wonder.  A full and holy cure: the Virgin bears the Infant with virgin honor pure.  Repeat the hymn again: to God on high be glory and peace on earth to men!  The Word becomes incarnate and yet remains on high, and cherubim sing anthems to shepherds from the sky.  Repeat the hymn again: to God on high be glory and peace on earth to men!  While thus they sing your Monarch, those bright angelic bands, rejoice, ye vales and mountains, ye oceans, clap your hands.  Repeat the hymn again: to God on high be glory and peace on earth to men!  Since all He comes to ransom.  By all be He adored, the Infant born in Bethl'em, the Savior and the Lord.  Repeat the hymn again: to God on high be glory and peace on earth to men.  And idol forms shall perish, and error shall decay, and Christ shall wield His scepter, our Lord and God for aye.  Repeat the hymn again:
to God on high be glory and peace on earth to men!"

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay