Seeking Bethlehem

We walked through the small town and out to the bridge that sits resting just under the nearest mountain. The moon sat quietly above as though it had been hung just a short distance above the tallest peak. To the left of the mountain stood the town and its people as they went about their usual evening activities. To the right, a spectacle of light: as two planets aligned closer than they have for 800 years. As we walked into the darkness the lights around only grew brighter. Soon, the light of the moon was enough to see everything around us. The sudden invasion of headlights from a single passing truck shone so bright it hurt the eyes. But just as quickly as it passed we were left under the soft, shining moon once again.

We talked about the star of Bethlehem, as they call it. And of the night when Jesus was born here on Earth. We tried to count the stars but didn’t make it higher than 30 because counting can be pretty boring for a 4 year old. She sat gazing at the sky as we chatted about 4 year old topics of interest. But ever so often, interjected into the conversations questions like, ‘Which planets are those? Why does the moon follow us? Look! There are SO many stars! WOW!’ It seems her sense of wonder and amazement dawned on her once again every time her eyes adjusted and the stars looked a little brighter. By the end of the half hour she was ready to go home. But on the way she learned about those two bright things in the sky- Jupiter and Saturn. She couldn’t wait to tell her mom exactly what she had seen!

And the truth is, I felt pretty amazed too. Amazed that even though this wasn’t my first time stargazing, it was the first time I would ever see the star of Bethlehem. That for 800 years no one has set eyes on what we saw last night. At the miracle of seeing it this very week of Christmas as I try to keep my focus on the miracle of a savior born in a manger. There’s a danger in growing up. The all to likely possibility that we will lose our sense of wonder as we read the same Christmas story for the 100th time or find ourselves more caught up in the cheesiest hallmark movie or a slew of family traditions only to realize when it is all done that Jesus was more an afterthought. A brief moment of acknowledging the reason we claim to celebrate.

Living here in Mexico as a single missionary, I have often said that it doesn’t really ‘feel’ like Christmas here. There’s no snow or frost or cold weather. The Christmas music is different, there’s no shopping in malls all decked out in Christmas trees and decorations, and they have never even tried peanut butter fudge (my mom makes the best). How could this possibly be Christmastime?

But as I sat under the starry sky giving the gift of my time, my attention, and an impromptu telling of the Christmas story I realized, what could be more like that first Christmas than this? Not every Christmas will be spent seeking out the star of Bethlehem in a literal sense. In fact, it won’t happen again in my lifetime. But it can be spent seeking Jesus and bringing others on the journey. Whether it be a small child full of awe and wonder or a grown adult who thinks Christmas is anything but what it is, the reality of Emmanuel, God with us, will never be dull or boring.

So if this year it doesn’t quite ‘feel’ like Christmas: if you’re lamenting the loss of traditions long held or the chance to be with family, or if everything is as it ‘should’ be but you just don’t know what’s missing, take some time to tell someone about that Star of Bethlehem. Don’t just read the same old chapter and continue on to the presents. Let the real gift you give this year be the message that the angels sang, ‘For unto us is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord.’ Maybe the reason reading the same story over and over can become mundane is that we weren’t just meant to read it but to know it, to share it, to find the joy in proclaiming to those who have not yet heard of Emmanuel, God with us.

Luke 4: A Prophet Returns to His Hometown

Luke 4 is a familiar passage for many. The quote, ‘no prophet is accepted in his hometown.’ is one I have known for years now. What I had forgotten was the context. Here is Jesus preaching in his hometown of Nazareth. He’d previously left his town for Capernaum and began his Earthly ministry. But here he is back home and the people can’t wait to see what Joseph’s son has to say. He stands up in the synagogue to do the daily reading and he begins to speak from Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18,19

The people love it! Their attention is fully on him and they are pleased with his words. In their minds Jesus is reading these good promises of God over them: his people. But then something changes. Jesus addresses the thought on their hearts and minds by reminding them of the saying ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ And with it he leads the next part of his teaching:

“And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away. ”

Luke 4:24-30

The people of Nazareth become so angry that they are ready to stone Jesus, taking his life. And remember: Jesus was no stranger here. They knew his father Joseph, his mother Mary, and had likely watched him grow up from the time he was a baby. So what could possibly make them willing to kill the little neighbor boy, grown up and turned into a teacher of the Word?

It wasn’t his claim that he was the Messiah: the fulfillment of the promises of Isaiah. It wasn’t the miracles he had performed in other places. It was because Jesus told them that these great works of God and promises from Scripture weren’t meant just for little Nazareth. Or even for her nation, Israel. The thought of others being freed, healed, and given liberty instead of them was simply infuriating for these Nazarenes. How dare Jesus proclaim God’s best for other towns and other nations while withholding the full power of his miracles from them. These people were willing to kill one of their own to keep God’s blessing within their own borders.

How dare Jesus wish God’s best on other towns and other nations while withholding the full power of his miracles from them.

Perhaps we may feel this passage has little relevance for us today. But to see the truth, we need only think about the hearts of the Israelites that were in the synagogue that day. They had been God’s chosen people sitting under the teaching of his word for centuries. They had been waiting for God to send a powerful Savior who would overthrow the Roman Empire and oppressive political powers around them. They expected God to bless their nation while the rest of the world remained the same. They were totally blind to God’s real heart for the world and his true intentions to take the Gospel- and his salvation- to those who were ready to receive it. His priority wasn’t on the ones who, despite being his people, had hardened their hearts towards him.

And doesn’t this sound a lot like the church these days? We have spent years, decades, centuries sitting under the preaching and teaching of the word. But we are blind to the hardness of our hearts. Unable to see that we are no longer doers of the word because we have ceased to be true hearers. We think we know God’s heart and his intentions. But we are not obeying his commandments. We live lives of comfort and think that this is a sign of obedience and God’s blessing over our lives. But what if our comfort and these ‘blessings’ are actually the greatest barriers between us and Him?

And how often do we get upset when someone comes and shakes things up in our little town of Nazareth? Imagine that Jesus said to you, to your church, to your town: my priority right now is not to bless and heal you who have long sat hard-hearted under my Father’s words, but to bring the good news, sight, healing, and liberty to the poor and needy beyond these walls. Beyond the walls of your church, of your city, of your nation.

The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. This would not be so if our churches were not full of hardened hearts and those looking to bring God’s goodness to their own kingdoms, nations, and families first. So let this be a challenge: If we consider our hearts and lives to be home to the One True King, then let it not be said that ‘no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.’

If I claim that my heart and life is home to Jesus then let it not be said: no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

Hope for the Downcast Soul

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” ~Psalm 42:11

Today has been a hard day. I have been tempted to speak. Have written, erased, and rewritten responses to posts on social media. Have even posted and then regretted some. Many of us have become more vocal on social media feeds as more and more issues we are passionate about make headlines and newsfeeds. I’ve struggled with the realization that my speaking out on social justice has quite possible alienated certain people from me. I’ve struggled with reconciling how the children of God can argue over almost any subject even though we’re Biblically called to promote unity in the body. My soul begins to feel downcast. Not for what the world has become, but that so many believers are unable to listen to differing opinions and still act in a way that is worthy of their calling. I can’t help but wonder: if the testimony of so many Christians causes my own heart to grieve then how will it ever bring lost souls to the Savior? When is it right to speak up about justice and point people back to the gospel? Do my own words lead people further from the Lord or closer to Him?

But even as my heart ponders these questions, I see that God is good and he is faithful. For every unkind post I’ve seen today I’ve also received a message, a phone call, or words of encouragement that have shown me Christ’s love for me by means of his body. I have even read political discussions that were handled in such a manner that they increased my respect and admiration for those involved. Just when I least expected it. And while my ultimate Hope is in God, I find him incredibly good and gracious in giving me friends, mentors, and teachers who never cease to point me back to Him. In moments when my own hope begins to fail, these people help me refocus back to Him- to his glory, goodness, and sovereignty in the midst of it all. And suddenly my downcast soul no longer feels downcast because I find myself praising Him. I feel all the more profoundly with Paul as he writes the following verse:
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” ~2 Thessalonians 1:4

For I know now how great of a gift it is to be able to say the same about a faithful few. And how much of a challenge it is to be the kind of person that could have the same said of me. Let it be said of true believers that our faith is growing abundantly. And our love for one another ever increasing. Let us learn to speak truth, to be heard, and to listen while not compromising or minimizing the gospel. And let it begin with me.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ~John 13:35

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” ~1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Philippians 2

I still remember the fellowship hall where we met Monday-Friday. This one large room was converted into 2-3 classrooms during the week so that our small Christian school could teach its students there. Every day I looked forward to that class. I had learned about the Bible my whole life, but Coach had a way of talking about it that was so dynamic, so alive. I loved to hear him share about his experiences and the truths God had made real to him in the process. “I’m going to give you an option to not take your final exam,” he said. Everyone’s ears perked up at the sound of his words. “You just have to memorize the entire chapter of Philippians 2.” As we began to memorize those first verses we also talked about what they meant. What was this whole ‘being of one accord’ thing? What was the Bible really saying about Jesus in this passage? It seemed like a really poetic way to say ‘Jesus came and died for us and was overall really humble. So we should be like him.’ This is true. But there was so much more I didn’t yet grasp or understand.

“Attitude.” He said. “I think it’s most importantly about Jesus’ attitude and how he was willing to put others interests before his own.” My friends words made me think as he began to talk about how Paul gives Jesus as the first and greatest example, and then goes on to describe the attitudes of two of his closest companions: Timothy and Epaphroditus. Sure I had read and even memorized this particular passage of scripture before, but this time around I hadn’t just started with chapter 2. I had studied more about Paul and his life, just finished reading his letters to the Corinthians, and done my research on the context of when and how Paul wrote these letters. I knew now that Paul had written this from prison possibly from his home where he was kept under house arrest, and during a time where many in the very same churches he had planted were speaking out against him. Paul had every reason in the world to be angry, depressed, or at least a little bit discouraged. He was after all human. And we see from Paul’s writings that he felt. He wasn’t a man without emotions or struggles. And yet from his prison he was able to say things like ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain (1:21)” and “I am glad and rejoice with you all”. Paul was a man who knew how to submit his attitude to the Lord. He knew that whatever his circumstances were, if he was looking out for others interests and not his own, he wouldn’t be appalled and affronted when every one of his earthly freedoms or joys were taken away. He knew that God would sustain him because he had seen the example of Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice.

He goes on to talk about how seeing that same attitude in others had been one of the greatest encouragements of his life. He says of Timothy: “I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” And of Epaphroditus: “…for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.” What does it say to us as believers today that Paul felt that there was no one like Timothy? Or that Epaphroditus was forced to risk his own life to support the work of Christ (when his home church couldn’t follow through with their commitment to care for its missionary)? How many of us are genuinely concerned for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the lost in the world? The reality is, we can’t be. Not unless we are working out our own salvation, choosing to die to ourselves daily and, like Christ, putting the interests of others before our own. If this kind of Christ-like attitude was rare in the times of Paul, we can assume that it is rare in our own times too. We live in a world that constantly says what matters most and should always come first is me. One that says if we don’t look out for our own interests, no one else will. And maybe it’s true. Isn’t that what Paul is saying? Few and far are those who look to the interests of others. But if we want to be like Christ, if we want to be used like Paul and Timothy and Epaphroditus that’s exactly what we have to do. Thankfully, we don’t have to do it alone, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure (v. 13).¨

So as we celebrate a resurrected Lord, as we struggle to understand or to submit to the situation the Lord has us in today, may we look to those who have come before us and knew that this life has oh so little to do with us and so very much to do with Him. In a time of social distancing, may we be like Paul. Present even in our absence. Seeking to serve the least of these even as we grieve the loss of what was once taken for granted. And may we look to the ultimate example, rejoicing that our Christ who was willing to suffer death, even death on a cross, is RISEN and exalted and seated at the right hand of God.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve of what is excellent, and and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

Philippians 1:9-10

Un Día a La Vez

Some of you may be wondering, “Why is the title of her blog in Spanish, if she’s going to Kenya?” Well, funny story, they’re not at all related. BUT, let me tell you the story of where I got ‘Un Día a la Vez.’ It’s a fairly popular Spanish hymn. My favorite lines say, “un día a la vez, Dios mío, es lo que pido de ti, dame la fuerza, para vivir un día a la vez.” In English, it says “One day at a time, My God, is all I can ask of you. Give me the strength to live one day at a time.” I first heard this song my freshman year of high school in my Spanish One class. I remembered it because I really liked the tune. It stuck with me, and I found myself singing it quite often through my first two years of college. It came to be the song I sung on those days that were a little more difficult to get through.

You see, I always grew up knowing where I was going. I’ve wanted to go to Carolina at least since 6^th grade. I even knew that I wanted to major in Marine Biology, go to grad school for four years, and move to a beautiful beach somewhere to save all the incredible marine animals! There’s been little doubt in my life about where I’d be in 5 or 10 years, until now. Here I am, sitting in my dorm room and I’m halfway through with my 4 years of undergraduate school. But the difference is that I have no idea where I am going. This past semester, God threw me a curveball, so to speak. When the school year started, I was enrolled in an upper level marine science course and organic chemistry. By the time the first month of school went by, I dropped both. Why? I could say that they were not what I am interested in, that they were too difficult with my schedule, or that I planned to pick them back up the next semester-and all of those things would be true. But in reality, I realized that maybe my plan for my life wasn’t God’s plan. Getting a PhD in marine biology sounds awesome, and I have no doubt that it would be. But 8 years of school means 8 years of loans. And 8 years of loans means who knows how many years of working to pay them off. Long story short, I realized that my plan wasn’t just part of my life; it was going to be the thing that consumed my life. And it didn’t leave much room for God.

The hardest part of all this is that I didn’t just change my plans, I gave them up. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am learning to wholly trust God with my future, even when I have no clue what my future is. Truly trusting God one day at a time is one of the most difficult things to do, because I have to constantly remind myself that He is in control. But it has also given me more peace and joy than I have ever had about the present.

I’m still taking marine science classes, but I don’t foresee 3+ years of grad school and a life of saving the oceans ahead of me. In fact, I don’t really know what I see ahead of me. All I know is that I am double majoring in Biology and Hispanic Linguistics (which is just a fancy way of saying Spanish), and that I’m open to go to wherever God calls me. And the crazy thing is, that’s okay! I know that God will reveal His plans for me, Un Día a la Vez.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” -Matthew 6:34