“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

As we begin a new year, we find many people concerned and worried about events around the world. I came across an article by Mark Sorensen that addresses the storms we face – conflict, heartache, or tragedy. Mark helps us to bring our focus around to the One who gives us hope and assurance amidst the uncertainties in this life. He shares this story that is attributed to author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson, who was traveling on a ship that was caught in a severe storm.

According to Stevenson, many of the passengers were whispering their concerns to one another. “Are we going down? Are we safe?” After a few moments of conversation among the passengers, one person volunteered to travel up to the pilot house and see the captain.

As this passenger made their way through the rain and wind and stepped in to see the captain, it is said that they saw the pilot standing calmly with his hands firmly on the wheel. The passenger, filled with fear, saw the captain slowly turn and make eye contact with him and, without saying a word, simply smiled.

The passenger made their way back down to the other passengers and said, “We’re going to be all right. I’ve seen the captain and, good news: he smiled at me.”

Whenever you are going through a turbulent time and the waves are pounding, take a moment and focus on the one who’s hands are firmly at the wheel. Remind yourself, “I’m going to be alright. I’ve seen the face of the captain and, good news: he smiled at me.” Rest in the knowledge that our God holds everything perfectly in his hands.

Peace, Pastor Kenn

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

John 1:4-5 (NIV)

When we look at the world around us, we see the darkness of war, captivity, greed, and broken relationships. We long for Christ to come again and bring light to our world. We worship as those who have a glimpse of that reality, and we long for its fullness. We are those who labor to make Christ’s light more visible on earth. Let us praise God that the light of Christ shines on in the darkness, which has never overcome it.

We begin the Christian Year by celebrating the Holy Season known as Advent. It is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Messiah. Advent means “Coming.” We celebrate these days of Advent in expectation and preparation for Christ’s arrival.

Advent is a time of expectation, and this is symbolized, not only by the four-week period of preparation, but also by the lighting of an Advent Candle on each Sunday of the season. The flame of each new candle reminds us, the worshipers, that something is happening, and something more is still to come.

The candles are arranged in a circle to remind us of the continuous power of God, which knows neither beginning nor ending. There is also symbolism in the colors of the candles. The three blue [purple] candles symbolize the coming of Christ from the royal line of David. He is coming as the King of Kings as well as the Prince of Peace. The pink [rose] candle is to be lighted on the third Sunday of the Advent season. This candle represents joy. The large white candle in the center is known as the Christ candle, and points to Jesus as the Christ, the Light of the world.

Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is a time for reflection and preparation, but its mood is joyful. Advent has been enriched by Christian tradition to reflect its distinctive Christian meaning. It proclaims the revelation of God’s love as expressed in Christ’s birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ’s coming again as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ The King. Let us, today, prepare Him room in our hearts, our lives, and our homes!

Peace, Pastor Kenn

“And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.”

Exodus 13:21 (NASB)

When the Israelites left Egypt, they were not following any real plan or have a precise objective in mind. All they could do was follow God. Their former, predictable lives were gone. They may have asked themselves, “Where do we go now?” The answer was to follow God.

J. D. Walt says that we all crave the rhythms, routines and schedules of a predictable life. While following a routine isn’t necessarily bad, it can lead to the slow onset of spiritual sleep. Our spirits were made for the movement of faith, and to hear and respond to the voice of God. But, something inside of us wants to domesticate our faith, to turn it into a predictable routine that keeps us in our comfort zone.

That was one of the lessons I learned during my Spiritual Renewal Leave. We need to break away from the routines and the comfortable life to reawaken our spiritual growth – to follow the cloud by day and fire by night. So many people prefer to be stuck in their predictable situation rather than risk the joy of an unpredictable one. We like to be in control, but we need to learn how to surrender and let God lead.

J. D. Walt says that we can begin walking that road of faith, following the cloud by day and fire by night, when we realize that faith makes life better, not easier. Faith calls us to depend on the Word and Spirit. Faith requires the support of others who are on the same road. Faith means loosening your grip on your agenda and abandoning yourself to Jesus. Faith is looking up and following the cloud by day and fire by night.

The prophet Isaiah wrote these words of encouragement: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13) We don’t know where we are going. We don’t know how we will get there. We don’t know what we will do when we get there. But we have God, and even better, God has you.

Peace, Pastor Kenn

There are times in our life when we face a tough choice – Do I stand up and do what is right, or do I follow the crowd? Paul and the other apostles faced the same dilemma when people accused Paul of false teachings. In Acts 21:20-24, they ask “What shall we do?” “Do what we tell you…Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.”

Acts 21:24b (NIV)

What do we do when we face opposition to our Christian faith? Do we boldly proclaim our beliefs or do we sit quietly in fear of what others might think of us? When we fear people, we assess the situation and practice conflict avoidance while protecting our vulnerability. As an example of how we may be faithful witnesses, I would like to share the following story from J.D. Walt:

“My friends and colleagues in law school put me forward to offer the prayer at our law school graduation. They knew I was a Christian and had served as a youth pastor through my tenure as a law student. Shortly after, the dean called me into his office. I liked this dean. He had done a good job at the school and was a generally affable man. And did I mention he was Jewish? I had no idea as to the purpose of the meeting.

He quickly cut to the chase and, in no uncertain terms, he let me know that it would be an embarrassment to him and to the school and an affront of the law of the land if I were to offer my prayer at the graduation in the name of Jesus. Apparently he had heard that I was some kind of Jesus freak (which was true), and he wanted to manage my appearance so that no one at the ceremony would feel uncomfortable.

I pushed back some on his rationale with the counter argument that my colleagues had asked me to offer the prayer precisely because I was a Christian and that to offer a non-Christian prayer wouldn’t qualify as a prayer for me and, further, that it would be a sham and cause me to go against my own conscience. He didn’t appreciate that response. He amped up his tone a bit and proceeded to strong arm me with an admonishment—basically forbidding me to pray in the name of Jesus and intimating I should probably decline the opportunity if I could not oblige.

I walked out of his office that day gripped with fear about the whole thing, wondering what I should do. I sought the counsel of others and the consensus seemed to be to appease the dean by following his counsel. Go along and get along. Then I began to remember the unfettered faithfulness of Jesus to me through those grueling three years of jurisprudential torture. Despite my repeated decisions to prioritize the teenagers at the church with my time at the cost of my need to study, the Lord had seen to it that I would somehow miraculously graduate cum laude.

All of a sudden, this tiny conflict in the scheme of things took on apocalyptic significance in my mind. All of a sudden I was hearing the second-century martyr Polycarp whispering my name and his famous line as he faced death by burning, “Eighty-six years have I served him and he never did me any injury; how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior.” I knew what I had to do.

The day of the graduation came and with a trembling voice I offered my prayer in the name of the one who said, “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.” No lions rushed the stage and I’m certain no one even remembers it but me. The dean did get a little red-faced, though. 

It was a small thing in the scheme of things and yet for me it was a big deal. It was the day I officially parted company with the fear of man. Because my loyalties lay with a Jewish carpenter, I could not be intimidated by a Jewish dean. It was the day I sent a tiny signal to the ascended Lord Jesus that I was all-in to the end with him. That was the day I became an amateur martyr. 

And, in case you forgot, that word martyr—the New Testament word for it is “witness.” Remember, you can’t kill a martyr, because they are already dead and risen—never to die again.”

Peace, Pastor Kenn

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:2

How is your hospitality? According to biblical standards, hospitality goes beyond inviting friends over to our house. The biblical practice of hospitality is not about who you invite but how you respond to those who show up uninvited. Hospitality is how we treat the stranger.

In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul reminds us again to “Practice hospitality.” The Greek word used here is philonexia. J. D. Walt says he defines that word as “to pursue the stranger with the love of a family and make them feel at home.” Hospitality is not about people you know, but people you don’t yet know.

Hospitality is being open toward all people. Our natural instincts tell us to fear a stranger and to keep to ourself. As followers of Jesus, we are to be open and welcoming of the stranger. The scripture passage found in Hebrews 13:2 refers to when Abraham welcomed the three strangers. Because he showed hospitality, he received a blessing. Jesus says in Matthew 25:35, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” St. Benedict practiced this rule in his life: “Let all guests who arrive be received as Christ.”

Let us practice philonexia in our hearts, homes and churches. Hospitality is a key quality of Holy Spirit-filled people. We find many examples of how to practice hospitality throughout the Bible. Let us welcome the stranger, for we may be welcoming the Lord or entertaining angels without knowing it.

Peace, Pastor Kenn

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV)

“Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.”

Acts 17:4 (NIV)

When I was a child, I used to love to go fishing at my grandparent’s pond. I mostly caught bluegill but on occasion I would land a nice bass. I didn’t use any fancy equipment or lures. I would grab an old fishing pole off the back porch and stop to dig up a few worms in the compost pile. Casual fishing kept me occupied for a few hours.

Professional fishermen approach things quite differently. They usually know where the fish are and when they are going to be striking at the bait. They study the area where they are going to fish. They know what type of fish they will find and what they like to eat. They have a plan on how they will fish and have the appropriate gear along so they can switch tactics to catch the fish.

Reading through the book of Acts we find that Paul knew how to attract and persuade people to follow Jesus. In Matthew 4:19, when Jesus called the first disciples, he said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Paul became a master angler. He knew where to find the people, and how to reason with them from the scriptures. He knew when to persist and when to move on to a new spot.

So, how about you? Are you following Jesus’ call to fish for people? Do you know the kind of “fish” that are in the pond of your town? It is so easy to say, “Let someone who has more experience do it.” If we are truly following Jesus, then we are called to be a part of the fishing business. Spend some time studying the New Testament and see how the master angler (Jesus) and his apostles and their protégés became proficient. We are in the fishing business. The good news is that we don’t have to go out alone. Friends can go fishing together. Jesus is willing and ready to help us become master anglers. Who’s in?

Peace, Pastor Kenn