Hanukkah

In John 10 we read, At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon" (John 10:22-23). Obviously, there was no Christmas celebration, yet. So we can be sure that Jesus was not out, involved in that great American, winter exercise, looking at the Christmas lights. It is probable, however, that Jesus was viewing the lights. Could it be that this was reason for his stroll through Solomon's portico in the Temple complex? He was and is human. He would appreciate the artistry of well-placed lights, just like the rest of us. The Feast of Dedication is known by a couple of other names, one you are sure to recognize. Craig Keener comments on this feast, "[T]he eight-day celebration of lights in the temple was beautiful." In fact it is sometimes called the Festival of Lights. Most of us know it as Hanukkah, the celebration that Jews are celebrating as I write. (Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Jn 10:22). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)     It is a simple children's presentation, but you can get the basics behind the celebration here.  A few years ago, in part because I was having difficulty coming up with a new idea for a Christmas series of messages, I preached a series on Hanukkah. The events commemorated are a story of bravery and dedication. Making a day's worth of oil last more than a week is the kind of thing that our great God does. To make this very personal, right now I find myself in a ministry where I'm looking to God to stretch, multiply, or in some other way step-in to make meager resources go well beyond what one would normally expect. Those of us involved in this venture are called on to deliver heroically. I think as the Lord looked at those lights in the Temple, His appreciation was for more than the aesthetics of the display. I think He took pleasure in knowing that on the very spot where He walked a group of warriors decided that they would not stand for the place dedicated to the worship of the one true God being desecrated. Some of those men gave their lives, so the temple could be cleansed. There was no doubt in the Lord's mind where He was headed. He would soon give His life. Christ "gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:14, emphasis added) "[D]o you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, emphasis added).    I won't be celebrating Hanukkah, but I will be remembering the courage and dedication of those who fought that the worship of God might be pure. I'll remember my God's ability to do the impossible. I want my life to show that I am dedicated to my Lord, and I want my life to shine as a light in this dark world. It's STTA (Something To Think About).

Getting Rid of the Trash:

Most every Friday something happens that greatly improves my home.  It is not an addition, or a repaint, and it doesn't involve anything new.  The trash truck comes and hauls away several bags of stuff, some of it well on its way to rotten. As I saw the truck go by my picture window this morning my mind went back to a couple of houses I'd been in over my six decades of life.  I remember one where I had to turn sideways to slide betweèn piles of stuff.  I had been to the door of one house a number of times, but when I finally entered I understood why I had never been invited in.  I stepped over a heap of stuff to arrive in the living room.  A good half a pickup truck load of stuff lie between the chair where the lady of the house sat and the TV.  The pile reached to just below the line of sight.  Not only was every other piece of furniture in the room covered--as in at least a foot deep--with paper, etc., but there was no open place big enough for a chair.  I took a chair from the kitchen and put it on the floor furnace.  I was very glad the heat didn't come on.  In another house I was afraid to sit--the chairs were encrusted with well-aged and various remains--and I'll spare you the smell of another that nearly knocked me down. Thankfully my experience with that kind of trash and filth has been limited.  Far and away most houses I have been in have been clean and welcoming.   Not so with many of the lives I have observed.  People hoard trashy and destructive material in their hearts.  In fact everyday, via the internet and other media they pile yet more trash into their minds.  Like real world hoarders, from time to time they will think about cleaning out the mess, they may even throw out a few items, but they soon grow weary, a new temptation distracts them, and they settle back into the filth. I'll not insult you by acting like dealing with such a problem is easy or quick.  It isn't, but it can happen; in fact I'll assure you it will happen if you seriously turn to the Lord. The Lord is in the trash business.  He takes it away.   It's Something to Think About. Explore the Good News here.  A great place to start:

AMEN!

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT     Congratulations to Mr. Mrs. Steven Crowder.  I wasn't able to attend their wedding, but they look like a lovely couple.  The fact is I had never heard of the folk until this article.   Steven is a comedian and he wrote his article in a somewhat euphoric state, so I'll forgive him some word choices and  his lack of mercy to those on the other side.   Bottom line I say "Amen!" to his article.  In fact, if you are short on time read his article and don't finish mine.   There are many things wrong with the view of morality that prevails in our day.   We try desperately hard in our culture to find/ Vote For Pedro create/invent a "righteous" way to fulfill any desire.  Pedro would definitely win.  The bottom line is not only in regard to sex, but concerning fiscal-policy, buying new furniture, or having another piece of pie, often self-restraint/denial is a very good thing (see here for some Biblical input).  Unfortunately this will surprise some folk.  Morality is not decided by a public opinion poll.  Surveys tell us what is popular, not what is right.   Often what feels very good right now, will make me feel very bad for a very long time.  Note the wise choice this Bible hero made. The Creator of the Universe--including you and me--gaveus a set of instructions for life contained in His Word.  He came to earth to be our Savior.  While here he said, "I came to give you life to the full."  (John 10:10)  Satan, on the other hand has been saying ever since Eden, "Maybe God did say that, but if you do this, you'll be better off."  How's that working out, so far? I look forward to hearing more from the Crowders.  Right now, I hope they are enjoying their honeymoon. It's STTA.

Don't Look!

When one arrives at a "certain age" he can look back and think of times that when a voice from within or on the outside said, "Don't Look." I look back with gratitude for the warnings that prevented certain scenes from becoming part of the photo-album of my mind. There are some pictures in those collections that cause me to wish I had listened. Pictures are instantly uploaded to this most sophisticated of computers, but only erased with great difficulty--if at all.
Traffic always slows down near a wreck. Everyone wants to get a look, even though they know they should "move on along." There is at least a bit of the Voyeur in each of us.
There is a mammoth industry that depends on getting us to look. From a young woman with a last name made famous by hotels, to cute drug addicts with an eye for jewelry, to athletes who live like adult-empowered two-year-olds, to funny men whose lives have become decidedly non-humorous there is a perverted ugly co-dependency. Certain TV outlets, internet sites, magazines, agents, and a whole host of other parasites attempt to keep these human carwrecks in front of us as long as there is a dime to be made. As long as we, like rats in an experiment, push the lever one more time, getting our "Ooh," "Ahh,", or even
"Yuk!" fix, the sorry spectacle goes on.
Can we just all agree that we aren't going to expend any energy or especially money, to find out out what she stole, or how much cocaine he snorted with however many prostitutes in tow. Perhaps inquiring minds want to know, but wise souls realize they a better off to stay ignorant of some things. I sincerely hope these tragic folk find help, but I am trying to maintain a stance--"Watch my mouth. What part of 'I don't care!' don't you understand?" Sure there is this tousle-headed boy somewhere between my ears who keeps jumping up and down saying, "I wanna see! I wanna see!" I'm remembering the times when folk wisely told me, "Don't look," and telling him the same.

I want to listen to those wise voices more. Perhaps this STTA is one of those voices you need to hear.

It's STTA.