Has there ever been a time – maybe even right now – when you have so much going on that you are struggling to cope with it all? Perhaps you don’t have too much going on, but one thing is so stressful that you are having a difficult time making decisions or functioning. What are the signs of being overwhelmed, how does it make you react, and what are some ways to cope with it.

When a person is overwhelmed, thoughts, emotions, and even physical sensations can become difficult to manage. Everyone feels overwhelmed from time to time. It is a completely normal response to the stresses of everyday, according to Sabrina Romanoff, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University. Being chronically stressed and constantly feeling overwhelmed can take its toll on your mental and physical health.

While one or two events causing stress are normal for most, when a series of stressors accumulate and pile up, the weight of them all can be overwhelming. A lack of coping skills can also contribute to the sense of being overwhelmed.

Often there are triggers that can cause you to feel overwhelmed. Death or loss of a loved one, excessive workload or a very stressful work environment, conflict in personal relationships with family or friends, financial problems, health concerns, traumatic experiences, political issues, and major life changes can be the triggers.

Mental health conditions, such a depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or obsessive compulsive disorder might predispose a person to feeling overwhelmed.

For a believer, does the presence of personal sin contribute to stress? Sin is not the normal behavior for a believer. Sin probably triggers the following emotions and resulting stresses.

Signs of Being Overwhelmed

Irrational Thoughts

Paralysis

Disproportional Reactions

Withdrawal

Pessimism

Mood Changes

Fatigue, Depression

Physical Symptoms

Strategies for Coping

Coping Mechanisms

Change Your Perspective

Challenge Your Assumptions

Seek Support from Others

Simplify – Calm Down Your Life

First, sin breeds sin. Sin often involves a cycle of action and cover-up. Sin rarely travels alone. If you cave into one sin expect a parade to follow. Sins often travel in pairs. The Bible gives several examples: rebellion and malice; immorality and anger; laziness and theft; anger and disobedience; jealousy and strife; bitterness and fornication; as well as hatred and murder.       

Next, sin leads to guilt and shame. We misuse the word “guilt” often. When we say that we are feeling “guilty,” we are mistaken in our use of the word. Guilt is an objective, legal term. Guilt is our status when we break the law. We are guilty. Shame is the feeling we have when we are guilty of breaking the law. We feel shameful in relationship or comparison to those who have not broken the law.

How can we cope with the overwhelming presence of sin in our lives?

Psalm 32 provides instruction for dealing with our sins. James Montgomery Boice suggests that Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 need to be understood together. David has committed adultery with Bathsheba, He has sinned by manpulating battle plans so that her husband Uriah would be killed. He tried to hide the sins for awhile, but when Nathan confronted him, David confessed and was restored.

Psalm 32 is given the title “Maskil” which means “a psalm of instruction.” It is one of twelve psalms which bear the title.

The first step is handling our sin is to let God’s Word instruct and convict us of the sin. Nathan brought God’s Word to David. Though we are not condemned because of our sin, we are certainly damaged by it. Our sin can also damage others.

We need to hear God’s teaching, and like David, understand that we stand before God both guilty and shamed.

The second step in this psalm is to confess our sin. Although we will go into much more detail on Friday about the meaning of confession, at this point let’s define it by saying we do not rationalize our sin, we admit it and accept its consequences.

The beginning verses of Psalm 32 provide a classic example of Hebrew poetry. It perfectly describes Hebrew parallelism. There are three terms for sin in verse one. The psalm begins with the word “blessed.” Literally the word is plural, meaning “blessednesses.” A man is blessed – trifold – when he has sinned, has repented, and knows the joy of restoration.

The first word for sin is “transgression.” The word in the Hebrew literally means “a going away” or a “departure” – in this case a rebellion against God and His authority. There is something powerful here that we should not miss. Even when it appears that our transgression is against another person, who may be hurt by our sin, ultimately the sin is against a God who tells us how to behave with our neighbor. This is why in Psalm 51 David can proclaim “Against you, and you only have I sinned” even though David’s sin was directed toward Uriah and Bathsheba. As Alexander Maclaren writes, “You have not gotten to the bottom of the blackness until you see that sin is a flat rebellion against God himself.”

The second word for sin in verse one is translated sin. It means coming short or falling short of the standard. The term was used in archery to describe a person who shoots at a target but the arrow comes up short of hitting the target. It is not that the arrow barely misses the bull’s eye, nor that it powers past the target. God’s Law is the target and this word describes that we fail to measure up to it.

The third word for sin is iniquity in verse two. The word means “twisted, crooked, or corrupt.” These three words round out our understanding of sin: first, we are seen as being in rebellion against God; second we fall short of what is necessary because of the Law; and finally, this type of sin describes what the sin does to us – it mars and disfigures who we are.

Because of Christ, our sin does not leave us with eternal consequences, we need to see that our sin has consequences in our lives and in our relationships. Jesus covers our sins.

Corresponding to the three words for sin, there are three words in this Psalm that speak to how God deals with our sin. The first word is forgiven. The word literally means “to lift off.” The weight of sin on our shoulders is a burden that we cannot bear. Do you remember the words to the hymn? “My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought – my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.”

The second word is covered. It is a strong word taken from the imagery of the Day of Atonement. In Greek, the word means “propitiation” – turning aside the wrath of God. In Hebrew the word is covering, the term that David uses here.

The third word speaks to what God does not do. He “does not count” the sin against us. The word “count” is the word impute. It is a bookkeeping term. It means to keep a person’s account activity on a ledger. God does not “count” our sins against us.

We need to consider one last thing from Psalm 32 as we think about what we need to do with the sin in our lives. Look again at verse 10. I like the NET version of this passage because it captures the meaning of the word from its Greek translation of the Hebrew.

An evil person suffers much pain, but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.

Sin causes pain. The pain touches the people around us. Like a cancer, it eats away the threads and strength of our soul. Sin in our lives causes suffering and much pain.

Sin can overwhelm us.

But as sin slowly dissolves the foundation of our lives, the faithfulness of God overwhelms the one who trusts in Him as a tsunami overwhelms the ocean’s coastline.

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you who have been forgiven. Indeed, you are blessed.

Christ of our Christmas

The Christmas story presents the message of God’s gift of His Son Jesus to the people of earth. The Son of God is called the Messiah or the Christ. Through these five biblical lessons, learn more about the Christ of our Christmas.

 

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Are you ready to begin a 21-day journey having fellowship with each other and with the Word? Starting each day with Scripture will build a positive habit for the year, as well as encourage and strengthen your faith.

There are verses for each of our days posted on my website. I will make the page active and provide you a link to the website page over the weekend. I will place a link to the verse on the site in Facebook each morning. If you want to be online when I am posting the link, I will do so at 8:30am each day. You can interact with the verse at your own convenience.

In the examples below, there are “pop-up” boxes when you hover over some of the words to help you have a better understanding of meaning. For instance, hover over the phrase “translation or paraphrase” and the word “context.” Click on the words and a pop-up box will give you additional information about these important concepts.

The goals for our 21-day journey:

  • Start each day with a Scripture. Read the verse from two or three different versions. Are there different nuances that are brought out in the[popup_anything id=”5944″]?

example: John 14:1-2

John 14:1-2 KJV John 14:1-2 NASB John 14:1-2 NIV John 14:1-2 NLT John 14:1-2 MESSAGE
John 14:1-2 NRSV John 14:1-2 NCV John 14:1-2 ESV John 14:1-2 HCSB John 14:1-2 RVA
John 14:1-2 NET John 14:1-2 GREEK

 

 

  • Start each day reflecting on an application of the Scripture to your life. This helps you build your personal[popup_anything id=”5943″] for the passage. “This is what the Scripture has meant to me.” I will offer a question or two to help prompt your thoughts, or you may come up with ideas on your own. Write down your reflections, if possible.

example: Do you remember the first time you heard or read this verse? I remember memorizing this passage in Sunday School when I was about a third-grader. I always wondered why one version said “mansions” and another “rooms.” The older I get, the more it comforts me when I think about heaven as a “home.”

 

  • Start out each day with a prayer. I will word a prayer for you, but I will encourage you to be personal and either re-word the prayer listed, or offer God a similar prayer on your own.

example: Father, we live in a world that can easily trouble us, particularly when we ponder our future. I am grateful that because of faith, You have prepared our future. I am looking forward to the day when I see you face-to-face. Amen.

  • Interact with others about the verse, in order to build fellowship with each other and the Word. There is power when we interact with God’s Word together.

example: You can interact with each other through the chat and messages at the bottom of the devotion, either on my webpage or in Facebook.

As of December 30th, we have about 50 people that are interested in joining us on this 21-day journey. If you have not yet signed up, sign up on the form to the right. It should be an exciting time!

“Carols and the Christ” from the lesson series Music of Christmas, December 2021

our Scripture

Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God

(Luke 2:13 NIV),

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our Lesson

We could not discuss the music of Christmas without spending a serious amount of time talking about carols and the Christ. Christmas carols celebrate the birth of Jesus. The earliest Christmas carol seems to date back as far as 129, when a Roman bishop presented a song to be sung during a Christmas service in Rome. The term “noel” is also used, especially for carols of French origin.

 

The word carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written for all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing carols at Christmas has carved its place in history. Popularity of carols would ebb and flow during the years, but by the Middle Ages – around the 1200s – most people had lost interest in celebrating Christmas at all.

 

This changed in 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi started his Nativity Plays in Italy. The people in the plays sang songs or canticles that told the story during the plays. Sometimes the carols were in Latin, but most of the time they were written in the language that people would understand.

 

The carol had as its beginning the vocal accompaniment to a dance. The unique feature of the carol was a chorus that was sung at the beginning of the dance and then again after each stanza. Dancers would sing the chorus as they danced. The stanzas were performed by a soloist while the dancers rested.

 

In the eighteenth century, hymn singing was introduced into English worship services. Hymnists like Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley wrote texts that focused on the incarnation. While properly known as hymns, the songs have become known as “carols” because of the Christmas nature of their message.

 

Carols cross boundaries. They transcend cultures, ethnicities and even religious divisions. The carol forms the best known group of religious music in the United States and the world. Carols do not have a special role to play in the liturgies of worship services. The carol just replaces the singing of hymns during the Christmas season.

 

At one point in American history, “caroling” provided a reason for friends to get together and served as a form of the group’s entertainment. The practice of going from house to house has become less frequent as culture has become more urbanized and more influenced by technology. In addition, society has become busier and people have become more isolated and insulated from their neighbors.

 

The “house-to-house” tradition actually began in England in the seventeenth century. Town musicians, known as “waits,” were officially permitted to solicit and collect alms in the weeks before Christmas. Alms were gifts of food, clothing or money. The impoverished people could collect alms in exchange for the singing of Christmas carols.

 

Most Christmas carols prior to 1930 had a traditional religious theme. The time of the Great Depression brought a flood of songs which underscored the more secular traditions of Western culture. Most of these songs were focused on children, emphasizing gifts and Santa Claus. Their popularity spurred sentimental songs performed by favorite singers of the era for adults.

 

Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is the best-selling single song of all time, while Elvis’ Christmas Album is the best-selling Christmas album of all time. The Time magazine website researched the most-recorded Christmas song since 1978, encompassing songs from “Jingle Bells” to “O Holy Night.” The website collected data on every Christmas album recorded through the US Copyright Office since that year. In a landslide victory, almost doubling its nearest competitor, “Silent Night” is the most popular carol with 733 copyrighted recordings. “Joy to the World” came in second.

 

Carols have several features that set them apart from other types of songs, including hymns. Let’s think about two characteristics that make them unique. First, for at least a month carols can be heard not just in churches, but in elevators, on the radio and across loud-speakers in shopping malls. You cannot imagine “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” being played on a secular FM radio station.

 

In addition, the Christmas carol is one of the few areas of American culture where public religious expression is still allowed and accepted. Nativities, Scripture readings and even prayers have been banned in the public square, but the carol can be heard or sung during the Christmas season by anyone anywhere.

 

The church may not have a better means of teaching the message of the Gospel to an “un-churched” world than through Christmas carols. Let’s allow our verse of Scripture today to direct our thoughts to the Greatest Story Ever Told. As the shepherds are being told the good news of the birth of the Savior, Luke records a simple verse.

 

The Bible uses the phrase “heavenly hosts” on several occasions (Psalm 148:2, 1 Kings 22:19-22, 1 Samuel 1:3, Psalm 24:10, Isaiah 22:14, Malachi 2:16, etc). The heavenly host are heavenly messengers, not bound by time and space as those of us on earth. The word “host” means “army.” The Lord of hosts is the Lord of the army. R.C. Sproul called them a “veritable army of angels” whose primary purpose is praise.

 

Is there a better weapon than this?

 

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife (Matthew 1:18-24 NIV).

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them (Luke 2:4-7 NIV).

And he gave him the name Jesus (Matthew 1:25b NIV).

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them (Luke 2:8-18 NIV).

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night.

“Songs of Reflection” from the lesson series Music of Christmas, December 2021

our Scripture

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19 ESV).

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our Lesson

If there is a theme threading through this year’s lessons, it should become more than crystal clear during these thoughts. Our passage considers a portion of Luke’s account of the gospel story. While the Christmas season is a time of celebration, it is also a time to treasure and to ponder. There are several interesting concepts in this phrase in this short verse. Let’s consider some important things first.

The word that many translations render “treasured” has a military flavor. In many contexts, the word would be translated “guarded,” as a prisoner is guarded preventing escape. Mary exerted intense mental effort to store information in order to have continual access to it.

Do you keep scrapbooks? We kept photo albums and scrapbooks for all of our children. We have records of the births of each child, pictures of birthdays and celebrations, along with mementos of significant events along the way. We don’t want our memories to escape.

The tense of the Greek verb is the imperfect tense, which means that action is on-going. Mary continued guarding all of these things. She may have said nothing, but she continued pondering them in her heart. The verbs are in a participial form, again stressing the continued actions.

The verbs have a prefix with them that stresses “together with.” The idea is that Mary is throwing these things together in her heart, comparing one thing to another, letting one thing explain another. She begins to see everything through a particular lens, and the lens grows and changes with every event.

“Ahh, this explains everything! Now this makes sense!”

The phrase is interesting and fun to think about. If it had only occurred once, we would grin at the thoughtful and perceptive writer that Luke was proving to be. But he uses the phrase a second time down in verse 51. Luke wants us to pay attention to what is happening.

Notice also the events that occur between the two verses. I do not think it is an accident what the Scripture records after it tells us that Mary treasures and ponders the things of Christmas.

First Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple for ceremony required by Law (Leviticus 12:2-4). Forty days after the birth, a purification ceremony was required for Mary. At the same time, if the child were the first-born male, a special ceremony of dedication and sacrifice was required (Exodus 13:2). Mary and Joseph were trying to follow the Law.

Simeon, perhaps the attendant priest for the day, looked for the restoration of Israel because he was a righteous and devout individual. Upon seeing the baby, Simeon broke into praise and blessing to God, declaring that he has seen the salvation of the Lord. Simeon provides incredible information for Mary to “guard” – claiming that Jesus would be a revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for the people of Israel.

Mary and Joseph are amazed at was Simeon said. But Simeon is not finished. “Listen carefully,” he continued. “This child is destined to be the cause of the rising and falling of many in Israel. He will be a sign that will be rejected. He will be a sword that will pierce your own soul as well” (Luke 2:34-35 NIV).

Anna, a widow in the temple, continued the events that amazed Mary and Joseph. She began to speak of the child, giving thanks to God. She was thankful and excited that the Lord was finally bringing about the redemption of Jerusalem.

But Luke tells us about a third event in this setting. The event takes place twelve years later. It is the only biblical record we have of an event in the childhood of Jesus. Luke reminds us that Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem every year. We would expect such dedication from Mary and Joseph. They were meticulous in keeping the Law when Jesus was born. We would expect the same fervor throughout. There were three pilgrimage festivals which were kept by the faithful. At each setting, when possible the faithful would return to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Passover was one of those feasts.

When the feast was over, Mary and Joseph along with others, began the journey to return to Nazareth. They had traveled a day away from Jerusalem when they noticed they had not seen Jesus. They looked for him among their relatives and friends. They returned to Jerusalem looking for him, and found him in the temple courts, talking and listening to the rabbis. Luke adds the commentary, “All who heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:47).

Mary and Joseph did not completely understand what Jesus was doing or saying, but Mary “guarded” all of these things in her heart.

I wonder what Mary treasured.

Think about the things the Scriptures have recorded for us about the events to this point. Mary has had lots to treasure.

  • Mary had to consider how God was working in her life. From angelic messages to confirmation from family, Mary had to be reflecting on God’s sometimes miraculous intervention in her life, especially regarding the birth of her son.
  • Mary had to consider the amazing things that people were telling her about Jesus. Respected individuals were using words like salvation, redemption, and Messiah. Even at this early an age, the message was filled with conflict. Jesus would bring some together, but would cause others to stumble. There would be great joy, but there would also be great pain.
  • Finally, Mary had to be amazed when she considered God’s greater plan. Faithful Jewish people had long awaited the coming Messiah. Understanding that she was playing a role in God’s larger plan must have been a humbling, yet thrilling experience. Mary was being used by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I wonder what sense Mary made of what was happening. I wonder how often she thought about the things she was guarding in her heart.

What do you treasure about your Christmas? How do those treasures fit into God’s scheme? Is all that you put in your scrapbook pictures of the presents? Or do you pause to remember what God has done for your family through the presence of His Son? Do you notice how the Lord has been weaving the events of your lives into the tapestry of His will?

Not everything that God does at Christmas is “merry and bright.” Some of the events pierce deeply to our soul. Christmas does not ignore our pain; neither does it allow us to wallow in them. Treasure the events and the people; guard their memories in your heart.

Don’t let the Savior and His work in your family be nothing more than a page in your scrapbook that gathers dust.

“Songs of Santa” from the lesson series Music of Christmas, December 2021

our Scripture

Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works

(Ecclesiastes 9:7 NASB).

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our Lesson

Does it strike you strange that a Christmas lesson for a group of believers in a conservative church would be titled, “Songs and Santa?” I thought so. Let’s explore this a little by wandering back to an Old Testament book, and maybe by doing so, we will understand that God is not opposed to us singing songs about Santa during the Christmas season.

The Old Testament book we need to consider is the book of Ecclesiastes. Hebrew scholars attribute the book to King Solomon, but the author identifies himself as “the Preacher, the song of David, the king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). I believe there is a great deal of the book that has been misunderstood or misinterpreted. Let’s try to examine a few teachings in the book, before we discuss a specific passage.

Santa and Ecclesiastes

Seven times in the book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher encourages the reader to pursue joy (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, 3:12-13, 3:22, 5:18-20, 7:14, 8:15, 9:7-10, 11:7 – 12:1). Being joyful seems to indicate an individual finds sincere contentment and pleasure in God and His blessings in both time of pleasure and times of pain, in moments that are sacred and moments that are secular.

The book contrasts the ways of the world with the ways of the Kingdom. He uses imagery of light and darkness, the ways of the wise as opposed to the ways of the foolish, and the way of life as opposed to the ways of judgment.

The Preacher says, “Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). The words are startling because Moses in the Torah characterized the people as “stubborn, unbelieving and rebellious” (Numbers 14:11, Deuteronomy 9:6-7) and scolded them, “not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes” (Numbers 15:39).

But the context here is different. Here the Preacher is speaking to the wise, not the fool. The context of Ecclesiastes helps us understand the Preacher is not encouraging unrestricted pursuit of pleasure. The wise see the sun as a manifestation of God’s goodness (Ecclesiastes 7:11-12). The wise “will know the proper time and the just way” (Ecclesiastes 8:5). If the wise heart is leaning toward God, your heart and your eyes will lead you in the right direction.

There is a stated caution with the words. Every step, every decision, every purchase, every television channel, every click of the mouse can lead you into judgment (Ecclesiastes 11:9). All things are permissible, though not everything is profitable.

If you are among the wise, if you have tasted that the Lord is good, do not hesitate to follow your eyes and your heart in your celebrations. Solomon’s words in our text guide our thoughts. If you want to sing songs of celebration about Santa during the season that celebrates the coming of the Savior, sing your songs in happiness with a cheerful heart. God enjoys seeing you smile.

But don’t lose sight of the real reason that you sing and are happy. You have not been saved by Santa. As you robustly sing the songs of Santa, let every note, every crescendo, every stanza remind your soul:

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble (Psalm 59:16 NIV).

 

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:25 NIV).

 

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, an in your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:3-4 NIV).

 

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7 NIV).

 

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts (Colossians 3:16 NIV).

 

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples (Psalm 108:3 NIV).

 

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you – I whom you have delivered (Psalm 71:23 NIV).

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord praise His name, proclaim His salvation day after day (Psalm 96:1-2 NIV).

Do not let a song of Santa ring through the air that you do not remember the evening when Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, in the city of David.

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 among those with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:13-14 ESV)!

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come (Revelation 4:8b NASB).

 

Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created (Revelation 4:11 NASB).

 

Peace on earth will come to all, if we just follow the Light.

Let’s give thanks to the Lord above.

Santa Claus comes tonight.

“It’s the Celebration Season” from the lesson series Music of Christmas, December 2021

our Scripture

The Lord said to Moses,2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

3 “‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times (Leviticus 23:1-4 NIV):

Leviticus 23:1-4 NASB Leviticus 23:1-4 NET Leviticus 23:1-4 NLT Leviticus 23:1-4 NCV Leviticus 23:1-4 MESSAGE
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our Lesson

The holiday season is upon us. With the start of November, we begin the annual two-month journey through the grandest of seasons. Our days and weeks slowly meander through rituals of decorations, apparel, food and gifts. Parades and promotions watch with anticipation as the temperatures systematically march by on their way to freezing. We are working our way to Christmas!

The time before the holiday helps us prepare for the celebration of the event. Shopping, music, baking and parties get our hearts and spirits ready for the festive day. Has our celebration become too secular, too commercial? Should a Christian take part in enjoying the festivities of Santa and the holidays?

There are several principles believers should remember.

Celebrations have always been an integral part of the life of people of faith. The Jewish faith celebrated several annual feasts and festivals. The major festivals were Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles). Three of these feasts were pilgrimage, when the entire nation was to return to the Temple. After the exile, Israel added Purim and Hanukkah, as well as a memorial for the fall of Jerusalem. The feasts and festivals of the Jewish people were times when Israel could remember the magnificent ways that the Lord redeemed His people.

In addition to the annual festivals, the people were required to hold a weekly feast – a Shabbat – to observe God’s rest.

OT Feasts and Celebration

Leviticus 23 describes the seven appointed feasts, four held in the spring and three in the fall. There are three phrases in this short passage that we need to consider. The first is the phrase, “These are my appointed festivals.” When we think about celebrations, including our Christmas time, we usually think that these are our times to remember God – specifically the coming of His Son. But God says these celebrations are appointed by Him. His blessing is upon our time and our remembrance. This is not just something we are pondering on our own.

The second phrase is “proclaim.” When we hold celebrations like this, we proclaim several things to an unbelieving world. We are declaring the mighty acts of God, and how those acts touch our lives. But we are also proclaiming our allegiance and service to the Lord.

Finally, we need to look at the words, “sacred assembly.” When we gather to celebrate and remember, the time we spend is sacred. We are worshiping God when we sing our songs, when we enjoy our food, and when we give our gifts. This is a time when we understand the holiness of God.

Through the feasts, the people of God celebrated their history, their faith and the blessings which God had provided for them. Each feast looked forward to the coming Messiah, and the hope found in His person and work.

Celebration of Christmas

So let’s turn our thoughts to the Christmas story and our celebration of the season. Please look at a verse in Matthew’s gospel.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about (Matthew 1:18a):

 

In that tiny passage, we are reminded that the birth of Jesus was a part of a much larger plan put together by God. Since the fall in the garden, God had been orchestrating the development of a plan of salvation through which not only the Jewish people, but all men could be saved.

Paul realizes God’s involvement in this plan and writes, “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5 NASB).

John crystalizes it this way, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NASB).

Some Truths for Today

So, can a Christian celebrate the season of Christmas in the way that Christmas has evolved today? Yes, but there are a few principles that we must always remember that harken back to the lessons from Leviticus:

  • First, the celebration is appointed by the Lord. The season and its special nature is not ours, but the Lord’s. Tinsel and trees and presents and legends are nothing more than ornaments adorning the real reason we celebrate. If we let our festivities become “the other way around,” we have fallen to the temptation to idolatry. The Christmas party at the office does not have to begin with prayer, but you should probably pray before you go. Keep things in their proper perspective.
  • Second, the way we celebrate makes a statement, a proclamation to the unbelieving world. How do you prepare for Christmas? How much of your celebration is spent at church and with Christians? What and to whom do you give gifts? How do you celebrate on Christmas Day? At the heart of our celebration is the remembrance of God’s ultimate gift of His Son to the world. The gift was given to those of us who were alienated from Him, strangers to His way. The gift was given to those who could not offer anything back to God in return. Do people around you see that you understand what the celebration is all about?
  • Finally, our celebration is sacred. In a real sense, we worship God throughout the season – by the movies we attend, by the parties we enjoy, by the places we go and by the people with whom we celebrate.

How do we worship in a culture that is so far away from the sacred in how it enjoys the season?

Do you remember Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians? It seems that the Corinthians faced the very same problem that we face. How do you weave being Christian into a very non-Christian, non-religious culture? When the Corinthians tried to combine the two, the result was drunkenness and gluttony at fellowship dinners and during times of remembering the Lord’s Supper.

How do you celebrate this season? How do you weave your faith into the culture? How do you wait in line at the store? Are you the first in line when alcohol is served at the party? Do you take your slice of cake and two pieces of pie as well? How much of your food is thrown away? Are your gifts only given to people who can give back to you?

How we celebrate the season proclaims who we celebrate this season. The time is appointed by the Lord.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Music is different things to different people. Music can make us think, emote and behave. Music can provide the backdrop for deeply meaningful thought or it can be mindless entertainment. Music can exhilarate or provoke. The music of Christmas challenges and encourages our faith.

The brand Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming service. Spotify offers a free and a premium product with 365 million users, including 165 subscribers, across 178 markets in over 50 different languages. Their marketing efforts reveal how personal music is to each of us. They also showed how the music created a community with life connections that went deeper than just a love for a particular artist.

Researchers at the University of Westminster and City University of London discovered the music we listened to between the ages of 10 and 30 defines us for the rest of our lives. Music from this period of our lives connects us to people, places and events that are significant to our identities.

Music defines us, molding and shaping our minds and our souls. If these things are true – and they are – then music must also touch my spiritual being. Does the music I listen to define my spirit? Let’s listen again to the Music of Christmas.

Lesson Web Pages
Lesson One: It’s the Celebration Season Lesson Two: Songs & Santa

Lesson Three: Songs of Reflection

Lesson Four: Carols & The Christ
Lesson Handouts
[doc id=5829] [doc id=5835] [doc id=5836] [doc id=5837]
Christmas Music Trivia
Mediterranean Moments
Mediterranean Moments Mediterranean Moments Mediterranean Moments Mediterranean Moments

One of the movies scored by Irving Berlin’s musical talents was the 1942 Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire favorite, Holiday Inn.  The film is built around the premise that an entertainment venue in Connecticut would only be open on holidays. Berlin wrote music for each of the holidays like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, but the movie score is best remembered for Easter’s Easter Parade and the Christmas’ White Christmas.

 

Berlin (1888-1889) was a Russian American musician and composer, considered by many to be one of the greatest songwriters in the country’s history. Berlin’s songbook shapes a great portion of Americana music. During his sixty-year career, Berlin wrote about 1500 songs, including the music for 20 Broadway musicals and 15 Hollywood films. Of Berlin, America’s anchorman Walter Cronkite once said, “He helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and the dreams that shape our lives.”

 

For the Thanksgiving holiday, Berlin wrote, “I’ve got plenty to be thankful for; No private car, no caviar, no carpet on my floor; Still I’ve got plenty to be thankful for.” We do have plenty to be thankful for. Would you ponder a few moments on Psalm 100, and consider the things for which you are thankful?

 

our Scripture

Psalm 100

A thanksgiving psalm.

Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with joy.
Enter his presence with joyful singing.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us and we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give him thanks.
Praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His loyal love endures,
and he is faithful through all generations (Psalm 100:1-5 NET).

Psalm  100 NIV Psalm  100 NASB Psalm  100 NLT Psalm  100 MESSAGE

 

our Lesson

 

Many theologians classify Psalm 100 with Psalms 93 through 99 as one of the “Royal Psalms.” These psalms praise God just because He is King of His people. These particular psalms are labeled in the Latin Vulgate translation as “Dominus Regnavit” – “The Lord Reigns!” More importantly, they are psalms which point the reader – and musician – to the Messiah.

Psalms are impassioned, vivid and descriptive. They are rich in images and imaginative use of language. The Psalms are filled with literary devices – assonance, alliteration, similes and metaphors – to enhance our understanding of the truths of the Bible.

In many ways, the Messianic Psalms are a devotional delight. They allow us to focus on an aspect of the Messiah or His kingdom with either a magnifying glass or a telescope. Psalms invite us to make an application that has been tailored just to fit our form and life.

Tucker and Grant, in their NIV Application Commentary Psalms Volume 2, list three significant challenges for our worship today from Psalm 100. The psalm encourages us that thanksgiving prompts worship. The three ideas are theirs, the comments following are mine.

  • Worship has an outward focus.

    Our worship services for the past decade have attempted to be “user-friendly” and more focused on the “un-churched.” There is no question that Psalm 100 compels the entire world to praise the Lord and acknowledge Him as King. The unbeliever is drawn to worship God by seeing us worship. Do our worship services explain why we praise? Do our songs explain that “the Lord reigns” like the Psalms?

[su_pullquote align=”right”]I was watching a “holiday baking competition” on the Food Network last night. They kept using phrases that captured my attention. They repeated the words “savor” and “savory” throughout the episode. The bakers were to not only make cakes sweet, but some of the cakes were to be savory. As the judges were tasting the food, one judge paused and commented that she just wanted to “savor” the amazing flavors. The heart of “savoring” is taking the time to add seasoning to the mix, and taking the time to enjoy it.

For your gratitude this Thanksgiving, how do you sprinkle “grace” into the moments of your life? Take the time right now to “savor” how God has been gracious to you.[/su_pullquote]

But God’s people need a time to be encouraged and study the Word of God together, apart from unbelievers who do not understand and respect His authority and words. We are called to fellowship with one another. The fellowship of the faith is more than just giddy joy or sharing a meal together in a special place called “Fellowship Hall.” Our fellowship is ground in a worldview that looks to the authority of Scripture for decisions in life, an understanding of how to apply those Scriptures to 21st century circumstances, and the wisdom to explain and communicate those truths to others in a loving and compassionate way.

Perhaps our morning worship should be filled with shouts of praise and the “milk” of the Word, and an evening worship should be for the faithful with songs of praise and petition, and encouragement and challenge from the “meat” of the Word. Would that pattern more closely follow the separation of the courts of the Gentiles and the Jewish worship in the temple?

  • Worship is a joyful act.

    Time after time the Psalms encourage us to shout to the Lord. Many of the psalms were intended to be sung, either in the actual worship service, or on the roads as the faithful traveled to Jerusalem for the celebration. There is no place where the psalmist demands the pitch must be perfect or the harmony blissful. Most of our worship services are filled with spectators – not the unchurched visitor, but the unmotivated believer. Wasn’t it Jesus that mused that if we don’t shout, the rocks will end up crying out?

Some have argued, “Well, I don’t always feel like jumping and shouting during worship.” I think that may be the exact point. We need to be joyful in worship because we don’t always feel like it. Circumstances, people and the weight of stress take their toll on our joy. Worship places circumstances and people in their perspective. Joy declares that I know that my God is in control, and that He reigns over my circumstances, my enemies and me.

When my actions are obedient in worship, my emotions will eventually follow. Wasn’t it the Psalmist who said, “You have turned my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11)? When we worship with joy, we declare to the watching world that we understand who really does turn mourning into dancing.

  • In worship, we approach the King.

    So many of the “Royal Psalms” include the phrase, “The Lord reigns.” You don’t have to say it in so many words to believe its truth and understand its implications. The phrase “The Lord reigns” is the cry at the outset of several of these “Royal Psalms” (Psalm 93:1; Psalm 96:10; Psalm 97:1; Psalm 99:1; compare with Psalm 47:8). There is a distinct difference in the flavor of these verses when compared to a timeless statement like Psalm 95:3. If nothing else, the phrase should end with an exclamation mark!

We walk a fine line when we approach God in worship. On the one side of the line, we are reminded that we are approaching God, our Father, in worship. He invites us to come to the throne and share with Him on the intimacy level of a father and child. But on the other side of the line, we must always be aware that we are approaching the throne room of the King. Our demeanor should be respectful and filled with awe.

Although this analogy falters, can you remember a time when you talked with a grandparent and were filled with awe and wonder? Perhaps they showed you relics from their past, or shared with you moments from the experiences of their life? You were in awe because they opened a world to you that you did not know existed. They gave insights from their wisdom and experience. They loved you in a way that seemed unconditional, in no way tied to your behavior or even your obedience. You were indebted to them just for who they are.

  • In worship, we approach God together.

The psalmist encourages us to enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving. The imperative is collective in nature, picturing throngs of faithful coming into the Temple and into God’s presence. While worship is a personal thing, we gain immensely when we worship within the fellowship of believers. We are held accountable, but we are also held up by the comfort and support of people who know us, care for us and love being with us in God’s house.

 

our Devotion for Thanksgiving

It is interesting that Psalm 100 is the only Psalm that specifically identifies itself as “a thanksgiving psalm.” Expressions of thanks fill the verses of all 150 psalms. But following a series of psalms that focus on the coming King and His Kingdom, the faithful people of God can do nothing but give thanks.

 

The Lord is good.

 

The Lord was good when I was young and filled with energy and just as filled with hopes and dreams. The Lord smiled as I studied hard and played harder. The Lord approved as I mapped out plans, built barns and planted crops. The Lord rejoiced with my joy, strengthened my steps, provided light for my path, and guided my way.

 

The Lord is good.

 

The Lord was good when I was older and working hard to support a family. The Lord provided places to live and work, to raise children in the faith, to find friends and support, to prosper in ways I didn’t always understand and to gather with other believers to worship each week. The Lord watched over us as we moved, and lived and breathed. The Lord comforted when plans disintegrated. He mourned as I cried and was disheartened. He restored hope by giving life to dead bones. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

 

The Lord is good.

 

The Lord is good when my days are few, when my ears are ringing and when my fingers are feeble. The Lord watches as my steps falter, my mind wanders, and my eyesight fails. The Lord stands with me as my children are grown and have taken the mantle of faith. The Lord has blessed us and kept us. His face has shined upon us. The Lord has been gracious. His favor has been upon us and our children

 

and their children

 

and their children.

 

The Lord is good.

 

And I am thankful.