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
The Christmas season is one of my two most favorite times of the year.
As Christmas day has passed, I reflect on the thoughts that may have been on Mary’s heart. Her pregnancy at an end, she now finds herself with Joseph in the stable. And it wasn’t the rich and famous that joined them. They didn’t have kings and queens flocking to see the little miracle that now laid before them. It was the animals, the shepherds, and the angels that gathered with them.
Mary knew the significance of her pregnancy, and ultimately the little baby boy that she now got to hold. It was Gabriel who told her months ago, a message from God Himself. She even celebrated the favor of the Lord with a song.
Now as she sits in a stable, looking upon and holding this new life, I’m sure the memories of months before rushed back into her mind. The words of Gabriel proclaiming who this baby boy was, and what He would do! Fulfillment of Isaiah’s Prophecy so many years before, this boy named Jesus.
But this question, captivated in one of my favorite Christmas songs, I think rings true: Did you know? Did Mary fully grasp the significance of what her baby boy would do? The miracles He would perform, the people He would heal. Did she know the discord He would reveal within the religious community? Did she understand that He would fully fulfill the Prophecies of old, by ultimately dying on a cross identified as a criminal?
As she sat there and rested Him into the manger of hay, I can only imagine she reflected on and found peace in those words from Gabriel…
Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.
Luke 1:30-33
This Christmas season, as you find yourself surrounded by family and friends, take time to reflect on the real reason for this holiday. It goes beyond presents under a tree in the living room, or big meals with those closest to us. We celebrate today because of grace. Grace God gave in the way of His Son, born of a virgin.
I encourage you this Christmas season to be intentional in finding time to reflect on the gift of Jesus. Don’t let another Christmas come and go, missing the mark on why we celebrate this time of year.
We just finished a mini-series on prayer at our Church. It’s been an enriching time of study and reflection in my personal life, as I have evaluated my own prayer life in light of Scripture, and the examples laid before us by Jesus, Paul, even Old Testament Prophets. I don’t want to rehash those messages here, but you can listen to them at our YouTube page.
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke 22:41-44
Jesus displays for us an incredible example of prayer that is intricately woven into life. The only One who walked this earth, after stepping down from His throne in Heaven, still prayed. And I find myself stuck in this passage of Scripture from Luke 22, where Jesus is seen praying before His arrest, conviction, and death.
Read that passage again.
There is a rawness, a depth of anguish we see in this moment. The God-Man we saw triumphantly enter Jerusalem not long ago is now bent over on His knees in anguish of what is to come. I love C.S. Lewis’ reflection on this situation in his book, Letters to Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer.
But for this last (and erroneous) hope against hope, and the consequent tumult of the soul, the sweat of blood, perhaps He would not have ben very Man.
Letters to Malcom, pg. 57
Lewis draws on something here I think is most significant, but easily overlooked. Jesus walked this earth in flesh for us. He stepped down from His throne to identify with us. Still God completely as Son, but also completely man, identifying with you and I. We see, even experience, Jesus in a light perhaps not as easily seen elsewhere in Scripture.
Jesus was a man.
It’s easy to get caught up in our emotions and begin to think we are alone. It’s easy to get trapped into thinking no one understands the things we go through, how difficult the situation we face really is. Sometimes, the hurt and the anguish can be so overwhelming we find ourselves struggling to function.
Jesus was a man, too.
When you face your hardships and you feel alone, remember you’re not. When you feel overcome by the world, like no one gets what you’re going through; remember, He did.
Jesus knelt and prayed in anguish for the cup He would bear to be passed from Him, if it was God’s Will. He understands in a very tangible way what suffering and hurt not only looks like; what it feels like.
I’ve had some intense moments in my life, but I have never been to the point of anguish to sweat blood. But my Savior has. He’s experienced hurt, betrayal, distress. And that gives me hope. It gives me strength.
I know I have someone with me who knows my pain, and I’m not left to face it alone.
Do you?
There is a prayer I have for all of my kids, and I think it’s one most parents who are followers of Jesus have for their kids as well.
God, empower them be the influence.
It’s simple. But it could change the world.
And honestly, being influential in the life of my kid’s beyond just being the parent is something I am still learning. Speaking life isn’t always the tendency I have, but it needs to be. Jesus gave the instruction,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Matthew 28:19-20
In essence, get out there and influence others for Me. Live a life that points others to Me. Tell them about Me with your words AND actions. When I see my daughter interacting with her friends and peers, I pray that she would be the influence in the group that points towards Jesus.
She doesn’t always get it right. But then, perfection isn’t the expectation.
Really, thats the same position God takes with us. He knows perfection isn’t a reality for us in this life. But are we striving to be the influence in our circles? When guidance is sought, direction is needed; are you the one who steps up and points those around you in the right direction?
I love how Jesus begins this directive. In the verse before He says,
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Matthew 28:18
His basis for giving this directive is rooted in His ultimate and explicit authority over everything. And He doesn’t kind of suggest we do this, He commands it. This is what gut punches me, as a follower of Him, being a person of influence for the Kingdom isn’t an option. It’s not a task get to decide when and where I want to engage in.
It’s implied that this is an ongoing, constant expectation as a follower of Jesus. I mean, look at how He ends this command:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
I’m pretty confident that my time on earth will end before the “end of the age” comes to pass. That leads me to conclude the expectation is to live a life of influence for Jesus. To strive every day to make an impact for His Kingdom through the interactions I have. To speak life.
That’s what I want to see in the lives of my kids.
But it has to start with me.
Over the course of this Series, we tackled some big topics. We loved the format of sitting down and just talking through some of the struggles we all face in life. With this last installment of the Series, my hope is that you have found encouragement. That you understand that even when it seems dark, you are not alone.
Most importantly, my hope is you understand the value of the community God places us in. That He calls us to be a part of. Community is a vital part to our growth in Christ.
It can be easy to fall into the mindset of thinking everything becomes easier once you decide to follow Jesus.
But as we’ve been finding out, it really isn’t. If anything, following Jesus can make life a lot harder. But the blessing that comes with obedience is far better than that of disobedience.
Materialism is something everyone battles, even the most generous giver. Putting our desires behind those of Jesus and those around us is not an easy thing to do, but it is possible with Jesus.
In this message, join Pastor Alex and Brooke as they process and discuss the struggle with materialism they faced, and how they fight it in their lives as followers of Jesus.
I said before that I think we are more comfortable talking about issues surrounding sex within the Church than mental health and illness.
But that doesn’t mean talking about sex and the issues around that topic are a walk in the park. In fact, for some of us, it can be incredibly difficult because of past choices and experiences.
Sexual purity is something that has been preached for centuries from the Church, and a theme we find throughout Scripture. But that doesn’t necessarily mean as a follower of Jesus, pursuing and being sexually pure is easy.
The reality is, everyone faces the same reality: we live in an overtly sexualized world. Sex sells; and for most people, their flesh wins.
I want to invite you in on a more mature conversation today. One that I hope leaves you challenged to commit to change in the areas of life you need to change. In this Conversation: Sexual Purity, Pastor Dalton and Pastor Alex share their struggle with sexual purity as a follower of Jesus, and how victory and freedom can be had!
I’m not sure if there is another topic that has been as uncomfortable to talk about in the Church as mental health and illness. I think we are even more comfortable talking about issues surrounding the topic of sex, than we are about mental health.
This conversation gives you a deeper look into the lives of myself, and Pastor Dalton, as we process with Pastor Alex our own battles with depression and faith in Jesus.
My hope is that you will find the same encouragement and hope that those who watched live did. That despite the hardships and the isolation that often times mental illness can bring, you find encouragement to move forward.
Ultimately, I hope you come to understand how much Jesus loves you and wants you to be in a Christ-centered community.
How vital is prayer to our spiritual development as a follower of Jesus? Is it a regular practice in your life? I love these thoughts about prayer:
“Prayer is God saturating our minds, or our thoughts, with His influence. Prayer will control your emotions and permit His truth to bring down the negative forces of darkness that are speaking lies to our minds and trying to corrupt our thoughts.” – Jim Maxim
I believe our commitment to and practice of prayer is a clear indication of where our relationship with Jesus is. It’s hard to maintain a relationship without communication. And the most influential relationship in our life should be steeped in consistent communication.
Take some time and pray today. Invest in the most important relationship, Jesus.
You will quickly notice as you watch through each week’s message that they build on each other.
Week two Pastor Alex and myself spent time diving into the complications many of us face when it comes to trusting others, and ultimately trusting God. Join us as we explore how our faith in and understanding of God impacts our ability to trust!
We just wrapped up a different style of Series this past Sunday at The Anchor Church in Lawrence, KS.
The last several months have brought a lot of change for the majority of us, so the last six messages we did were more discussion based. Titled Conversations, we took time to have candid, sometimes tough and raw, conversations about some tricky and important topics. For us, it was like any other day but with cameras in front of us!
My desire over these next few posts is to share with you these Conversations. Why? Simply because I believe the authenticity, insight, and wisdom that came out in these moments can be monumental for you, if you allow it.
Our first topic was Character, and the vital importance of it in ourselves and in those we surround ourselves with.
Hope you enjoy, and find yourself challenged!
Pastor Luke
Eternal Viewpoint 
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