Category: Bruce’s Blogs

The more I interact with people about their faith or just spiritual things in general, the more I find the conversations focusing on what people know and what they do. Most people, when we’re talking about their faith, describe their faith by what they know about the Bible or the Quran or certain philosophies or by what they do, like going to church, praying, meditating, and doing good works. To be honest, this happens whether I’m talking to folks who consider themselves to be Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, or even Christian.

However, most Christians with whom I speak will make a distinction that their faith is more of a relationship with God, and I would agree that one of the greatest distinctions between our Christian faith and any other religion or worldview is that we are able to know God and have a relationship with God through our faith in Jesus. But when many Christians talk about their relationship with God, again, they describe it by telling what they know and what they do.

So what does it really mean to have a relationship with God? Is it really enough to know about God, to know what Jesus said and did, and to say or do certain things because the Bible “tells me so”? Does that mean we really know Jesus? I mean, just because we are aware of the fact that George Washington was born in February 1732, that he was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and that he was the first president of the United States, does that mean that we know George Washington? Would celebrating his birth by buying a mattress on Presidents Day prove that we know him any better? Certainly not. For one thing, George Washington died in 1799, and he is still buried at Mount Vernon, while we worship and serve a living Savior.

But how might we know Jesus? Paul wrote this in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Paul’s goal wasn’t to know about Jesus – to know the details of his life and ministry, to know the content of his teaching – his goal was to know Jesus, to have a relationship with Jesus. The key is in the phrase “fellowship of sharing.” That’s not a mental exercise; it’s not something you can learn. It’s something that must be experienced.

In order to know Jesus, we need to fellowship with Jesus, to share, as Paul wrote, in the suffering of Jesus, even to the point of “becoming like him in his death.” Obviously, since Jesus walked the earth nearly 2000 years ago, we will need to learn about Jesus; so we ought to spend some time and put some effort into reading the Bible, studying it, and meditating on it, so that we might know about his life, ministry, suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. If not, how can we share in those things?

Then, as we learn about Jesus, we can fellowship with him and share with him in his sufferings. The first step would be in sharing in his death, burial, and resurrection through our own baptism. Paul explains this in Romans 6:3-5:

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

That’s how we actually know Jesus; that’s how we have a living relationship with Jesus. When we share in his death, burial, and resurrection and when we share in his sufferings – struggling with temptation, being separated from friends and family and even persecuted because of our faith – that’s when we know Jesus. That’s something that we share with a living Savior and not just something we know. And when we know Jesus in that way, that’s something that we can share with others, so that they might know our living Savior.

There’s a story about Benjamin Franklin as he left the Constitutional Convention that people asked him what kind of government the delegates had developed for this new country and Franklin reportedly said, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Franklin’s response speaks volumes in a few words. Not only had the people of the former British colonies fought to grasp liberty for themselves as a nation, but they would have to continue struggling to maintain that liberty. There is a natural struggle within a representative form of government, such as this democratic republic of ours, to resist serving itself while serving the people. This is why our Founding Fathers labored so diligently to draft our Constitution and why they immediately determined to amend it with a Bill of Rights.

There is also a struggle among those people to resist creating a government that serves individuals versus the people as a nation. When governments and people serve themselves, the nation loses its liberty, and as we lose our liberty, we also lose our peace. So for the sake of peace, we struggle to maintain our liberty as a nation, which seems like an understatement in view of our current election season.

As Christians, we must do our part to maintain peace in our world, which has been true for all Christians throughout the history of the church, regardless of location or nationality. In 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Paul wrote:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Paul tells us that our primary means of maintaining peace is to pray for everyone, especially for “those in authority.” He also tells us that such peace allows us to live our lives “in all godliness and holiness.” Paul says that not only does this please God but it also contributes to God’s desire for all people to know the truth and be saved. In other words, Paul tells Christians to pray for their leaders in order to maintain peace, which allows us to live our lives according to God’s truth in the view of others so that they might be saved.

This kind of prayer for worldly leaders has enabled the church not only to survive but thrive, even under the authority of leaders who have opposed and persecuted Christians. How has the church thrived despite persecution? Because the church prays for its persecutors. Jesus made it pretty clear when he said in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” There’s no doubt that there are people who have opposed and persecuted the church throughout the centuries, and even in our country where “freedom of religion” is protected within the Bill of Rights, but there’s no doubt that God expects his people to love and pray for those people.

Certainly, there are times and people that push the limits of our love – it is an election year – but that reinforces the fact that our peace and liberty are worth the struggle. With every headline that makes us wonder about our elected officials – and those who elect them – we should find ourselves more determined to pray for them. And we should pray for them not so they change their minds and be more like “us” but so we might all live peacefully. As we all live in peace, our godly and holy living ought to be evidence of the truth of God’s Word and lead our so-called evidence to trust and follow God, too.

As I write this, I can hear the low drone of the cicadas through closed windows and over the sound of the traffic. Cicadas are strange, aren’t they? It baffles me to think that the cicadas we see and hear now came from eggs that were laid 17 years ago. I suppose, as the father of three teenagers, it shouldn’t seem strange that they’ve spent most of their lives underground surviving by sucking the life out of trees. In fact, as Claire has now graduated from high school and will soon be going off to college, it probably shouldn’t seem strange to me that life is often a matter of slow growth.

And it’s the same with the church, not just our church, but any church. Healthy, sustainable growth is often slow growth. Sure, there might be growth spurts along the way, just as there are with raising kids, but for the most part, healthy growth is usually slow and steady.

Throughout the Bible, we find many agricultural references, and that ought to tip us off that God’s view of growth is likely more organic than mechanical; that is, God’s people are born and raised and not simply made. Even though we talk about making disciples (as in Matthew 28:18-20), it seems that the process is more like planting seeds, watering them, and helping as God makes them grow (as in 1 Corinthians 3:6). Even though there is a sense of urgency that ought to prompt us to share the Gospel message with others, real growth takes time. James 5:7 reminds us of this when James writes, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.” Our urgency is a matter of need – everybody needs Jesus – and a matter of not knowing when Jesus will return, but growth is a natural process, and it takes time.

However, we do have some influence in how effective that time might be. First, we need to encourage one another within the church, as I preached recently from Hebrews 3:13, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.” That encouragement comes when we watch out for one another but also as we work together. For example, Paul suggests that older men and women need to encourage and teach younger men and women in 1 Timothy 5 and Titus 2. That kind of encouragement, over time, helps us to grow as individuals and as the church.

Second, we need to be purposeful in how we share the Gospel and make disciples. In Galatians 6:10, Paul tells the church to make use of opportunities to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” In Ephesians 5:15, 16 he tells us, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” And that wisdom is important because we are living in a world that resists God, which is why Paul also wrote in Colossians 4:5, 6, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

And that’s what takes time: talking to people outside the church, treating them well, and answering their questions. The process ought to make us think about Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13 about the sower who went out to plant a field and the seed fell on the path, among the rocks, and on good soil. It’s one thing to read that parable and recognize that some people might not receive the Gospel message and grow; it’s another thing to recognize that we might need to put some more time and effort into preparing the field by removing the rocks or into protecting and coaxing seedlings as they grow, even if they’re “on the path.”

As we watch ourselves grow in our own faith and knowledge of Jesus, let’s not forget how long it has taken us to get where we are. Let’s work together and share the Good News and help others grow. Let’s encourage each other as we grow, no matter how slowly.

The recent series, “A Rebuilding Season,” seems to have struck a nerve with some people, especially myself – I suppose it’s a good idea that the preacher’s sermons would affect change at least within the preacher. And that’s the point; these sermons were not planned, written, or preached with the sole purpose of making changes within the church – that is, the church as a building or as an organization or as a gathering event. These sermons were focused primarily on prompting changes within each of us as individuals.

The simple reality is this: there’s no rebuilding the church if there’s no rebuilding its members. Even if all the members work together to restore old programs or to establish new ones, if the people who are the church are not solid on their own foundation in Christ, they will not succeed. For that reason, it’s at the top of my list to focus on preaching and teaching the Bible and sound biblical doctrine. For that reason, we are going to offer Bible studies and classes that focus on the Bible and sound biblical doctrine.

However, consuming good, healthy Bible lessons and sermons doesn’t necessarily mean good, healthy growth if we are not intentional about growing in our faith and knowledge. In his letter to the Colossian church, the apostle Paul told the early church that it was his prayer that they would grow in their knowledge of God, but knowledge wasn’t enough. He wrote in Colossians 1:10-12

We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Paul wanted the early church to know that it wasn’t enough just to know about God or to know his Words but to do something with that knowledge.

The idea of rebuilding ourselves or building on a solid foundation starts with God’s Word, and that leads us to “live a life worthy of the Lord” so that we might “please him in every way.” With that knowledge, we do what it tells us are good works, and through those good works, we bear fruit. With that knowledge, we grow in strength so that we might be able to do those good works and so that we might endure any opposition or persecution to that work. And because we have that knowledge and its strength and because we have endured through the work and the opposition, we are able to praise God.

It seems that we come together as the church to grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus, which helps us grow in our strength and ability to do good works, which leads us to praise God. So as we work on rebuilding our own lives, we find ourselves rebuilding the church. As we grow as individuals, we grow together as a body. As we work out our faith as individuals, we work as a body. As we praise God as individuals, we praise God as a body.

If you find yourself wondering what you can do to help rebuild the church, start with working on your own relationship with God. As you rebuild your own faith through the knowledge of God’s Word, through doing the good works that God’s Word leads us to do, and through your own praise to God for the knowledge, strength, and endurance he has given you, you will find yourself building up the church.

Aging is a strange process. While we are young, we can’t wait to get older; when we discover we are old, we wish we were younger. It has recently come to my attention that I am getting older, more than that: I am an adult. I discovered this upon my realization that not only will our daughter graduate from high school within two months but we will release her into the world to begin making her own way. Even though we have, throughout the years, done our best to raise our children well, we can only hope that they grow up to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually mature. Now that our daughter is technically an adult and soon to be headed off to college, I have realized that an important aspect of our own maturity is the ability to help others grow and mature.

This is especially important within the church. Throughout the Scriptures, from Old Testament through the New Testament, there is much evidence that reveals God’s plan for his people to grow and mature by the help and guidance of others, especially from one generation to another, whether there is a family relationship or not. There is no doubt that God’s primary plan for raising children in their faith and knowledge of God and his will is through the example of and teaching by parents and the extended family; this is the foundation of Israel’s identity as we read it in Deuteronomy 6 and elsewhere.

God’s message is a message for all ages and for the ages; it is meant to be taught and learned – and lived – by both young and old and for all time. So, as this was true then for God’s people Israel, it is also true now for God’s people, the Church. The apostle Paul reminded Timothy, whom he called his “true son in the faith,” to encourage the people of the church to grow in this way, writing in 1 Timothy 5:1, 2:

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

It seems that Paul recognized that the church should also behave as God’s family and that God’s children ought to treat each other with respect and honor. However, that relationship wasn’t just for the sake of harmony within the family; it was intended to help us grow and mature together.

Paul gives us several examples of this intergenerational growth and development within the church in Titus 2:2-8. Here he encourages older men to live honorable lives of faith. He encourages older women to be good examples, teaching younger women to be good wives and mothers. Paul encourages young men to be self-controlled. In each of these relationships, Paul directs the older and younger men and women to help each other grow and mature, to live exemplary lives so that the world will not have legitimate reasons to accuse Christians of doing wrong. This is no less important today.

Unfortunately for us at Athens Church of Christ, it’s painfully obvious that we have very few children, much less younger men and women, whom we may help grow and mature in their faith and knowledge of Jesus. But not only should that give us a dire warning about the future of this church body, it should also give us a warning about our ability as individuals to grow in our own faith. Since it is important for our own maturity to teach and help others, our lack of young people – children, teens, and adults – will certainly affect our own growth. Not only will we not grow numerically, we will not grow spiritually.

Certainly, we’re missing the younger people, but whether they are here or not, we must begin to prepare for them to be here. First, we need to take Paul’s advice and continue working on our own lives, so others will be drawn to Jesus through our lives and so we will be able to teach and train others. Second, we need to be ready to welcome them, and that means we need to have people ready to rock babies in the nursery, to teach in Sunday school and children’s church, to prepare rooms and materials for classes and programs. Last, we who are here now must help each other change and grow as individuals so that we might change and grow as a body, and let me be frank, if you are not prepared to change yourself to welcome others or to help others grow, don’t be surprised if you find your own growth to be stunted. Let us be encouraged by God’s plan and efforts through this body which he has gifted, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:12, 13, “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Many of us who have grown up in the church or who have attended a church for a while probably have a list of expectations about what “church” ought to be like – how we worship, how we teach or preach, how we make disciples, how we are organized, and so on. For many of us, most of what the church is supposed to do is supposed to happen in the church building on a Sunday morning, and much of what is supposed to be done is supposed to be done by the guy behind the pulpit.

However, ministry isn’t always what you might expect. In their book Lost in America: How Your Church Can Impact the World Next Door, ministers and church-growth experts Tom Clegg and Warren Bird wrote, “In America, it takes the combined effort of eighty-five Christians working over an entire year to produce one convert” (page 29). While Clegg and Bird point out that the average American church is largely ineffective in its primary task – making disicples – one thing that we should take from their statement is that most of what the church is supposed to do actually happens outside the walls of the church building and is most often done by someone other than the minister.

This simple fact remains: every one of us is called to make disciples; that’s what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, 20, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Even though we read about the leadership of Jesus’ disciples throughout the New Testament, much of the work of the early church was done from day to day by the early Christians. Following the death of Stephen in Acts 7, we can read in Acts 8:1, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria,” and then in Acts 8:4 it says, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

The early Christians made disciples by preaching the word, but they also influenced the people around them through their daily lives. Tabitha, known to most of us as Dorcas, was a great example of this; Acts 9:36 tells us that she was a disciple “who was always doing good and helping the poor.” This should show us that not only do we share the Gospel through preaching and teaching, but we can also share it by what we do because of our faith. That’s why James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” and then in James 2:18, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

Again, ministry isn’t always what you might expect. One of the greatest opportunities for ministering to the community of Athens is through our preschool. It’s unfortunate that even within our church we seem to forget that the preschool is a ministry of Athens Church of Christ and not another organization that uses the building. Not only does the preschool provide a service of preparing children to enter kindergarten, but they also teach lessons from the Bible and demonstrate God’s love not only to the children but to their families. And because many of the children are from international families, the preschool’s influence goes beyond our community and into the world. If you have an opportunity to visit the preschool, check out one of our most successful ministries. Also, be sure to thank the director, Denise Gregory; the treasurer, Toni Llewellyn; and board members Bev Guider, Penny Stout, and Dick Grinstead for their leadership in this ministry.

But more than that, find your own ministry, and remember that it doesn’t have to happen here in the building. If you need some ideas of where you can help, consider holding babies in the nursery, visiting folks who are unable to attend regularly, reading to children in the preschool, or helping with community meals on Tuesdays. There’s a lot of work to be done to make disciples in this community, and we need to work together to get it done.

We like a lot of options, don’t we? When building a new house or buying a new car or even a new computer, you find yourself facing all kinds of great options. So you spend some time imagining all the possibilities and put together an idea of what you really want. Then you have to ask the question, “What is this going to cost?” When the salesperson looks at you with dollar signs in their eyes, you know it’s going to be expensive. Then you have to decide. Can I afford it? What do I have to give up?

It’s no different when trying to grow the church. While teaching about becoming a disciple, Jesus made the same comparison in Luke 14:28, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” Jesus taught that following him has a cost, that some might lose their families and that others might lose their lives (Luke 14:25). When it comes to becoming a follower of Jesus and growing his church and we ask the question, “What is this going to cost?” the answer could be: everything.

We have held a couple of meetings where several people gathered to brainstorm ideas of what we can do to grow as a church. We’ve shared all kinds of ideas, from starting new programs for children and families to changing our worship services to hiring a youth minister. We have been dreaming big, and when we get to the point of making some decisions, we have been asking, “What is this going to cost?” And then there’s a pause. In fact, we’re still paused, because we’re still thinking about the cost.

For some of us, the cost of beginning a 9:00 Sunday school program for children will be giving up our own Sunday school class or coming to the building an hour earlier than when we usually arrive for worship at 10:00. For others, the cost might be giving up the way we like to worship or the time we like to worship. For most of us, the cost will be giving up things with which we are familiar and comfortable.

And as we consider the cost, we’re going to start asking, “Is it worth it?” The stark reality is this: when we ask whether it’s worth it to make changes in the church, we’re really weighing the differences between life and death. Is it worth losing what I like for the sake of someone else’s eternal life? Am I willing to let this church die for the sake of my own personal preferences?

Jesus prompted similar questions about following him when he taught these parables in Matthew 13:44-46:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

I pray that each of us would consider the value of what we have as the body of Christ and agree that we would be willing to give up everything for the sake of sharing what we have through this church.

I should say that there have been no decisions made about where we’re going or how we’re going to get there – we’re still trying to figure out “who we are” – it’s going to take time. However, make no mistake: change is going to happen, whether we make it happen or let it happen to us. As you think about what we can do to reach our community for Jesus, count the cost and consider the words of the missionary Jim Elliott who was killed taking the Gospel to the native people of Ecuador, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

 

I read a lot of magazine articles, web pages, and blog posts about church growth and leadership. Frankly, I often feel overwhelmed when facing the tasks of preaching and teaching and working with our leaders to help this body of believers grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus. I need the help; I need ideas.

What I don’t need are gimmicks. A few years ago, there was a church in Missouri where the preacher gave his sermon while a young woman was given a tattoo on stage. No kidding. Basically he preached about having a faith that can’t be wiped away; so having someone get a tattoo on stage was relevant, but I’m fairly certain it was inappropriate.

For some reason, some people – preachers, churches, or average Christians – think they need gimmicks to make the Gospel more interesting or even more palatable. The argument often goes like this: if you want to reach “this” group of people, then you need to do something like “that.” This argument makes several seriously flawed assumptions.

First, it assumes that anyone can accurately and adequately define any group of people; most definitions like that are hasty generalizations and stereotypes. Second, it assumes that all the people you’ve lumped together into a group are going to respond to any specific event, message, or medium in one specific way. Third, it assumes that individuals will reject your message out of hand because it doesn’t conform to a specific method. Last, it assumes that targeting one group of people will be more successful than communicating your message to a wider audience.

Granted, Paul did write in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” However, it seems that Paul was more concerned about meeting individuals where they were culturally and spiritually rather than trying to draw a crowd of curious spectators, hoping to win a few.

Perhaps a better perspective comes from Jesus’ parable of the sower from Matthew 13. In this parable the man sows seed by casting it broadly. Many different soils received the seed, but only the receptive soil allowed the seed to grow and produce a harvest. If we balance Paul’s approach with Jesus’ parable, maybe what we need to work on is our preparation of the soil instead of our aim; maybe we need to work on building more and better relationships with people to prepare them for receiving the Gospel than trying to target specific people with a specially prepared message.

Regardless of the approach, we must remember that the Gospel message doesn’t need gimmicks to make it more interesting or appealing. Another article I read recently stated, “If Christianity bores you, then you haven’t met Jesus.” If we discover that people are bored with the church or its message, we’ve probably been preaching and teaching the wrong message. Our message is Jesus, and after celebrating the birth of Jesus, there shouldn’t be any question about how exciting Jesus is!

Maybe we’re not living our lives in a way that reveals how exciting Jesus is. Perhaps we’re focused on the wrong message in our own lives; maybe we’re focusing on the “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” instead of Jesus’ message in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

I’m not going to say that we will never change what we do or how we do it, but we will never change our focus on sharing the Good News of God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus. We will never change our mission of making disciples in this community.

As we go into a new year, let me assure you that I won’t be riding a motorcycle down the aisle or getting a tattoo while I preach, and we won’t be installing beer taps in the fellowship hall just to bring in a few enthusiastic new believers. I will, however, continue preaching about our amazing, life-giving Savior, Jesus Christ, and I will do my best to communicate with as much love and enthusiasm as the Holy Spirit leads. I pray you will join me on this wild ride!

I’d be surprised if you haven’t seen the movie “A Christmas Story” at least once in your lifetime, but don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll have at least a few dozen more opportunities to catch it on TV this season. At the climax of the movie, Christmas Morning, the main character, Ralphie, has to try on his gift from Aunt Clara, who, Ralphie says, “Had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl.” And so he had to endure the humiliation of wearing a handmade, pink bunny costume. As Ralphie’s father put it, “He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny…. He looks like a pink nightmare.”

Obviously, this wasn’t an appropriate gift for a nine-year-old boy. Certainly, such a gift required a lot of time and effort to produce, and I’m pretty sure that if I had been in Ralphie’s situation, my parents would have told me, “It’s the thought that counts.” That usually means the receiver ought to be grateful for the thoughtfulness that led to the gift, if not for the gift itself. Gratitude is certainly a trait that parents want to help their children develop, but at some point, it seems we’re promoting the idea, “Just be glad you got a gift.” That seems to be the idea behind the last-minute, impulse-buy gifts at the checkout counters – the deodorant gift boxes and the rack of gift cards to every restaurant and store under the sun – it doesn’t matter that you haven’t put any thought into giving a gift, just give one so I/they can receive one. Clearly, the thought behind the gift needs to be more than, “Oh, I forgot to buy a gift!”

While we don’t want to get caught up in the materialism that seems to define our culture’s view of Christmas, we probably ought to put some thought into giving gifts. The low-level thinking that leads us to give gifts without much effort or consideration feeds the materialistic mindset of thoughtlessly receiving of gifts. Sure, we need to keep God’s perspective as we celebrate Jesus’ birth, remembering that John 3:16 says God “gave.” Let’s not forget, however, that God put a lot of thought into his gift.

God’s gift of Jesus and eternal life through Jesus came out of God’s love for the people he created. God’s gift wasn’t an impulse because God’s just a “nice guy.” There was careful planning and consideration. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:7 and 2 Timothy 1:9 that God’s plan was determined “before time began.” God’s gift was given because of his love for the world, but it wasn’t a random gift, it was something he planned before we were created.

There was a lot of thought that went into God’s gift, but more importantly, perhaps, the gift was given, and it was given at great sacrifice and with love. Now, I’m not saying that each of us has to give extravagant gifts the way God has given us his one and only Son Jesus, certainly not to the point of indebtedness, but perhaps our celebration of Christmas would seem less materialistic if we put some serious thought into why we are giving gifts. If it’s a matter of giving because it’s expected, because you’re hoping nobody feels left out, it’s time for a little more thought.

If giving gifts to others is how you celebrate God’s gift to the world, one that was planned from before the creation of the universe, then you’re probably on the right track. As you purchase, wrap, and give gifts this Christmas season, remember God’s love and share it with every gift. Even if you do send a pink bunny suit to a nine-year-old boy, make sure that he knows it’s because you love him and because God loved the world in such a way that he sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to give us eternal life.

I know this is going to make me one of “them,” but it has to be said: the holidays are coming. As I write this, there are about five weeks until Thanksgiving and about nine until Christmas. (My mother would be appalled that I have called attention to it; please forgive me.)

This is the time of year when church newsletters and Sunday sermons remind us to be thankful because, you know, it’s that time of year. Shouldn’t we be concerned that we have to be reminded to be thankful and at a certain time of year?

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Paul was writing to a church that was facing persecution, and so Paul tried to encourage them to be faithful despite the persecution. While I’m sure the early Christians needed encouragement throughout their persecution, the fact that Paul uses the words always, continually, and all tells me that his hope, if not expectation, was for them to have an on-going positive attitude with on-going positive action. Paul didn’t tell them, “Be joyful when you feel like it; pray when you need to; be thankful when it’s appropriate”; he expects a constant, consistent attitude of joy and gratitude and dependence on God.

What that tells me is that, instead of focusing on an annual celebration of thanksgiving, we ought to be in a daily mode of thanksgiving. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. Even though we might not be in a time of outright persecution because we’re Christians, life itself doesn’t always lead us to be thankful, does it? However, don’t we typically put aside many of our difficulties, even tragedies, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday? Don’t the negative experiences and feelings tend to amplify what we have to be thankful for, at least on that one day? And yet we anticipate the celebration and prepare for it. Perhaps we ought to extend that preparation throughout the year.

Just as we find ourselves preparing to celebrate the holidays weeks in advance, perhaps we ought to develop the habit of preparing to be thankful every day. Maybe the everyday difficulties, maybe the sudden tragedies, maybe even the more frequent persecution of Christians ought to lead us to be thankful every day for what we have and for what God has done. With every tough day on the job, with every painful step of an aching body, with every moment of absence from our loved ones, perhaps we ought to prepare to be thankful.

How might we do that? Paul says, “Be joyful always.” Paul doesn’t tell us to be happy all the time; he tells us to be joyful. Happiness is a response to what happens in our lives; when things don’t go well, when people are unkind, we’re not happy. Joy is a matter of contentment despite what happens; it’s not a matter of ignoring the bad things that happen as much as it’s a matter of remembering the things that don’t change: God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus; the bond we have with others through our mutual faith in Jesus; the hope we share with other Christians for eternal life. These things are constant, despite the continual changes of life around us; so we can be joyful always.

Paul says, “Pray continually.” Because God doesn’t change from day to day, we can build our joy on him and his faithfulness to hear our prayers and to answer them. So even when circumstances don’t go the way we want them to, we can pray, and knowing that God is faithful, we can give thanks in all circumstances.

So, while we’re buying up the cans of pumpkin and the pecans and all the other supplies for our celebrations, let’s also prepare to be thankful. When the lines at the grocery store tries our patience, be joyful in God’s provision for our needs. When the sadness of separation comes with the thought of an empty place at the table, pray for God’s comfort. When the headlines tell of another tragedy, thank God for the hope of heaven. Prepare now to be thankful always.