Storms

Storms – they altar the landscape of our lives. But how you stand and how you rebuild your life is not determined by the damage or change in the landscape – it is determined by the strength and integrity of your foundation and the resolve of your faith in Jesus Christ.

We have all seen people and families who are foundationless. Their lives are wholly based on the surface and landscape, and like the foolish builder, they are blown away by the storms of life. This is witnessed most often at funerals where the faithless family vainly attempts to take shelter under rootless trees. Their life is the landscape that so easily crumbles and falls around them.

Not so with the Christian. As a Christ follower, though you may feel your footing start to slip, though tragedy may knock you to your knees, a foundation of faith in God cannot be moved, for God is our Rock, our Fortress, and our Deliverer, and in Him we can put our trust (Ps. 18:2).

We can question and curse the storms. We may even question and curse God. But as mere humans, we do not and cannot fully understand the sovereignty of God. Wouldn’t you like some answers as to when and why and how God intervenes in our lives, or when he doesn’t? James writes that these storms bring about maturity in faith. Yet, there are times we still question the purpose and timing of storms.

This I know, God allows the storms, but he does not and has not abandoned us in those storms. God is with us. He is our lighthouse, our anchor, our hope that is secure, and our comfort.

I can't help but think of Job. Everything was taken from him. I think we can safely say that the landscaping of his life was wiped out. Job even said "Though he slay me, I will hope in Him." Job saw his own life as landscape, but his faith and hope in God rested below the surface; the pylons of his soul were driven deep into the bedrock of faith in God.

So when the thunder sounds, the lightning flashes, and storms of life beat against your life, head to the basement surrounded by the walls of God's love and protection.

Guardian Angels: Reality or Resistance?

Throughout the Old and New Testament we read of angels guarding the children of God. In Acts 5:19 several of the disciples were sprung from prison by an angel. Acts 12:1-15 is an account of the apostle Peter being set free from prison by an angel. He then goes to the house of Mary, John Mark's mother. Rhoda ran to tell the Christians praying for Peter that he was at the door. They had some debate and told her she was crazy. When she insisted that Peter was at the door, they responded that "it must be his angel." These Christians felt that this person at the door must be Peter's guardian angel. In other words, they felt Peter had an angel that sounded and perhaps even looked just like him.

In Matthew 18:10, Jesus speaks of little children having guardian angels in heaven that have access to God, ready to receive His orders. Psalm 91:11 suggest that even adults have angels watching over them guarding them in all their ways. Hebrews 1:14 speaks of "ministering spirits" whose purpose is to serve Christians.

On top of the biblical evidence are countless experiences so strong and widespread that it is difficult, if not impossible, to object to the idea of guardian angels. Great men and women of God from every century past spoke of miraculous escapes from threatening dangers which they could not explain in any other way but by the ministry of angels.

Yet, I find myself resistant to the idea of having a guardian angel. I'm not confident we have one particular angel assigned for our personal protection. Like John Calvin, I'm more inclined to believe angels in general are assigned to minister to humans, but not specific angels for specific men and women. Perhaps the assignments of guardian angels are temporary for a specific time and need, and not a permanent assignment for life.

I'm resistant to the idea of having a guardian angel because of their inconsistency. You can't really count on them for a special delivery when you need it the most. It seems that for every miraculous escape or deliverance there are dozens, if not hundreds, of stories when the child did fall and die, or drown, or the family did get hit by a drunk driver. Joni Erickson Tada wondered why God could not have spared one guardian angel to keep her from making that fateful dive that broke her neck.

I understand that in her case you could argue that her injury made her a far more powerful instrument for the glory of God. But that is not the case with most people who break their necks.

If you can't count on your guardian angel aren't you better off not even taking one into consideration? They fall into the same category as a plastic saint on the dash board, or a lucky rabbit's foot. It almost seems like a superstition to have any faith in the protection of guardian angels. Emerson expressed the question of thousands of parents who have lost children:

Was there no star that could be sent,
No watcher in the firmament,
No angel from the countless host
That loiter round the crystal coast,
Could stoop to heal that only child?

So what am I to do? I have the real evidence of the Bible plus the experiences from mature Christ followers on one hand, and my resistance fueled with inconsistencies and doubts on the other. How can I deal with the obligation to believe the biblical evidence and overcome an overwhelming basis of doubt?

First of all, I recognize the limitations of angels. Angels only act according to the will of God, and God has placed limitations on himself in relation to the gift of our free will. He cannot let us be free, and still make us do His will. If He could, His will would always be done. If God has limited Himself, then, of course, His servants (angels) have this same limitation.

Secondly, I can't expect a guardian angel to bail me out when I do stupid stuff. I can't expect protection if I choose to live beyond the boundaries. When I travel I do pray to Jesus to protect us, and ask for the protection of His angels, but I use all the wisdom I have learned over the years to make sure I am driving in a way that does not endanger myself or others.

Thirdly, no where am I told to rely or put my faith in angels; I can't claim to their protection. I need to trust in Jesus Christ, and live in obedience to the wisdom of His Word. I need to make the right decision and do my best to avoid harm. But my prayer should not be to have a life free of tragedy, instead that I would be faithful to God in the midst of tragedy.

To sum it all up, I believe in guardian angels. It is my hope that I may be spared from tragedy that is beyond my control, but I take my responsibility very seriously to protect myself and my family, and I do not expect angels to do what is my job to do.

Journey through Ephesians

My new sermon series comes from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus (Ephesians). It is a rich letter that addresses the journey we make to God (connect), the journey we make with God (grow), the journey we make for God (serve), and what it means to enjoy the journey (celebrate).

To have it track along with our church's mission statement – Helping others find their way back to God by connecting with Christ, growing in Christ, serving Christ, and celebrating Christ – it was necessary to skip around a bit, instead of covering it straight through from beginning to end.

I'm looking forward to the series as it contains challenging topics and it will force me to prepare expository messages.

Christmas Eve Service

I was very pleased with how this year's Christmas Eve Service turned out. We kept it fairly simple which made it very reflective and meaningful.

Even though it was simple in structure, we had several firsts:

• We setup the CLC with chairs around the stage which was in the middle of the room. I really liked the closeness it brought. I must say preaching to an audience that was all around the stage turned out to be more distracting than I had imagined. It would definitely take some practice. I found myself thinking more about where to look next, than on what I wanted to say.
  
• David led all of the carols a cappella. A very nice touch.
  
• We used individual prepackaged communion wafers and juice. It solved the issue of rounding up servers. Those who would normally serve were able to sit with their families. And it enabled us to partake in unison. The only drawback was the crinkling noise of opening them up.
  
• Though not a first, it had been a while since we had everyone light a candle at the end of the service…a nice final touch. Note to self: Next time make sure the candles are not individually wrapped in plastic!
  

What I love to see most of all are the families who come and worship together. What a great way to begin Christmas!

Pulpit Talk - Christmas Sermon Series

[Pulpit Talk will contain thoughts and comments about my sermons and sermon series.]

My sermon series this Christmas is about the salvation God offers through Jesus Christ.

I must confess I was a bit skeptical how it would be received, since it isn’t your typical Joseph, Mary, and baby in a manger Christmas series. Let’s face it, some people – correct that – most people expect to hear a traditional Christmas message around Christmas time, after all it is one of the greatest stories of all time. God the Creator steps into His own creation. As Michael Card wrote in his song To The Mystery, “No fiction as fantastic and wild -- a mother made by her own child!” The Christmas story is truly remarkable and people like to hear it told.

Even I, in doing some pre-sermon planning for the series, had a difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit, because instead of studying the habits of shepherds and the plight of the Magi, I was in places like 2 Timothy, Ephesians and Hebrews. I had my own Christmas expectations and wishes.

We like to hear about the events that took place in the small town of Bethlehem – and we should hear them during this time, but my fear is that by focusing only the characters and events that make up the pieces of the Nativity we endanger ourselves of losing sight of the movement behind the manger scene – God wonderfully composing and orchestrating a plan that would turn the hearts of men back to Him.

So this Christmas I have dared to abandon (though not completely) the traditional Christmas story to talk about salvation – God’s offer, our response, and the assurance we have in Christ.

Preach the Word,
Phil