So, really? God shows up in the world and the first people to know about it are shepherds?  Just more evidence that this fantastical story is true.  Shepherds make for lousy press secretaries and marketing agents.  

Shepherds had degraded in status since the glorious days of David.  People considered them as thieves and somewhat outcasts.  But not unlike King David, God doesn’t look at the outside, God looks at the heart and he saw something in those shepherds worth sharing good news with.  

They were the first recipients of News that would change history and affect millions and billions of lives. 

A few kids in a dusty place of no account to anyone.  They saw the angel, went to baby Jesus with wonder and puzzlement in their eyes and then, we presume, went back to shepherding. 

Shepherds who saw the baby and proclaimed praise and then went back to check on their sheep, which is exactly what God did when he came from heaven to earth – check on his sheep.

That’s the way God works, it seems.  Showing up in a flash and choir of angels, then seemingly disappearing.  I wonder what the shepherds made of it all?  They must have asked themselves, “Whatever happened to that little King and the angels that came to tell us about him?” 

Scholars tell us that these particular shepherds were almost surely young teenagers and that they were likely minding herds that would be sold for temple sacrifice.  It makes you wonder if they ever got to hear Jesus teach, 30 years after that fantastical night.  

I like to think that a few of them watched as John the Baptist pointed out adult Jesus and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  

Or maybe they were strolling by with their herd, overhearing Jesus teaching, “I am the good shepherd.  A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.”  

And maybe one or two were still around when that Good Shepherd became the Lamb that John bellowed about and it all finally clicked with them.  

The Christmas season always reminds me of the subversive ways of God.  King Jesus, born to a teenage peasant girl in a dusty rural village out of the spotlight, but still in the shadow of Rome’s immense power.  One of the reasons we know the story is true is that we never could have come up with it ourselves.  Not for nothing, but its the same way I know grace is true.  Such a subversive approach to my way of thinking.  And yours too if you get right down to it.

When Caesar issues a decree that a census is to be taken, the whole world knows at risk of death.  When King Herod is troubled, “all Jerusalem is troubled with him” because his troubles cause innocent blood shed.

Unfortunately through human history and this past Friday, that trait remains unchanged.

But when God issues a decree through one of his favorite Angels, only a couple of lowly, no account people know.  And the decree is so unbelievable, its not like God’s revelation to them is of any help.

Imagine Joseph with some friends…

“So you’re still going to marry her, Joseph?  Its not your child.”

“Yeah, an Angel told me.”

“Riiiight.”

Something subversive, counter cultural, is going on.  Caesar thinks that he is calling all the shots, Herod thinks he has power to wield, but God-in-the-background is carrying out almighty plans.

Thank God that trait remains unchanged as well.  Its what we spend this time of year celebrating.  The subversive, astonishing ways of our Creator God who comes as a helpless baby born into a zip code no one much cares about.

2000 years later, give or take, and none of spend much time thinking of Herod, as terrifying as he was back then.  And Caesar is listed as a line item in our history books.

But Mary’s boy-child Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem?

Real.  Everlasting Power.

Temporal power needs to take a census to know how immense his empire is.  Real power don’t need no census when he knows the number of hairs on our head.

Temporal power tries to keep real power at bay by shedding innocent blood.

Real power sheds innocent blood of his own accord, for children and adults everywhere.

In spite of evidence to the contrary, in a world of people who wield temporal power in devastating ways, we celebrate the King of Kings who is also the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father.

Somebody get me a carol to sing.

This FAQ was thoughtfully written by Bev Green, Discovery’s Local Outreach Liason.  I had to wrestle with this one a bit before posting, and then my beloved computer crashed, so I’m just now back online to post it.  I appreciate Bev’s perspective here.  What do you think?

Does God Consider Divorce Sin? by Bev Green

Why I picked this topic is beyond me but since divorce is such a large part of my life I guess it makes perfect sense that I felt like God was leading me to tackle this question not just for the blog but for some inner healing of my own so thanks for asking this particular question.

There are so many different directions from which to approach this question so I think I will just dig in.  While laying this question out to some other ladies we came to an interesting place and asked a new question, Is divorce sin or is it simply that sin leads to divorce?  This is the direction I hope to take. Continue reading →

“Look, the fields are white unto harvest, but the theorists are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, then to send theorists into the field.”

Said Jesus not once.

More laborers please.  Less theorists.  And please, less former pastors who now speak at conferences or who have become high priced consultants.

Last week I had the privilege of attending Movement Day, a conference dedicated to the John 17 idea of churches working together as one to serve their cities.

Rick Mckinley of Imago Dei Church in Portland spoke about issues of leadership and discipleship and gave us this nugget of gold:  (i’m paraphrasing a 30 minute talk into this summary:)

Discipleship in the western church is about moving people from “how to” to “want to.”  We live in an age where Christians crave more studies and more knowledge, but the core issue relates to the will, not the mind.  We pretend we don’t understand what Jesus wants, when actually we just don’t want to follow his commands and his lifestyle.  Repentence, then, is turning away from the things we want and turning toward the things Jesus wants.  A disciple wants what Jesus wants.

Thoughts?

Another great post from Jimmy Carnes

Why don’t Jewish people believe Jesus is the Son of God?  That he is just at prophet?  What evidence do they look at to support this?

One of the biggest reasons that Jewish people rejected Jesus over 2000 years ago as the promised Messiah is that they were expecting someone else.  Psalm 2, 72, and 110 describe the Messiah as one who would come to bring prosperity and peace to Jerusalem, shatter kings, execute judgment, and destroy all who oppose him.  The last lines of the book of Amos say, “’I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:14-15).  The prophet Daniel says, “and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:13). Continue reading →

This thoughtful post is written by Jason Ackerman who is volunteering on staff in a leadership internship.

Question: If people are never given the opportunity to learn about God, do they go to heaven or hell?

This question comes directly from our own sense of fairness, which at times can feel at odds with God’s perfect righteousness. So the first thing to remember is that God does not operate under human parameters. Consider:

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

That can be tough to swallow, but it’s the reality of being imperfect people serving a perfect God. Not only are God’s ways higher, He sees the things we cannot see: Continue reading →

Another great article by Renae Loring, our Family Ministries Pastor.  In some ways, this question opens up an endless and mindless debate, but however you approach it, all agree that a person truly saved by Christ is secure.

^{Can You Lose You Salvation?}

^{Can I lose my salvation?  Not a chance.  When you hand your life over to Christ, deciding to follow Him with everything you are, you are a “new creation in Christ.  The old has gone and the new has come.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  I can’t be uncreated.}

^{There are many verses that talk about God keeping us, and not letting us fall.  Jude 24 says, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.”  It is Christ who keeps us and presents to God, not me and my efforts or lack thereof. Continue reading →}

Here’s a second post from Dan Pence, retired pastor who often teaches at our church

Why does god condemn all to hell if they don’t accept him. How can good people be cast in with those who are so obviously evil.

The solution is found as we start to grasp the perfect holiness and love of God.

God is equally holy and love. Romans 11:22 refers to the “kindness and severity”

of God.

Part of the meaning of “holy” is “to be separate – cut out.” God is separate from

anything sinful or in conflict with his character. He does not tolerate sin, disobedience

and rebellion against his authority. Sin is counter to who God is.

“God is Love.” (1 John 4:8) That is the other side of God’s perfect being. His love

is self-giving and leads him to do what will lead to our well-being and holiness.

We struggle with this concept because we have no experience with perfect

holiness and love apart from God. Continue reading →

This Post comes from Jake Brown, our Associate Director of Youth and Discipleship.  Its another thoughtful and concise post about a very personal question

Do miscarried babies go to heaven?

There is a lot behind this question.  This question brings to light some questions about the character of God.   It is hard enough for a believer to deal with the idea of heaven and hell and the consequences here on earth.  But when we bring a baby into this equation, one who was never allowed to grow to a point of even having the opportunity to choose Christ, it becomes even more heavy.  We will first start with a few biblical premises.

As we look back in the Old Testament we see a conversation between God and one of his prophets.   In the book of Jeremiah the prophet has a vision in which he speaks with God.  Jeremiah 1:4-5  In answering this question we need to first understand that God’s knowledge of us is so much more completely than our knowledge of him.  During our spiritual walk there comes a day for many of us when we recognize the presence of God in our lives and choose to follow him.   God has been following us since before we were born.  Our first take away is that long before we have an encounter with God and even before we are born God knows us. Continue reading →