In this series of advent posts, I will share the words of the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and birth. The words that follow are from the gospels and are combined, not edited. With the hope that we might encounter the story afresh, I’ve removed the chapters and verses from the story itself (you can find them in the footnotes). Last week we began the story of Jesus’ birth in eternity. Today, we watch as hearts are prepared for the arrival of the Messiah, the King and Savior promised from of old. In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. www.thebeehive.live.

Christmas is inundated with some rich wonderful holiday music that lends a profound fullness to the holiday season.  The messages in this music are far different than most of the music that we listen to throughout the year. With days shortened and the breathtaking migrations now concluded, the last leaves of autumn would spin in some nimble dance set to the music of the seasons, bow in the exit of a season well lived, and then graciously turn the stage of the world over to a winter’s rest.  With fall having spun off the stage until the next year’s curtain call, the world would rub sleepy eyes, wrap itself in a fleecy blanket of wooly-white snow, roll over and slowly drift off to a winter’s slumber.  And it was on a horizon of frothy snow and winter’s white that Christmas headed our way.   I grew up with Christmas carols listlessly floating through our house throughout the holidays.  With the tree sparkling in a perpetual cascade of color, the woodsy aroma of burning hardwood in the fireplace, frothy hot chocolate rubbing everything sweet, windows resplendently edged by frost’s brilliant artistry, and with snow tenderly pirouetting with winter’s wind, the music drifted through the house and cavorted with our hearts.  It somehow lent a voice to it all, and in doing so it seemed to draw out and magnify the deepest essence each thing.   Music gave the season a voice.  Its melodies embroidered everything, framing all the elements of the holidays and showcasing them in a way grander than any museum could ever hope to replicate.  And in the embroidering, it brought them all together in a splendid sort of unity wherein their voices coalesced in a manner so utterly marvelous that you almost couldn’t stand it.   While the sweetness of the melodies were ‘captivating’, I later learned that the prose in the lyrics were ‘life-changing’.  Although I had not recognized it earlier, the power of the words exceeded the majesty of the melody.  And I soon learned that although I had left the words aside on the distant edges of the melody, it was the words that moved me.  The melody was the means by which the words were delivered.  I had paid attention to the packaging of melody, thinking it alone was the message when all along it was the lyrics.   The Lyrics of the World The world is inundated by music, or what purports to be music.  It likewise embroiders everything, framing the elements of our lives and our existence.  Its penmanship is born of the musing of men, absent of anything more for by ourselves we cannot be more.  Therefore, it’s scrawling’s will be infected by the poison of our depravity, spun bare by the bane of our bias, grated thin by our greed, and it will be held a helpless hostage to the confines of our limitations. And because man’s music is crafted by both pen and ink of this sort, we would be wise to ask, “What are the lyrics?”  What is it that’s embroidering and framing this world of ours?  What is it that’s lending a voice to our seasons?  What are the words that we’ve pushed off to the distant edges of the melody?  What are the lyrics, because if we listen to them, we will live them.   The Lyrics of Christmas The lyrics of Christmas are freed of the scrawling penmanship of men.  And because they are, they call us to all that is good and to live expecting all that is great.  They inspire us against the bane of mediocrity and the cancer of selfishness.  They bid that we boldly raise ourselves beyond ourselves and be merciless in throwing down everything that throws us down.  They challenge us to embrace the wholeness of our humanity rather than wallowing in the greed of our depravity.  They are lyrics of the very liberation that we fear, but the exact liberation that we need.  They call us to a restoration of everything that we were made to be but everything that we have stubbornly refused to be.   They are lyrics penned by a God who stepped into the sordid rubbish of our own soiled depravity so that we might join Him in a grand reversal of humanity restored.  They are the lyrics of a great turning, of a freefall reversed and destruction destroyed.  They are the light relentlessly shining into the twisted catacombs of our own creation within which we have buried ourselves.  And if in fact we live the lyrics that we are listening to, these are the lyrics that I wish to hear.  These are the words I wish to sing.   And so, at this time of Christmas you might ask yourself, “What are the lyrics that I am listening to?”  For whatever they are, they are what you will live.

Breath of Heaven, Hold me together Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven Breath of Heaven, Light my darkness Pour over me, your holiness, For you’re holy Breath of Heaven The LORD is my light and salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? So many of us hold Mary, the mother of Jesus, in a very high esteem because she was chosen by God to carry His Son and bring Him into the world. It was the greatest task anyone has ever been given. Even though we hold Mary in high esteem, it’s important to remember that she was a normal person just like us. In fact, she probably battled fear as much if not more so than most people. She was an unmarried teenager that found herself miraculously pregnant after an angel told her she would give birth to the Messiah. She was probably afraid of the great task that God had given her and dealt with fear from the backlash she and Joseph received because of the unique pregnancy. She was probably battled fear on their long journey to Jerusalem as she was nine months pregnant and taking a long journey on a donkey. Despite her fear, however, she remained faithful to God and the task they were given. The song Breath of Heaven gives us a prayer that Mary most likely prayed asking God to hold her together, be near her, and to light her darkness. How many times have you prayed a similar prayer? Christmas is a joyous time, but the reality is that for many of us, it’s hard to experience that joy in the midst of all the turmoil and trials that are happening around us. Just as God protected and guided Mary through a difficult time, allow Him to guide you this Christmas. Pray and share with Him what troubles your spirit and allow Him to restore the joy of Christmas within you by holding you together, being forever near you, and lighting your darkness. Questions: What trials are you enduring currently that ‘s robbing you of the joy of Christmas? What are some things you can do to reclaim joy and hope in your life?

Have you ever wondered exactly what we mean when we invite you to experience hope? Perhaps you are going through a crisis … A health crisis A financial crisis An issue in their marriage or family And in our culture today, it’s very easy for a faith reset to cause someone to either strengthen their faith or walk away from it. The Jewish believers in the book of Hebrews were not only losing faith, but they were also rejecting faith. They were going to go back to their old ways. Hebrews is about a time of persecution against those who chose to believe Jesus was the Messiah. Christian was not a term of endearment. The Jews saw Christianity as a cult that needed to be eradicated. Back then, you didn’t accidentally fall into Christianity. If you chose to believe in Christ, you were coming out of deep-rooted Judaism. Proclaiming yourself as one who follows Jesus was a dangerous thing to do. The book of Hebrews is written to encourage these Jews, who were believers, not to leave the faith. This brings us to the second way people can respond to a faith crisis. They are: 2. Not only losing faith but rejecting it. Reaching out to minister to someone who’s losing their faith requires a vastly different approach from those who are trusting but troubled. Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter, lists the stories told to these Jewish believers who are starting to lose their faith. By faith … Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice … Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death … Noah built an ark … Abraham obeyed God and went, not knowing where he was going … Sarah received power to conceive … When you’re ministering to a person who is losing faith, tell them stories of great faith, moving from the past to the present. Maybe you share your own story with them. Stories of others that encourage them to hang in there because God is faithful and then bring them to the future.

Seasons of adversity—economic or otherwise—do not catch God off guard. He knows everything that is going on in our world. He also knows what lies ahead. He is orchestrating all things to fulfill His eternal, redemptive purposes and to glorify Himself. God cares about how adverse circumstances affect the lives of His children. Those circumstances may be intense and painful at times, but they do not have to overwhelm us or steal our peace. In fact, in the ultimate sense,  anything that makes us need God is a blessing! Crises can provide opportunities for God’s people to flourish spiritually and to point others to Christ who is our only Rock and hope—not only in this present time, but for all eternity. Many practical strategies and tools are available to help people weather financial crises. Here is some biblical counsel and perspective to help strengthen your heart in the midst of these uncertain times. Look upward, rather than outward or inward.  Our perspective and where we place our focus determines our responses to turbulent times. People should be able to look at Christians and see a response to pressure that is distinctly different —“unexplainable”! Tell God your needs.  Ask Him for provision, wisdom, direction, and grace to persevere. Ask God to use this season of turmoil and uncertainty to bring about revival and spiritual awakening in our churches and in our country. Learn the secret of contentment.  Contentment flows out of believing that God has provided everything we need for the present moment and that He will provide all we need in the future. Ask God to fulfill His purposes . God uses adversity to show us what is in our hearts, to purify us, and to deepen our dependence on Him. Seasons of leanness can prove to be times of great blessing, as people are stripped of self-reliance and their hearts are turned toward the Lord. Allow God to purify your heart.  Lean times can be a means of God’s chastening—both personally and corporately. Ask God what He is trying to say through these circumstances; let Him search your heart, and then respond in humility and obedience. Allow God to reorder your priorities as needed.  Times of economic hardship or loss expose what matters most to us and what we really love. They provide an opportunity to identify any tendency to accumulate “stuff” we don’t need, and to take steps toward a more moderate lifestyle. Place your confidence in the Lord.  He can be trusted. He loves you, He knows what you are facing, and He cares for you. These circumstances have not caught Him off guard. He is still on His throne and is accomplishing His purposes in your life and in the world. Trust Him to meet your needs—He will provide. Now is a time to see what God can do Remember what God has done in the past. Rely on His character. Rehearse His promises. Refrain from taking matters into your own hands. Don’t let fear drive you to places God doesn’t want you to go. Reach out to others.  Be sensitive to those around you who may have even greater needs than your own, particularly those in the Body of Christ. Don’t just think about your own problems; put the needs of others ahead of your own. Pray for others in need. Look for ways to encourage those who may be struggling. Share with one another. Help meet material needs, as the Lord has blessed you. This is an opportunity for Christians to demonstrate the gospel and compassion of Christ, so the world will say, “See how they love each other!” Practice Christ-like giving.  The natural tendency in times of financial uncertainty is to hold on to what we have and give  less . But what an opportunity to demonstrate the greatness and power of God in our giving! Ask God how you can exercise faith and reflect His generous heart in your giving at this time. Rejoice in the Lord.  Don’t let the enemy steal your joy—regardless of what is going on in the world or in your personal financial situation! If we have  Him , we are rich, we have everything we need, and we have reasons to rejoice!

"He is aliiiiive! He is aliiiiive!"  It was Easter Sunday morning. My five-year-old nephew was to be baptized that day. "Nana" had flown into town to share in the occasion. As the family was getting ready for church, she heard little "Mookie's" unmistakable voice coming from the bathroom down the hall. She quietly slipped into the hallway to see what was happening. There stood the child, on a step stool in front of the mirror, carefully combing his hair, then straightening his shirt and pants, while singing at the top of his lungs, totally oblivious to anyone who might be listening in as he joyously serenaded the Lord. Children sometimes have a way of grasping things that grown-ups miss. Take the time that children shouted out praises to Jesus in the temple during the week before Passover. The children shouted out their praises without inhibition, while the leaders feared that things might get out of control—their control, that is. The children were preoccupied with Jesus—they weren't the least bit conscious of how others saw them or what anyone else was thinking. The leaders, on the other hand, were concerned about how they looked, about holding on to their position, about what everyone else would think about this whole scene. This time the children had it right. The grown-ups had it wrong. Why Should I Praise? We should praise the Lord because  God loves praise and He seeks worshipers  ( John 4:23 ). We should praise the Lord because praise is the primary, eternal occupation of heaven ( Rev. 4–5 ). We should praise the Lord because  He commands us to praise Him . Did you know that the most frequently repeated command in all of God's Word is the command to "praise the Lord"? (I suspect it may also be the most frequently neglected command.) We should praise the Lord because  He deserves our worship and praise  ( Rev. 4:11 ). We should praise the Lord because  we were made to bring Him pleasure , and praise pleases Him. Do you ever wonder what your purpose is here on this earth? When you praise God, you are fulfilling the highest purpose for which He created you. We should praise the Lord because praise takes us into  His presence and brings down His glory  ( Ps. 22:3 ). A Lifestyle of Praise Scripture teaches that praise, worship, and thanksgiving are to be the eternal occupation of every believer. Praise is not just an activity we do at scheduled times; it is to be a  continuous lifestyle. Praise is an  expression of faith and an act of the w ill. It is not based on how we feel. David understood this concept as few others in the Scripture when he wrote during one of the darkest periods of his life, "I will bless the Lord at all time: his praise shall continually be in my mouth" ( Ps. 34: 1 ). Praise is a  ministry to God . Praise is first and foremost for God, not for us ( Ex. 30 ). Praise is  both public and private , much as a husband and wife may display their affection for each other, both when they are in the company of others as well as when they are alone ( Ps. 107:32 ,  Daniel 6:10 ). Praise  requires personal participation —it is not a spectator sport ( Ps. 103:1 ). Many years ago I had an experience I don't think I will ever forget. I was on the road, spending the night in the home of a friend. A pastor and his wife visiting from Nigeria were also guests in the same home that night. In the middle of the night, I was awakened by a sound unlike anything I had heard before. In the bedroom next to mine, that dear couple was singing "How Great Thou Art"—slowly, loudly, with a heavy accent, and with all their hearts. I wasn't sure I hadn't died and gone to heaven! That man and woman were not spectators. They were right there on the stage—active participants in the great eternal drama of praise, performing for a sacred audience of One. How Should I Praise? There are many different expressions of praise and worship taught and illustrated in the Scripture. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you in your worship. Here are some of the ways He may lead you to respond: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, to His feet thy tribute bring; Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore His praises sing; Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King. -Henry F. Lyte (1793–1847) Physical posture . A variety of different physical postures can be used in worshiping the Lord ( Ps. 95:6 ,  Neh. 9:5 ,  Rev. 4:10 ,  Ps. 47:1 ). Speak to the Lord . We can use our mouths to express love, praise, and thanksgiving to the Lord ( Ps. 145:5 ). Sing to the Lord . This one of my favorite expressions of praise, and one that I believe merits special attention. Do you have a favorite song or way to praise the Lord? How are you praising the Savior today?

"Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Psalm 127:1b KJV Watchmen were always stationed on the walls of Jerusalem to detect the stealthy approach of enemy forces, but even vigilant watchmen couldn’t protect Israel. Only God could see all things, only God could watch for the enemies of Israel carefully and constantly. Israel discovered time and again God’s watchful hand of protection. The seven plagues that Egypt endured never touched the Israelites, though they lived adjacent to the Egyptians in the land of Goshen. God was the fire between Egypt and Israel as God’s people crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Time and time again God’s people experienced the blessing of His power and protection. A completed house doesn’t mean that it is impervious to hurricanes, hail, fires or thieves. Prudent investors confidently place themselves in Allstate’s good hands. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. No, they’re not! Perhaps you’ve been paying insurance companies through the nose for twenty years. Only in dire emergencies will you get a fraction of your money back. God’s watchful protection over your life night and day is critical. There is no fine print, no conditional clause in God’s contract to prevent Him from watching over your life. Fretting, fearing and stewing over your little problems is just vanity....There’s that buzzword again from Solomon in Ecclesiastes: nada, nothing, zero, meaningless time-wasting, joy-stealing worry. The key to having the psalmist’s attitude, “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain...,” is completely relinquishing control of your life and your household and trusting God’s guardianship by faith. Confidence in God allows Him to be able to do His best work. Listen to Solomon’s words in Proverbs 3:19: “by wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundation, by understanding He set the heavens in place.” If He designs infinitesimal universes and holds every atom together by strong nuclear force (Colossians 1:17), building and defending your miniscule little life-hut should be no problem. In Proverbs 3:25, Solomon promises that God will assuredly shield you from destruction. “Have no fear of sudden disaster (when it comes) or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.”

"The Lord is Your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night." Psalm 121 Psalm 121 is a discovery of the symbiotic relationship between Father and child. God’s principal means for drawing his little child to his side is human need. What needs are expressing in this divine poem? The need for help (vs. 1-2), the need for protection, (vs. 3-6), the need for guidance, (vs. 3 and 8) and the need for shielding from nature’s fury and Satan’s schemes (vs. 5-7) are all met by the protective parent. The newborn is in the place of life-dependence. God is seen by the spiritual baby as Creator, Protector, Helper, and Guardian. A baby is also completely self-centered. Notice the focus of this psalm is on what God will do for the believer, it is not conscious of the believer’s interaction or response to God. Some suggest Hezekiah is the also the author of this psalm. Upon his healing, Hezekiah prayed a similar prayer of thanksgiving for his deliverance. A baby learns how to get attention from Mom and Dad. If he is hungry, he screams. If he is lonely, he screams. If he is wet, he screams. It does not matter if it is midday or midnight. When the baby screams, Mommy comes. The baby Christian learns early that when he prays, Daddy comes. Hebrews 4:16 promises “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Every healthy child knows how to reach out for help. Spiritual children know who their Daddy is. They know that their sins are forgiven, and they are safe from death and hell. God listens and he is helped and comforted. Neurologists have discovered that newborns enter the world with brains that will continue to develop from infancy into early adulthood. One such discovery startled the unsuspecting parents of a newborn. An infant contracted an eye infection in the first week of life. The pediatrician bandaged the baby’s eyes during weeks two and three to heal the infection. To the shock and surprise of his parents, the child was completely blind, though his eyes were functioning perfectly. Physicians were dismayed to discover that the part of the occipital lobe of the brain that processes information was developed during the first month of life. The eyes could see but they could not process what they had seen, so the baby was completely blind. The analogy is clear for this Psalm. As the spiritual child lifts his gaze up to His Maker, he can see that God is his helper only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. In fact, all throughout the life of the Christian, it is God who reveals Himself and the Holy Spirit who interprets those revelations to the mind and human spirit. At the moment of salvation, there is a joy and simple trust that is remarkable. This “honeymoon” period of infancy where there is such wonder, tremendous learning and enthusiasm is often mistaken for spiritual maturity. But the faith has not been tried. The believer is aware of God’s presence and protection in a remarkable way. Verses 1-2 describe the beginning prayer life of a baby Christian. When he senses a need, he is learning to bring it to God in prayer. He learns God is Creator of both the physical and spiritual world and interacts with every part of life. He discovers the hand of God in creation. He discovers God as creator of heaven...that there is a whole world in another dimension-a spiritual world that he cannot see, but must appropriate by faith. Spiritual children learn that they need protection in their spiritual walk: “He will not let your foot slip,” Ps.121:3. The keeping power of the Heavenly Father also has historical significance. When the traveling Israelites trekked to Jerusalem three times a year, they faced many perils along the way. Robbers, wild animals, and brutal heat were three of their enemies. Perhaps they sang this comforting psalm around their evening campfires. The vocabulary of this poem also implies that the pilgrim must climb (ascend) toward his Heavenly Father. From every other part of Israel, the Jews said they must travel or “go up” to the Holy City. “Moving feet,” “lifting eyes,” “going out,” “coming in” all imply movement toward a goal. The love of God draws His child to His heart. Nevertheless there is a godless yet seductive gravitational force relentlessly pulling him downward. The world system is always a hurdle the traveler must overcome. The Christian must not look back. On his old life, or he will experience the paralysis that Lot’s wife did when she vacillated and was transformed into a pillar of salt in Genesis. The spiritual child must run to the loving, sheltering arms of his Daddy. God promises this as our guide and protector: “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be the glory.” Jude 24

"I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. 8  In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again." 2 Timothy 4:7-8 LB I’m thinking the key to the spiritual walk is not the sprint, but the marathon. Sprinters like Eric Liddell and Robert Murray McCheyne shone brightly during their short lives, but gutsy, crusty old Paul just makes me smile. Faith is hard. It’s living like a boxer in the ring or a tackle on a football team. We love the underdog stories where the guy gets beaten down time after time, overcomes insurmountable obstacles and just keeps getting up. That’s something I love about my two heroes-my father and my husband. Both of them were supposed to die early, but they just kept coming back, kept loving, kept giving to others and kept serving God. Roger told our kids one day that being a grown up was about doing a bunch of stuff that you really didn’t want to do, but you did it anyway because it had to be done. Come crisis, criticism, death threats, public slander, risk of financial ruin, tough calls and mishaps of all kinds, they both said to me, “Julie, at the end of the day, I just want to be able to say, 'Lord, I’ve done my duty. I finished what you asked me to do whatever the cost.'” A spiritual mother or father, like Jesus the Shepherd, will daily lay down their lives for the sheep-plump and puffy or smelly and scrawny. So, every day you get on your knees and grab onto God. Be prepared for Satan to sideswipe you and be glad when you can cruise down the road. Faith is hard. It’s not for wimps. You’ll skin your knees or trip along the course. But be like crusty old Paul. He was a tough old bird. Climbing mountains, shipwrecked, beaten and worse. His best work was done when the apostle was chained with a quill in his hand. His letters faced the shape of Christianity. He said: Faith is a race. Finish it. Perseverance produces character. At the pinnacle of my walk with God, I realize that I am the chief of sinners. And above all stay standing, armed to the teeth with God’s armor. Get on your knees, grit your teeth and grab onto God. Remember the finish line is not the end of the race. Eternity begins. And THAT’S the starting line.

What are the building blocks that makes a Christian family different? The Christian Family is a Display of: …mutual submission (Eph. 5:21) Since the Bible articulates the Christian’s understanding of the family, the Bible then guides the basic principles that each Christian should display. That leads me to this first point of display as mutual submission. Let’s start with the negative: the idea that marriage is 50/50. This notion is misleading. For one, its aim from the start is too short. Hoping to meet in the middle will usually lead to a lonely life. Second, it has a connotation of conditions. As in, “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” Mutual submission calls a godly man and a godly woman to go all the way regardless of the actions of the other. This calls both husband and wife to die to self. …self-sacrificing love (Eph. 5:28-29; 1 Pet. 3:1-2) Here, the apostles Peter and Paul establish the principles of self-sacrifice in marriage. To thrive in a marriage, the husband loves his wife in the same way he loves his body. For the wife to thrive in marriage she loves through trust represented in submission. To submit means to defer. This idea only makes sense of the family is understood to have roles and responsibilities that are different. We naturally understand roles within government, within education, and within the church. As roles within the family are understood, then the husband and wife operate as compliments not competitors. While there are varying seasons within a marriage, the predominant reality is that the wife is the helpmeet (Gen. 2:18) and the husband is the leader. In the same way different notes are played on the piano to produce harmonious music, the husband and wife fit into their roles as the sacrifice their desires and preferences for each other. The husband leads by laying down his preferences to serve his wife. The wife follows by laying down her preferences to submit to her husband. Self-sacrifice then leads to training children to follow the biblical model. …intentional training (Prov. 22:6) To train as a parent means that neither abdication nor allocation are primary methods of instruction. The family is where the training of children first occurs. The church, the Sunday school, or the private Christian school, etc. are not the replacement  for family training, but reinforcement  of family training. The practical reality is that the family is not able to train everything, but they are at a minimum involved in the training of their children. …gentle understanding (1 Pet. 3:7) Peter’s call to husbands is to have gentle understanding toward their wife and ultimately family. To be gentle is to bring strength under control. It’s a horse with a bridle. Without a bit, bridle, and reins the unharnessed power of the horse is enough to damage if not kill. In the same way, the husband must be a man who has control over his spirit (Prov. 16:32). To be understanding means to see the connections–the be able to answer the why (Prov. 14:6b). In the context of a marriage and family, the husband must not take words, actions, or responses out of context. He must be able to fit circumstances into a broader picture. He must focus on the forest and not just a tree. As he displays a gentle understanding, he provides stability and security to his family. …Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:31-32) The ultimate display of the family is the picture of Christ and His Church. Christ ascended and will return to bring His bride to Himself one day. In between these points in history, the Church is the vehicle through which mankind is being saved into one body (1 Cor. 12:13). Until Christ returns the family represents to a watching world the love of Christ and the Church. This is significant, because in heaven there is no need for the marriage display because the love of Christ and His Church will be consummated. It’s no wonder the Enemy is using all means to dismantle the family as lived out according to God’s Word. If he can dismantle the greatest display of love, then he can confuse or wipe out all together the greatest evangelistic witness—the Christian family. Human Flourishing May Prevail The concept of flourishing builds on a premise that the abundant life is intrinsic within each person and in the right environments it will not only grow but produce fruit. So long as the family has a husband and wife committed to displaying God’s love toward each other, they will live in as well as cultivate a place for children to grow in the most nutrient-rich soil. The fruit of an abundant life blooms in the soil of a biblical family.

What is Hope from a Biblical Perspective? Hope is a word used in the Bible both as a verb and a noun. It has a range of connotations, but mainly points to a future expectation of fulfillment. In fact, according to  BDAG  it means,  “ … to look forward to something, with implication of confidence about something coming to pass. ” What is the Object of Biblical Hope? The object of biblical hope is God. He created, He sustains, and He will bring all things to completion. In a phrase, He is the Alpha and the Omega…the beginning and the end. That’s why Paul could say, “ For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers ” -1 Timothy 4:10. And Peter could say, “. ..fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ ” -1 Peter 1:13. In other words, there is a future in Christ that will not disappoint, and it is based on His grace which will not run dry. Putting it All Together. As the academic year of 2020/21 came to a close in May many high school graduates asked themselves–at some point–what is my hope for the future? Some answered: academics…athletics…job…friends…relationships…school…fun…time to myself…finding my purpose in life…etc. While all these are wonderful and fruitful experiences and endeavors, they ultimately will run dry. The educational route ends. The professional route ends. The relational route ends. The friendship route ends. Everything in this life is temporary except for God, His Word, and our souls. The greatest hope is the hope found in knowing, loving, sharing, and waiting for our Lord to return. As parents, as churches, and as those who are discipling this new generation of adults, one of the greatest gifts we can give our graduating seniors is our hope in Christ…His return…and His establishment of a kingdom wherein righteousness dwells. And this begins everyday with our time fixing our hope on my Lord…through His Word. Thus, we can say with the Apostle Paul… “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the  blessed hope  and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14 (emphasis mine)

Bible Reading: Mark 2:23-28 The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 Peter, Andrew, John, and the other disciples were still gnawing on the raw grain they had picked when they saw the red lights and heard the sirens. It was the Sabbath po­lice. The Pharisees were on those disciples like a highway patrol officer after a speed­ing sports car. “You picked grain on the Sabbath, and that breaks a big-time religious rule,” they might have said, flashing their badges of religious knowledge. “You’re in deep trouble now. You have the right to remain silent. Should you forfeit that right, anything you say can and will be used against you. . . .” Well, maybe it didn’t go down quite that way. But in Mark 2, Jesus and his disci­ples were accused of breaking some big rules. Over the centuries, the Jews had come up with a long list of rules about what a Jew could and couldn’t do on the seventh day of the week. The leaders had their noses so glued into their religious rule books that they had missed the whole goal of God’s command about the Sabbath. God just wanted his people to take a day off each week for worship and relaxation (see Exo­dus 20:8-10). But the rules-centered leaders had made the Sabbath a day of no-no’s rather than a day of rest. To Jesus, people were more important than human-made rules about religious behavior. “The Sabbath is a day to enjoy, not a rule to keep,” he seemed to say in Mark 2:27. For his hungry disciples out on a stroll, the Sabbath meant picking handfuls of grain to eat, even though it was unlawful to “harvest” grain on the seventh day. Lots of Christians today are trapped in following rules rather than putting peo­ple first. They throw away an invitation to a birthday party because it’s at a non-Christian’s house. But unbelievers spot that, and they think that they don’t matter to us or to God until they shape up. Wouldn’t you be turned off by Christianity if all you saw were “dos and don’ts”? Here’s a topic to talk about honestly: Are you people-centered or rule-centered? Do your non-Christian friends see you as an open and accepting person or as holier-than-them? Some of the most evil people in Bible times came to Jesus and were transformed because he was open, loving, and accepting. That’s the result of people-centered liv­ing. Wouldn’t you like to be part of that kind of success? TALK: Have you ever kept away from non-Christians? How come? What would you like to do differently? PRAY: God, help us figure out which rules really come from you—and which ones keep us from showing people your love. ACT: Watch for ways to show love to a non-Christian today.