Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border.
(Micah 5:3-6 ESV)

Lord God in this last Sunday of Advent I am taken with this Shepherd King who being one with the Godhead stands and shepherds in the strength of the Lord and in the majesty of the name of the Lord. In this day and age of leaders who seem to be about making a name for themselves, who don’t shepherd so much as rule, and that in their own capacity; how wonderful it is to know that there is a Shepherd King.

I thank you for coming at the appointed time. Life certainly has its difficulties, it is reassuring to know that even though you may give your people over for a time, you will never be late, but always on time. I thank you too for the wonderful effects that your rule has. In this Shepherd king there is true unity. Not unity based on some philosophical ideal, or vague notion of toleration, but rather unity that comes from having the Messiah as our head, from true heart conversion. Also with the Shepherd King we find security. So often we, I, look for security in money, technology, power, status, you name it. But it is as the Messiah is revealed that we find the meaning for words like security and peace. Finally in this Shepherd King we find the equipping to act as shepherds ourselves in the strength He provides. I need this promise Lord. Whether it is my family or the church or simply being your emissary in the community, I am broke when it comes to my own capacities, but with the mind and strength of the Messiah …

So Father my prayer this week, for myself, my family and my friends, is that this week would see the rise of the Shepherd King in our hearts. As we turn the corner and rush pell-mell into this last week of Advent, may we walk in the light of this unifying, strength-giving, security of the Shepherd King

One of my prayers for myself is that God would give me Gospel eyes. When I have shared this prayer with others they have often asked what mean by “Gospel eyes”. I never know quite how to answer them. Truthfully I don’t want to be too precise in definition. For me it has meaning on multiple levels. On the one hand I want to see and understand the Gospel as it comes to me in Word, prayer and experience. But I also want to see the glories of the Gospel of Redemption at work in others and in the world in general as God in Christ is redeeming all things to himself (cf. II Cor. 5). Still further I want to interact with those in my sphere of life with actions enabled by Gospel eyes.

I share this with you because as I reflect on this last week, I realize that God has helped me see the Gospel in a variety of disparate experiences. On the one hand I was able to see the gospel explained and articulated in some work that I am doing for the presbytery. In that same work, I saw men who did not always agree with one another deal charitably with their brother. I also saw the Gospel at work in a friend who said through tears that she has never felt as lost as she does now since becoming a Christian. The Gospel was displayed as I saw God gently lead her to some realizations of how some lifestyle choices were effecting her “lostness”. I am eagerly looking forward to how God continues this ongoing story, and praying about how you (Crossroads) and I might be a part of her story. Finally, I had the privilege of officiating the funeral for Kim Gillette’s Grandfather. Though I have never met him, his life impacted me. Mr. Gillette was an Iwo Jima survivor, a decorated and honorably discharged Marine. As he was laid to rest with full military honors, I could not help but ask the question of my own engagement in ongoing establishment of the Kingdom for which Christ died. Even while thoughts of warfare, suffering and glamour were being formed in my consciousness, the Spirit graciously comforted me with the reminder that while I am called to strive with all my might, it is a war in which our Captain has already secured our victory.

I would love to hear what you are seeing through your Gospel eyes. If you are not accustomed to thinking in these terms, why don’t you join me in praying that God would help you see through Gospel eyes.

The Vander Maas’ are back from the north (Pentwater, MI) and time with extended family, ready to dive into another academic year. We had a good trip in many ways. We spent two weeks camping on the beach and were able to create some memories with our immediate family and strengthen bonds. We were blessed to spend significant time with members of our extended family: parents, brothers, sisters nephews and nieces, particularly two new nieces that my brother’s family recently adopted from Bogota, Colombia!

One of our favorite things to do in Pentwater is play in the water. This summer was one of the best times ever for doing so as Lake Michigan (which can get pretty cold) is at its warmest core temperature ever! In particular we love those red flag days when 3-5 ft waves come rolling into the beach and we go out and play in the powerful water. When facing waves of this nature three things can happen. You can be knocked over. You can brace yourself and withstand the force of the wave. Or you can actually harness the power of the wave and ride it to shore.

At some point on the trip it hit me that these waves were a parable of life’s trials. Often when difficulties come in life we find ourselves knocked over, flattened by the power of the wave. At other times, sometimes after we have managed to pick ourselves up, we are able to lean into the wave and withstand its power. And sometimes, by the grace of God, we are able to actually go beyond simply withstanding a trial and harness its power, learning from it and actually growing closer to God. We see this played out in the life of Jonah who faces a wave (literally) that God throws his way. He is initially knocked down, but in chapter two he accepts his situation and looks again to God (leans into the wave), eventually offering thanksgiving to God for bringing him back from the depths (rides the wave). Of course it is not always so neat and tidy, as Jonah’s life illustrates. He will be knocked over again by the end of the book.

As we in many ways look to a new year, what are the waves that you are facing? Cry out to the Lord. If you have been knocked down, find in him the strength to get back up, to face the onslaught, and ultimately be drawn deeper into relationship with him and give him the Glory! But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” Jonah 2:9

“Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” – G.K. Chesterton

• Take a look at 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 and Ephesians 5:22-33 and explain Chesterton’s quote in light of those two passages.

“There two basic facts about sex: it is very good and it is very dangerous.” Margaret Thatcher (1925-)

• Unfortunately as the church, it seems that we have underplayed the goodness of sex as a gift from God. Look again at Proverbs 5:15-19. Does it surprise you that the bible is this graphic with regards to the joy of sexuality? How does this enhance or change your view of sex?

• Take a look at Proverbs 30:18,19. Here sexuality is again being held up as a good thing. The key thing to noticed is that its beauty is most apparent in it proper context (i.e. an eagle on the seas or a ship on a rock is not beautiful). What is the proper context for sexuality to be celebrated? What are some common scenarios where sexuality is exercised but in the end are inappropriate contexts and ultimately jarring?

• Read Proverbs 30:20. Here the adulteress is contrasted with the 4 previous scenarios that all operate according to their nature. What is the picture given of the adulteress (think along the lines of consumption and cleansing)? How does this picture of the adulteress fit many of our modern scenarios surrounding sexuality?

“Pornography has become the sex education venue for the majority of the next generation, an internet candy store, and it teaches that sex is physically and emotionally harmless, with no negative consequences. Men and women are mere visual drugs to be used and discarded, and sex is solely for personal pleasure.”
Slave Master: How Pornography Drugs & Changes Your Brain
by Donald L. Hilton, Jr.

• React to the above statement.

• Do you believe that porn is as ubiquitous as claimed? Do you think that porn is “physically and emotionally harmless”?

• Would you agree that pornography uses people, both producers and consumers?

“When a battered, weary swimmer tries valiantly to get back to shore, after having fought strong winds and rough waves which he should never have challenged in the first place, those of us who might have had better judgment, or perhaps just better luck, ought not to row out to his side, beat him with our oars, and shove his head back underwater.”

• The above quote points out the importance of helping those who struggle will sexual dysfunction (even if it is because of a bad choice). How would you describe the relative safety of your community? What things could you do to improve that safety?

Via: Online MBA

Make no mistake about it, keeping the command to Sabbath is a both radical and extremely difficult in our everyday lives. It cuts to the core of our spirituality, the core of our convictions, the core of our faith, the core of our lifestyles. Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, 163

• Would you agree with Pete that Sabbath keeping is difficult?

• Which of the above for elements (spirituality, convictions, faith, or lifestyle) is the most challenging for you in terms of Sabbath keeping?

Sabbath is a time to stop. To refrain from being seduced by our desires, to stop working, stop making money, stop spending money. See what you have. Look around. Listen to your life. Do you really need more than this? … You cannot buy “stopped”. You simply have to stop. Wayne Muller, Sabbath.

• Stopping is in many ways at the heart of Sabbathing well. What are some of the things that you need to stop in order to really Sabbath well?

• If you cannot stop, it may be that there is an idol that you need to feed underneath your inability to stop. Identify an area that you have difficulty stopping in and then link it with the Idol that needs to be fed. (i.e. – I can’t stop studying. Idol is success.)

You have not celebrated Sunday if you have merely done what may be done and avoided doing what may not be done. Douma, The Ten Commandments. 145

• What are some practical ways to bring the element of celebration to your Sabbath keeping?

A good motive for entering into a weekly day of rest comes from our desire for transformation. I choose to obey God because I long to be the person he created me to be. Lynn Baab, Sabbath Keeping, 113

• Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ relationship to the Sabbath.

• Why do some people use the idea that Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath to move away from Sabbath keeping?

• ? Why did Pastor Andrew suggest that Jesus’ fulfillment of the Sabbath is precisely the reason to engage in Sabbath keeping?

The goal of Sabbath keeping is not to get it right the first time or even to get it right over time. … the pointt of adopting any habit is simply for the sake of doing it over and over. Lynn Baab, Sabbath Keeping,

• How does the above quote encourage you with regards to your practice of Sabbath keeping?

• With the above in mind, what facet of Sabbath mentioned by Pastor Andrew (worship, rest, faith, fellowship, liberation, or joy) are you going to work on the next 3-6 months and how do you plan to go about it?

Luke 24:25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Lord Jesus as I come this morning I confess that like these disciples on the road to Emmaus I am foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. It is not that I don’t believe at all, it is just that I don’t believe all. In particular I have a hard time believing that you are not only the culmination of the story for these Jews, but that you are the culmination of my story. As I read the pages of my life, I so often want to see myself and the things that I am involved in as being the most important. Like the disciples, I fail to believe that I can experience your presence today. I treat you as dead, even though it has been testified that you are alive. And I certainly fail to believe that suffering and glory are linked. I have bought into this worlds wisdom that glory comes in the absence of suffering.

O God, open my eyes! Help me to see you present both in the pages of my life and in my day to day experience. Expand my vision that I may see clearly. Restore my step that I may not walk dejectedly through this world, but rather with joy and enthusiasm I might share with all that I come in contact with. Today Lord, allow me to see you in word and sacrament, even as Cleopas and his companion saw you.

And she had a sister called b Mary, who d sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

Lord Jesus, how I want to be like Mary and learn to sit at your feet. Not in some mindless adoring state of “worship”, nor at the expense of other more “secular” things that are my calling to do in this world, but in a posture of learning in order to live, learning in order to give.

God you know how broken this world is, you see it all so much more clearly than I do. You have experienced it in you time as a human on earth. I know a little, from the sadness and anger of others, to the death of my own daughters, I think I can feel that things are not as they should be. So I need to soak in you. I need your perspective, your teaching, in order to make sense of this brokenness. I need to understand about your death and what it means for your world. I need to see that there is hope. I need this to live.

But others need it as well. And so I need to sit at your feet in order to give; to give comfort, encouragement, even challenge when appropriate. Help me to learn that nothing is ever done in a vacuum. That you teach me in order that I might teach others.

Most of all make me a good student of the best teacher.

Hey Andrew,

I am in a bible study and a question regarding the role of the Holy Spirit came up. I was wondering if you have the time, would you write a thought or two about the role of the HS in the OT. Specifically, was the HS indwelling the hearts of believers prior to Pentecost? I understand that we have the HS indwelling us “God with us” upon saving faith in Jesus. But what about the HS role in, say, David’s or Abraham’s life? Did HS indwell them, prior to the New Covenant? If not, how would hearts be quickened to faith in God for salvation and conviction of sin, faith to obey the law? Also, if not, where was the HS during that time, what was the HS doing/how did HS act with respect to believers, etc.? If you have a moment and any thoughts, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks

Great question … here are some quick thoughts.

1. Ministry of the HS is integral to the OT. This can be seen in the fact that the very first verses of the entire Bible speak of the Spirit’s involvement with creation. Nothing happens throughout God’s world that is not attended to by the HS.
2. HS is integral to redemption. Isaiah 63:10,11 is an enlightening passage, as it helps locate God’s redemptive work in the exodus as part and parcel with the HS. In many ways this sums up the work of the HS in the OT, when we peel back the layers (as is done in Isaiah 63) we find that the HS is at the core accomplishing the plans of God the Trinity, but in the OT his role is more hidden than in the NT. Another interesting note with regards to redemption is the way Jesus uses Isaiah 61 in Luke 4 talking of the Spirit being on him to accomplish redemption. Jesus’ understanding here of the role of the Spirit emphasizes the continuity of the Spirit between the testaments.
3. HS is personal in the OT. We see that in places like IS 63:11 where the rebellion of Israel is said to grieve the HS (one only is grieved in the context of a relationship), as well as in prayers like David’s in Psalm 51 where he cries, “take not your HS from me!”
4. While we emphasize the continuity between the testaments, it would be false to say that the ministry of the Spirit does not change. As I alluded to above, the Spirit is much more front and center in the NT. The ministry of the HS is still to point to Christ, but our experience of the HS is more up front than in the OT.

If you want to go into it more I would suggest Sinclair Ferguson’s book on The Holy Spirit. The first chapter deals exclusively with the topic of the HS in the OT

If just the “committed Christians” (defined as those who attend church at least a few times a month or profess to be “strong” or “very strong” Christians) would tithe, there would be an extra 46 billion dollars a year available for kingdom work. To make that figure more concrete, the authors suggest dozens of different things that $46 billion would fund each year: for example, 150,000 new indigenous missionaries; 50,000 additional theological students in the developing world; 5 million more micro loans to poor entrepreneurs; the food, clothing and shelter for all 6,500,000 current refugees in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East; all the money for a global campaign to prevent and treat malaria; resources to sponsor 20 million needy children worldwide. [The conclusion of the authors] is surely right: “Reasonably generous financial giving of ordinary American Christians would generate staggering amounts of money that could literally change the world.”

Ron Sider, “A Lot of Lattés,” Books & Culture (November/December 2008)