JOY

 

As every new year begins, people all over the world assess the previous year and set new goals for the coming year.  All over social media, you see people post about the number of books they have read in graphs by genre. Some post about their health journey; others find something else to assess and post. Not only do we see people posting about their goals and resolutions; many of us share our word or slogan for the coming year. Yes, I’m guilty!

As I was thinking about this new year, I had chosen the word “grow” as my word for the year. My focus was growing more in my love for God and His Word.  Over the Christmas break, I was privileged to spend a week and a half with family and during that time, I attended several church services. The Sunday before I left, my son’s pastor spoke on the passage in Psalm 73:25-26 (ESV): “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He shared 4 points:  Nothing other than Jesus satisfies; Nothing other than Jesus stays constant; Nothing other than Jesus gives true purpose; Nothing other than Jesus and those things that are related to Him are forever.

What struck me most about his message were two visuals he shared. The first visual was that of an oval inside a black box.  Inside the oval in large letters was the word “ME." On the outskirt of the oval were the words “Jesus” in medium print and “world” in small print.  This image represented a horizontal focus on life.  It represented less Jesus, more drama, more selfishness, more complaining, more bitterness, more gossip, more pride, more anger and MORE ME!

The second visual was similar to the first, except there was no box, and the image was a white circle. Inside the circle in large letters was the word “JESUS.” On the outside of the circle were the words “community, church, friends, family, and work.”  This image represented the vertical focus on life.  It represented MORE JESUS, less drama, less selfishness, less bitterness, less gossip, less pride, less anger, less of me. 

These visuals reminded me of a song I used to sing with my students and children’s church kids: 

Jesus and others and you, what a wonderful way to spell joy.

Jesus and others and you, in the heart of each girl and each boy

J is for Jesus, for he has first place.

O is for others you meet face to face.

Y is for you and whatever you do.

Put yourself third and spell JOY!

I find myself singing this chorus a lot. Circumstances arise each day that cause us to focus on what is happening around us and take our focus off of Christ.  When these circumstances arise, we need to remember that only God can satisfy. Only God has true purpose. Only God remains constant and consistent. Only God is for eternity.

My goal this year is to focus more on Jesus and less on me, so that I can not only grow in the Lord, but I can also enjoy “the joy of the Lord, which is my strength.”  As you go through this coming year, keep your focus on God and the needs of others around you.  Only then will you will be able to enjoy the blessing of Joy in your life.

Have a blessed New Year in the Lord!

 

--Bonnie King

Mary, Did You Know?

 

I do realize that Christmas season is over. However, the birth of Jesus leads to the life of Jesus, then death and resurrection and the never-ending story of the King. So I’m circling back to Bethlehem, but with the mindset that as we begin our New Year, we head in the direction of Easter where we will honor the worst and best days of history.        

I read this poem around Christmas this year in a collection of other poetry and pieces pulled from L. M. Montgomery’s works. Think Anne of Green Gables when Matthew gives her a dress with puffed sleeves. *cue all the tears* This poem is reminiscent of the “Mary Did You Know” song we all hear one-thousand times around the holidays. It’s unique in the juxtaposition of grief and joy Mary would have felt as a mother. 

Mary did know that her baby was the Great I Am. That He was the promised Messiah, would fulfill prophecies, and save His people from their sins. She likely didn’t know all of the details of this or the specific picture that would play out. I love how this poem speaks of His mercy and healing and hope, while also describing His pain and agony and fatigue. Fully God, fully man. I hope this poem reminds us of the great things Jesus has done for us as it presents itself in a beautifully worded imagining of His mother, Mary.

 

If Mary Had Known
           L.M. Montgomery

If Mary had known
When she held her Babe’s hands in her own
Little hands that were tender and white as a rose,
All dented with dimples from finger to wrist,
Such as mothers have kissed
That one day they must feel the fierce blows
Of a hatred insane,
Must redden with holiest stain,
And grasp as their guerdon the boon of the bitterest pain,
Oh, I think that her sweet, brooding face
Must have blanched with its anguish of knowledge above her embrace.

 

But if Mary had known,
As she held her Babe’s hands in her own,
What a treasure of gifts to the world they would bring;
With healing and hope to the hearts that must ache,
And without him must break;
Had she known they would pluck forth death’s sting
And set open the door
Of the close, jealous grave evermore,
Making free who were captives in sorrow and darkness before,
Oh, I think that a gracious sunrise
Of rapture had broken across the despair of her eyes!

 

If Mary had known
As she sat with her baby alone,
And guided so gently his bare little feet
To take their first steps from the throne of her knee,
How weary must be
The path that for them should be meet;
And how it must lead
To the cross of humanity’s need,
Giving hissing and shame, giving blame and reproach for its meed,
Oh I think that her tears would have dewed
Those dear feet that must walk such a hard, starless way to the Rood!

 

But if Mary had known,
As she sat with her Baby alone,
On what errands of mercy and peace they would go,
How those footsteps would ring through the years of all time
With an echo sublime,
Making holy the land of their woe,
That the pathway they trod
Would guide the world back to its God,
And lead ever upward away from the grasp of the clod,
She had surely forgot to be sad
And only remembered to be most immortally glad!

 

If Mary had known
As she held him so closely, her own,
Cradling his shining, fair head on her breast,
Sunned over with ringlets as bright as the morn,
That a garland of thorn
On that tender brow would be pressed
Till the red drops would fall
Into the eyes that looked out upon all,
Abrim with a pity divine over clamor and brawl,
Oh, I think that her lullaby song
Would have died on her lips into wailing impassioned and long!

 

But if Mary had known,
As she held him so closely, her own,
That over the darkness and pain he would be
The Conqueror hailed in all oncoming days,
The world’s hope and praise,
And the garland of thorn,
The symbol of mocking and scorn
Would be a victorious diadem royally worn,
Oh, I think that ineffable joy
Must have flooded her soul as she bent o’er her wonderful Boy!

 

--Sandy Gromacki

Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year!  So what Is your word for 2026?    I think that choosing a word has replaced making resolutions. It has been years since I made a list of resolutions, but I want to focus on my spiritual growth.  In February I will celebrate my seventy-third spiritual birthday.  When I was a child I visited a home where a child had grown physically, but not in any other way.  Though he was six or seven years old, he lay in a playpen, was fed through a bottle and had his diaper changed. What a tragedy it would be if in these seventy-three years I had never grown. 

I am choosing to focus on peace.  I need specific instructions on how to produce peace in my life.  Colossians 3:15 tells me to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart.  How do I do that?

First, Isaiah 26:3-4 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusts in thee.  Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."  I must keep my mind centered on the Lord, claiming peace.

Second, Philippians 4:6-7 tells me to pray.  "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  I must keep the lines of communication with God open.

Third, I must keep my communication from God open.  Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."  I want Him to talk to me.  If I love Him, I must love what He says to me.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruits of the spirit.  The third fruit is peace.  If I am showing spiritual fruit, peace will be evidence of that.  

Psalm 34:14b says I am to seek peace, and pursue it.  Whatever you are choosing to focus on, seek peace. Pursue it.

                                                                ~~Faith Himes Lamb

The Light of the World

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about light lately. I have some of those cactus plants that bloom in the winter. We call them Christmas cactuses, but some of them start blooming around Thanksgiving, and a few go all the way to Easter. These plants set their buds, I am told, according to the light they get. For this reason, it’s good to put them outside for a while in the summer. I did this one year with a large plant, and as soon as I brought it inside, it began to bud. That was the best I’ve ever seen it do! (Now that I no longer have an old Tomcat hanging around on the porch, the squirrels nibble on my cactus if I put it out there.)

I read an article around the time of the winter solstice that detailed the way light returns to us during the winter months—slowly at first and then in larger increments right up to the vernal equinox. It’s exciting to watch. Even if you aren’t a sky watcher, you know how vital light is, not only to plants but to the health and wellbeing of people.

Back before Christmas, we attended an assortment of seasonal presentations. Two of our granddaughters attend one of the magnet schools in town, and their program was all about Holidays Around the World. One class did a presentation about Israel and discussed Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights during which Jewish families light the eight candles of the menorah to commemorate an ancient miracle. Another group sang “Santa Lucia,” whose name actually means light, and told the story of a young woman who came bearing gifts and wearing a wreath of candles on her head. Over and over during the program, there were references to light overcoming darkness, and I thought of Jesus’s words “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). In another place, he said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

If you listened to Handel’s Messiah during the Christmas season, you heard these words from Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

Jesus told Nicodemus, “This is the condemnation: that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Jesus brings life and warmth and cheer—all the things we associate with light—and he intends for his followers to carry his message of hope to the dark world we live in.

All over the world, people know that light is associated with goodness. For centuries, different people groups have celebrated the coming of the light in different ways, but we who know Jesus know the source of all light—both physical and metaphorical. As we watch the days grow gradually longer over these next weeks, let’s rejoice that our God created such a beautiful and orderly world. And may the increased light be a reminder to us to tell our friends and neighbors about the true Light of the world who can give them hope both in this life and in the life to come.

--Sherry Poff

What's Your Mindset?

 

Have you ever met someone who seemed to enjoy being sick or being a victim? I have, and I admit I really don’t understand it. In 2016, I learned I had breast cancer. It made me mad (and a little scared) more than anything else. Determined to not be a victim, I began looking for ways to better care for myself – for ways to take charge of my health and not wait for death to take me. Others helped me a great deal (Cheryl Howe for one). It helped that I already had an interest in health-related topics too.

Clearly, people are different in how they approach life challenges. It appears to boil down to mindset. There are at least 2 types of mindsets: Fixed and Growth.

A fixed mindset is when a person does not believe there is anything they can do to control or change their situation. They are resigned to it and feel powerless. They are stuck.

A growth mindset is when a person believes they can grow and change and improve their situation with effort and hard work. These people don’t just “throw in the towel.” They take action. Success is there for those willing to work for it. Success might look different than first imagined, but there is still much that can be attained.

We form our mindsets from our culture, experiences, values, disposition, relationships, among other things. The way you think, feel, and behave impacts success and failure in life. Some time reflecting on these can be beneficial to one who is curious about what mindset they have.

To change our mindset to something more positive, we must first see the need for changing it. Maybe we’re stuck because we have not considered that there are viable possibilities we have not considered to improve our situation. For example, I was not happy about having a double mastectomy, but before and after my surgery, I got some acupuncture to help with the healing process. I also drank tons of healing vegetables via juicing and took lifegiving supplements. Others I know have gotten bariatric oxygen treatments after surgery. I did everything possible to heal quickly, because I believed it was possible to support my body through my actions. Guess what? I healed very nicely and had no complications, which I later learned was unusual. A growth mindset is a wonderful thing! (I didn’t know to call it that at the time.)

What does a biblical mindset look like? God is the giver of all truth and wisdom, so He should be consulted. Talk about thinking “outside the box”! Scripture focuses on mind renewal. In opposition to our natural inclinations, we don’t live for the present, but for the eternal. Cultivating gratitude and joy results in abundant life. Let’s not forget faith (God can do the impossible} and courage (He is with us in tough times – even persecution). We turn our minds to the Spirit and let Him lead us instead of going our own way. Also counterintuitive, God commands us to love our enemies and serve others. Contentment with what God has provided gives us rest and satisfaction.

Our minds must be transformed to include these things as we become more Christ-minded. It happens over time and in small, often indistinguishable, increments as we read and meditate on the Word and choose a growth mindset. We can be changed! PTL! By aligning ourselves with God’s Word, He builds truth, purity, excellence, and beauty within us.

There is some work that needs to be done in me. May God’s Word do its (sometimes painful) work in me! What’s your mindset? Is is a growth mindset or are you stuck? Is your mindset biblical? Developing a biblical mindset is a lifelong quest, but sometimes we can look back and see how far we have come. Let’s grow together in the New Year!

joyce hague

The Christmas Story in an Unlikely Place

 

When you think of reading the Christmas story, you most likely think of Luke 2. You may also turn to the gospel of Matthew to read more about Joseph and the wise men. Passages preached in Christmas messages also include the prophets, particularly Isaiah and Micah. Additionally, I have always loved Galatians 4:4-7 in the context of the Christmas story which relays how God sent Christ to be born in the “fulness of time.” However, one place we do not typically go to for the Christmas story is the book of Revelation. Yet it is there, in this unlikely place, told in an unusual way and pointing to a great reality. Let’s take a look.
            Revelation 12:1-6 goes like this: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.”

            Revelation is a book that describes John’s symbolic visions, pointing to things yet to come. As the ESV Study Bible notes, it “unveils the spiritual war in which the church is engaged: the cosmic conflict between God and his Christ on the one hand, and Satan and his evil allies on the other.” Its purpose is not for the believer to be able to “decode” every piece of symbolism or for the church to argue for years to come about its timeline and what to take literally. Its main message is simple: Christ will return as conquering king and will judge the world. And the church, in the meantime, can stay encouraged by this truth, persevering despite hardship until that day comes.

            So, with this in mind, look back to the above telling of the Christmas story. The pregnant woman could specifically refer to Mary or more generally to the Israelite nation into which Jesus would be born. The descriptive words (sun, moon, 12 stars) point to Israel. Meanwhile, the red dragon, Satan himself, with the descriptors that show power, is seeking to do what he can to prevent this child’s coming into the world. His goal is to devour that child. What methods does he employ? The one that stands out clearly to me is when Herod has all the young boys in Bethlehem killed in an effort to eliminate any rivals to his throne. But we can think back even further to the Old Testament: Pharaoh’s attempt to have the Hebrew male babies killed in Egypt, the famines, and the captivities. Satan did not want this child to be born.

            This passage in Revelation then skips straight from the birth of the Christ child to his being “caught up to God and his throne.” In other words, Satan could not stop him. God protected Christ’s life while he was on earth so he could submit to the Father’s plan, dying on the cross for the sins of man so we could now be right with God through faith in Him. I love this shortened version of the Christmas story because it does what Revelation sets out to do: It shows the cosmic battle that continues today that will not be won by Satan. He was not able to stop Jesus, and he will not be able to stop Jesus’s church. The rest of Revelation repeatedly bears this out in a variety of ways. The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem will return, though this time not as a baby but as a conquering king (Rev. 19:11-16).

            I think it’s appropriate that at Christmas time, we don’t just focus on Jesus’s first coming as a baby, but we remember that we are in a time of waiting for Jesus’s second coming. And thus, we heed the message of Revelation: We are in a battle, so let’s fight well and let’s persevere. And above all, let’s keep our eyes fixed on the sky, knowing that the victory already belongs to God and to His Christ, and that one day Jesus will return, put an end to all that is wicked and broken, and take us home.

-- Amy O’Rear

More Than Coffee and Doughnuts

 

One of my favorite times of the week is the fellowship half-hour between services on Sunday. I like to get back to the fellowship hall in time to finish my coffee, but I also want to take my time and talk to people along the way. It’s a great time to really look at people as you pass, ask them how they’re doing, and take time to listen.

Once you get to the large room with coffee and doughnuts, listening is going to be hard. There is a variety of ages and even languages to enjoy. There is lots of conversation, laughter, and music, but that’s ok because it’s a joy to watch folks interacting with each other and to hear little snippets of talk: Well, here you are . . . That was beautiful! . . . How have you been? . . . I’ll just have one doughnut.

These are not monumental conversations, but they are meaningful just the same because they allow us to share moments of our lives with others. A smile or a pat on the back can sometimes communicate care and concern as well as an extended conversation.

I love to watch the children sitting together sharing secrets or hiding under the table munching snacks. They are learning that church is a warm and friendly place and that the people there love them.

I am so grateful our staff developed this plan for Sundays. I know it’s a lot of work for several people. I see them week after week, picking up and sorting things out, but they are helping to make possible the admonition found in scripture to “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3:13), to “comfort each other and edify one another” (I Thess. 5:11).

Certainly we carry out these admonitions in other ways as well. I hope you are involved with a small group and that you take the opportunity to connect with a class during the discipleship hour. Over the years, some of my best church relationships have been forged in these kinds of groups, and I love bonding over God’s deep truths.

The fellowship time is a way to get to know different people or to reconnect with longtime friends. So if you aren’t in the habit of moseying back to the fellowship hall, give it a try. If you make it a point to show up every Sunday, you already know--It’s more than coffee and doughnuts.

--Sherry Poff