It’s
the holidays. It’s a time of reflection
and wonder. That wonder and contemplation
can bring reassurance when expectations become overwhelming and life tries to
snuff out the spark that normally keeps us going. It also helps to seek someone to rally
around. Jesus is the model leader; without
flaw. Sometimes that’s what we need. Purity is the peace for a muddled world.
A
quote from church this past week said, “The child in the manager became a man
on a mission.” That child came to
provide freedom for the captive. Hillsong
United sings a song called “Seasons” that describes this phenomenon. The lyrics say:
"Like a seed You were sown
For the sake of us all
From Bethlehem's soil
Grew Calvary's sequoia."
Jesus is like the seed that sprouted from soil and grew the tree for the cross he eventually died upon. That sacrifice was for our sake. It was the ultimate mission of love.
Click For The Video:
We
are all captives of time, pressures, and worry; at least to some degree. We can become bound and crippled by each of
these things. The “Silent Night, Holy
Night” so often sung about this time of the year, can easily become “chaos and
turmoil” if we are anxious, stressed, and trying to carry the load and burden
of life on our own. Relief and comfort can
come when one focuses on the promises that God has left behind for us. Some of those promises can be found in these verses:
· “The joy of the Lord is our strength.”
(Nehemiah 8:10)
·
“Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
·
“Because of the Lords great love we
are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
About
700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words: “For to
us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Relevancy can be found in a leader who can
listen like a counselor, exhibit strength, and yet be an advocate for peace.
As
Jesus himself began his ministry, he quoted from Isaiah when he spoke in the synagogue:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent
me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release
from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…” (Isaiah
61: 1-2 & Luke 4:18-19)
Click For The Video:
The
“year of the Lord’s favor” was also known as “the jubilee year.” It was an actual time when all debts were
settled and paid off; slaves were set free.
At that time it was in a literal sense. Now this can be done in a spiritual sense. I sometimes forget this promise. Jesus is the leader that provides that
freedom; something we all long for. Jesus
gives us freedom that transforms and restores.
It is, however, something that is miraculous considering God sent us
hope in the form of a baby; a baby that was his son. It was a mission of love, and something I
like to think about on these cold winter days.
See
you along The Way…
Click For The Hillsong United Song "Seasons":
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*The pictures I took for this blog entry were taken while hiking on Christmas Day with my daughter Jodi on the "Nature At The Confluence" property where Turtle Creek empties into the Rock River (On the Illinois - Wisconsin Stateline).
It was nine degrees, but felt like -8 with the breeze.
"Like the frost on a rose
Winter comes for us all
Oh how nature acquaints us
With the nature of patience"
-Hillsong United "Seasons"
