"The Archetype of Advent: The Story of Redemption."

"The Archetype of Advent:  The Story of Redemption."

By: KC Knippa

"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."   [Romans 8:23-24, 26]

            By now, I hope that we are beginning to see that the worlds of the fantastical and the real are actually one in the same.  Last week we saw that advent is centered on this often overlooked epic battle, which awakens our imagination and to see Christ’s real kingdom that is already here.  Tonight we continue our voyage into a look at classic Christmas literary works that present themselves as the archetype of advent.  And even though we have been awakened to the truth that the two worlds of fantastical and the real are the same, God now reveals that His reality is much greater than our own fantasies.

          To clarify, we need to first understand that our fantasies are far different than God’s fantastical reality.  What I mean by ‘our own fantasies’ is this; we tend to create for ourselves our own worlds of fiction…  Stories where, in a way, we become our own archetypes; we make ourselves the central focus.  This is much different from God’s Fantastical reality for us as he reveals through the Advent narrative.

          Once again, we look at one piece that helps us understand the message of Advent.  The story that we are welcomed into tonight is a familiar tale… It is billed as a ‘Ghost story of Christmas’, better known as A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens in 1843.  Dickens wrote this Victorian story based on his own past experiences and his sympathy for the poor.  He also wrote it in a very interesting way; in carol form.  Much as the title implies, the story is divided into 5 separate stanzas or verses.  And in an almost rhythmic way, the story unfolds as we see an old man living in his own fantasies… full of regret;

          The old man who is self-centered, mean-spirited, miserable, and surrounded by broken relationships is named Ebenezer Scrooge.  He sits in his counting-house on a frigid Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers in the anteroom because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for a fire. As the day goes on, Scrooge's nephew, Fred, pays his uncle a visit and invites him to his annual Christmas party. Later, Two portly gentlemen also drop by and ask Scrooge for a contribution to their charity. Scrooge reacts to the holiday visitors with bitterness and venom, spitting out an angry "Bah! Humbug!", and with it… 3 relationships denied.

          Later that evening, after returning to his dark, cold apartment, Scrooge receives a chilling visitation from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, looking haggard and pallid, relates his unfortunate story. As punishment for his greedy and self-serving life his spirit has been condemned to wander the Earth weighted down with heavy chains. Marley hopes to save Scrooge from sharing the same fate. Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him this very night. After Marley disappears, Scrooge collapses into a deep sleep.

          Suddenly, He awakes to the sound of the clock bells chiming loudly, moments before the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Past; a strange childlike phantom with a brightly glowing head. The spirit escorts Scrooge on a journey into the past to previous Christmases from his earlier years. Invisible to those he watches, Scrooge revisits his childhood school days, his apprenticeship with a jolly merchant, and his engagement to Belle, a woman who leaves Scrooge because his lust for money eclipses his ability to love anyone else. Scrooge, deeply moved, sheds tears of regret before the phantom returns him to his bed.

          Drifting back to sleep, he is again awakened by the sound of the clock as he sees the Ghost of Christmas Present; a majestic giant clad in a green fur robe.  He takes Scrooge through London to unveil Christmas as it will happen this year. Scrooge watches the large, bustling Cratchit family prepare a miniature feast in its meager home. He discovers Bob Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim, a courageous boy whose kindness and humility warms Scrooge's heart. The specter then takes Scrooge to his nephew's to witness the Christmas party. Scrooge finds the jovial gathering delightful and pleads with the spirit to stay until the very end of the festivities. As the journey progresses, the spirit ages, becoming noticeably older. Toward the end of the day, he shows Scrooge two starved children who lived under his coat, named Ignorance and Want. He vanishes instantly as Scrooge notices a dark, hooded figure coming toward him.

          The Clock chimes once more as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge through a sequence of mysterious scenes relating to an unnamed man's recent death. Scrooge sees businessmen discussing the dead man's riches, some vagabonds trading his personal effects for cash, and a poor couple expressing relief at the death of their unforgiving creditor. Scrooge, anxious to learn the lesson of his latest visitor, begs to know the name of the dead man. After pleading with the ghost, Scrooge finds himself in a churchyard, the spirit pointing to a grave. Scrooge looks at the headstone and is shocked to read his own name. He desperately implores the spirit to alter his fate, promising to renounce his insensitive, materialistic ways and to honor Christmas with all his heart.  Suddenly, in a burst of light, he finds himself safely tucked in his bed.

          Overwhelmed with joy by the chance to redeem himself and grateful that he has been returned to Christmas Day, Scrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound Christmas spirit. His once dead heart has been transformed;  He saw that life was not just about himself, he learned to let go of regret, and relationships that were once broken had been restored.  With his renewed joy, he sends a giant Christmas turkey to the Cratchit house and attends Fred's party, to the stifled surprise of the other guests. As the years go by, he holds true to his promise and honors Christmas with all his heart: he treats Tiny Tim as if he were his own child, provides lavish gifts for the poor, and treats his fellow human beings with compassion, generosity, and warmth.

          The types and parallels are ever present in this story.  We can see ourselves in many of the characters; Bob Crachit and his family, Fred the nephew, other townsfolk… or maybe even scrooge?  As much as we would like to not believe it, I feel we have way more in common with Ebenezer Scrooge than we would like to admit.  Far too often we live in our own worlds of regrets and fears.  In the story, Scrooge had forgotten how to love anything other than himself and had isolated himself from his fellow man.  His life had become nothing more than a series of past mistakes, regrets and failure; so much so that he created his own fantasy world to live in, one where he was at the center.  In fact, he had become so entrenched in his own fantasies that it took a dead friend and three spirits to finally show him the chains that he has shackled himself with, along with his own grave in which he dug.  The great scene of Scrooge ending at his own grave showed him the legacy of his story… and in a way, our own. 

          What shackles have we placed of ourselves?  What graves have we dug?  Like scrooge, we see that when we live in our own worlds of fantasy, we too are spiritually dead.  We are also a collection of past mistakes, regrets, and failures.    But – that is only one side of our story.  While we are still spiritually dead, we see that we are also made alive through the narrative of Advent – the story of redemption.

          We see that by the end of this Carol, Scrooge has found his redemption.  Not that he was able to redeem himself, but that he was led by the spirits to see how to live as one who has been redeemed.  When the Spirit awakens us to the truth that redemption does not depend on ourselves, we awaken our lives to live as the redeemed people of Christ.  This is the message of Advent.  Christ has come once and for all to redeem his lost people.  And now that He has redeemed this world, he has freed us to be transformed.

          The story of Advent is one of Justification, but many of us forget that it is also about Sanctification.  In the Christmas Carol, the three spirits not only point to Christ as the archetype, but also to our sanctifier – the Holy Spirit (it is not just a coincidence that Dickens uses the word spirit).  Just as the spirits help Scrooge see truth in his own world of lies, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the ultimate truth.  Now that Christ has redeemed us, the Holy Spirit works in and through us to be transformed, changed, and restored… to live redeemed.  It is not enough to just live in this truth, but we are moved, much like Scrooge, to now share this story of redemption with everyone we meet, awakening them from the sleep of our own fantasies to God’s great fantastical reality.

Through this story we see the types that reveal who we are and the archetype that points to God, but there is one more element of this story that helps us understand the narrative of Advent – the clock.

In the story, the sound of the clock marked the arrival of one of the spirits who then would take Scrooge on a journey through time – past, present, and future.  This helps us see how the Spirit works outside of time to show us God’s fantastical reality in our lives.  He points us to our past, spiritually dead selves and shows us our salvation in Christ.  He shows us our present, redeemed lives in which we serve those around us.  And he points to our future, eternal life and of the world to come.  We now live in a world where past and future collide with the present.  It is in this moment we live, we move, and we find our roles in the advent narrative as the redeemed people of God.

The name of Ebenezer Scrooge has and will continue to live on in infamy.  But, I would like to point out one thing.  What does  Ebenezer even mean?  The name Ebenezer is an old Hebrew name meaning, “stone of help” – it is anything that serves as a reminder of God’s real presence in our lives.  As we see the Ebenezer in this story reminds us of God’s true presence in our lives.  The question that we are now left with is this; how will we be an Ebenezer to those we meet?

We have been transformed.  Our very lives are to be a stone of help to those around us, a testimony to God’s work in this world. 

We no longer live in our own worlds of fantasy and regrets.  We see that God’s reality is far greater.  We have been awakened and restored to live as the redeemed people of God and now share this overarching message of Advent to the world around us.

 

- KC

"The Archetype of Advent: The Story of Imagination."

"The Archetype of Advent:  The Story of Imagination."

By: KC Knippa

"However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.   [1 Cor. 2:9-10]

            Last week we began to look at this idea that sometimes the stories that the hardest to imagine can also be true.  This week, we once again open our eyes to the fact that the world of the fantastical and the world of the real are one in the same.  Through looking at classic Christmas literary works that present themselves as the archetype of the advent story, we will once again see that the real message of advent can be found all around us. 

            Just as archetypes point to something greater, tonight we again see that through our classic piece.  This story is one of vivid imagery, familiar songs, and dreams beyond belief.  But this story, as imaginative as it is, points to advent – the greatest story of imagination ever told.

            The word imagination is an interesting one.  For most people, myself included, the word imagination conjures up thoughts of ‘make-believe’ or that it is simply untrue in nature.  But in fact, the word “imagination” really means to ‘evoke worlds’; to imagine is just a mental process of seeing a vision or to gain an understanding of something by not physically seeing it.  In essence, imagination is nothing more than faith itself.

            The great body of work that we will discuss this week will be The Nutcracker.  The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was written by ETA Hoffman in 1816.  This original story is fairly dark in nature, focusing mostly of the epic battle between the Nutcracker prince and the Mouse King.  In fact, this tale may be much different than the version most of us have come to know and love.  The Nutcracker as we know it today is based on the adaption of this story into the ballet written by Tchaikovsky nearly a century later.  As we will see, this story has much to show us about the message of advent.

            The story of the Nutcracker, goes a little like this:

It’s a cozy Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum’s house. Their house is decorated with Christmas ornaments, wreaths, stockings, mistletoe and in the center of it all, a majestic Christmas tree. As the Stahlbaum’s prepare for their annual Christmas party, their children, Fritz and Clara, wait anxiously for their family and friends to arrive. When the guests finally appear, the party picks up with dancing and celebration. All of a sudden, a guest arrives dressed in dark clothing, it is Clara’s godfather Drosselmeyer, the toymaker.  The celebration is interrupted once again when Drosselmeyer reveals to the children that he has brought them gifts. The girls receive beautiful china dolls and the boys receive bugles. Fritz is given a wonderful drum, but Clara is given the best gift of all… the Nutcracker. Fritz grows jealous, snatches the Nutcracker from Clara and plays a game of toss with the other boys. It isn't long until the Nutcracker is dropped and breaks. Clara is upset, but Drosselmeyer fixes it with a handkerchief and placed it in a small make-shift bed under the Christmas tree.

The party grows late and the children become sleepy. Everyone generously thanks the Stahlbaum’s before they leave. Clara fears for her new toy and its safety, she checks on her Nutcracker one last time and ends up falling asleep under the Christmas tree with the Nutcracker in her arms, full of despair.

At the stroke of midnight Clara wakes up to a frightening scene. The house, the tree and the toys seem to be getting larger. Is she shrinking? Out of nowhere large mice dressed in army uniforms, led by the Mouse King, begin to circle the room while the toys, the nutcracker, and the Christmas tree come to life. Clara’s Nutcracker groups the soldier toys into battle formation and fights the mouse army. The Mouse King traps the Nutcracker in the corner, but the Nutcracker can’t overcome the Mouse King’s strength. Clara makes a desperate move to save her Nutcracker from defeat and throws her slipper at the Mouse King. She hits him directly in the head! The Nutcracker is able to overcome the stunned Mouse King and claims victory. In defeat, the mice army quickly carries away their King.

Clara falls onto the Nutcracker’s bed, over-whelmed by the moment. As angels and delightful music hover over their heads, the bed turns into a magical sleigh, floating higher and higher. The Nutcracker is transformed into a human prince.  He gets on Clara’s sleigh and drives through a snowy forest where the snowflakes turn into dancing maidens.

The Nutcracker guides Clara on a magical journey, revealing to her a world like she has never seen.  A large festival filled we dancing, song, and feasting unfolds around them – all coming from the Christmas tree itself.  Sugarplum fairies, snowflakes, and tasty treats come to life and awakens Clara’s imagination.  She becomes full of life and her night that once began with despair, is now transformed into an evening of wonderment and awe.

The celebration lasts for what seems like hours and days.  The festival concludes when everyone comes together on the court and bids Clara and the Nutcracker Prince farewell. She tells the Nutcracker she wishes the adventure would never end and he tells her it won’t for those who have an eye to see it.

Clara wakes up the next morning, under the Christmas tree with her Nutcracker still in held tightly in her arms – full of hope and joy.

            It may be hard to imagine, but there are many parallels and types to be seen between this story and with advent.  This story actually begins in much the same way as the advent story – with an epic battle scene.  Believe it or not, most people do not see the fact that advent is wrapped around this ongoing struggle and battle... without which, advent would not even be necessary.

            Think about it.  Just as the Nutcracker came to life in Clara’s hour of need, Christ has come into our world – became flesh – and fights in our hour of need.  Christ coming as a child in a manger was one of the first strikes against our own Rat king… The Evil One and sin.  If there was not a battle to be waged and a struggle to be overcome, then why would we need a savior?  It is for this very reason that advent must be seen in this way.

            Christ has come and defeated evil once and for all, claiming us as His own.  But that does not mean that we are without struggle.  Life is full of its ups and downs.  But just as the Nutcracker defeats the Rat King and shows Clara a new world, Christ has taken on and won this battle; to free us to begin to imagine new worlds.

            Now that we have become awakened to our battles and no longer need to fear or despair, we can focus on this imaginative world Christ reveals to us.  Can you see this world?  It is all around us.  If you close your eyes… you can begin to see it.  The world that Christ shows to us gives us a glimpse into the heavenly realms and of His Kingdom here on earth.  As He says many times throughout the gospels, the Kingdom is not in the future… it is now.  His fantastical Kingdom is also very real, and beyond anything our imagination can comprehend.  It is only revealed; it is only seen and heard to those who belong to Him.  He has opened our eyes.  Now, can you see this world?  It is all around us.  We are part of this story of imagination.

            The battle is won.  This new world is imagined.  Now we are left in awe as He prepares us to do more.  In the story, we saw Clara drift to sleep, full of despair; but awakened with hope, joy, and awe.  We are awakened in much the same way.  Christ calls us to not only see his fantastical kingdom and to just live in it… He calls us to help serve this Kingdom.  This sense of awe that we have can do nothing but cause us to share this joy with those around us… to awaken others to see the imagination of Advent.

            If we again look at the types in these two stories, we tend to see that we are Clara and that the Nutcracker points to Jesus – but again, I believe there is one piece in the story we are overlooking… The tree.

            In the story, the tree is the central focal point.  Everything revolves around and comes from the tree.  This focus on the tree is a beautiful reminder for us about the advent narrative.  In one story, another legend surrounding Martin Luther, we can see the importance of the Christmas tree.  It is believed that of our modern tradition of getting an evergreen tree, bringing it indoors, and decorating it was begun by Luther and his family.

            The reason he began this tradition was to remind us through placing candles in the evergreen, that Christ has come to bring light… His light, to a dark world.  He has come to bring life to our death.  Just as the evergreen lives through the winter, we are reminded of our new life and joy… our sense of awe.

            If the tree played such an important role in the story and acts as a reminder for us in the advent story, one question remains; how will we share our trees?

            With our renewed imaginations in what Christ has done and continues to do for us, we are to show our trees of hope, joy, and awe to all we meet.  Reminding all that even in advent, the battle has been won and His Kingdom that is beyond all imagination – is already here.

- KC 

"The Archetype of Advent: The Story of Compassion"

"The Archetype of Advent: The Story of Compassion"

By:  KC Knippa

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."   [2nd Corinthians 1:3-4]

          Life is nothing more than a collection of stories. This year for our advent worship series we will be taking a look at some classic literary works that present themselves as the archetype of the advent message.  Join us each week as we dive into the often overlooked fantastical and majestic world that the advent story paints and be welcomed into a reality that we rarely slow down long enough to see in the world around us.

            First let me explain this idea of types or typology.  Types are nothing more than people, things, or concepts within a story that point to an idea or theme that cannot otherwise be found on its own.  We see this happen all the time.  An archetype then, is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated…  In most stories the archetype foreshadows or points that something greater than itself.  In Scriptures, the archetype is always that of Christ, and this where we find ourselves when we look at the advent narrative.

            For the next four weeks we will take a look at one story each week that many of us are familiar with as a classic Christmas tale and find that these stories can help us understand the message of advent more clearly.

            This week we will take a look at our first work which is The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm.  At first, this may not seem like a Christmas story, but many of our traditions about that big guy in a red suit and his workshop full of elves are derived from this story.  Just a little background, the Grimms were a pair of German brothers who wrote a vast collection of folklore, legends, and stories.  Many of these tales were of a cautionary nature, pointing to a theme that is greater than the story its self.  This story, is one surrounding the message of generosity and compassion.

            The story itself goes something like this;

            “Once, here was an honest man who was a shoemaker.  He was a poor man who had given his life to his craft, but had in recent years found himself in hard times.  It came to be that all he had left in his name was enough leather to make one last pair of shoes.  The leather was nothing more than a few scraps of discarded waste.  He was convinced that he could do nothing with them.

            He laid out the material, went to bed and the next morning he awoke to find the most wonderful shoes he had ever seen.  He and his wife had no clue as to how they were made, or who had made them.  Later on that same day, a customer came in and after seeing how marvelous the shoes were insisted on buying the shoes for more than the listed price.  Delighted, the shoemaker was able to take the money from the sale and buy some more leather, enough for two pairs shoes.  He laid the material on his workbench once again and went to bed.

            The next day he woke up and found two finished pairs of shoes.

            This pattern of leaving material and awakening to find shoes continued for days and weeks.  Through this miraculous event, the shoemaker became prosperous once again.

            One evening around Christmas time, he and his wife decide to stay up and see who has been giving these amazing gifts.  Hiding in the corner of the room, they laid in wait to see who the mysterious workers would be.  At the stroke of twelve, two tiny elves in torn rags walked in the front door, hopped on the workbench and went to work.  Stitching the finest stitches, working faster they had ever seen.  The elves finished the shoes and left in much the same way as they came.

            Grateful for all the elves had done, the shoemaker and his wife decided to show them their thanks by making for them a fine set of clothing.  The next night, instead of leaving leather for shoes, they instead left only the new clothes.  That evening when the elves came into the workshop, they saw the clothes and put them on.  Their tiny faces lit up and they were delighted.  The elves then left and would never return.

            Although the elves would never be seen again, the shoemaker and his wife lived for many years and were never in need again.”

            Through this story, many themes emerge.  The ideas of giving generously, repaying kindness, and even helping others who are in need can be seen.  But, the most important message for this tale that points to the archetype of advent is that of compassion.

            The elves in this story point to Jesus.  Just as the elves saw a need and gave selflessly, Christ shows the same kind of compassion on us.  Through His incarnation, He came to us and became like us.  Not because He had to or because we deserved it, or even that we earned in some weird way… but because he saw price of our need and knew the worth of His compassion to be far greater.  He gave of Himself and through it saved all of creation.  Period. The end.

            Or is it?  This is where we tend to stop the story of advent… Christ came, He saved.  But there is much more to see, much more to discover… a glimpse into a fantastical world that we rarely take time to see.

            It is easy to see the types and parallels between this story and the story of advent.  Many of us (myself included) see ourselves as the shoemaker, the elves point to Christ, but, I believe there is one element from this story that we are over looking… the leather.

            What is the leather?  In the story the leather that was first used to make the shoes were pieces of scrap… waste.  They were viewed as worthless and unimportant.  Yet the elves came and saw the beauty in the mundane, found purpose in the leather, and taught the shoemaker how to do the same.  For us and our story, the leather is the world in which we live.

            Christ is doing the same for us through the advent story.  He has shown us the leather scraps of our lives and He gives us a new vision for them.  He shows us how to take these scraps and find the beauty in the brokenness, the use in the useless, and how to find purpose in the mist of confusion. 

            Where is the leather for us?  Can you see it?  Can you see its beauty?  Through the lens of advent we can see this new world around us, one where we can share His compassion and help show the beauty in this broken world.  Just like in the story, Christ provides for our needs and now that we are no longer in want, we can see this fantastical world and our renewed purpose in it.

            But often it is hard for many of us to move between the two worlds of the fantastical and the real.  But for those of us in Christ… these two worlds are really one in the same.

            One of the legends about Martin Luther… who was another great German storyteller, speaks of a cobbler, or in other words, a shoemaker, who was converted to Christianity.  He came to Martin Luther and full of zeal for the faith asked him, “What should I do now that I’m Christian instead of being just a cobbler?” Luther asked him, “Are you a good cobbler?” The man reportedly replied, “oh yes, people say I’m one of the best!” To which Martin Luther replied “Then go a make great shoes.”

            To further drive this point home, Luther said in his  Address to the Nobility of the German Nation in 1520… which by the way after it was written would set the culture that the Brothers Grimm would grow up in and would influence many of their stories.  The address said this;

“A cobbler, a smith, a farmer, each has the work and office of his trade, and yet they are all alike consecrated priests and bishops, and every one by means of his own work or office must benefit and serve every other, that in this way many kinds of work may be done for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the community, even as all the members of the body serve one another…”

 

          This is our purpose that we find for ourselves as the story points to that of advent. Because of Christ and His vocation, we are called through whatever our vocation may be; to bring compassion, beauty, and purpose to the world around us.  Christ has shown, even as a baby in a manger, that we are called to do more for the community… more for our leather.  And above all else, in all that we do, we too are reminded to go and make great shoes.

            As we began to awaken ourselves tonight, seeing the compassion, beauty, and purpose of our roles in the advent story… we now begin to see that the fantastical and the real are one in the same.

- KC

"Not-So-Astute Observation"

 "Not-So-Astute Observation"

By:  Pastor Jack Schneider

“All Scripture is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  [2 Tim.3:16,15, NIV]

Blew my mind the other day when I read the following comment by a supposed Christian pastor here in Dallas: “I cannot say exactly what we believe except that experience is a higher authority than Scripture.  I do not believe the Bible is the Word of God…” [Pastor Danielle Shroyer, Journey Church]

Say what??  Oh, my!  I wish I could tell you this person is one lone twisted voice in a sea of Biblical orthodoxy, but that’s not the case.  More and more we’re finding human experience and reason as the foundation for faith, not the written, living Word of God.  In fact, says the world, the Bible is but one of many collections of myths, rituals and stories of religion, and all have value.  It doesn’t really matter what you believe, we’re told, so long as you’re sincere.

Oh, really?  Paul encountered this numerous times in his ministry, having traveled across a cosmopolitan landscape and numerous seaports of the wisest mankind had to offer.  Listen to what he had to say… 

“God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves.  For the truth about God is known to them instinctively.  God has put this knowledge in their hearts.  From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made.  They can clearly see His invisible qualities -- His eternal power and divine nature.  So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.  Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks.  And they began to think up foolish ideas of what He was like.  The result was that their minds became dark and confused.  Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.  Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies.  So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator Himself, who is to be praised forever.” [Rom.1:18-22,25, NLT]

In 1943 Thomas J. Waters, Chairman of the Board for IBM, made this sincere, not-so-astute observation, “There is a world market for about five computers.”  His failure as a business prognosticator pales, however, in comparison to the social convictions of Cordell Hull, U.S. Secretary of State, who stated emphatically in 1933, “Mistreatment of Jews in Germany may be considered virtually eliminated.”

  Y’know, you can be mistaken in this life, or you can be mistaken for all eternity..

- Jack

"Consider Your Heritage."

"Consider Your Heritage."

By: Pastor Jack Schneider

“I will utter things hidden from of old -- things we have heard and known, things our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.”  [Ps.78:2b-4a, NIV]

Tragedies and world events have a way of challenging us to ask, “What’s important enough in your life to pass on to your children?”  Ultimately our kids [and others] will remember us not because of what we’ve accomplished but for being the person we are in Christ.  If you don’t believe it, just ask who it is you admire and consider a model for your own life.  Seldom is it someone known for his/her worldly success.  Instead, those of the most significance in our lives are those who model specific principles worth living -- living examples of Christ. 

Here are some of those principles, with definitions added.

1.                 Responsibility.  Pick up your own toys, help with family chores, and learn to cooperate.  Don’t blame others for your own failures.

2.                 Work ethic.  You don’t get something for nothing.  Do a job right. Take time to play, but finish work first. Work to live, not live to work.

3.                 Determination.  Stick to it! If at first you don’t succeed, try again. A stone can be broken by drops of water. Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

4.                 Attitude.  Have a good one; the world doesn’t owe you anything. A positive person has stronger friends and more success than a negative person.

5.                 Potential.  Build up others, encourage them, and instill a desire to be all God would have them be.  The best leaders are encouragers.

6.                 Stewardship.  Malachi 3:10 says to bring the whole tithe to God.  Manage the remaining 90% wisely to His glory. Children learn miserliness by example.

7.                 Relationships.  Use things and love people, not the other way around.  When people come first, circumstances follow. Better to be hurt than not know love.

8.                 Honesty.  Thomas Jefferson called it “the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Let words and actions be consistent. Avoid lies and manipulation; live with integrity and transparency.

9.                 Generosity.  The richest people are those who give, expecting nothing in return.  True generosity depends not on the amount but the attitude in heart.

10.              Dependence on God. This is the most important of the ten.  “Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you.” “My salvation and my honor depend on God.” [Ps.55:22; 62:7]

Consider your heritage.  Do others see Jesus Christ in you?  Are these ten principles

evident in the way you live, or do your actions negate the witness of your life?  To use the tag-line old sermon from years ago, if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?  Think about it…or, better yet, ask your children.

- Jack

"Worship: Noun or Verb?"

"Worship:  Noun or Verb?"

By:  KC Knippa

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”  John 4:23-24

In the next few weeks and months, I will be writing a series of articles on the topic of worship.  These upcoming articles are more for me, the writer, than it will be for you the reader… a way for me to dive more deeply and wrestle with the thoughts of what worship truly is (and for that matter, what it isn’t!).  As I take this journey, I encourage you to join me in this dialog and conversation on worship; learning not only what God says though scripture, but also learning from one another.

I think it is only appropriate that we begin with the question, “What is worship?”  If you look in a variety of sources, one thing becomes clear; worship can be summed up in two ways… as a noun (a place or time of devoted service) or as a verb (an action).  But, which form of worship is right?

Let’s stop right here.  If we are already asking ourselves this question, it is doing us a disservice.  Because of our western thinking and culture, we want to immediately see things as either/or, right/wrong, or black/white.  But the answer is that both forms of worship are important and needed… but, one form does take precedence over the other.

If we look in scripture we see that in the hundreds of times that the word ‘worship’ is used, one thing becomes clear;  worship is overwhelmingly used as a verb.  In fact, worship is only used as a noun a handful of times.  But, what is the difference?  What does it really mean to view worship as either a verb or noun?

The way I like to see it is based on our focus.  Worship is based on an action, an experience… it is meant to be active.  Worship is where man and God meet and lives are transformed.  Worship is not accomplished by great pastors, good music, or even a well decorated space… it starts with the Spirit working through us to give praise and adoration to the One who is worthy.  Truth is, worship begins long before we ever enter our worship space.  However, this worship (verb) can happen when we come to worship (noun), but it does not stop there.  One of my favorite verses (Romans 12:1) puts it like this;

“…Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.”

This means that true worship must go beyond the noun.  Worship is what we do through our very lives; living and praising God in all that we do.  It is only when we get the verb of worship right that the noun of worship even begins to matter.

Simply put, we need to get worship (verb) right in order to get worship (noun) right… not the other way around.

- KC