Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Getting ready for the Season


I don’t know why I’m so surprised every year by how quickly the Christmas season gets here.  As a child it seemed to take forever, each day dragging slower than the next. I wished and prayed that it would speed up and get “here” and in the flash of a few packages and tinsel, it was over.  As an adult it comes and goes so quickly, My daddy always told me “the older you get, the quicker time will pass.”  Perhaps as a child I couldn’t wait for the toys and that’s why it seemed to take so long to get here. And as an adult the stress of getting all the presents and making it to all the Christmas parties stressed me so, that it seemed to fly by and I felt little joy in it. 

Now as a Christian, it runs so quick because I want so much to hang onto it so long.  I have not matured to some spiritual level of understanding and moved beyond the mere mortal realm of presents, wrappings, bows and the like, “I like presents.”  But now in faith I anticipate like a child for the season, because it reminds me of why that precious child was born, to die for my sin.  As an Adult I look forward to sharing the blessings the Lord has brought into my life, and as a believer I look forward to spending it in celebration with my family, Tucapau Baptist. 

Those of us who have been around for at least a few years, love reminiscing on our child hood and trying to recapture those feelings we had way back when.  We want them for our children, grandchildren, and those around us.  Why not start making new memories, new traditions, why not invite your family, friends, and neighbors to church this Season if they don’t have a church home.  Encourage them to make memories and traditions that will last them a lifetime, and why can’t those memories be around God’s Church, God’s People celebrating the birth of the Lord and Savior of the World.

We kicked off our celebration of the Season with our Hanging of the Greens, let us invite all to our Children’s Program Sunday December 9th 6PM, and the Adult Choir program Sunday December 16th 6PM.  What better way is there to slow down and catch your breath in the middle of the season than to take a seat and enjoy the praise of the Savior?

Psalms 77:11-14
11 I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.

Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Pastor Eric
Galatians 2:20

 

 

Learning to be a Person of Conviction


One of the first things a Dad tries to instill in their child is a “Don’t Quit Attitude.”  It’s not that our hearts aren’t broken when we see our child hurting from a fall, a hit from a ball, or the agony of a knock on the head when our child collides unintentionally with another Dad’s child.  We hurt, we want to hold them and take away the pain, but the one luxury we don’t get as Dad’s is letting our child give up.

We teach our children, “Don’t Quit,” because we want our children to become a people of conviction.  Conviction doesn’t happen overnight, it happens over a lifetime of bumps and bruises, over broken hearts and sometimes even broken dreams.  The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines Conviction as “a strong persuasion or belief” or “the state of being convinced.”  It is no accident that the synonyms (the same as) of the word are “assuredness, certainty, confidence, doubtlessness, satisfaction and sureness,” and that the antonyms (the opposite of) of the word are “doubt, uncertain, no confidence, and uncertainty.”  Conviction doesn’t happen by accident, it is learned on the battlefield of living life in a world that is imperfect.

We begin by teaching our children you don’t quit when things don’t go your way, because we know living in a sin-sick world, rarely do things turn out exactly as planned.  When we teach our children not to quit when things get tough we teach them to commit.  Commitment is serious business and it only comes when a person learns, “it’s not just about me.”  There is more than one party involved in a commitment; it may be a sports team, a work crew, a mission team or a marriage. As they say “there is no ‘I’ in ‘Team’.” Learning to make a commitment means growing up and putting childish self-serving ambitions aside, no longer is it, “me, myself and I,” it is about “you, we and us and even them.”  No longer am I the center of the universe, but I am a part of a much bigger plan God has for me. 

            When a child learns not to quit because there is much more at stake than just “me”, he sees beyond himself and sees that commitment benefits “we” and we includes “me”, and once commitment is set resolute in the heart conviction soon will follow.  Conviction in the sense of the spiritual is what holds us together when the world tries to tear us apart.  The conviction of truth in our life, regardless of what others say or do, this “truth” will hold us firm and grounded in a world where anything goes and commitments and convictions are like the sands on the shore constantly shifting giving us no firm foundation.  This world lacks conviction.

            Eventually a child’s heart will grow and “don’t quit” will lead to “I won’t quit,” “commit” will one day lead to “I can’t quit,” and “conviction” will lead to “you can’t make me quit.”  Imagine generations of children growing up learning that quitting is never an option, learning to commit to a relationship with Christ Jesus, and learning to stand firm in their convictions of the truths of God.  What would the schools look like, the work places, the churches, the mission fields and the world?  Imagine the frustration of the devil when the people of God look him in the eyes and say “you can’t make me quit.”    

7 "But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work
2 Chron 15:7

Blessings,
Pastor Eric