Five Verses on True Freedom
Revelation 1:5-6
5 Hymns for Lent Meditation
Author’s note: I write and schedule blogs a couple of months in advance. As the coronavirus has borne down on us, striking fear and frenzy into our minds and hearts, I think we need Lenten meditation, or at least meditation on the beauty and love of Christ more than ever. Please take some time to listen to at least one of these hymns (listed at the end), and share with others who need to have their minds fixed on things above.
Lent, the season leading up to Easter, compels us to meditate, to slow our lives down and think on Christ. Think about his life, think about his death, think about his resurrection. Think about how our lives would be so very different if he had not hung on a cross and been raised from the dead.
Music lends itself to meditation. Today, for those of you who love music and/or games, we’re going to play a little “Name That Hymn.” Below you’ll find quotes from some famous hymns for meditating on Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Next to the hymn, you’ll find a related Scripture. Then at the very end (try not to peek), I’ll post the answers and a link to a Youtube video of the hymn. Please write a comment and tell us how you did, or which ones you like the best, or others you would add. Have fun, and enjoy this meditative exercise.
Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!
And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands.
Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Valentine’s Day can leave us feeling lonely, no matter how well-loved we are. Today I’m sharing an excerpt from the new devotional I’m writing for people recovering from all sorts of crises. It’s called “You Are with Me.”
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4, ESV
Traversing the road of recovery is not unlike walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Each journey is complex and mysterious, of uncertain length, and fraught with unknown fears. And yet, according to David, who journeyed through many dark valleys, we can “fear no evil,” because we are not alone. The Lord is closer than whispering distance, guarding and guiding us with his presence.
Imagine you find yourself in a narrow alleyway running between two high buildings in a dangerous urban area. No streetlights. No building lights. Stark starless night darkness. You can’t see the tips of your fingers, much less the end of the alleyway. It’s too late to return to the other side; before you saw what you saw, before the surgeon made the cut, before your loved one died. The recovery road has much in common with David’s valley of deep darkness.
Notice that David walks through this valley of deep darkness; he doesn’t run, even though he might be tempted to do so. Running isn’t an option when you’re recovering from disaster. Notice that David walks through this deep valley. There is no way around it; there is no turning back. The only way is to go through it, to get to the other side. Notice that David is alone in this deep darkness: “Even though I walk.” Even when we are in healthy community, we can feel isolated in recovery, as if no one else has ever walked this particular shadowland before.
How would it be possible to fear no evil in a place of such “suspense and surmise,” in which “the evil of evils is uncertainty”[i]? The answer comes in the pivot point, verse four, “For you are with me.” Earlier, David told us that the Lord, third person, is his shepherd; now he addresses the Lord directly:
“You are with me.”
You, the King of kings, are with me.
You, the lion of Judah, are with me.
You, the crusher of Satan, are with me.
Take heart, dear friends. His light, the light that has overcome the darkness, has flooded this dark valley. The Lord, your Shepherd, who counts you as his sheep by his rod, who protects and guides you with his staff, is with you.
Lord, You are our Shepherd. We trust you to guide us, protect us, and secure us in this dark valley of deep uncertainty. Surround us with your love and mercy that we may never stray from you. Amen.
Read Psalm 23.
Listen to “God Is My Shepherd,” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtDXHgTi-5s.
For Reflection
What dark valley are you walking through right now? What is uncertain and frightening? How does it help to know the Lord is your shepherd?
[i] Charles Spurgeon, THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH NO. 1595 https://www.spurgeongems.org/vols25-27/chs1595.pdf, 3.
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Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash
5 Verses on Whole-Hearted Living
It’s Valentine’s Week, and that always makes me think about hearts and what they have to do with Valentine’s Day, and where did Valentine’s Day really come from anyway?
(If you really want to know the answer, Wikipedia of course has a great article explaining that Valentine was a religious Saint, most likely martyred for his Christian beliefs by the emperor Claudius, and that hearts probably entered the picture with good old Geoffrey Chaucer).
Mostly though, in the spirit of focusing on true love during February, I was interested in what the Bible says about the word “heart.” It is primarily attributed to humankind, and usually refers to mind, emotions, or will.
Though “whole-hearted” living is kind of in fashion right now, it actually originates with the story of shalom God wrote into our very beings. With the Fall, hearts have been broken, but God’s restoring work through Christ transforms our hearts and frees us to live our stories for his glory.
With love and gratitude to my Living Story readers, I offer you…
“For to us a child is born, To us a son is given…” Isaiah 9:6Hold on one second—before the kids start tearing into those gifts someone so lovingly wrapped with the color-coordinated ribbons and paper…before the dogs dive in to the pool of paper piled high… What do you want for Christmas? Or, no—better question, “What do you want from Christmas?”
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis, The Weight of GloryAnd if there were ever a time to discover how shallow our desires can be, it might just be Christmas.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Isaiah 9:2, ESVWe are that people. We were stumbling along in fog made thick, air made dank-dark by our blearing sin. At just the right time, Jesus showed up on the doorstep of our heart, delivered by none other than God himself. Not only that. He gave us joy.
“You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy.” Isaiah 9:3, ESVJoy is common at Christmas. Or at least lots of cheer made cheerier at times by holiday cheer. If not joy, there is holly, jolly happiness—at least, for some lucky folks, especially the ones in Hallmark movies. Joy is different. The joy God gave us seeps down deep, sends a thrill through our bones and a chill to our bumps. It’s there when we’re sitting at the hospital bed of our beloved after a devastating stroke; it’s there when our boss tells us she’s so sorry about the layoffs; it’s there when our daughter’s depression returns. It’s the solid, unshakeable belief that one day all will be well again because of the gift God gave us on Christmas day. His Son. The life of his Son for the price of our sins. Not only that. He gave us the King. Not a King. The King.
“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” Isaiah 9:7, ESVIt’s a safe bet not many Americans asked for an increase of our government for Christmas. Right now, most of us would trade our elected officials in for a Dolly Madison donut. But this—this manger-King—his government will one day terminate the strife and bitterness? This King will reign with justice and righteousness? Everything is fair, and all is right. Silent night, holy night. All is calm. All is bright. No more oppression or abuse, and all lives matter to the Prince of Peace and to his people. Yes, this will be true fully and finally, one day. We could go on like this all day, but you have gifts to unwrap. Just take one more moment with me to take in, to fully receive God’s extravagant gift, the only one you’ll get today that will satisfy your longings forever.
Four-part devotional series designed to help you…Slow down. Let go…of the frenzy, worry, rush…
Hear the story of the wonders God has done—in the lives of people who also struggle with fear, anxiety and loss of hope.
FOUR WEEKLY GUIDES|FIVE DAILY ACTIVITIES
Day 1: Devotional
Day 2: Reflection Questions
Day 3: Story Starters
Day 4: Prayer
Day 5: Music
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
We are well into the season of Advent now. Last week, we considered the question, “How can we find REST in this holiday season?” This week, we continue our Advent exploration with this question, “Where does Jesus fit into our Christmas?”
Advent requires us to make crucial decisions…
How has the monumental moment, the birth of the Babe in the Manger, changed your world, changed your life? Or has it? That is the question Advent draws us to ask. Advent compels me, over-thinker that I am, to decide where to place the Jesus-man (the Haitian artists who crafted our Jesus depict him as a man) in the Nativity Scene.
Advent compels me to ask—where does Jesus fit in my Christmas? #Christmas #Advent Share on X
Should I put Jesus in the hay before Christmas Day?
Some people don’t. But then, why would the wise men be there? (Of course, the wise men didn’t really show up till Jesus was two years old anyway, so they probably don’t belong at all….) Ultimately, I decide to go ahead and put Jesus in the manger, partly because I’m afraid I’ll lose him otherwise, and well, even though we have the assurance of salvation, finding another man-Jesus from a Haitian Nativity set would present a challenge!
There is a more important reason, though, that Jesus goes in the manger today—he has already come to this earth. Immanuel, God-with-us has already come to us. Christ has lived. Christ has died. Christ has risen!
I put the man-Jesus right there in the center with his mom and dad, the shepherds and the sheep, the wise men—all those who’ve been bowled over by God’s grace. They marvel at this King of heaven, lying right there in a stinky feeding trough. It was a game-changer, this Advent event.
I put Jesus in the manger because he reminds me to wonder and wait. To wonder at the life-changing miracle of his kingdom come. To remind me in the dark, dreary days of winter or the Christmas flurry of decorations to be done, that Christ will come again.
Sometimes I wonder if we should add another figure to our Nativity Scene—of Christ returning to earth? #Christmas #Advent Share on X
Sometimes I wonder if we should add another figure to our Nativity Scene—of Christ returning to earth, or maybe it should be a whole Second Coming Scene, with zillions of angels rejoicing in heaven and rivers of life made out of Waterford crystal and a massive hand-carved tree and 24-karat gold city gates and walls…Well, maybe that’s a little much? The fact is, in that Day, we won’t need a Second Coming Scene, because we will be living right smack in the middle of it, God with us, us with God. In that day, we will live eternally, every day awed and grateful for the King who has come again for the very last time.
Oh, Lord, we confess—we’ve got it all backward. Of course, the question is, “Where do we fit into Christ’s Christmas?” Forgive us for putting ourselves at the center of Christmas instead of standing with the shepherds and the wise men gazing on your glory. Help us, we pray, to cease our rushing and listen carefully for your hushing voice in this season. Help us to find our rest in Jesus. In his baby-King’s name, we ask! Amen!
Each of the four weekly guides contains five daily activities:
Day 1: Devotional
Day 2: Reflection Questions
Day 3: Story Starters
Day 4: Prayer
Day 5: Music
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