the land of the north - Russia?

Jeremiah 31:7-14
For Sunday, January 4, 2009
Second Sunday After Christmas Day

One of the things we all love to do is to try to figure out prophecy. In this passage there is reference to "the land of the north". Some might want to say, "Aha, that must be Russia! And the mass migration of Jews from Russia to Israel could well be the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Possible . . . but not probable. The first problem with this line of thinking is that most of Israel's enemies historically came from the north so that this could just as well be a reference to Assyria, Persia, or Babylon as to Russia. Secondly, this is the very same chapter of Scripture that announces the New Covenant at chapters' end. No one suggests that the New Covenant is intended only for Jews emigrating from Russia, so why should the first part of the chapter be read any differently?

I think a better way to read this chapter is to see it focusing on God's commitment to reconcile his people to himself. With the coming of Jesus this reconciliation began and it will continue until the New Heaven and the New Earth have been secured for all eternity forward. The so what is this: God so loves us that he is more committed to us than we are to ourselves. Therefore we can entrust ourselves to him that we might enjoy more and more of the blessing he intends for us.

Note this also. The blessings of God are tied to no national economy or national currency, nor even to a world economic system. Don't despair when you see financial tremors continuing to reverberate worldwide. The ultimate bailout has already been put into effect. His name is Jesus.

leaders read

There was a great article in today's Wall Street Journal by Karl Rove entitled "Bush is a book lover" revealing a reading contest he and President Bush have had ongoing since 2005. As my friend and pastor Steve Sonderman likes to say, "Leaders read."

I need to read more. It's intellectually stimulating and spiritually engaging. You too? Think about how much time we allow ourselves to be bombarded each day by advertising on either radio or television. Let's turn off the idiot box and turn on our minds. The world will be a better place because of it.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to read 30 minutes a day. I'll make time for this in the evenings after putting the kids down and before going to bed. How about you?

a life of Shalom

"Birth of Christ", Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528)

How fitting that Isaiah 9 should reappear on our lectionary radar as it did in January of this year. My post in January was entitled "Walking in Darkness" and made the point that the coming of Jesus fulfills the prophesy of Isaiah 9, which says that the first to suffer will be the first to be redeemed. For the accountants in the audience this is a spiritual FIFO (first in, first out).

It seems fitting on this Christmas Eve then to continue the thought by noting simply that the light those walking in darkness will see is none other than a person, and a very little person at that, named Jesus. I once heard Howard Stern say he loves the baby Jesus. Why I was watching Howard Stern is something I have already confessed to my Maker. People who say such things in such a way don't really know the baby Jesus, because when you come into the presence of the baby Jesus, you are also coming into the presence of a person who is a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, an Everlasting Father, and a Prince of Peace.

Each of these titles is packed with profound implication but let's just focus for now on the last one. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom, which means peace, welfare, and completeness. Shalom is what is on offer for anyone who will confess their sins, repent, and commit their lives to becoming followers of the Baby Jesus.

May I invite you today, if you never have, to bow down before his manger, and enter into this life of Shalom? If you have already done so, but your attention has waned, may I invite you to renew your vow to follow Him? I can attest from personal experience, this is the best investment you could ever make (and there aren't many alternatives out there at the moment, are there?).

If you have been prompted by this post to make such a commitment or renew such a commitment I would also to hear from you so that I can rejoice with you and pray with you. Would you please send me a confidential email at the address listed under 'Visitors'?

Merry Christmas.

double for our sins

Isaiah 40:1-11
For Sunday, December 7, 2008
Second Sunday of Advent

One of the great joys of the Word of God can be reading it with other people. I've been cultivating this both at work and at home. At home, I am cultivating the habit of reading a passage to my wife and three boys and then discussing it with them. It's a joy to try to bring the text down to the level of my boys - ages 12, 11, and 6 - and to see the profound impact the Word has on them as well as the insights they can produce. The other day we sat down for dinner and my 6 year-old asked, "Daddy, can we read the Bible again?" Very cool.

At work a few male colleagues and I meet over lunch for a bi-weekly Life Transformation Group. The idea isn't mine - Google it, but it is this: meet together for mutual accountability, Bible reading, and prayer for those in your spheres of influence, and your lives will be transformed together.

We read this passage this past Thursday. We catch up over lunch, and then having deposited our trays, we return to our table, where I pass out copies of a selected reading for the week. We take a few moments to read the passage silently and then share our reactions or questions.

One of the guys asked a great one: "In v. 2 why does it say that Jerusalem has received double for all her sins? Is this double punishment? That doesn't seem to fit the context." I looked this up in my favorite quick reference, "New Bible Commentary (IVP)", which indicates that it could mean either punishment or blessing. Interesting... Digging a little deeper, I went to one of my next favorite references, the Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament. Their answer is that "double" means essentially both punishment and compassion. The compassion of God looks back on the wrath of God and views that wrath as having been twice what it should have been. If God sees the wrath as having been doubled, how much more then will the love of God be poured out in multiples. This certainly fits the context. Makes sense to me and very good news.

God disciplines us as children. Where we need to apologize, let us not rationalize, but let us do so forthrightly. Then let us enter into our Father's redemptive embrace and see just how much he loves us. We have indeed received double for all our sins, yet having turned the corner of repentance, how much more shall we now receive in blessing?

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas.