GPS

Have you ever had a discussion with someone about directions, or the best way to get some place?  Or maybe you have taken it a step farther and had a discussion in the past with the Garmin that was perched on your dashboard, or more recently the directions given from your phone. OK, so maybe you haven’t-- but I have.  And I humbly must say that when I do have the discussion (unfortunately at times out loud) I am usually right, but I don’t need to go there.  When we discuss how to get somewhere we are usually following something.  Maybe our experiences, maybe someone right in front of us, or maybe what our phone is telling us.  But directions are an important aspect of getting somewhere.

In the distant past if you were traveling you would have a guide, someone who had passed that way before.  Or you may have navigated at night by the stars.  There was one particular time, that we associated with this time of year, when it wasn’t the stars that led some men, but a single star.  We often refer to them as the Magi, though astrologers would be a more fitting description of these men.  Where these men were from we don’t know, some say Babylon (modern day Iraq), some say farther east, but what we do know is they were willing to follow.

These men, not knowing where they would end up, were willing to follow.  We are not sure how long their journey was or what route brought them to the house where Jesus was living with his parents. What they did know is that at the end of their journey, they would be in the presence of the King whom they were told about.  So even though there were many unknowns, the known kept them following the directions of the star.

What about us, are we willing to follow?  By knowing what is at the end, being in the presence of the King are we willing to follow the GPS (God’s Plan for Servants).  We are called to go, to leave the old life behind, the life where we called the shots, to travel a road that we may not have traveled before.  We are called to trust when we feel one way, but God’s word tells us something else.  We are called to willingly be immersed in water to have our sins forgiven, when the world tells us to just live a good life.  Are we willing to follow?

The Magi didn’t know where they would end up, but they did know what they were following.  We don’t know where we will always end up, but we can be confident we will end up in the right place when we follow God’s word.  The new year is coming-- a great time to start, or renew a commitment to know, not what the world tells us God desires, but what His word says.  I have several ways to help you be devoted to regularly reading the Bible.  If you want some guidance or a schedule let me know.  GPS is a great thing. . .if we use it.

Being guided by God, Randy Schilling

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

R-e-s-p-e-c-t, - something-we-all-want-to-see. I know; that’s not how the lyrics go in Aretha Franklin’s most famous recording. But respect is something we all can relate to. All of us want to be respected, and rightly so. Our Lord spoke frequently regarding mutual love and respect for our neighbor.

In addition to Jesus’ teaching on loving [respecting] one another, there is another respect that scripture speaks of in several places. A respect that pays honor to the elderly.

After giving the law, God gave instructions to the Jews through Moses. After making a declarative statement, He would say, “I am the Lord.” That statement, “I am the Lord”, is a short version of the fuller declaration, “. . ., Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” Le 19:2b. When God made this declaration, in essence He was saying, “Live this holy way, because I am Holy.” Whenever we see those words, “I am the Lord”, God is saying “Be holy, for I am Holy!”

A few verses later in Le 19:32, ““You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.” ESV God says showing respect to the aged is holy living! It’s an admonition, and it is declared by God because we need to hear it. Age is honorable, and the Ancient of Days requires honor be paid to the aged. The grey head is a crown of glory. God uses the word “stand” not just to cause us to behave in a specific way, but to have a heart of love & respect always toward the aged. Standing is a sign of honor and respect.

Disrespect, contempt or minimizing the value of the elderly is sin, commonly seen in some cultures, and we are not immune! We must heed God’s word regarding how we treat our elderly. In 1Timothy 5 we are all told to treat the elderly as if they were our parents. Could it be that how we treat the elderly reflects our feelings about our parents?

Our Heavenly Father requires honor & respect especially to those who cannot care for themselves, and sometimes that includes some of the elderly. Jesus’ oldest kid brother, James, writes in his letter to the scattered Jews to keep our faith pure by serving those at both ends of life’s spectrum; the orphan & the widow, the young & the aged, those who need our assistance & need us to care about them & for them.

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged,…” Pr 17:6. When I was young I always had an interest in how my grandparents lived & asked many questions. I learned much about daily life “back then” as they shared their experiences of outhouses & outdoor plumbing.

I look forward to visiting my grandkids, not just to spend time, but to take opportunity to talk, to stimulate their thinking by saying things that arouse their curiosity. Children become more interesting when they begin to learn to think for themselves and you can challenge their thinking. There is so much opportunity to influence my grandchildren, especially when I tell them what good parents God has given them. My greatest pleasure when with them is when I can “flavor” or “salt” my conversation as I bring the Lord into our talks.

The elderly need to be treated like treasures, for they provide a valuable service to us, even if only by their presence. To those whom God has honored with the common blessing of long life we ought to honor by showing love, respect and affection. God provides blessings to us with the presence of the elderly. They teach us how to prosper, avoid trouble, to serve and remind us of the temporal aspect of life. Examples they provide are invaluable. Remember when the Jews were going to stone the adulterous woman? When Jesus said whoever was sinless could throw the first stone, all the accusers walked, beginning with the older, . . . hmmm.

Aging gracefully (I hope),

Tony Coccia

God's Plan

Serendipity is one of my favorite words—partially because of the way it sounds, that “dipity” at the end is just to pronounce and seems like something that you would find in a Mary Poppins’ movie. But more importantly, I like this word because of the meaning, “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” Don’t you just love it when something positive and beneficial happens that you weren’t expecting? It makes your day, maybe even your week. I love serendipities!

But that’s not what we find when it comes to the place of Jesus’ birth. It wasn’t a happy chance that he was born in Bethlehem to fulfill scriptures. Joseph didn’t say, “Hey Mary, I know you are nine months pregnant, but let’s take a vacation”. And even if they would have been vacationing, the Mediterranean Sea or the Sea of Galilee were much closer and much more scenic. First of all Mary would have said, “I am not getting on a donkey to take a trip right now, and if I did—I’m going to the coast.” No, the place of Jesus‘ birth wasn’t a serendipity, it wasn’t by chance, it was arranged by God.

We know it was Augustus who called the census causing this nine month pregnant woman to climb on a donkey for a one hundred mile, seven day trip. But it wasn’t really Augustus controlling this any more than it was Darius deciding to allow the Jews to go back to their homeland and rebuild the temple. And the temple needed to be built for the time when God would send His Son to this earth. The son who would be born when the census was called. See how it all fits together? So, though we see man’s face or decree on things, they are not the power behind events that bring about God’s plan or purpose; He is.

I have to admit, I don’t always see God’s plan or purpose as I look forward or even as I look around. It is often only in hindsight that I see clearly what was transpiring. But knowing that I have looked back and have seen His power in the events that unfolded around me, helps me to trust in the present moment. And that, in all reality is the tough part, trusting in the moment. He is active.

No, God didn’t keep that light green a little longer for you to make it through that light. And I don’t think that gift you wanted to get was marked down just in time for you to buy it. And as Russ has mentioned, He is not making the Lions win. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t active. No matter what, His plan is intact. Trusting in the overall plan allows us to have peace, not only at this time of year but always.

Peace (while) On Earth,

Randy Schilling