Worship of God this day – Sunday, November 29, 2020

For this first Sunday of Advent, 

begin by reading out loud Psalm 47: 7-9

For God is the King of all the earth; 

sing to him a psalm of praise.

God reigns over the nations; 

God is seated on his holy throne.

The nobles of the nations assemble 

as the people of the God of Abraham,

for the kings of the earth belong to God; 

he is greatly exalted. (NIV)

Scripture passage: Matthew 1:18   “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)

   Who is this Holy Spirit who impregnated a woman?  Jewish people reading this Scripture back in the first century would know.  In the first book of the Bible, in only the second verse, it states: “…and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2).  And the Holy Spirit is mention on occasion as the Old Testament Scriptures continue, though sometimes the term “Spirit of God” is used.  Yet the Holy Spirit is not in a spotlight in the Old Testament.

   The Holy Spirit gained increasing focus during the ministry of Jesus.  John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus as the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33).  In quite the dramatic way there in the apostolic era, the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4).  And Paul stated a believer’s body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (I Corinthians 6:19).

   And going back to the revelation of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, this is drawn upon by the apostle Peter.  He explained that the prophet Joel foretold the Holy Spirit would be united with people (Acts 2:14-21).  And Peter clarified how the prophecy of Scripture, which included both the Old Testament and the New Testament books, involved people speaking for God “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

   Yet even in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is often the member of our Triune God who does work behind the scenes.  Jesus gave the revelation that God is spirit (John 4:24), thus He is unseen.  Yet in addition to unseen fruit from the work of God, including the work of the Holy Spirit, there is fruit which can be seen if someone is willing to see.  For starters, as the special minister and author John Stott wrote in his book Evangelical Truth: “This truth that the Spirit delights to witness to the Son is much stressed in the New Testament…” (88).

   And the Holy Spirit is the One who works in a believer’s heart to make her or him more like Jesus in nature, while not changing her or his unique personality (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), a process termed sanctification.  The calling of a Christian is to be holy.  Genuine followers of Jesus, though not perfect yet, bear the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), which blesses other people, and even blesses themselves.

   Thus being humble yet all powerful, the Holy Spirit impregnates a virgin Jewish woman, which becomes the awesome event which starts our Christmas story.  The third Person of our Triune God impregnates a woman so God could become a human being.  Jesus was fully God, and Jesus was fully human.

   Though disputed by some of my brothers and sisters-in-Christ, Mary’s reproductive organs were not involved in this process.  Mary was not divine.  Had Mary been divine, she would not have been greatly troubled by the angel’s greeting (Luke 1:29-30).  Jesus was conceived fully by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit did a “miracle” which alone is cause for all people to consider the Christmas story.

Question for pondering:

1.)   What is an expression of a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) you saw this past week from someone, or the expression of a “fruit of the Spirit” which someone may have seen from you?

- Take some prayer time.  The 2020 pandemic has impacted almost all people of the entire world.  Considering our Scripture passage, let us focus on one group of people: women who are pregnant.  The coronavirus pandemic has added severe stress and risk for pregnant women.  If you know a woman who is pregnant at this time, please say one prayer for her and her baby.  If you do not, please say a prayer in general for women who are pregnant now.

Conclude your time with God this first Sunday of Advent singing a song!

- The song suggestion:   “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

It is #245 in The Celebration Hymnal

Here is a link to the lyrics:

https://hymnary.org/hymn/CEL1997/245?media=text

Here is a link to this song performed by MaryAnne Muglia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVg7FXuK7RA

I spent a long time looking for a performance which has a traditional rendering, and I was grateful to find this version by a gifted artist.

But she does change a line in the second stanza, so you have to roll over that.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Pastor Hunter

Worship of God this day – Sunday, November 22, 2020

Begin by reading out loud Psalm 47: 1-5

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!

He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.

He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

Scripture passage: Matthew 1:16

   This genealogy concludes with the key subject: Jesus!

   Note Matthew states His name as Jesus, and adds: “who is called Christ.”

   What does Christ means?

   Christ is the Greek word for “Anointed One.”  Messiah is the Hebrew word for “Anointed One.”  So what was this “One” anointed with?

   Under the Mosaic covenant, a person was anointed with olive oil.  I had some olive oil on my dinner this evening, and it served many purposes in Ancient Israel, including oil for lamps and being a healthy flavoring to food.  Now for the priests the olive oil for anointing included other ingredients added in.  Under the Mosaic Law, there was a “sacred” anointing oil recipe which is recorded in Exodus 30: 22-24.

   So who was anointed?

   People in three positions were anointed: priests, kings, and most likely prophets.

   Regarding priests, the LORD said to Moses, as is recorded in Exodus 30:30-31: “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.  Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.’”

   Regarding kings, we see kings being anointed with olive oil, such as David in I Samuel 16:13 and Jehu in 2 Kings 9:1-6.

   Regarding prophets, Scripture records the anointing with oil of one prophet, Elisha in I Kings 19:16.

   Incredibly, the Christ turned out to be all three!  As we learned last week, Christ is the King of kings.  As we learned from the book of Hebrews in the posting in September, Jesus is the eternal high priest.  And a teaching for another day is the fact Jesus is the Prophet foretold in Deuteronomy.

   And the Anointed One was expected.  God told Daniel the Anointed One would come, and even gave a time period which used Hebrew time lingo, which I learned from a Jewish Christian in a great book I read many years ago by Stan Tilchin.  At the time of Christ, people were anticipating the Messiah, which is shown in New Testament passages such as in John 1:41.

   I conclude this message saying we learn from the book of Hebrews that in addition to the Christ being the eternal high priest, the Christ was the Sacrifice.  Jesus sacrificed Himself.  Incredible.

   Thus I close this message this morning telling the Good News that Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  Jesus was the substitute for the wages of sin which is spiritual death.  And then Jesus was resurrected.  If you do not know Jesus, the Anointed One, as your Savior and Lord, you can right now.  All you need to do is believe in Jesus.  To believe is to receive, and if you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life in heaven with Him.  Amen.

Question for pondering:

1.) Nowhere in Scripture is it shown Jesus being anointed with olive oil.  What was Jesus anointed with?

-    This Thursday is our treasured national holiday of Thanksgiving.  There is a huge COVID surge now in many places, including here in Colorado.  Numerous families will not be able to spend Thanksgiving together.  There may be some people who are all alone for Thanksgiving, myself included, which is sad.  Yet God is available to be with us all.

Please say a prayer for anyone you know who may be lonely this coming Thanksgiving!

Let us sing along with some wonderful young people this morning!

-    The song: “Sing Halleluiah to the Lord” by Linda Stassen-Benjamin, which is on page 198 of “The Celebration Hymnal.”

Here is a link to the song:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vyHvYG12Gk

Next week we start with Christmas music.  I love Christmas music.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Pastor Hunter

Worship of God this day – Sunday, November 15, 2020

Begin by reading out loud Psalm 46: 8-11

Come and see the works of the LORD,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

he burns the shields with fire.

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. (NIV)

Scripture passage: Matthew 1:6-15

   From Abraham the genealogy of Jesus proceeds to Isaac, and Jacob, and Judah who was the “father” of one of the “twelve tribes” of Israel.  Going down the line we see Ruth and Boaz, whose story is told in the Scripture book of Ruth.  And then a few generations more and we see King David.

   During the reign of King David, there was consistent warfare and challenges.  I remember a study of his life over two decades ago when I was a youth pastor in Grand Junction, Colorado.  After studying his life month after month with a singles Bible study, it got to a point when I thought, “When is all the strife going to end?”  And his mistakes are renowned.  Yet his kingship led to a period of prosperity and security.  The era of King David was a golden era in Jewish history.  And King David remained committed to God up to his death in this world.

   Like Abraham, really in conjunction with the promise made to Abraham, God made a promise to David.  The promise: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16).  Just like with the promise to Abraham, the statement “established forever” could be a literary term meaning a really long time.  Yet God really meant forever!  God’s promise to David was an unconditional promise that his throne would be established forever, and that promise was fulfilled in the Messiah.

   Though born in the embarrassing manner of being born in a manger, the baby Jesus was a king.  Magi knew that fact, which is why they asked King Herod, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2)

   Jesus is risen from the dead, and He lives eternally in heaven.  Thus His throne is established forever, as Jesus reigns daily in heaven!    Revelation 19:16 states: “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

   So what scholars call the “Davidic Covenant” involved an unconditional promise of a forever throne, of which only the Messiah could sit.  And Jesus did.

   So the covenant made by God with Abraham discussed last week was unconditional.  And the covenant made with David was unconditional.  Both found fulfillment in Christ.  Yet the covenant God made with the Hebrews with Moses as the mediator, after the Israelites left Egypt, was a conditional covenant.  The Mosaic covenant: If the Israelites obeyed God, they would live long and prosper in the land of Canaan.  But if they did not obey God, there would be curses.

   Unfortunately, the Jewish kingdom went through more curses than blessings after the reign of David, due to sin.  To start with, King Solomon, David’s son, did plenty he was not supposed to do.  Then the kingdom split with his one son being king of ten tribes and his other son being king of two tribes.  Trouble continued from there.  Scripture records the fact many Israelite kings did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the result was countless tragedies, many of which are recorded in the books of I Kings, II Kings, I Chronicles, and II Chronicles.  And sin was rampant among the Israelites.  There is a sad summary in I Chronicles 9:1 – “…The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.”

   The genealogy of Jesus includes the line of kings of Judah, up until the exile in 586 B.C., when the third and final wave of Jewish people were taken to Babylon.  Zedekiah was the final king of the Israelites.

   God’s faithfulness involved a miracle in bringing the Jewish people home in 536 B.C.  But until the Messiah came, there was never again a king from the tribe of Judah on the throne of Israel.  Upon the miraculous return, a man in that royal line, Zurrubabel, was a “governor,” and he is in this genealogy.  Hebrews still wanted leaders from the lineage of King David, which was possible under Persian rule, but even that would end as the Greeks and then Romans conquered the restored nation of Israel.

   The royal line digressed to the point that you had a man, Joseph, with royal blood working as a carpenter in a region called Galilee, which had not been a part of the vast kingdom of Israel which King David procured for many years.  However, God was true to His promises, and that rural carpenter was in for an unexpected adventure.

Question for pondering:

1.)   Paul offers a doxology in the book in I Timothy 1:17

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”

How can we have so much confidence that God is the King of kings when God is invisible?

-    I give a personal note here: Dr. Watson, the phenomenal professor of history at Colorado Christian University, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday.  Please say one prayer for the family of Dr. Watson, and the CCU community.

-    In this pandemic, schools of all levels have had many distractions and disruptions.

Please think of one student you know, and say a prayer for her or him.

If you know a teacher, at any level, please say a prayer for him or her.

Conclude your time with God this morning singing a song!

- The song suggestion: “Glorify Thy Name,” by Donna Adkins.

Here are two links for this song, one with singers, and one with only instruments, so you have a choice.  Both have lyrics.

Both videos are conducive for singing out loud.

Regarding this version, it does not begin until about the 30th second, and the lyrics are on the screen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTc1XCDvloE

Regarding this video, it is simply two instruments, and the lyrics are printed below in the information section:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShELggwLnSw

Have a blessed Sunday!

Pastor Hunter

Worship of God this day – Sunday, November 8, 2020

Begin by reading out loud Psalm 46: 4-7

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. (NIV)

Scripture passage: Matthew 1:2

Why does this genealogy of Jesus begin with Abraham?

   It has to do with a promise from God.  That promise goes back to around 2100 B.C. when a man named Abram (Abraham) was lamenting the fact he did not have a child.  God then told Abraham: “…[Your relative Eliezer] will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.”  Scripture continues- [God] took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.”  Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15: 4-5).

   The situation took a turn when Abraham did not wait for the promise and rather had a child, Ishmael, with his wife’s maidservant, Hagar, at age 86.  Yet God did not cancel the promise.  When Abraham was 99 years old, God supported the promise: “…You will be the father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4).  Added to the promise was giving Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan.

   God kept His promise.  Regarding becoming the father of many nations, Abraham’s first son Ishmael fathered twelve sons who became patriarchs of twelve tribes, listed in Genesis 25:12-17 and in I Chronicles 1:29-31.  They settled to the southwest of what would become Israel, near the eastern border of Egypt.  (Makes sense to me since their mom was an Egyptian.)  There is mention of his descendants later on in Scripture, for example, Isaiah 42:11 states: “Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice…”  Kedar was Ishmael’s second son, and the name here surely refers to that tribe over one thousand years later.  A statement by Josephus (Antiquities 1.12.4) suggests some of those tribes became nomadic.

   Then at age one hundred, Abraham had a son, Isaac, who was the heir promised to Abraham by God.  And Isaac would become a “father” of the great Hebrew nation, later called Israel.  And key for us all, Isaac would carry on what scholars call the Abrahamic covenant, which involved not only a great nation, yet also an everlasting covenant, which I will discuss after noting the promise of the land of Canaan.

   The Hebrew nation eventually settled into the land of Canaan for many years after their four centuries in Egypt.  But Hebrews over the centuries did experience the collapse of the northern kingdom, Israel, in 722 B.C., the exile in 586 B.C., the ransack of Jerusalem and Judah by the Romans in 70 A.D., and the subsequent banishment from their homeland for 1878 years, due to sins.  By God’s mercy, Israel was miraculously re-established in the 20th century, and Hebrews occupy territory in that land today.

   Yet in addition to all of these promises, God was making an even greater promise as He was establishing a covenant with Abraham.  In Genesis 17:7 and in Genesis 17:19, God calls the covenant which went through the line of Isaac an “everlasting covenant.”  Sounds like it could be a simple metaphor for a long lasting covenant.  Yet I think there is more to that phrase.  The promise was also foreshadowing the Messiah!  The event of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son illustrates this.

   The bottom line: God made a covenant with Abraham, and though several promises were involved, the eternal promise involved the Messiah.  And who was the Messiah?  Matthew is saying Jesus is the Messiah, by calling him Jesus Christ.  (Messiah is the same word as Christ, the former being Hebrew and the latter being Greek.  They both mean Anointed One.)  Thus for a genealogy of Jesus, starting with Abraham is totally fitting because, first, the Messiah had to come into the world at a historical time and place as a Hebrew.  Second, the covenant God made with Abraham involved a promise which would carry through another covenant, a temporary one between God and the Hebrews mediated through Moses, and then finally find fulfillment in the “everlasting” covenant which is offered by Jesus.  God worked to prepare people for the Messiah all those years ago by making a gargantuan promise to Abraham of an everlasting covenant.  As Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).

Question for pondering:

1.)    What has Jesus promised us?

-    Take some prayer time.  The election for President turned out to be contentious.  Please say one prayer for both our President and our apparent President-elect.

The cases of COVID are surging in various places around the world.  Please say a prayer for one person you know who has a pre-existing condition which makes him or her more vulnerable to this particular virus.

Conclude your time with God this morning singing a song!

-    The song suggestion: “Near the Cross”

Here is a link to the lyrics:

https://hymnary.org/hymn/CEL1997/319?media=text

(I own the Celebration Hymnal, which I recommend.)

And definitely watch the performance of this song by The Petersens:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf_wlFwBIMc

Have a blessed Sunday!

Pastor Hunter

Worship of God this day – Sunday, November 1, 2020

Begin by reading out loud Psalm 46: 1-3

God is our refuge and strength, 

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (NIV)

Scripture passage: Matthew 1:1-17

   A genealogy full of ancient Hebrew names?  Ironically this was an amazing manner for Matthew to begin his book.  The literary nature is established from the start: historical.  Yes the content of what is to come is going to involve the supernatural, however the author is tactfully stating from the start that this is no fantasy story.  This is a story about Jesus Christ, who was God incarnate, and His family ancestry is recorded back to Abraham.

   Ancient Hebrew genealogies were paternal, meaning they only included males in the lineage.  Yet Matthew includes five women in his genealogy: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife), and Mary.  What is the point of this radical move which would have offended the majority of Israelites two thousand years ago?  Matthew was showing that women served God, including women who were not Hebrew and women who had shady reputations, deserved or undeserved.  Women were part of the glorious endeavor to usher in the Messiah.  God’s plan, which involved His divine intervention at every juncture, did require His enlistment of people who were willing to do His will, such as Mary.  The keen author, Joseph Kelly, in his book The Origins of Christmas, argues that Matthew wanted to show that Mary, who had the reputation of being a mother who became pregnant out of wedlock, was not alone among women who did not fit the perfect Israelite idea of royal family for the Messiah.  Radical indeed.

   This seemingly boring genealogy record is foreshadowing that something unexpected is going to happen, something huge.

Question for pondering:

1.) What is something good which has happened in your life which was utterly unexpected during this difficult year?

-    Take some prayer time.  Include one prayer of thanks for goodness in your life during this rough year.

Please pray for the pandemic catastrophe which is involving people throughout the entire world.

To close this time with God this morning, sing a song!

-    The song suggestion: “I Love You Lord," by Laurie Klein.

If you need to hear the words, or if you want to get warmed up, here is the song sung by a great choir:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw26XGRWqlM

Have a blessed Sunday!

Pastor Hunter