I'll Never Walk Alone

 

        There’s a song that has been around for many years called, “You'll Never Walk Alone.”  My favorite version is sung by Elvis Presley because he sings with such feeling.  It makes me think about how much worrying I do.  I cringe when I say that, because worry is actually a sin, since it means I am not trusting God to handle things!  Yet, it’s something I haven’t been able to quite stop, although I’m much better than I used to be.

Anxiety and worry is a human condition.  We, as a culture, do this so much, many people are on medication for it and some become so overwhelmed, they can’t see past the worry and will commit suicide, as they feel it’s the only way past their personal circumstance.

I was reading recently about a young man who during his middle school years dealt with massive anxiety and worry since he found himself, at least three times, in a single year with a major physical injury due to playing sports, specifically basketball.  He nearly became consumed with the fear that whenever he played, he’d be again injured and not only require another hospital or doctor visit, but be sidelined and not even be able to play.

It sounds a little odd to think of a young person having such fear, but totally legitimate.  What is more common, is to look at adults (me included) who fret and worry over things over which we have no control.  Some have trouble sleeping as waves of anxiety washes over because of an illness that seems all consuming.  

One friend was so afraid of dying a death of heart issues like his father and  brother, that he took his own life.  Before his death he spoke often of how he feared this, and didn’t want his wife to have to live with this kind of condition.

Others fight fear of bankruptcy because finances are out of control and they are nearing losing their home and all material belongings.  Still, there are those who are overwhelmed with other kinds of fears and worries that are personal in nature and we can’t possibly understand.

What is remarkable, is each of these situations could be countered by a conversation with our Creator and Savior.  While we might not receive the immediate answer we are looking for, we can absolutely accept the peace and understanding from a God who cares about every one of our needs, regardless of the level of intensity.  But we have to be willing to accept the Father is listening, when we cry out for help.

As we begin another New Year, perhaps it’s time to recognize that we really don’t ever walk alone.  God is always with us, every week, every day, every moment!

Elvis Presley singing "You'll Never Walk Alone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H9T7427EbI    

Photo Credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/climber-giving-hand-to-another-two-climbers-

Christmas Offers Hope

 

  Christmas is almost here and the celebrations have begun!  There are activities in our communities, in our churches, within our extended family units and even within our individual homes.  It’s a time of joy!  Christmas music is playing, planning is being done in earnest, baking has begun, shopping and wrapping of the gifts and lots more.

Sometimes we get so involved in all the ‘extra’ commotions we lose sight of why we even celebrate.  Others find themselves sinking deep into a chasm of darkness.  With our current world of COVID, the loss of family members and friends is extensive.  Hardly a family throughout the nation has been spared loss, if even only from a distance.

This loss can leave people filled with a void that overshadows even the ‘joy’ that is this season.  Hope is lost.  But what is ‘hope’ and what does it have to do with Christmas?  The Pastor said recently, “Hope is the certainty about the future that impacts the present!”

We spend days, weeks, sometimes even months (depending on the amount of necessary planning) to prepare for Christmas.  We are preparing for all the upcoming events and do our best to not miss anything on the list.  In fact a list is often necessary so that nothing will be overlooked.  We get caught up in the tree trimming, shopping, gift giving, party planning, and other trivial activities that pull us away from the real Center of Christmas.

The Old Testament provides over 300 prophecies about the Messiah, including that he would be born of a virgin and he’d be born in Bethlehem.  These are not random pieces of information; they were literal fact and many people knew this.  In fact the Sadducees and the Pharisees knew the Old Testament verbatim.  They could quote by memory the entire Pentateuch; the first five books of the Old Testament!

Their expectations of what they wanted the Messiah to be and do for them, however, overshadowed the reality.  Jesus was born into the middle of much discontent within his earthly world.  He didn’t come as a great warrior or a famous political figure with great political power, or even as a King who would be able to command changes, just because he mandated it.  

Without fanfare, or any kind of great celebration, he was born in the humblest conditions; a manger.  Because Jesus didn’t fit the profile of many who were waiting, even expectantly for the Messiah, they totally missed his coming.

The celebration of Christmas seems to begin earlier and earlier every year.  I admit I LOVE this time of year; this season.  But the holiday has changed over the years.  The secular world has in some ways, twisted what Christmas is all about.  Many in our society have forgotten and no longer acknowledge that it’s about the Birth of the Christ Child, not Santa and all the toys we can provide for our children. 

It’s not about the festive parties, or even the beautiful lights (and I totally enjoy the lights!) or about the Christmas tree or even the gifts, although all of this is very exciting—and especially appealing to those who ‘need’ something to focus on if they don’t want to focus on Jesus.

But it is about Jesus.  It’s about a profound hope that can only be satisfied through a relationship with Jesus who came to be the Sacrificial Lamb that provides the means for us to spend eternity with Him.  This begs the question: In what or where do you find hope?  

Photo Credit: https://www.acresofhopeonline.org/event/chaya/  

It Doesn't Have To Be Big

 

  A friend of mine commented that as a young adult she dreamed of retirement as a time where she would be able to work as a missionary, doing great things for God.  As she neared retirement, she discovered she had cancer which negated the ability for far away travels.  Instead, she found herself volunteering in the church’s food panty, helping out in her local elementary school and even on occasion, giving aid in the local nursing home.  

While all her efforts were commendable, she was discontent.  This was not her dream.  This did not meet her expectations.  So she kept looking and doing as much as she physically could.  Still she felt disappointment.  

Finally someone commented that as long as she’s being a servant unto God where she is, with the right motives, God can use her all the more!  Our lives are often different than what we’d planned, but God has a greater plan! Love comes in all ‘sizes’ according to the needs of those we meet.

Imagine Jesus when He came to Earth as a tiny infant.  Mary and Joseph understood he was God’s Son given through the Holy Spirit.  Their love for him was profound.  As he grew, others also loved him, but others could not understand how profoundly he would come to love us.

Many of the society, even then, missed his birth and even as he grew into adulthood, missed that he was the Messiah, even though he fit every single criteria of the prophecies in the Old Testament.  But he didn’t fit their expectations!  They wanted a warrior king who would save them from the Romans.  They wanted a political figure who would rule with a harsh hand to their oppressors, not a humble man who wouldn’t fight with fist raised against their enemy.

As Christmas nears, we might be reminded of Jesus’ servant heart.  My friend wanted to do something ‘big’ for the Lord, but what she did seemed small and irrelevant in her eyes.  Jesus’ efforts in the eyes ‘of the powers who ruled’ at the time thought his work very ‘un-kingly'— !  Certainly there had to be more.  They were discontent, yet at the same time, felt threatened by those who chose to follow him.

What an example Jesus set.  He had a servant heart—-all the way to the cross.  Do we get so lost in all the holiday trappings that manipulate our thought process we forget to have a servant heart, even at Christmas? 

What we do, does not have to be ‘big’ and ‘earth shattering.’  What we need to focus on is sharing what Jesus came to do when he came as the Sacrificial Lamb, in that humble manger so long ago.  His love was profound, way beyond what our minds and hearts can fathom.  

Jesus may have looked like an un-likely king, and without any possible means to have an impact on the situation those around him were enduring.  Yet, He was mightier than any other king they could have imagined.  He loved with a servant’s heart. He loved us all the way to the cross.  And that’s the greatest gift of all.

Giving Freely

 

  Years ago I was part of a group of Believers who provided Christmas dinner to shut-ins and elderly who were living alone at the time.  Some of the women of the church cooked the turkey’s, some donated funds, and others brought in canned goods until finally the team assembled all the elements so they could be delivered.  The looks on their faces when the gifts were delivered made my day!

A friend shared the story of how she worked with an organization who provided meals for those in need.  During one of her deliveries, she noticed a repairman next door.  Their hot water heater was not working and the gentleman she was delivering food to, had secretly arranged for the repair.  His neighbor was going through a tough time and he wanted to help him.  

When asked why he hadn’t told the neighbor about his gift, he said simply, “Because I want the credit to go to the Lord, not me.”  I, like she, was amazed by his response yet, isn’t that the Biblical way?  Aren’t we supposed to give freely without an expectation of return; knowing fully, our reward will come in Heaven?

Giving can be providing funds for a neighbor, like the man who had no wealth of his own,  or taking Christmas dinner as we did many years ago, or it can be baking cookies and sharing with neighbors, or sitting with a Senior in a nursing home reading a book or the local newspaper.  It might be helping someone promote a worth cause, giving a fast food chain gift card to the homeless or someone else in need, leaving a water bottle in the mail box for a mail carrier during the heat of summer (as long as you do it right before you expect them!),  do yard work (or shovel snow!) for the elderly, or many other ideas. 

Sometimes we feel we don’t have enough to give any away.  In reality that may be exactly as things are, but like the man who funded his neighbor’s repairs, God has a way of providing for those who see to the needs of others.  We are to serve.  God honors our service in whatever ways He believes we need.  

When we give with a thankful and cheerful heart, especially from ‘our poverty’ God will bless us in ways we couldn’t imagine.  He may send an anonymous check in the mail to cover our most recent need or to pay a bill.  He may send a repairman to do work we couldn’t possibly pay for; or provide for us in ways we are amazed to witness.  It’s just what God does!

We as Believers claim the title of Christians—-  Believer in the Messiah.  As a claimant to be subject to God’s Kingdom we need to consider how Jesus tends his ‘lambs.’  By following his example, we are feeding his ‘sheep’ with whom we live and need to encourage.

Christmas is about giving.  Christ gave his life for us.  God saw our need and provided the perfect sacrifice for our sins past, present and future when we become followers, and His children, through acceptance in faith, of this truth.  What greater gift is this?  

Merry Christmas, everyone!