Old Erich Proverb - Miracle

Water turning to wine was minor; God becoming man was the real miracle.

A Voice from the Past - Luther

God allows the godly to be powerless and oppressed so that everyone thinks they are done for, yet even in that very moment God is most powerfully present, though hidden and concealed. When the power of man fails, the power of God begins, provided faith is present and expectant. When the oppression is ended, then one sees what strength lies below the weakness. Even so was Christ powerless on the cross, and yet he was most mighty there and overcame sin, death, world, hell, devil, and all ill.

Martin Luther, 1483-1546, The Martin Luther Christmas Book, Visitation (translated and arranged  by Roland Bainton, The Westminister Press, 1948, pp. 28, 29).

How does God's producing strength through weakness affect our view of the world? How can we apply this to our lives?

In Search of a Refuge

Who were the Pilgrims, and why did they come here? At the time of the Protestant Reformation, there existed a state church which enforced faith. But making Christianity enforceable also made it nominal. If everyone was a Christian, few took it really seriously. But it also made people comfortable; you did not have to worry about your faith being challenged. They could profess Christianity and then live however they wanted to live, as long as they did not do something blatant enough to bring the authorities down on them.

The Protestants, after the Reformation, generally tried to perpetuate the state church model. But there were problems. There were Protestants in Catholic nations or possessions and Catholics in Protestant nations or possessions. And this resulted in a long series of wars and persecutions. As a result, there were those who looked for some place to go, to get away from the troubles. Shortly before this the New World had been discovered. And some thought it might be that place of refuge. The first people to try this were the French Huguenots, Protestants in a Catholic country. They started a colony, but it was in Spanish territory. As a result, their colony was destroyed and the people killed or sold as slaves. But the idea did not die.

The Church of England was a compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism. And it enforced their compromise on those who deviated from it in either direction. The Pilgrims were clear Protestants who could not go along with the compromise. They fled to Holland, but were uncomfortable there, and decided to start a colony in America. There were earlier English colonies started for commercial reasons, but they were the first to go over seeking religious liberty. It should be noted that religious liberty, in the beginning, frequently meant freedom to practice one's own beliefs and not necessarily willingness to tolerate others. The Puritans, a much larger group of Protestant dissenters in the Church of England, followed the Pilgrims' example. Once this happened many others came and started their own colonies as places of refuge for their people.

When this diverse group of colonies became a nation, they decided, not without controversy, to oppose the establishment of religion and to advocate the free exercise of all beliefs. The United States then became a refuge for those looking for a place to safely practice their beliefs. This was important because one of the results of the religious wars was to move the European nations and their state churches in a more secular direction. Therefore, the United States became a place for people to come who took their Christianity seriously. An enforced faith may seem attractive and may produce a nation that conforms to one's values, but in the end it produces a weak Christianity. So while I believe we should oppose the establishment of secularism, which is as bad as the establishment of religion, we should avoid forcing our faith on others. For this does not produce real faith.

       

The King of Glory - A Song

The King of Glory

by Mike Erich

to the tune of “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” (Hyfrydrol)


Open up, you ancient portals,

Let the King of Glory in.

He’s the conqueror victorious,

Who o’er all the earth shall reign.

He’s the rightful King of Israel,

Scion out of David’s line.

He’s the Son of God eternal,

With all might and power divine.


He has all the worlds created;

All the stars He calls by name.

He is very God unchanging,

For all time remains the same.

From Him comes all rule and power;

All things that exist He made.

He is equal with the Father;

Unseen God in Him’s displayed.


Born a man in humble stable,

He took on a servant’s form;

He partook of human suffering

Our redemption to perform.

He took not the form of angels,

But the form of Abram’s seed

That He might become a high priest

Who would know our every need.


He has purchased our redemption;

It’s for us His side was riven.

He has borne our sins and sorrows,

Lifted us from hell to heaven.

Sin and guilt had held us captive;

We’d no merit of our own.

He in righteousness has clothed us,

Made us fit before God’s throne.


Now He has on high ascended

To the Father’s own right hand.

He, our advocate, defends us,

Intercedes at God’s command.

By His blood He saves forever

All who refuge find in Him;

There is naught from Him can sever

Those who God does not condemn.


He will come with clouds descending,

Gather all His people in;

They shall be with Him forever

Never to see sorrow again.

He shall end all grief and sadness;

He will wipe all tears away.

He will put an end to darkness,

Bring in one eternal day.


Come you now, adore your Savior,

All you who His name confess;

We will thank Him now and ever,

Clothed in glorious righteousness.

He has conquered sin and sorrow,

Broke the bars of death and hell,

Transferred us into His kingdom;

Let His grace our praises swell.

(Should anyone wish to use this song, permission is granted, provided it is not altered or sold or performed for monetary gain without the author's prior agreement.)  

Grace Applied

The problem with accepting God's grace for ourselves is that He expects us to apply it to others. If He forgives us (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Acts 26:18), He expects us to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; Matthew 18:21-35). He does not judge us (Romans 8:33,34; John 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11), but based on that, He rebukes our judging others (James 4:11-12; Romans 2:1; 14:4). But we are called, as a result of the love God has shown us, to be transformed by the power of God working in us (Titus 2:11-14; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 5:14,15). With that, we are called to lovingly correct those who are going down the wrong path (Galatians 6:1; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Jude 22,23). This is difficult to fit together in dealing with people. It is easy to have a brittle self-righteousness, one that looks down on and abhors anyone who falls short of its standards. It is even easier to advocate total indulgence, which accepts any behavior as long it does not affect us. Though even in these extremes it is difficult to be consistent, because the self-righteous person does not really live up their standards and the indulgent person will normally find some behaviors they cannot accept. But to avoid the extremes requires work.

One of the issues involved in this is helping those in need. Scripture makes it clear that we are to do this (Proverbs 14:31; James 2:15-16; Matthew 25:31-46). But one of the common excuses for not doing it is feeling that these people deserve to be in need due to their life choices. They are lazy or addicted to alcohol or drugs, and that is why they are in need. Therefore we can refuse to help them, knowing they have brought this on themselves. Now it needs to be stated from the outset that this view is simplistic. It is a a Job's comforter type of approach to assume that if you are suffering, it is your own fault. Scripture repeatedly denies this (John 9:1-3; 16:33; James 1:2-4). But even if it is their fault, grace would require us to help them. Now Scripture does prescribe a work ethic (2 Thessalonians 3:10; Ephesians 4:28; Proverbs 6:6-11). But we are all sinners (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9) who are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; Philippians 3:9). However, we are saved, not because sin is tolerated, but because it is paid for (1 Peter 2:24,25; Colossians 2:13,14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Now it is not always easy to know how best to bring these truths to bear in a specific situation. We need to help people, but if possible we need to help them back onto their feet so they can earn their own living. But we must avoid the too easy solutions of not helping or of helping superficially without dealing with the deeper problems. For we too are recipients of grace.     

A Touch of Humor - Guests for Dinner

Can we be thankful even in awkward situations? What can help us to accomplish this?

Old Erich Proverb - Competitor

Our competitor is not other Christian churches, but the Prince of Darkness and his lies.