Verse of the Week...

The Visible Universe within 14 billion Light Years

http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/universe.html

As a Minnesota native and avid sports fan, it’s no wonder the Twins have a special place in my heart. They won two world championships during my childhood, once in 1987, when I was 8 years old, and another in 1991, when I was 12. I still remember running home from school with my best friend during certain autumn afternoons so we wouldn’t miss an at-bat of the Series. Well, much has changed since then. The Twins, though a perennial division contender, are notorious for making the playoffs, only to be immediately eliminated (usually a casualty of the seemingly invincible Yankees). So, the Twins’ marketing team has had to devise plans to get fans, and more importantly, keep them. One recent campaign that stood out emphasized the tagline, ‘Get to know ’em.’ The theory, I think, was to attract committed fans through increased exposure. They figured people would become more passionate (fanatical) as they became more knowledgeable. They were right. The more I watched these less heralded teams of the new millennium, the more invested I became. They weren’t that great, even good, but I knew the lineup, I knew the players, their tendencies, what made them tick. And I grew to love those teams.

So it is, or can be, with Jesus—if only we’d ‘Get to know Him.’

Over the next handful of entries I will seek to bring to the forefront some of the lesser known, or at least less mainstream, attributes of the Christ. Of course, in the hopes we’d become bigger fans.

Here goes.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. –Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

It’s probably safe to assume most understand that Jesus, the Son, actually created (John 1:3). The Gospel of John says, ‘In Him was life…’ (verse 4). This, then, is not only true spiritually, but physically as well. But here's where it gets really good. Because Jesus spoke, and the universe came to be, He has absolute governance over it…to the point that its very subsistence is directly dependent upon the power of His enduring word. Let that marinate for a minute. Jesus, with divine authority, created life—all that exists. And He has, to this point, upheld His creation; He (literally His word) is the Force that causes all to hold together and persist—from the broadest standpoint of the course of supernatural history (God’s will for evil to eternally perish and His children to be rescued through His lifeblood unto salvation) all the way down to the natural forces and principles that rule the minutest of atomic particles. If that weren’t enough, He will, again, by His word, continue to cause universal solidarity (in the physical and spiritual) until the End.

And we ever doubt His power? To my shame, I have…and do.

Jesus is the Lamb of God because He takes away the sins of the world, not because He’s weak. Don’t let the Sunday school flannel graphs fool. When it comes to strength, power, He is the Lion of Judah, uncontested in His reign. There is nothing that exists that is not subject to His authoritative command. Another way to put it: the power of His word holds continued dominion over that which it created (and creates…remember, it is the Holy Spirit, of Jesus Himself, that breathes spiritual life into the hearts of men).

This concept of Jesus’ supreme and sustaining word isn’t isolated. Paul’s letter to the Colossians reiterates the writer of Hebrews:

And He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. –Colossians 1:17 (ESV)

What, then, can we conclude? Of the many things, let’s focus on two.

First, there is great profundity that Jesus was the member of the Godhead whom created. He spoke, and it was. He speaks, and it is upheld. And He will speak, with unparalleled power, when He comes again, riding on the clouds of heaven. He gave life at the very Beginning, and then He gave His own to ransom our captive hearts. Does that hit you like it does me? The Potter was rejected, crucified at the hands of the clay. But not because He was at all impotent, and thus, subject to forces of evil or man. He was willing, simultaneously for the sake of His Name and our rescue.

And secondly, this same Jesus, the God who holds the entire expanse of the universe together by the divine decree of His lips, cares for you and me. Intimately. And so He will continue to uphold us physically and spiritually—until the work He began is completed. This, even when all seems to be falling apart.

But anyone can care, right? Jesus takes a step further—to a point no one else can come close. Not only do we know (and are getting to know better) the God who cares about us…we know the One supremely powerful to carry us to eternity in heaven.

Grace to you, to get to know Him better,

Voice of another

Verse of the Week...

‘The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.’ –John 1:9 (NLT)


If you’re anything like me, you can’t help but notice themes. Themes of the grand things, and those of the utterly trivial—both are perceived and pondered, often without relent. Perhaps I’m one of a loony few. Nevertheless, Christmas is one of the most thematic times of the year. Think about it. Lights, food, music, movies, décor, the sweet smell of gingerbread and sugar cookies wafting from the oven, cartons of egg nog lining the refrigerated section of the grocery store (if not the stomachs of its dedicated drinkers), even a generally more pleasant and charitable public readily depict the season. In fact, one might argue that if the stage were set just right, Christmas could be replicated in June or July almost as believably as it occurs in December, minus the temperatures…and snow-covered streets, for you Midwesterners.

The point is, every year, without fail, a thread of lightheartedness runs through fabric of our society post-Thanksgiving through the New Year, and people are happier. But why (my daughter and I are alike—we have to ask!)? There’s got to be a reason why almost everyone, believer in Jesus as God or not, has an uplifted spirit during the holidays. My answer is this: people are happier because people are hopeful. The Christmas season brings hope, by its original nature and intent, but also by society's secular crafting. We’re hopeful for the gift(s) we’re craving, we’re hopeful for the reunion with loved ones the holidays can secure, we’re hopeful for things as trite as time off from work (be honest!), and, some of us more than others, are hopeful for the culinary delights that for whatever reason only emerge during this particular season!

This year, I’ve recognized another Christmas theme. It, too, has to do with hope—though its object is fundamentally dissimilar from the aforementioned. In critically listening to the music of the season, particularly those Christmas hymns of yesteryear, it’s apparent they were referencing the hope of rescue. And more narrowly, rescue from spiritual darkness. Christmas, then, according to many of these traditional tunes, is about the True Light that came into the world (and still comes, again and again, when we need Him now, by the way). It’s about the dawning of our rescue, the birth of our salvation, the coming of our King. This kind of hope can hit the heart in its deepest regions. The result when it does? Rejoicing. Part of our nature is to rejoice in hope (just ask Paul). But the rejoicing these carols convey is more than a passing mood or a simple cheerfulness over the trifling things that expire with current calendar year. It is, rather, a soulful praise which emerges from the depths, and with freely flowing tears, as you grasp the unconditional grace of His arrival, His Advent…for you, personally. And as the singularity of the hope His birth inspires comes into full view, you cannot find yourself anywhere but on your knees before the Him, right where the lowly shepherds and trio of nobles found themselves that night, 2,000 years ago.

Check it:

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer


Our spirits by Thine advent here


Disperse the gloomy clouds of night


And death's dark shadows put to flight.


Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel


Shall come to thee, O Israel


And again:

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices


For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn'


Fall on your knees, oh hear, the angels' voices


Oh, night divine, oh, night, when Christ was born


And again:

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh


Come peasant, king to own Him


The King of kings salvation brings


Let loving hearts enthrone Him


This, this is Christ the King


Whom shepherds guard and angels sing


Haste, haste to bring Him laud


The Babe, the Son of Mary


And finally, though admittedly not a Christmas carol:

Here is our King


Here is our Love


Here is our God who's come to bring us back to Him


He is the one


He is Jesus


Immanuel, the ‘with us’ God, came to our rescue.

Light broke into the world that first Christmas eve, with great force and fury, to dispel the darkness that leads to death.

Let us enthrone Him in our hearts, then, and haste to bring Him laud, that His light within us would shine unto eternal life.

A merry and hope-filled Christmas to you and yours,

Voice of another