Merry Christmas!

I suppose someone will read this sometime before December 25.
May this season be joyous. Let God remind you of the reason for the coming of His Son, our Savior, whose birth we celebrate - that is the best cause for joy!
May you have time to share with family. Have fun with your children. Talk to your siblings, parents and other relatives, recalling good times and reminding one another about how God "sent His only begotten Son."
I would love to think my sons, Scott and Tim, with their families, Katie and Martigan, and Kristin and Sophie, would see this ... "I love you all and pray your Christmas is wonderful."
I will talk to you (and text you) and make this more personal. Besides which, I cannot be certain you will read this.
Many of us have to truly rely on the grace of God to thoroughly celebrate. Heartache haunts us in numerous ways: we lost a loved one to death, we live far from family and have only the unsatisfying electronic media through which to communicate or sickness, poverty or some other trouble is on our heals and worming their ways into our hearts.
While we live in this world, there is no guarantee that tribulation won't touch us. As those who trust in Jesus, we have God's strength on which to rely, His joy to strengthen us, His peace to surround us and comfort us.
I believe ... and have experienced its reality ... that God's love and mercy are tangible.
He may send someone to physically be with you and provide emotional support. At the other end of the spectrum, God often reveals through His word an amazing sense of comfort.
Anyone who views me from the outside (as most of us see others around us, oblivious to what is going on inside them), may think I haven't a care in the world. It's Christmas, and I have everything one could want to make the season joyful.
I am RICHLY blessed, but I am human. I have lacks that may not be obvious but exist nonetheless.
Do I expect to have a blast this year? Yes! I could be wrong ... something could go awry. But the joy of the season is Jesus.
Secondarily, we get joy from family and friends.
And we can share happy experiences ... good worship, caroling, parties, dinner, watching "The Nativity Story,"  "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Miracle on 34th Street" (NOT "A Christmas Story") and, yes, football.
Even giving and getting gifts can be great ... if you steel yourself for the potential for disappointment when all you wanted from Christmas doesn't satisfy when you get them.
Be happy with the perfect gift ... Jesus.

I'll Take All the Stringed Instruments I Can Get!

Another strange issue that creates division (Oh! How I hate to hear of such among the children of God.) in churches is the use of instruments in the sanctuary during worship.
I have only one complaint about instruments - I don't have enough of them at our church!
I'll take any guitars, drums, horns, cymbals, etc. you want to provide. I'm out of practice in dealing with instrumental performance BUT I believe I could relearn quickly how to do it should God prompt the musicians to join in and they say, "Yes," to his call.

Some people actually are completely satisfied with a piano and or organ being the only instruments used. Some churches don't even use instrumental soundtracks, preferring using their keyboard players to accompany every part of the singing - congregational, choir, ensemble or solo.
Some people - and some churches - believe nothing but the human voice should be heard in a service. Their justification - the New Testament, they say, never mentions musical instruments in gatherings of the church AND they limit their form of worship to a New Testament guide, forgoing all the scripture in the Old Testament.
They certainly cannot dissuade the use of instrumental music in worship if they read the Old Testament, especially the Psalms. Among the seven Hebrews words that are translated "praise" in English is the word "zamar."
Zamar means "to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing, to praise; a musical word which is largely involved with joyful expressions of music with musical instruments."

Psalm 21:13: "Be exalted O Lord, in Thine own strength, so will we sing and praise (zamar) Thy power."

To praise the Lord is a willful decision. I must decide that God is worthy of my worship and, whether I feel like it or not, I lift my voice in song, chant or shout, I lift my hands, ecstatically or in supplication, or I clap, dance or spin in joyful response to Who He is and what He has done and is doing.

Praise is also an emotional response to the character and mercy of God. If I truly understand who God is and what He does, I WILL feel joy, peace and exultation. It will erupt from deep within me in some form of praise.

I am a singer. I don't play an instrument (one of the things I regret most is never disciplining myself to learn to play something). I don't regret being a singer; I am grateful to God for the talent, the anointing and the opportunities He gives.

Yet, instrumental music more fully expresses the joy I have in the Lord than anything else. My songs are completed by the use of instruments. I am blessed by the way the instrumental arrangements enhance the vocal lines.

And I love the unadorned, a cappella sounds. Both fit in worship. Each has its place. Certainly, singing in the Spirit - the anointed harmonizing of human voices yielded in uninhibited song directed toward the Almighty - is as glorious as any praise in which I have participated!

In most worship services, I want to have any and all instruments possible available. And if sons and daughters of God who play aren't available, I'll be blessed to use soundtracks.

I'll worship in "truth" - basing instrumental use on the word of God. I'll worship in "spirit" - focusing whatever is done on glorifying and thanking God and proclaiming the salvation that is through Jesus Christ to whoever hears.

Thanksgiving Is Due the Lord

Psalm 92:1-5 (A psalm or song for the sabbath day)
It is good to give thanks to Jehovah, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night; on the ten strings, and on the harp, with sounding music on the lyre. For You, Jehovah, have made me glad with Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O Jehovah, how great are Your works You purposes are very deep.

"It is good to give thanks ..." Translation - God is worthy of my thanks and to withhold my praise - to not have a thankful heart from which praise flows is evidence of something deeply troubling in me.
We'll deal with the obvious up front. As much as I love turkey and the trimmings (most especially, after the turkey, the pumpkin pie and whipped cream and other desserts), that is not what this season is about. It is more than a national holiday. The feasting is supposed to be about more than filling our stomachs and not worry about it because we're only going to plop onto the couches to watch the football games.
Feasting originally was intended as a celebration of God's character and what He has done for us because of Who He is. Feasting originated among people who didn't always have abundance, so they celebrated the bounty that God provided.
We now feast in a land of constant abundance ... and our feasting has become more about the pleasure in the abundance and enjoyment of the flavors and sated feelings of a lot of food.
We MUST consciously with determination remind ourselves - I must remind myself - that God is still in control. We have abundance only because He has provided it. I must remember that everyone ISN'T so blessed, and not because God loves me more. He knows who to present with abundance and who to present with lack. God alone knows which circumstance is the best for whomever in preparing them for eternity.
In lack and plenty, I can find blessings. God's goodness is in His presence and His care for me in whatever need I have. And we with plenty of food have as many and as critical needs as those who are hungry.
God is God and worthy of honor and glory.
God is just and worthy of respect and obedience.
God is merciful and worthy of praise.
God is good, and His goodness should compel us to utter thanks ... to sing our thanks ... to shout our thanks!

Get Loud and Proud of the Lord, Your God

Psalm 47:1: "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout (shabach) to God with a voice of joy (or triumph).
I tried to continue looking at the quiet side of praise and worship, but couldn't do it. Yes. I like boisterous praise. I cannot get enough of praising with a loud voice of triumph.
How fortunate for me - one of the Hebrew words for praise is "shabach" - to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph."
The people of God don't shout enough. They act like God might be timid and easily disturbed by noise.
They haven't heard His thunder or seen His lightning if they believe He is offended by a rousing "Hallelujah" or "Glory to God!"
I repeat that those who profess Christ as their Lord should be awed by His presence, bowing at His feet and overcome by His glory. The reverent attitude of worship is also lacking in the church.
Silence or quiet, however, is not at a premium; unless the members are in the fellowship hall or spending time greeting one another, they are too willing to be quiet.
The scriptures mention often the fire of God and talk about His word burning in the bones of His followers. Worship is often pictured as smoke, the result of fire.
Modern worshippers are so worried about "wildfire" that they quench the fire of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Like flint clapped against flint to produce a spark and ignite a flame, sanctuaries across the land need to have a "holy fire" ignited by a good, noisy dose of praise.
I have NEVER witnessed a quiet stadium filled with fans of a winning team. Fans of winning teams are usually so boisterous as to be arrogant. Have you ever been on the losing side and heard, "Sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na, Hey, hey, hey, goodbye!" chanted from the opposing stands?
Because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we are made triumphant over sin and death. Because He was raised from the dead, you and I live just this side of eternal life in the presence of God!
Even in life on earth, we are winners, not always having everything the way we would prefer, but able to have the attitude of conquerors as the victory of Christ is imputed to us.
Nobody has more reason to shout and express triumph than sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Practically speaking, we who are still dwelling in fleshly bodies experience sorrow, anger, bitterness and frustration. We do not always enter a time of worship feeling like praising God by singing, clapping, lifting our hands or any of the other ways of expressing worship.
Sometimes the "shout of triumph" - though not an empty noise - must be the kick start, the catalyst for our praise, with the emotions flowing from the will to praise.
The psalmist, believed to be David, said, "I will praise the Lord!" God is worthy of praise. Because of His salvation given freely to me, I have cause to do no less than praise. I can do this any time and anywhere.
I certainly should decide to - in the midst of the congregation of the Lord, and at liberty because of their love and understanding - break forth into praise as we celebrate together the goodness of the Lord.

Worship in Spirit and Truth part 1

John 4:19-24The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you shall neither worship the Father in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem.
You worship what you do not know, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him.
God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

The Samaritan woman was in the presence of Jesus, who alone was worthy of her worship. What was her reaction? The same sort of response we have too often - asking questions about issues that have no bearing on reality or the fact that JESUS IS HERE.
Some of us ask questions similar to hers ... they sing hymns and old gospel songs at our church, but they sing those modern choruses at (insert church name). Which is best?
Our church uses musical instruments; their church does not. They say the New Testament doesn't mention playing instruments in worship, and we're a New Testament church, so we shouldn't play instruments. Right?
Should we be ritualistic with an order of bowing and standing to worship?
Should we not plan an order of service, but rather "let the Holy Spirit guide our worship" and just do what we feel led to do?
Singing is great. You're not really going to ask me to clap or shout or dance or bow or kneel or any of that other stuff, are you?
Why can't we just be quiet and reverent? I like to come into the sanctuary and meditate without all that commotion.
I'm so bored. We sing those same old hymns; there's no cool rhythms. And how about adding some guitars, keyboards and drums. What's wrong with really rocking out? Is God afraid of noise?
Who knows if I'll ever answer all those questions or when I might do it. But Jesus set the example and, bottom line, established the standard ... the truth. He is the Truth.
Human beings get religious and figure out myriad ways to mess up the things of God.
God established worship. He is the expert to whom we must go to know how to worship. Besides establishing the various methods of worship, He revealed to us that which holds worship together and makes it WORSHIP.
"... worship in spirit and truth ..."
I'm in the flesh, so I will express my worship in a physical way. Thankfully, God wrote down acceptable methods of physically worshipping. When I'm obedient to do things His way, I'm following the Spirit and Truth.
And the acts of worship are not the totality of worship. If I am not being moved by the Spirit of God and led by the truth of scripture, I am not worshipping. I'm just making noise or performing empty religious rites.
Whatever I do ... and more than singing, playing and bowing is in play here ... I must do in the spirit, led by God, directing it to God and not concerned about "how" as much as I am that whatever is done honors God. Do my actions honor Him? Do my words glorify Him? Do my relationships with others snuggle close to my close relationship with Him?
From there, I have a great hope that, from the overflow of the heart of someone worshipping God moment-by-moment, step-by-step, there will be an eruption into song, dance and all other methods of worship as an individual and in the midst of the congregation.

Bless (Kneel before) the Lord!

Are you surprised that many people in the church find it difficult to cut loose and praise the Lord?
I have heard the same reply to my pleas for folks to sing and, with greater liberty, express their joy in the salvation of the Lord that many song leaders and minister have heard: "I am worshipping God inside and feel more comfortable being quiet and meditating. I like things to be reverent."
They may be meditating, but based on scripture, which is our foundation for everything in life, they cannot be worshipping or praising if they are doing nothing. The atmosphere may appear to be reverent, but to revere God is to esteem who He is and obey His commands.
And, there are quiet methods of praise, one in particular - barak - which means to kneel, to bless God. - from a Hebrew word that is translated "praise".
Surprise again! I don't see many church members kneeling. Fewer still lie prostrate on the floor at the "altar of God" to ask for and expect a miracle from God in whatever circumstance they find themselves.
At best, soft, cushioned pews are filled (and often, large swaths of the seats are empty). Church-goers seem content to sit there during corporate praise and worship, through the sermon and past the altar call. No response to the moving of Holy Spirit.
Psalm 72 says: "For He will deliver the needy when he cries for help ... He will have compassion on the poor and needy ... He will rescue their life from oppression and violence; ... Let them bless (barak) Him all day long."
Some will charge believers with "begging" God for His help. "Barak" is not about begging.
We all are certainly needy enough to warrant begging - if God required for us to plead for His help. He does not. His grace and mercy, His help for whatever our need, is already offered, and it is "more than sufficient."
The attitude described in the word "barak" is one of coming before God because we know He will meet our most basic and greatest need, sin and separation from God, through the shed blood of Jesus; our need for eternal fellowship with God, authorized by God raising Jesus from the dead; and our needs while still here on earth, in tender loving care far beyond what we deserve.
We kneel or bow before Him. Nothing needs to be said, though our lips may even here express our gratitude. Our hearts are filled with expectation that the Lord will accept us into His presence and bless us with His abundant mercy.
I can only conclude again that I and many like me are failing to draw near to God - as He has urged us (ME) to do - and not fully realized how GREAT is His compassion and grace toward us (ME). Otherwise, we would without hesitation, at church or anywhere we are, acknowledge Him and "barak" - kneel or prostrate ourselves  - often. It would not take an "act of congress" or a ritual to get us on our knees or faces before God.

Why Would I Be Excited? And Show It?

I will probably never make a full presentation about what it means to praise the Lord, our God. I've begun a discussion of the seven Hebrew words that have been translated "praise" in the English language. I will never do full justice to an explanation and illustration of any or all of those words.
I feel compelled to try, and this is a follow-up to my previous look at the word, "halal," from which we derive the word "hallelujah."
How can you tell if a town has a successful high school football program? In some places, stadiums fill on Friday nights with noisy fans even if the team isn't doing well. Those are few, though. But the stands will be overflowing with people wearing the team colors and doing their best to be the "12th man" on the team by rocking the stadium with shouting, clapping, stomping and noise-makers.
Staid businessmen, typical stay-at-home moms and all other normally sane citizens will act like crazy people as they get caught up in the mania of a winning football program and the march toward the playoffs or even a championship season.
Few people blame them. Go to many sports arenas, and you'll find manic crowds, hilariously costumed and unabashedly raucus, trying to add energy to their boys and make it hard for the opposition to function.
Someone has to ultimately ask, "Why?"
Is the attainment of a victory this week or even a season championship worthy of such behavior?
There are other occasions where you'll find people who act "loud and proud," including those who find themselves at a concert as part of a screaming horde of fans or - and the situations here begin to seem more questionable - mashed on a dance floor of a nightclub or part of a rowdy bunch in a bar, all believing their wild behavior is appropriate ... though some of them did have to drink too much alcohol or take drugs to get them "in the mood."
Scripture paints a word picture (halal) of people so thrilled with God they are "clamorously foolish" -  singing full strength without fear of embarassment, shouting, clapping - doing whatever seems to express joy and excitement.
Can you believe that - people excited that God has moved Heaven and earth to create a relationship between Him and them? That He gave us the sacrifice of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus to shed His blood on a cross, die to set us free from sin and rise from the dead to confirm our ticket to Heaven. Does it shock you that folks are overwhemed with joy at all the benefits on earth that come with knowing God and being His child? Lives directed by love. Joy that is not thwarted by bad circumstances. Hearts healed of brokenness. Bodies healed of disease and injury. Protection from harm. Having needs provided for.
While all of the circumstances in live here on earth won't be pleasant or what everyone would desire, God has promised to be with His child in the midst of the worst and best of times.
And the long view - the eternal view - is that a child of God is looking forward to eternity spent with God - we call that "Heaven." He has promised to end this world and create a New Heaven and New Earth where we will be with Him doing more than we can ever imagine.
Is that enough to cause someone to act in a manner that some might call foolish, at home, at work, at school, driving down the road - and yes, in the sanctuary in the congregation of those, our brothers and sisters, who are also anticipating Heaven and thankful for their friendship with the Creator of this universe.