ADVENT 2023 - Blog #3: December 5

We will come back to Mary later - but I want to bring Joseph into the story. We know he was of the lineage of David. Matthew Chapter 1 provides very clear evidence of that by citing his genealogy back to Abraham. If you read my book, LEAD ME TO THE CROSS, you will see my comments about several of the people listed in Joseph's genealogy. It is absolutely fascinating to pay attention to those in his ancestry that we have information about in other texts of the Bible. But for my current purposes, I need to just focus on what the Bible states, and what I see in Joseph. 

Matthew 1 says Mary "was found to be with child". We don't know when Mary told Joseph about the angel's visit telling her she was going to get pregnant with a baby, and that God would be the father by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know it is conjecture - but I am pretty sure she would have told him the whole story! And it is obvious he didn't buy it. 

Tradition says that the betrothal period was one year. It was a time for getting to know each other better, and by law they were committed to each other, and it required a decree of divorce to end the betrothal. When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, the Bible tells us that Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 

Historical information says that had he accused her publicly she could have been stoned. He obviously loved her, and was not vindictive, but Joseph was a man of integrity and strong moral character. He certainly didn't consider marrying her and bearing the shame and humiliation of what others would think about him when they found out Mary was pregnant. And he obviously didn't believe what she had told him - and had to be terribly hurt, believing in that moment that Mary had violated his trust and had been unfaithful to him. 

And then, God! 

God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Yeshua (Jesus), for he will save his people from their sins."

What a difference that made! Mary's story was true - and Joseph was going to be step-dad to the Son of God.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. 

Whispers around town? They still happened - but Joseph and Mary knew the truth! 

ADVENT 2023 - Blog #2: December 4

Mary is still on my mind. 

All of my life I was told that Mary was a young teen when she was betrothed to Joseph - and that she likely gave birth to Jesus when she was in her mid-teens - perhaps as early as 13, but certainly by 16. But the Bible doesn't tell us that. 

That brings up the point of conjecture. I do NOT want to promote theories that are not supported by Scripture. We can research what the mores of that society were - and learn a lot from watching "Fiddler on the Roof" because marriages were arranged by their families, and often the promise of the marriage partners was selected for children who were very young - but it is purely conjecture to try to assign an age to Mary, or to Joseph, for that matter.

She was a virgin. Simply all we are told. She confirmed that when she said she had never been with a man in her conversation with the angel, Gabriel. 

I am a wee bit shocked that it never occurred to me before to question that. We need to pay attention to the facts as they are supplied to us in God's Word! That is going to apply to LOTS of other things we have been "told" if we cannot find clear confirmation in God's Word. That applies to assumptions we have made about the end of time as well. We are instructed to "study" to show ourselves approved, workmen who are rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Just the facts. 

One fact we do have is that Mary went immediately to see her relative, Elizabeth, and stayed with her about 3 months (which would have been right up to the time John was born). Had she been a young teen I don't think her mother would have just let her go away for 3 months - that is conjecture, but something to think about. It adds to the things to ponder. 

There is a lot to wonder about. Did she tell Joseph before she left? Or when did she choose to share that information? After she returned from visiting Elizabeth? We don't know!

I can imagine Elizabeth was very glad for the company! Her husband, Zechariah, had been struck dumb because he questioned that Elizabeth could get pregnant as such an old age - and for 6 months at that juncture, she had not been able to hear his voice. We are also told in the Bible that she isolated herself during this period of time - so Mary would have been a very welcome visitor and houseguest.

ADVENT 2023 - Blog #1: December 3

Time flies! A few days ago I thought, 'it would be good to write a blog for Advent season this year'.  Obviously I am starting a little late! (P S: Just realized 12/10 that Advent started on December 3, so I wasn't late after all!)

December 3 is a special day to me. December 3, 1908 was the year my father was born. 115 years ago! Honoring the date of his birth is an annual observation. 

I do not believe Jesus was born in the winter. I used to think he was most likely born in the Spring - but after listening to teaching by a Rabbi named Mark Biltz, there is pretty strong evidence Jesus was born in the Fall - likely in September or October during the Feast of Tabernacles. The more important issue for us is that we DO remember (whatever day it is that we honor Him) and that we celebrate His coming the first time as a sweet little baby - and anticipate His Second Coming when He will return as the conquering hero on his white horse. 

But beginnings are where we are today. And sweet young Mary is on my mind. Mary, a young woman who was betrothed to Joseph. We know she was a virgin. (We conjecture about a lot of the rest of the details.) Luke 1 tells us the story of Gabriel's visit to Mary when her considerably older relative, Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah, was in her 6th month of pregnancy with a baby to be named John (John the Baptist): (ESV)

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. 

While it is true that the Jews were looking for the Messiah, they expected Him to come as a conqueror, an avenger who would rescue them from the evils they suffered under Roman rule. They didn't expect Him to come as a little baby, and even if that thought had occurred to them, they would have expected Him to be born into a royal household, not to a poor peasant. After all, he was to be of the house and lineage of David. 

Even so, Mary amazes me. She didn't decline the role she was called to. She didn't even ask, "Why me?" She merely asked "How will this be since I am a virgin?" She didn't ask for a few days to pray about it, and take time to consider the cost of how she'd be perceived - or even the possibility that Joseph might not believe her story. She just said yes! "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." 

I look forward to meeting Mary! 

I mentioned His Second Coming when He will come back as the conquering hero on His white horse! At His Second Coming He will come as the avenger the Jewish faithful have anticipated. What a day that will be! 

LENT 2023 BEGINS TODAY!

I have not written on my blog for months! And, I don't promise to write every day of Lent as I did back in 2010, but it is a discipline that I enjoy...being intentional about walking through Lent to the sorrow of the cross and the JOY of resurrection!  Being reminded so poignantly of what Jesus did for all who place their trust in Him! (Well, actually, He did it for EVERYONE, but unless the person accepts the gift, they don't get to experience the benefit.  And that benefit is eternal life with Jesus that begins the moment we accept Him, and lasts through all of eternity.)  

We cannot comprehend eternity because our lives are parametered by a beginning and ending date, as will be posted in our obituaries. But for those who have accepted Jesus' offer of salvation, leaving our mortal bodies is merely a transition, not eternal death. The older I get, the more aware of heaven I become. 

My recent Bible reading has been a chapter each day from the book of Romans. There are so many great verses in Romans, and truly great teaching. Today's reading included, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." What a beautiful promise. 

JESUS PAID IT ALL. ALL TO HIM I OWE. SIN HAD LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN - HE WASHED IT WHITE AS SNOW.

REVERSAL OF ROE V. WADE

The original ruling on Roe v. Wade was wrong.  It should never have been a National mandate, and all the reversal did was to place responsibility back with each state, where it belonged to begin with.  

Now, irresponsible politicians are using it as their main issue to try to scare people into voting for them - because they are "outraged" at the idea of abortion not being an option for every woman in every state - and are inappropriately applying that even to states that have very relaxed laws relating to abortion.  Like my state of Washington.  

So let's review some basic information. Abortion is NOT an issue of reproductive health unless the life of the mother is at risk.  I believe the issue of abortion needs to be between the woman (or couple) and their doctor when there are complications that arise, and extend my concern to issues of violent rape and incest, and definitely to little girls who are too young to carry a baby to full term. 

I will start with the last issue first.  I was a Health Educator for 3 years, and had access to pregnancy information most of us never see.  The 1985 statistics listed the number of girls who got pregnant at age 10.  I was stunned at seeing the number 50 beside that stat; and I would NOT feel that any 10-year-old could carry a baby to full term.  That becomes a serious medical issue.  

Woman getting pregnant from a violent rape would also be a huge concern for me - as would incest.  

And, of course, there are cases where the choice must be made between the life of the mother and the life of the unborn child.  What a hard choice - something that belongs as a decision of the father and mother, in consultation with their doctor, not the court.  

That being stated, abortion is NOT a birth control method.  A woman's reproductive health begins with knowing that anyone born female who has sex (until menopause is over) can get pregnant if she has unprotected sex (and sometimes even if she uses protection.) 

Reproductive health includes becoming informed about viable birth control options as well as having annual pap smears and any other necessary check-ups if something seems awry. It includes knowing the sexual history of any partners so the woman is not at risk for contracting any sexually transmitted diseases. It is parametered by taking personal responsibility for one's choices to avoid a pregnancy before one is ready to be a parent.  BUT, once pregnancy occurs, unless there is a medical reason to terminate the pregnancy, the baby inside the womb is just as alive as the person carrying that child, and the child should have just as much consideration as the birth mother. 

When I was a Health Educator I taught my students about all of the birth control options - but clearly stated that the reason we were teaching it to them in high school was so they would have that information for the future when they were ready to make those choices, and I encouraged them to wait until they were adults.  Actually what I stated was, "Sex belongs in a committed adult relationship, and for me that is marriage." 

Of course I knew not all of them would wait - but I did have a few kids in my Church Youth Group tell me that they waited because of what I taught them. 

And, I taught that abortion was not a birth control method, and was not to be taken lightly.  I knew that some girls would fall for the lines they were given:

"You would if you loved me."

No, if he loved you, he would never demand sex. 

"Once we've gone this far I have to go all the way, or it could damage me."

Really?  What if his mother - or yours - walked in at that point?

"We'll be together forever, so it's just like we are married." 

Seriously?  Until the morning after when he won't even speak to you in the hallway! 

One of my observations as a Health Educator was that very often girls gave sex to get love, but boys gave love to get sex. I know that isn't true for every young man and woman - and does not apply consistently to adults, but it is worth evaluating in a relationship.  

People who have sex can get pregnant.  The issue of REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH is one that is very important in one's decisions.  Before having sex, see a doctor.  Choose a birth control plan that will work for you. Use it responsibly.  But, know that if you get pregnant - and you can even with proper birth control - know that the baby inside you is a person.  That person deserves to be loved and cared for. It should not be a woman's right to choose life or death in a pregnancy any more than it would be to have several children and suddenly decide to kill one you no longer want.   

I have 4 children by birth. My fourth child was conceived while I had a coil in place, and the day I went to the doctor because I had missed a period, he said, "You didn't plan to get pregnant so I can just abort it right now." My response was, "The pregnancy wasn't wanted, but the baby is." She is now 46. I can't imagine my life without her, but in that instant I was offered the opportunity of terminating her. 

When I think of the millions of babies who have been aborted I wonder, how many brilliant, amazing, talented, wonderful people have been destroyed unnecessarily.  

ALMOST MARCH! ALMOST LENT!

It's the last day of February 2022!  That means Fat Tuesday is tomorrow and Ash Wednesday is - well - Wednesday!  I am planning to read through my book LEAD ME TO THE CROSS again this year as my Lenten devotional, but in doing so, I also look forward to making new observations along the journey.  

If you have a book and want to join me, that would be welcomed, and if you don't have a book, the easiest way to get one is on Amazon as an e-book.  

I am sad about what is happening to Ukraine with Russia's unwelcome invasion, but also know that often people don't reach out to God until extreme circumstances leave them no where else to turn.  And in this time of terror and trouble, I pray that MANY will turn to God and accept what Jesus did for them when He died for their sins, and rose again from the dead.   None of us know the evil will assault us - but we can know where we are headed when we leave the earth.  This is a good reminder to be sure we KNOW Jesus, not just know about Him.  

And, there is no better way to know Him  than to do an intentional, disciplined study as we head once more toward the cross and resurrection.  Whether through my book or another source, I challenge you to make the Lenten journey this year very intentional.  

Go in His grace....

GOD'S AMAZING LOVE

What amazing love that God would choose to give up His heavenly home to be born as a human baby just so we could have salvation.  

Today we had Communion at church - and the origin of the Communion commemoration was the night before the exodus of God's people from slavery in Egypt under a Pharaoh who didn't remember why thy were there in the first place.  

Back in Jewish history, Abraham had a son born to his wife, Sarah, named Isaac.  Isaac had twin sons, named Esau and Jacob, with Jacob conniving (with help from his mother) to be the one who got his father's blessing.  Jacob had 12 sons, but Joseph was very much a favorite, because he was born of the woman Jacob loved most.  Because of Jacob's favoritism to this son, the older brothers faked his death and sold him to merchants who were passing by where they were grazing their father's sheep.  Once in Egypt, he was sold to the ruler, Potiphar, and became a servant to him.  (I won't go into all that happened in his earliest years in Potiphar's service, but what a story!)

Eventually Joseph became a highly acclaimed leader, second only to Potiphar, and it was during that time that there was a horrible famine in his homeland, and his brothers came before him to buy grain. (Again another WOW! story.)  Ultimately it is a story of God placing him in the right place for the right time. It is a wonderful story, but not my current focus.  I just want to establish the basis for why the Hebrews (Israelites) were in Egypt.  Because of the famine, Joseph's entire family came to live in Egypt, and were treated very well because of Joseph.  And then time went by.  In fact, almost 400 years of time.  The Hebrews, who were the foreigners, grew to be a very large group, and the Pharaoh at the time was afraid they would also become powerful, so he enslaved them, using them to build the bricks to build his cities (and very likely the pyramids) until God sent someone to rescue them.  

That someone was Moses.  He was born to Hebrew parents, but hidden to escape Pharaoh's mandate to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth. When he was too old to hide at home any longer, his mother hid him in a basket in the reeds at the edge of the river, and when the Princess came down to bathe she heard the baby, felt immediate love for him, and adopted him as her own.  Moses' elder sister was not far away that day.  She was watching over her baby brother from the shore, and immediately went to the Princess and asked her if she would like to hire a nursemaid.  The Princess said yes, and so it was Moses' own mother who nursed him and cared for him until he was old enough to be weaned.  

Moses grew up in the palace, but he didn't forget his heritage.  When he was about 40 years old he saw one of the Hebrews being abused by an Egyptian and he killed the Egyptian; and because of that had to run for his life.  But again God had a plan.  After 40 years in exile, God called Moses to return to Egypt to be the leader who would bring His people out of bondage. Multiple plagues ensued, with Moses pleading for Pharaoh to let his people go, with Pharoah's heart being hardened each time and saying no - until the final plague.  

God told Moses to have everyone prepare to leave, to prepare unleavened bread (think whole wheat crackers), and to kill a young lamb for each household, put some of the blood of the lamb over the top and sides of the doorposts of their houses, roast the lamb, and stay inside.  That night the Angel of Death passed through Egypt and killed the firstborn male of everything - both animal and people. But the Angel "passed over" the houses protected by the blood of the lamb.  No one in those homes died.  And finally Pharaoh relented (briefly) and told Moses to take his people and leave.  

That Passover was commemorated every year by the Jewish faithful up to the time of Jesus. And Jesus became the Passover Lamb, the perfect Lamb of God, the final sacrifice ever needed. On the night before He died on the cross, He celebrated Passover with His disciples, and he changed Passover from being about remembering their ancestor's rescue from Egypt to being about Him and the ultimate sacrifice He was about to make to provide salvation for all who would accept his sacrifice.  

So, when we drink the "cup", the grape juice or wine of the commemoration, we are remembering that His blood over the door of our hearts is our protection from eternal separation from God, i.e., eternal death; and when we eat the unleavened bread, we are remembering that Jesus said it was symbolic of his flesh that was wounded for us: a crown of thorns that pierced His head, the lashing of the whip that had pieces of metal hooks and rock attaches to the ends of the things to tear away the flesh, the spikes nailed through his hands and feet, the spear thrust through his side as he hung on the cross, the mediator between God and man.  Fully God.  Fully human.  Fulfilling the purpose He came to earth to do - to provide us Salvation.  

What amazing love.  That Jesus (God) would come as a baby, live in our broken world, and then choose to be the sacrificial lamb for us, to take our place, and be slaughtered to pay the price for all sin for all time.  The thousands of animals that were sacrificed as offerings were only symbolic.  He was and is the only one who can forgive us of Sin.  He did.  He does.  All we have to do is accept the gift of Salvation that he offers us.  

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.  John 3:17  For God did to send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He paid the price for our ticket to Heaven, but we have to reach out and accept it.