CrossPointe Community Church

Month: December 2018

  • I Beg to Differ

    Isaiah 9:2, 6
    Matthew 1:18-23

    A lady named Mary Northrup reports that she was in labor for 23 hours for the birth of her first child. 23 hours of labor is not that unusual. I am sure that some of you gals sitting here could top that. What made Mary’s circumstance noteworthy was that Mary’s husband, Mark, presented her with a 2-foot tall trophy inscribed with the words, “For a championship delivery; thank you. Love, Mark.”

    I doubt that Joseph could afford a trophy for his betrothed wife, Mary, but he gave her something of far more value. For no matter how delicately Matthew describes the situation, it is evident that although Joseph is Mary’s husband to be he is not the father of the infant in her womb. This creates a dilemma; a Christmas dilemma for Joseph. What’s a feeler to do?

    Now in accordance with his legal rights under Jewish law, Joseph has two choices: (1) He can break off their engagement publicly; embarrassing her and her entire family by parading Mary’s sin before the community. Or (2), it was within his rights to have her publically stoned. So what’s a feller to do?

    Matthew indicates that Joseph has a gentle and compassionate side, who BEGS TO DIFFER with the harsher side of the Jewish law. He determines he will break off the engagement quietly in order to spare Mary any further public humiliation.

    Joseph, in other words, is a BEG TO DIFFER kind of guy. To the Jewish Law that said “stone her” Joseph said, “I beg to differ.” To a society that said ‘at least publicly humiliate her’ Joseph said, “I beg to differ.” To friends and family members who were probably encouraging him to “divorce her, even if quietly,” Joseph said, “I BEG TO DIFFER!”

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  • God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

    Isaiah 9:1-7
    Matthew 2:1-16

    The familiar Christmas carol God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is one of the oldest that exists, going back to at least the 16th century, if not earlier. Five hundred years of changing language use has rendered its title a little nebulous.

    Many people today miss the meaning of the first line because they misplace the comma, thinking the title should say God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen. This is not a song about ‘merry gentlemen,’ hanging out at The Village Inn. It helps to know that the word ‘merry’ originally meant strong or valiant, as in Robin Hood and his band of Merry, that is, strong, valiant, Men.’ And the word ‘rest,’ as in ‘God rest,’ meant to ‘make.’

    So the first line really means, “God make you strong and valiant, gentlemen.” That explains the second line, “Let nothing you dismay.”

    And what is it that makes us strong and valiant in the face of the struggles of life? “Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day, to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray (a reference to the forgiveness of our sin through Jesus) O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy.”

    This Christmas as at every Christmas, we need to be reminded of the glad tidings of comfort and joy; in other words ‘hope.’ Because the truth is Christmas has a way of magnifying any sadness brought about by negative aspects of life experienced in Christmas past or being experienced now.

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  • Meekness and Majesty

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    John 1:1-18
    Philippians 2:5-11

    I recall many years ago, packing the kids in the car and setting out for Lima, Ohio where my Nana was still living in her home at 654 Ewing Avenue. When we got to Findlay, we stopped at Burger King for a Whopper. After we chowed down on those flame-broiled delights, we hit the road heading south on I -75 toward our destination. About halfway between Findlay and Lima, I recall hearing Jennifer say, what all parents love to hear: “Oh, oh”
    “What’s the matter?”
    “I don’t have my retainer (orthodontist had Jennifer wearing a retainer).
    “Where do you remember having it last?”
    After a few seconds, I heard her say what I already suspected but definitely didn’t want to hear, “At Burger King.”

    So I got off at the next exit, flipped around to head back north and began to think this situation through. Jennifer took her retainer out to eat, she probably placed it on her food tray and since she didn’t have it now it was probably left on the food tray such that when we got up to leave the trash and the retainer went into the trash receptacle.

    We had no other choice; when we got to the Burger King, about 40 minutes after we left, I explained the situation to the manager who informed us that the receptacle had recently been emptied and gladly allowed me to choose a bag out of the dumpster out back and begin sifting through the refuse. So I dove in and began fishing through grease-soaked sandwich wrappers, catsup soaked french-fry holders, and saliva-soaked napkins. A shiny layer of trashcan slime was clinging to my arms by the time I finally grasped hold of Jennifer’s precious retainer.

    But that’s nothing compared to our dumpster-diving God, who left a glorious, immaculate, magnificent, perfect, pristine, and sinless heaven to search through the filth and rubbish of this fallen world for something precious to Him—you and me.

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  • Season of Surprise

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    Luke 1:5-17
    Matthew 1:18-23

    Unexpected surprises often have a way of interfering with our Christmas expectations.

    77 years ago Friday, people across this great land were preparing for Christmas in all the familiar and expected ways when suddenly something very unexpected happened. Many people were disappointed with Christmas of 1941. My own father was 14 years old on that ‘day of infamy’ when the Japanese took everyone by surprise. He, like everyone else was preparing for Christmas in the usual way, hoping for a band new American Flyer sled. And he was disappointed when, under the circumstances, my grandfather thought it best to be financially conservative.

    Christmas is not always about what we expect.

    The first Christmas reminds us of that truth. Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph didn’t expect to see Angels from the Realms of Glory but they did. Zechariah and Elizabeth didn’t expect to have a baby in their old age. Joseph didn’t expect and was therefore surprised to hear that his finance was with child. Mary didn’t expect to be the mother of God. People didn’t expect the Son of God to be born in the hick town of Bethlehem. Shepherds didn’t expect to sing, Angels We Have Heard on High.

    Please note that not all these unexpected surprises were welcome. I’m sure that when Mary and Joseph discovered an unplanned pregnancy they didn’t exactly jump up and down with glee! And yet because they exhibited faithful determination and patience, they eventually experienced great joy.

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  • Face to Face

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    Jeremiah 31:31-33
    Luke 1:26-38
    Galatians 4:4-7

    An online dating service interviewed 3,000 of its members to find out what the most annoying clichés are that people put in their profiles. The winners were, Biggest Clichés Women Use in Profiles: “No liars or game players!” “This isn’t enough space to sum up my life” followed by a long summation. Biggest Clichés Men Use in Profiles: “I really know how to treat a lady.” “I enjoy long moonlit walks on the beach.”

    Would you believe that there are online dating services for about every taste? If you are drawn to farmers, check out farmersonly.com. Their motto is: ‘city folk just don’t get it.’ If you’d rather go where no one has gone before, try trekpassions.com with a motto of : ‘love long and prosper.’ And for those who are into mixing dating with marijuana, their motto is: ‘why toke alone’ 1

    If you are one of those 50 million who have dabbled you have discovered that there is a 3 step process involved in hooking up. The first step is to connect in a chat room, exchanging written messages. Perhaps we could refer to these messages as ‘hard copy.’

    Couples who discover hard copy compatibility move on to the next step: voice. Yes, they actually speak to one another on a phone. If this goes well, the potential couple sets up an actual meeting in person; in real space instead of cyberspace . . . an actual face to face encounter.

    A three-fold process: hard copy, voice, face to face.

    It’s not unlike the three-fold process God used in His attempt to hook up with us.

    Think about it. When the Lord was looking for a way to say, “I love you,” to the world He first chose to go hard copy, then voice, then face to face.

    First, He employs hard copy written on two tablets of stone. That’s right, the ten-commandments; major hard copy! He gave His law to His people, Israel, not because He wants to be a controlling tyrant but because He loves them and knows if they live their lives in accordance with His will they will be blessed. Unfortunately, His people preferred to live their lives on their own terms rather than in obedience to the One who was trying to bless them.

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