A Tribute to the students at Sandy Hook

What you are about to read is an email that is circulating around schools in Ohio. My brother, a teacher at Tallmadge, passed it on to me. It is worth passing on! May we continually look for ways to share the true hope to a lost world!

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When I arrived at school  this morning an Instructional Assistant here at WPS, had put the following poem on my desk. It was definitely great timing on her part, for me to  read it this morning before our Staff Christmas Breakfast. As a staff, we then prayed for the families and our colleagues in Connecticut.  I wanted to pass the poem on to you as you leave for Christmas vacation. As we each enjoy our families and celebrate Jesus' birth, let's also remember that some are mourning and pray for them. The poem was written by Cameo Smith who lives in Penn.

twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38

when  20 beautiful  children stormed through heaven's gate.

their smiles  were contagious their laughter filled the air.

they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

they were filed with such joy they didn't know what to say

they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

"this is heaven." declared a small boy  "we're spending Christmas at God's house."

when what to their wondering eyes did appear,

but Jesus, their Savior, the children gathered hear.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.

then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring.

those children all flew into the arms of their King

and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

one small  girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

and as if He could read all the questions she had

He gently whispered to her, I'll take care of mom and dad."

then He looked down on earth, the world far below

He saw all  of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe

then He  closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"

"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"

"I'm taking back my nation.  I'm taking back my schools!"

then He and the children stood up without a sound.

"come now my children, let me show you around.
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.

all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

I know there are grammatical and punctuation errors, but perhaps the author intended it to be that way in light of the fact that 6 and 7 year olds would have written a poem this way. I consciously did not make the corrections. 

May each of you have a Very Merry Christmas as you celebrate Jesus' birth with your family and friends.

 Karen

Principal

Woodridge Primary School

A Very Mayan Christmas?!

“The End is Near!” Well at least that is what the doom and gloom headlines are reporting as Friday, December 21, 2012 draws near. If you haven’t been paying attention to the latest media craze and the hype that has been building for a couple of years now, you maybe asking what is so significant about Friday?

According to some ancient Mayan calendar, the world will end on Friday, or at least that is one argument. Others simply agree that they ran out of space on the stone circle in which it is engraved. Regardless, they myth has been circulated, the movies have been made and many people are scared that the world will end on Friday.

I was talking to a young Christian teen that grew up in a Christian home and attended church all her life. She told me all her friends were getting “freaked out about Friday!” I asked her how she responded to her friends and she said “I don’t know, just I hope the world doesn’t end, because I want to celebrate Christmas.”

What is or response to the fears and speculations of our world? 1 Peter 3:15 says we need to always be ready with an answer of the hope that is in us! The fear of the end of the world presents a perfect opportunity for us to share with others the Hope we have in Jesus Christ. Its almost perfect that it falls on this time of year as we celebrate the First Coming of Jesus we can point others to His Second Coming!

In light of all the speculations, how should we respond? We need to remember that the Bible speaks clearly that a time will come when people will gravitate to such ridiculous stories (2 Timothy 4:2-4). We saw this with Y2K and Harold Camping. Jesus told us that we will have trials in this world but we shouldn’t be fearful because He has overcome (John 16:33; Matthew 28:18-20).

Though the Bible speaks about many things concerning the end times, two things are very clear. The first, is that Jesus is going to return for us (Acts 1:7). He will return to rescue His people, to set all things right and to make all things new! Secondly, no one knows the timing of His return except the Father (Mark 13:32). When people start speculating you can walk away with confidence knowing what the Word of God tells us. Don’t fall prey to the superstitions of the world, but run to the Scriptures and trust the Word of God.

Remember the message of Christmas, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-3, 14). It is He who gave us His Word that we might have life (John 10:10) and this is the message that we want to share with the world. So in light of the Mayan Calendar scare, share the good news that Jesus Christ is coming again! It is this truth that should lead us to live a life that is obedient to His Word and draw others to Him (Matthew 5:16).

May you have a Merry Christmas!

The Voice of Ramah Echoes Again

“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

(Matthew 2:18 ESV)

Catching a glimpse of today’s headline brought a chill down my spine. I have read and reread several articles in disbelief. My heart breaks for the families of that school in Connecticut who woke up thinking this would be like any other day and sent their child off to school, only find that they will never see their child alive again. I cannot comprehend the grief and pain that they must feel at their loss and how overwhelming this must seem. Or the questions they will live with forever all because of one man’s malicious actions.

What would possess a person to go into a school and shoot children? The answer to this question will never be known in full. The media will jump to psychological disorders and need for medication. Some will quickly turn this into political gun control discussions. Yet they will miss the heart of the issue. As Pastor Mark Driscoll said, “’Evil’ and ‘demonic’ are words we have to keep in our vocabulary.” What was done today is purely evil and rests in the sin sick heart of the attacker.

No amount of medicine or political maneuvering will rescue us from the reality of sin in this world. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, first chose themselves over obedience to God, their selfish act brought sin and to all of us (Romans 5:12). My heart is broken for this young man that he has been swept into eternity not knowing the true hope and forgiveness that Jesus can bring.

I find myself also thinking “why this time of the year?” This is the Christmas season. It is supposed to be filled with expectations of hope and joy. We are supposed to be celebrating with our friends and family the baby born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Yet these families will forever look at Christmas time as a reminder of when their child was ripped from their arms.

Taking a moment to read the Christmas story in the book of Matthew shows that tragedy and suffering were just as much a part of that story as they are to today’s headlines. In Chapter 2 we see an evil and demonic man, king Herod, killing dozens to hundreds of babies. To which Matthew quotes Jeremiah’s prophecy “Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”  

This is the world Jesus entered. A world where wicked men will slay the young for their own evil intent. This is a world that would be utterly hopeless if left on its own. Yet God didn’t leave us alone, He sent His Son, Jesus, to come to our rescue! “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 ESV).

The beauty of the Christmas story is not freedom from trials and adversity, but the promise that Christ has overcome sin! Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV). One day Jesus will do away with sin and evil and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

Until then, He has left to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:8). That means as ambassadors for Christ, we need to live in such a way that demonstrates the hope and forgiveness of Jesus. We need to take the Gospel to the streets. We need to celebrate the Christ of Christmas in a way that reflects the Jesus of the Bible. We need to passionately plead and pray to God for these families and others like them around the world. We need to put hands and feet to the Gospel and care for these families. We need to love our families and see that every day is a gift from God and not to take them for granted. We cannot allow anger and bitterness to reign in our hearts, but must ask God for the strength to forgive. Remembering always that God has forgiven us so much.

Looking back to the prophet Jeremiah we see the hope that we do have in our God as we live a life of faith.  When He finally makes things right, “Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:13 ESV).

Today as our hearts are broken and spirits are sick at seeing the heinous display of sin and the voice of Ramah echoes once again in our streets, may we remember that God has not sat idly by as a spectator. No He jumped into the melee of this world to provide a way for us to be reconciled to Him. He has given us hope and His promise that all will be made right one day. Until then, let us be comforted in His Word and encourage one another to stay faithful to it.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV).

It's All In The Title

"It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ."

 - Martin Luther

I just saw this quote on Facebook, posted by, my good friend and former youth group member, Matt Vargo. Just wanted to say thanks to Matt for the quote! It reminded me that I want to share with you why I called my blog “Limitations meet Lofty Thoughts.” 

There are three parts to my title: "Limitations," "Lofty," and "Lofty Thoughts."

Part 1: The aforementioned quote gets at the heart of my meaning of “Limitations.” This is a reminder to me every time I read it of my own inability to comprehend God, my own sinfulness and my desperate need of a Savior. It is a reminder to me of Paul’s words “as such were some of you,” when he referenced the list of sins. It is a reminder to me to look back before looking forward. It’s admitting that I limited and need to look to Jesus for hope.

Part 2: Lofty is a play on words for me. My youth group is called Loft. It initially began as a reference to “The Room Upstairs Where the Youth Group Meets” or TRUSWTYGM as per David Keiper. Since TRUSWTYGM is too hard to say, we called it “Loft.” Recently Abby Reichenbach has recommended that it refer to “Living Our Faith Together,” which I really like. But Lofty is to remind me of my youth group. Putting part 1 and 2 together it’s a reminder to me that on my own I don’t deserve to be what I am, but that being the youth pastor of this group is a true gift from God!

Part 3: “Lofty Thoughts” is my reference to the Word of God. This blog is the results of my wrestling with my own limitations as I learn to conform to the Word of God. Many of the thoughts have been developed in working with my youth group and teaching them. Sometimes they will be the over flow of lesson prep and other times just the random things God lays on my heart.

So there you have it! I am deeply humbled that you would read my blog, but I hope you find it encouraging and helpful. As with my teaching and preaching, so to my blog will only be of value as it is submitted to the authority of the Word of God. May it ever point to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

4 X 1

With great joy, expectation and anticipation Advent Season has come. I love this time of year as the Holidays bring refreshing time with family and friends. There are meals with our favorite foods, special church services, Christmas music playing everywhere that proclaims Christ to the nations. I love Christmas time!

Yet I am also very much conflicted in this time of the year. Maybe you are too. Do you ever look at the world you live in and wonder “what is going on?” As a local radio talk show host says frequently, “I am living in a world I don’t understand!” I think it was two weeks before Thanksgiving when all the stores I went to had their Christmas line out and the music was playing. I would like to think they are in the Christmas spirit, but truth be told, they are in the money making spirit.

I feel like I am getting sucked in the vortex of commercialism and cannot escape it. I look around and see materialism overtaking the culture. Christmas becomes less about Jesus each year and more about “what I can get.”

I was asked recently by a youth pastor friend of mine “would children be scarred if they didn’t get a Christmas gift?” As a single guy with no kids, my response was easy “nope.” But my friends with kids were slower to respond. Not that I am saying to get rid of gift giving for Christmas, but I think gifts become the object of worship and Jesus takes a back seat.

Why do we give gifts at Christmas? Some respond that it is because the three wisemen gave gifts to Jesus. Others say its because of God’s gift of Jesus to us. Whether it was one of these or both, there is a good beginning to the tradition. The wisemen sacrificially gave to worship the Savior. God gave sacrificially to a rebellious alienated people in order that they may be reconciled to Him. We give out of love of our families in honor or Jesus…or do we?

For the past several years I have been thinking about this over and over. I am deeply saddened and convicted because each year I recognize the desire in my own heart to bow down at the alter of materialism instead of kneeling at the manger. I look for ways each year to help me see the Christ in Christmas and not just a slogan. I try to avoid getting caught up in what I am going to get and see more what can I give to better others around me.

This year I began the “4 Gospels in 1 Month” challenge. I wanted to spend extra time in the Nativity Narrative, but decided that what Christmas is about is the first Advent of Jesus, that is, His first coming. It’s not just about the cradle but also the perfect life of Christ, the rejection of Jesus, the substitutionary atonement Jesus paid on the Cross and His resurrection. So with 3 chapters a day, I am reacquainting myself with my Savior. Straight through Matthew, Mark, Luke and then John. This Christmas I want to spend more time with Jesus, I want to love Jesus more and I pray that I have opportunity to give Jesus to others. I want Christmas to be about Christ.