Monthly Archives: December 2010

"Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19

Mary had a lot to think about in the days after Jesus' birth. Most mothers do. A new baby is full of wonders and challenges and hopes and fears. It can all be a little overwhelming to any new mother, even Mary. The verse quoted above comes after the shepherds' visit. A few days later, old Simeon would prophesy about the child and include dark words to Mary, "and a sword will pierce through your own soul also." The word ponder literally means to cast together, as if Mary tried to pull together disparate events and discern something meaningful.She had much to ponder in her heart.

You are receiving this GraceWaves during the week between Christmas and the New Year. I like this week, and always have. The rush of Advent, all the extra services and extra people, has receded. In the ministry we usually take a few of these days off, although they are good days to be in the office. It seems everybody else is catching their breath too before the onslaught of a new year.

The main reason I like this week is for the opportunity it provides to ponder. This spiritual exercise is especially valuable in light of our tendency to think about New Year's resolutions. I'm all for New Year's resolutions, except that they tend to be so irritatingly practical, like making a budget, or losing weight. These and other goals are quite good, but in a matters of the Spirit, God often is infinitely impractical. Even with the birth of His Son, God was rather vague in the details (you think Mary really understood what being the mother of the Messiah would mean?), and God really did not make the birth easy or convenient (unmarried, four-day donkey ride, no reservations at an inn, etc. Seriously?). Mary had much to ponder about her life, the life of her child, Joseph, and God's design in all of these matters.

In the same way, God's goal is not your waist-line or your bottom line. His goal likely is not even for you to read a certain number of chapters in the Bible daily or spend a set amount of time in prayer. God is always interested in creating in you a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. That righteousness takes you beyond numbers.

We want to ponder during this week because we are just departing a time in which we got at least a glimpse of how wonderfully good life can be. Surely you noticed that. At some point during Advent, maybe it was Christmas Eve, the breath of God seemed particularly warm and close. You sensed way down deep in your soul the truth behind all the decorations, presents, and parties. You sensed Him.

The Celtic Christians wrote of the "thin times" or "thin places" where the distance between the physical and spiritual world was thin. A sanctuary is a thin place for me. Or a forest. Or Advent. Christmas is the thinnest time of the year. I think it is for most people. That's why more people come to church during December than any other month. That's why Christmas Eve services are regularly packed. People sense that something is special and true about these events we celebrate. So before you rush back to the thick places, what should you ponder about your life and God's mysterious and powerful work in it?

Perhaps in God's quiet words you will discern a need for more quiet places during the year and remember that He created one day each week to be different from all others. Sunday is the thinnest day of every week. Are you using it in its original intention?

Perhaps in rehearing the Christmas story you understand that as God provided for Mary and Joseph He will provide for you. Now you can turn from being anxious for many things and engage daily in the work of God's kingdom. You realize that there will be easy days and hard days, but each day is a joyous day.

The last two paragraphs reflect my own pondering. What about you? Please take one more deep breath of this Christmas season before you walk too far away from it. God usually whispers, but He does always speak. Listen. Ponder. Where does He lead you?

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

December 27, 2010

"The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it." John 1:5

Mammaw and Pappaw built the old Ellis house in the early part of the last century. It was the house Dad was born in, right there in the dining room. Ellis's had lived there for many years. It was a rambling two-story house on Avalon Park, a keyhole street with about ten families who knew each other well.

When the Ellis family returned to Lexington in 1962, we moved into that house. Pappaw had died a few years earlier, and Dad had gotten very sick, so it seemed natural to come back home. I was four years old at the time and thought we were moving to the greatest place in the world. We had trees and overgrown bushes to play in, a green apple tree to provide ammunition for ambushing an unsuspecting sibling, a basement to explore, and great stories about the other Ellis's that had lived there over the years.

I loved that old house . . . in the daylight. When the sun went down and I went to bed, however, that old house was filled with sinister shadows. Every innocent creak and groan was the sound of something out to get me. No adult could understand. My parents certainly didn't understand. "Go to bed. There's nothing up there to be afraid of." Of course there's nothing for them to be afraid of! They slept in the same room together. And besides, monsters don't eat adults. They want a tender meal! So with my death sentence I would trudge upstairs.

Most kids believe that monsters are under the bed. I knew better. They were in the closet. The nightlight helped keep them at bay, but whenever I knew they were about to come out and mount a charge I would run for my life across the hallway to my sleeping older brother. "Ken? I'm scared. Can I sleep with you?" He would mumble, scoot over, and with my invincible guardian at my side I fell asleep.

If you're too old to remember, or somehow the monsters missed your house, then you really cannot understand what it is like to be a little boy, wide-eyed and afraid in the middle of the night with nothing but a stuffed animal and a night light to ward off your fears, waiting for the safety of sunrise. And in the bright morning you can even convince yourself that there really was no problem. Mom was right. You don't need to be afraid. Everything really is all right. At least until sunset!

We're all grown now. I sleep with no lights on. The darker the better. The darkness at night no longer bothers me. It doesn't bother you either does it? No, it's the darkness when you wake up that really bothers you. Fears or jealousies or rejections or anxieties or insecurities or disappointments or sin now darken your life. You wait in the darkness and wonder if the sun will rise again.

One of the great themes of Advent is the arrival of the Light. John loved this word and was particularly moved by this image of the Incarnation. He wrote, "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it." (John 1:5)

And it never will.

John used an interesting pair of verb tenses to underscore an important truth. The verb for shine is present tense, indicating an ongoing action. Jesus, the Light, continues to shine, always. The aorist tense of the verb for overcome, however, indicates that darkness gave its best shot. It was and is defeated. The war is won though battles remain. Light wins. The Light in You ensures your victory

Go ahead and name the problem that darkens your life. You fear it. It may be truly great and terrible. But now take it to the Light. The Light shining in your life because of the presence of Christ is an eternal dawn. He dispels all darkness. Slowly but inexorably the Light moves across the darkness, bringing a new day to an old night.

Truly you have nothing to fear. The one constant in the universe is God's love for you, and His desire to bring more of His Light to you. Christmas is almost here. Only a few days left. But the Light is growing. Can you see it? You have nothing to fear.

Grace and Merry Christmas,

Dr. Terry Ellis

December 20, 2010

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:11

Joy. Doesn't the very word itself sound inviting? Isn't joy something you deeply long for? What would you give for a little joy right now?

In a nutshell, here is the problem with joy as I see it: I don't see it. Truly, among Christians for whom joy is a birthright, the second fruit of the Spirit, the promise of Jesus to fulfill in us, joy is depressingly absent. On the Third Sunday of Advent we are supposed to think about joy and have a joyful response. Where is the joy? To put it personally, where is your joy?

Let's start our recovery of joy by understanding the impediment to it. You might think circumstances are the great enemy of joy, but that is plainly not the case. Though challenging circumstances might affect happiness, they have no effect on joy.

No, the great impediment to joy is discontent. I believe discontent is the reigning mood of our culture. Dissatisfaction touches nearly everyone in multiple areas: politics, taxes, the church, worship style, the ministers, the members, finances, your team's football coach, etc. We foster discontent, share it, even glorify it as some sort of intellectual marker (i.e. if you're content, you're obviously not thinking critically). The tendency to appraise and render verdicts makes us impervious to God's gift of joy.

Three commitments will help you recover and nurture joy.

First, be committed to grace. In Greek, joy is derived from the same root word as grace. You can be very religious but lack joy. These are the folks that are good in the very worst sense of the word. A joyful Christian understands the primary importance of both receiving grace from God and sharing it with others. Be a conduit of grace.

Second, be committed to fulfilling God's purpose for you. All of history is marked by three great events or processes: Creation, The Breaking (also called The Fall), and Reconciliation. Right this moment, God is reconciling you to Himself, bringing you closer to Him, closer to Christ-likeness. Do not make this unnecessarily complicated. As you grow in Christ, you serve and love and live the way God originally intended. That is joy.

Finally, embrace the truth. The Christmas story is not just another story. It is different because it is true.

J. R. R. Tolkien, author of the great Lord of the Rings trilogy, was instrumental in helping C. S. Lewis become a Christian. Lewis was not raised in the church. He was first an atheist, and later an agnostic.

He and Tolkien were both professors at Magdalen College and enjoyed discussing their love of story and myth. During one conversation Tolkien spoke about the symbolic meaning of stories and Lewis replied that he was right that all stories, all myths had symbolic meaning, and tried to say that the Christian story was in the same class. Tolkien replied, "But Jack, don't you realize the difference? This one is true."

The Christmas story is wonderful and thrilling. It contains some of the greatest ideas ever imagined. What makes it even more remarkable, of course, is that it is true. It is not just another ancient tale with mythic qualities. It is history. God really did come here.

I'm going to close with an unusual recommendation. Get a copy of The Nativity Story and watch it before Christmas. It is delightfully accurate and touching on so many levels. And remember, it all really happened! This one is true! I believe embracing the truth brings joy.

Jesus really did come that your joy might be complete. In the growing light of the third Sunday of Advent, remember that joy is yours. Don't write it off as hopelessly beyond reach. Emmanuel. God is with you. And He brings you joy.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

December 13, 2010

"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I am giving you a peace that is different from the world's version. So do not let your heart troubled or afraid." John 14:27

If we let Jesus' teaching settle into our minds we are likely to arrive at an "aha moment" or an insight or sudden discovery that makes a formerly thorny issue crystal clear. The verse for this week's GraceWaves provides a great example.

The translation above is my own, and in it I wanted to stress the contrast Jesus made. You have two kinds of peace available to you: the peace of Christ and the peace of the world. Interestingly, the two sources of peace are not mutually exclusive. A Christian can and does have peace that the world offers, and there is nothing wrong with that. But you cannot "mix up the peaces."

The peace the world offers comes in an endless variety of pleasant forms. Think of the following common experiences you have probably had this morning already: you got out of bed with little or no difficulty, the newspaper was in its usual place in the front yard, your computer "booted up," you had milk for your cereal, your car started, etc. Absent any of these, you likely would have felt some measure of discontent. The level of discontent might have been minor or substantial, as in the case of poor health, for example. Again, there is nothing wrong with any of these expressions of worldly peace. I am glad to receive each one, and so are you. We simply have to face the fact that we do reach a point where our troubled lives are beyond the solution of worldly peace.

Therein lies the challenge. We try to substitute the world's version of peace for the peace of Christ. Most people are vaguely aware of the problem, but unwilling to accept the solution. The wounded conscience whispers its need, but the individual lives with symptoms that range from a constant and residual agitation to hectic discontent. In response we expend tremendous energy fretting over the warning signs and then inexplicably importing, developing, or protecting more of the world's peace in a vain effort to fill the void (e.g. make more money, lose weight, work harder, etc.). We insistently try to fill the void with worldly peace, and when the gnawing hunger remains we wonder what we have done wrong. We have mixed up the peaces.

The peace the world gives is fine but fleeting. That's Jesus' point. The warning for us is never to try to solve a fundamentally spiritual problem with a worldly solution. In his Confessions Augustine wrote these familiar words, "God You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are always restless until they find their rest in you." How can we find this rest in God?

First, confirm the fact that in Christ you already have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). As a believer in Christ, your life is determined in Him. Your eternity is secure, and one of Jesus' great teachings, particularly in John, is that eternal life has already begun for you. If life is a game, then you are already assured of victory. No amount of worldly trouble can prevent that victory, and no addition of more worldly peace will augment that victory. Your salvation is precious. Remember that great gift.

Second, cultivate a more consistent awareness of Christ's presence. Especially in John, Jesus' teaching about His closeness to every believer is quite stunning. John 13-16 is a remarkably intimate window into Jesus' interaction with His disciples the night before His crucifixion, and we find repeated emphasis on His presence with the believer. He will abide in you and exhorts you to abide in Him (John 15). The promise of the Spirit, which in John has the revealing title of Comforter, is in chapters 14 and 16. And chapter 17 contains Jesus' profound prayer in which He prays for unity of you with God in the same way Jesus enjoys unity with the Father.

The truth is God is so deeply and truly with you that words are completely inadequate. But the promise is one you must embrace. As Dr. Don Minton told us in seminary, "Wherever you walk, you need never walk alone." At this very moment, you are not alone, and you never will be.

Though we can only scratch the surface, the second week of Advent is a time for us to celebrate the peace of Christ. Don't mix up the peaces! The great irony here is that while we will have tribulation in the world (John 16:33) no amount worldly peace will solve all those troubles. The peace of Christ, however, meets your deepest need. Read again the words of this verse, and hear Him speak softly to you, "Do not let your heart be troubled."

Grace (and peace),

Dr. Terry Ellis

December 6, 2010