Christmas Letter 2016

The Apostle Paul said, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" Charles Dickens said, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."  These two quotes could sum up 2016 for us.  We had some times we could do without and some times we wouldn't trade for the world.

Both of us lost a beloved grandparent to death this year.  Christine's Grandpa John died in March and Matt's Mimi died in July.  Their presence will be missed by our families this Christmas and from now on.  

We began this year like we ended last year, without a child.  2016 brought with it testing and pills and procedures to try to end our infertility.  After 21 months of trying Christine became pregnant.  She is due May 22nd.  We couldn't be happier and the waiting and frustration seems to have fueled our joy.  

Christine, on top of the euphoria of becoming pregnant, has had an exciting year.  The day before she found out she was pregnant she accepted a job in the Waverly Health Center clinic system.  She had been hoping to get a job in Waverly for quite some time.  She enjoyed her time in labor and delivery at Covenant but is very happy to be working in our hometown.

Matt has been employed at KWAY Radio for over 7 and a half years now.  His role is mostly the same but this year has seen him adjust his responsibilities at work.  He is now doing more of a leading role for the morning show and moved, after nine years on the sidelines, to doing play-by-play for Wartburg College football.  Matt was also thrilled this year to finally see his Cubs win a World Series.

This Summer we got to take a nice mini-vacation to a bed and breakfast near Dubuque.  It was a fun, relaxing trip in a beautiful wooded location.

2016 for us and for many of you was a mixed bag, but as we reflect we once again realize how blessed we are.  God is good to us and the biggest way He has been good to us is through the giving of His Son.  As we waited and prayed for a child and now are excited to meet our first child we are drawn to think about the amazing gift God sent the world in the womb of a young Middle Eastern girl over two thousand years ago.  This Christmas join us is celebrating Jesus the One who will turn all of our worst of times into best of times and all of our best of times into even better times.  

Merry Christmas from the Rays.

God on the Inside

Christmas season is here.  My wife and I have put up the Christmas tree and the lights.  We've played the Gene Autry Christmas record and soon we will send out Christmas cards.  Christmas season is here and at this time of year I'm drawn to think about the incarnation of Christ.

"The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.'
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus." Luke 1:28-31

Mary, a young virgin, got amazing and unbelievable news.  She was going to be a mother even though she was a virgin.  I can begin to understand the feeling Mary must have had.  My wife is 15 weeks pregnant.  I remember how when she told me that she was pregnant I was excited and petrified all at the same time; I rejoiced and shook like a leaf all at once.

So, Mary got the extraordinary news that she was pregnant though still a virgin.  But she also got the incredible news that God was to be inside her.

"'How can this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."  Luke 1:34-35

God... the immeasurable, ineffable, immortal, invincible... was going to be inside her.  God the almighty was to be God the embryo!  God was going to live inside her.

Having a pregnant wife I can tell you that when a baby lives inside you you experience changes.  Your body changes, your diet changes, your mood changes, when you are pregnant you experience immense changes.  When a baby takes residence inside of you your life is altered.  When Mary had God the embryo in her she ate differently and acted different and felt differently in so many ways.

A person of the Trinity is no longer an embryo but God does in fact still live in us today.

"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."  Ephesians 3:16-17a

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"  1 Corinthians 3:16

God.. the immeasurable, ineffable, immortal, invincible... takes residence inside you.  Like Mary you can't ever be the same when God lives in you.  Like Mary, God will cause us to change.  Our lives will be altered.

When God's on the inside He makes changes.  Don't fight the changes the almighty makes when He makes His abode with you.  Thank God that He does the miracle to live in you today.

An Empty Chair at the Table

On July 3rd of this year my grandma died.

Tomorrow will be the first holiday since her death.  There will be an empty chair at the table.

Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday in theory but it is in practice.  I love the deep religious meaning of Christmas and Easter more by far, but in practice I love Thanksgiving.  There's no gifts, no imaginary mascots, there's just being thankful with and for those you love around the dinner table.  I loved being around my grandma at Thanksgiving and this year she won't be there.

There are others of you with an empty chair at the table this year.  I think especially of my wife's side of the family and my friends the Bakers.  They both will have their first Thanksgiving with an empty chair.

It's not supposed to be this way.

I'm not sad for those who died.  When believers in Christ die they go to be with Jesus and that is a far better place than our Thanksgiving dinner table.  I'm sad for those of us who are left behind.  My uncle said in conversation that Heaven won't just be a big family reunion.  He's right.  Heaven will be much better than that.  At its core Heaven is about getting to be directly and intimately with the Triune God.  Heaven is much more than a reunion, but it isn't less than a reunion.  God is so good that He died to give us Himself and one another.

As I look at the empty chair this year I will keep a couple thing in mind.

"He (Jesus) sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself." Hebrews 7:27b

Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for my grandma and it is sufficient for me.  I don't need to worry if she screwed it up in the past or if I'll screw it up in the  future.  Jesus sacrificed for our sins once and for all and this promise is for all who believe.

"... Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"  Revelation 19:9b

"And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day.  For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:39-40

There is a feast coming that transcends tomorrow's.  Thanksgiving dinner will be great but the wedding supper of the Lamb will be the greatest feast ever thrown.  Thanksgiving will have empty chairs at the table but at the wedding supper of the Lamb not a chair will be vacant.  All who are invited to the feast on that day will attend, guaranteed!

Tomorrow my family will have an empty chair at the table for the Thanksgiving feast and so might you.  This is a sad thing and I pray that you have peace in the midst of that sadness.  But at the wedding supper of the Lamb EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in Him will be seated and will dine and will drink and will celebrate.

Remember the loved one missing at the table tomorrow.  Give thanks for their life and give thanks that God has great promises for them and for you.  And if you don't have a seat for the wedding supper of the Lamb make a reservation with our Lord and Savior today.

Is Your Sharing Anti-Gospel?

Last Fall I was able to teach a few lessons in a discipleship class series our church created called "The Gospel and Social Media."  During one of the sessions I taught about truth and social media.  It seems that this is more relevant than ever.

The Bible calls the Gospel the "word of truth" (Ephesians 1:13), Jesus calls Himself "the Truth" (John 14:6), the Ten Commandments forbids giving false testimonies.  Truth is a central issue of the Bible.  The Bible is a source of truth and it implores us to "love the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

So, why is it that so many of us have Facebook and Twitter feeds full of falsehoods?

This recent election has further exposed our lack of love for the truth.  Oxford Dictionary recently name "post-truth" as its word of the year.  Ten years ago Merriam-Webster Dictionary named "truthiness", a term coined by Stephen Colbert, their word of the year.  These words both highlight the trend that more and more what is to be felt right is more important to people than what is right.  The Apostle Paul correctly stated that people gather around them those who will tell them "what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:3).

Many things may be up for debate, but as Christians we should be people who highly regard and love truth.

Too often we post things that confirm what we want to believe.  There is a rash of hyper-partisan "news" sites willing to give us what our itching ears want to hear.  BuzzFeed recently did a piece about this that is worth reading.  The Denver Post had to inform people that the Denver Guardian is not a real newspaper and never has been one in Denver.  CNN's Jake Tapper did a piece about this today.  We must ask ourselves better questions when seeing a news headline than, "does this agree with my opinion?"

Recently an online piece duped left leaning people into reading a remedy for this problem.  It is well worth the read.

I will try to give a bit of a remedy to this as well.

1) Don't post what you can't confirm.
If you can debunk it in a matter of moments on Google then it shouldn't be shared.  Regardless of how much the author insists that they are the only ones that know this piece of information, most news these days isn't picked up by only one source and one source no one has ever heard of at that.  The website snopes.com is a great fact checking source.

2) Check the source.
If you've never heard of the source it needs to be questioned.  This doesn't mean that you're familiar with all legit news sources, but it does mean that we should take "news" from fringe sites with a giant grain of salt.

3) A picture with words on it is not a news source.
There a millions of photos with words on them floating around social media.  Some have correct facts, many don't.  Just because a photo exists doesn't mean the photo or the words that accompany them are true.  Just because it is a map or a graph does not mean it is real or un-manipulated.

4) Inform your friends.
If your friend is sharing a fake news story let them know.  Most people don't want to spread falsities (some do), so let them know the article they've shared is fake.  In this current climate we need to help each other.

Lies are anti-Gospel.  "What fellowship does light have with darkness?"  (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Christians, it is very difficult for us to share the Truth with someone when we recklessly shared a lie moments earlier.  Truth must be a bedrock for every believer.  The Good News and fake news are not bedfellows.

So, think before you share.  This isn't so much a political problem as it is a Gospel problem.  We must be known as people of truth.  This will take more effort, it may not get your post shared as much, but it may be the difference between an open and a closed door in your next conversation with someone who desperately needs The Truth.

Be people of truth today.

The Day After Yesterday

So, here we are on the day after yesterday and Donald J. Trump is our president-elect.  As those of you who read this blog know, I didn't vote for either Hillary or Donald out of convictions of character and policies (to be clear I voted for a different candidate).  That being said, we wake up on the day after yesterday with Mr. Trump as our president-elect.  Therefore, I want to say a few things to those who supported Trump and those who opposed him (Pastor David Miller has done a better job if you just want to skip mine and read his.)

To the winners:
Please don't spend all your time, especially all your time online, gloating.  Be gracious.  Your man won and you will see the benefits of that for four years.  Be kind.  There is a lot of anger and name calling again today.  When will this stop?  Don't hate those who didn't support Trump in the election, it's a moot point now.

As Donald Trump said in his victory speech, "Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division; have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people."

Also, please don't try to paint Trump into a saint.  Mr. Trump is no saint, we know this.  He is a hedonist who at times is crude.  That is part of who he is.  There is no need today to act as if Trump were a great man of God sent to rescue America.

To the losers:
Please don't spend all day scaring each other.  Don't fear.  Don't say "#notmypresident".  Whether we like it our not Donald Trump will be OUR president for four years beginning in January.  We must honor the authority given him (Romans 13:1-7).  There is a lot of anger and name calling again today.  When will this stop?  Don't hate those who supported Trump in this election.

As Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech, "I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans."

Also, please don't try to paint Trump into a Hitler.  Mr. Trump reflects a demagogue in many ways, but Hitler he is not.  He is better than you give him credit for and I am preaching to myself here.  There is no need to act as if Trump will be installing himself as a dictator because he isn't.

To both:
 Pray that Mr. Trump is worthy of his calling (Ephesians 4:1 out of context).  And work to be worthy of the greater calling we have (Ephesians 4:1-6)

As God said to the exiles in Babylon, "... seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.  Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."  Jeremiah 29:7
Mr. Trump's successes in office are now linked to our successes.  If Israel can do this for its captors then all of us can do this for our presidents.

God can and will use leaders as a balm for nations or as a dagger to nations.  Pray that Mr. Trump be used as a balm.

Finally, remember where your hope is found.  We must not despair because of an election and we must not get too high because of an election.  Our hope, to steal a line from an article in Christianity Today, is not in an elephant or a donkey, but in a lamb.  Today may feel like a great victory or a great defeat, but the cross is where our hope is and always will be found.

On this day after yesterday, regardless of who you pulled for, be Christ-like.  We must as the Church shine more brilliantly.   React to the big news of the day but react in a way that honors Christ today.

Why Patience Works

Today as I was reading Hebrews chapter 6 something jumped out at me.  Now, I've studied this passage before and wrote about the believer's need for solid food, what saving faith is and isn't, and about the abundant good news in this passage; but today one section jumped out at me more than ever before.

Why does our faith work?

My pastor has used the illustration of men walking on ice.  Do they need faith to walk on the ice?  Absolutely.  But does their amount of faith keep them from falling through?  Absolutely not.  The thickness of the ice keeps them from falling through.  Our faith is the same way.  The amount of faith isn't near as important as what or who our faith is in.

Why does our patience work?

We are often left waiting for things.  God has left us waiting on many things.  So much of the Gospel is here but not yet.  We are waiting and waiting patiently, but what makes our patience worth it?

Let's look at the life of Abraham.

"When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'  And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."  Hebrews 6:13-15

Why did Abraham's patience work?

Well, if you know the story you know that Abraham's patience was as patient as we would think from a patriarch of the faith.  Abraham was promised descendants that would come through his wife Sarah.  So, Abraham waited patiently and stayed the course with Sarah even though she was very old, right?  Wrong.  Abraham took Sarah's servant Hagar and had a child with her that was not part of God's promise.  Abraham and Sarah weren't patient, in fact Sarah laughed at the idea of her getting pregnant.  Yet Sarah did conceive a son and through him, Isaac, a great nation was created.

So, why did Abraham's patience work if it was so not the definition of the word patience?

Abraham's patience worked because the one who made the promise always comes through.  God swore by Himself that He would do it and there is nothing more sure than that.  That, and that alone, is why Abraham's patience worked.

So, while we wait, and struggle to wait patiently, we must encourage ourselves by remembering who makes patience works.  God has given us many amazing promises and all will be kept because "it is impossible for God to lie."  Our receiving the goodness of the Lord has nothing to do with the quality of our patience.  Our receiving the goodness of the Lord has everything to do with the location of our patience.  If our waiting is in the Lord we have certainty.

This is not to say that God gives us everything we hope for, but it is without a question to say that God gives us everything He's promised.

Wait patiently on God because He never lies, He never fails and He always comes through.  Root your patience in our promise keeping God today.

Verses to Help Us Grieve Death

This has been a rough week in my community.  Death has reared its ugly head taking some young men.  Two young men died in a car crash Thursday and then Sunday morning one of the community's football coaches died in his sleep.

We aren't supposed to die.  It's not supposed to be this way, but with sin comes death to everyone.  Dealing with the aftermath of death is so hard.  

My pastor and I and one of our missionaries put together a list of verses to help us cope with the tragedies.  I will share some of them below.  Take time to read them, pray for others using them and be encouraged today.

"I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him.

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him."  Lamentations 3:19-26

"For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.
Though He brings grief, He will show compassion,
so great is His unfailing love.
For He does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men." Lamentations 3:31-33

"Let him who walks in the dark,
who has not light,
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God." Isaiah 50:10b

"I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14

"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

"I lift up my eyes to the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:14-16

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep with Him." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:17-18

"The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

"But now, this is what the LORD says
He who created you, O Jacob,
He who formed you, O Israel:
'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:1-2

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has appointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of His splendor." Isaiah 61:1-3

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:1-3

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope though the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3