Welcome to the season of Advent! Where I sit, it is a balmy 70 degrees. It looks like anything but Christmas. The large department stores are displaying holiday decorations and playing “Jingle Bells”, but from street to street, there is not a hint of the Yuletide. Still, I know it is coming! Experience has bolstered my faith. More than faith in the mere fact that a date on the calendar is coming (and with it all the holiday decorations and traditions) I have faith that I will experience Christmas in my heart. How about you?
In the first chapter of Ruth, we find a foundation of faith. An Israelite man named Elimelech moves with his wife, Naomi, and two sons to Moab. They are driven by hunger, for Israel is experiencing a famine. In Moab, Elimelech dies. Both his sons marry Moabite women; one is named Orpah, the other, Ruth. When both men die, Naomi, Orpah and Ruth are left to fend for themselves. They are hungry again. But this time, their hunger is not the only thing driving them on...Naomi has heard that in Israel, ”the Lord had visited His people in giving them food” (Ruth 1:6). Faith, though perhaps small, rises in her heart and she decides to return to Israel. Orpah and Ruth love Naomi, and both set out with her. She discourages them, giving them no promise of a better life or future husbands. Reluctantly, Orpah eventually bids a tearful good-bye and returns to Moab. Ruth, however, clings to Naomi. Faith has somehow become her own. With no promise from outside of her own heart, she presses on with her mother-in-law. Faith strengthens and motivates Ruth to leave her culture, her language and her people.
Faith is the vessel of courage. Just read the great “Faith Hall of Fame”in Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, David, Samuel and more…”who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, become mighty in battle, and put armiesto flight” (Hebrews 11:33, 34). Faith, it seems, is powerful stuff.
During this initial week of preparing our hearts to receive Christ-mas anew, this first chapter of Ruth brings us to some important questions to consider:
1. What am I hungry—really hungry-- for?
2. What situations are driving my thinking, my attitudes, my decisionsright now?
3. Where is God at work? Am I moving toward that place?
4. Have I made faith my own, independent of the faith of others around me, or my heritage, or my culture?
5. How does “faith” respond to the difficulties I am currently facing? Am I willing to do whatever it takes, leave whatever should be left, let go of the past (good or bad), and go forward, perhaps to an uncertain outcome?
May the Holy Spirit grant us faith to let Him examine our lives, and may faith give rise to courage to surrender everything to Him!
Grace and peace!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Advent and the Book of Ruth: An Introduction
On our recent trip to the US, one of the first things that grabbed my attention was the rapid speed of daily life. Most of the time I found it tiring, at times annoying. On one occasion, Jillian and I found it humourous.We had only been in the States for a couple of days and we were driving with the twins early in the morning. We decided to renew our acquaintance with an important reality of American culture: the McDonald’s drive-through. I pulled up to the miked ordering screen where a voice greeted me withwords that flew out like fire from an automatic weapon:
“WelcometoMcDonaldscanItakeyourorderplease?”
“Yes. I would like 3 small orange ju…”
“OK” The answer interrupted me before I could get out the whole word. Hmmm…
“A small cof…”
“Cream and sugar? Do you want to put it in yourself, or do you want us todo it?" The voice sounded almost annoyed, like an adult who is hurried and doesn’twant to take time to listen to the elongated story of a toddler.
I finally got the order out. When I pulled around the corner of thebuilding, I could see the two windows, the first to pay, the second to receive the food. As I approached the first window, the view ahead made me want to by-pass payment and step on the gas. There, from the first window, emerged a bodiless hand, precariously clutching between two fingers and a thumb, the neatly folded golden-arched, white paper bag that held our food! It hung in the breeze with a taunting little swing. Only partly in jest, it threatened, “Hurry up or your breakfast is road slop!”
Alas, one person’s efficiency is another person’s high-pressured breakfastexperience.
It is easy for us to live at an ever-increasing pace. Perhaps that’s one reason I love the “seasons” so much. Not only the seasons of wind and weather, but the seasons of our Christian calendar. In a world where text messaging reduces the spelling of words to single letters, and where new technologies give us our food, news, and email at the touch of a button, God’s priorities and methods seem at odds. Here is One who is never in a hurry—who created the earth and everything in it in a step bystep orderly fashion; who set history in motion with generations of babies, youngsters, adults and the aged; whose years pass with the regularity of seasons.
We all know the Scriptural truth: “Man’s ways are not God’s ways…” Nowhere is that more evident than with the events of Christmas. I have a feeling that if it were up to me and you, the events at Bethlehem would have been recorded in Genesis 4, and Genesis 5 would be renamed“Revelation.” But the will, the ways and the works of God cannot be rushed. His plan will unfold as He ordains, no matter how we desire to rush it on more quickly. Sunday, November 29, is the beginning of the Advent Season. The word“advent” means “coming” and these four weeks of Christmas are an annual opportunity to focus upon the coming of the Son of God to our world. If we will let Him, the Holy Spirit will take us all on a journey toBethlehem to wonder and celebrate in a new way the glorious gift of Jesus, the Savior, Messiah, Redeemer. Just think of the years of longing, looking, hoping, seeking…that were fulfilled in that Holy Night. Many tried to “hurry” that up, too. Israel was always looking for a leader, or a prophet, or a king, or a judge that would be THE Son of David. No matter how much they hoped, or how good a king might be, the peoplewere disappointed again and again. It seemed as if the true Son of David would never come.
And then, He did. Sixteen times throughout the Gospels, Jesus is recognized, hailed, and implored as “The Son of David.” Apparently,the people who reached out in faith to Jesus for every kind of need had no trouble surmising that He was indeed, the long-awaited Son of David. Matthew’s Gospel begins with these words…”The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). Some may think that Matthew’s record of the ancestry of Jesus is chauvinistic—tracing the Savior’s line through Joseph. Luke’s record traces the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Mary. Remarkably,though, Matthew’s account mentions five women in the ancestral line of Jesus (Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, Ruth and Mary), while Luke’s mentions none, not even Mary herself. The story of one of the women named by Matthew is found in the Old Testament Book that bears her name, the Bookof Ruth.
In Ruth we read a beautiful story of growing faith, of hope dashed and rekindled, of love lost and found, of joy thought out of reach, then fulfilled beyond measure. It is a rich, challenging story of spiritual truth. Ruth paints a picture of Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer. It is a perfect story for the season of Advent. Ruth’s four chapters fit neatly into the four weeks of Advent. But more than the number, the book can be anchored in four themes that can strengthen our relationship with the Savior: faith, hope, love and joy.
Welcome to this Advent journey in the Book of Ruth.
Grace and peace!
“WelcometoMcDonaldscanItakeyourorderplease?”
“Yes. I would like 3 small orange ju…”
“OK” The answer interrupted me before I could get out the whole word. Hmmm…
“A small cof…”
“Cream and sugar? Do you want to put it in yourself, or do you want us todo it?" The voice sounded almost annoyed, like an adult who is hurried and doesn’twant to take time to listen to the elongated story of a toddler.
I finally got the order out. When I pulled around the corner of thebuilding, I could see the two windows, the first to pay, the second to receive the food. As I approached the first window, the view ahead made me want to by-pass payment and step on the gas. There, from the first window, emerged a bodiless hand, precariously clutching between two fingers and a thumb, the neatly folded golden-arched, white paper bag that held our food! It hung in the breeze with a taunting little swing. Only partly in jest, it threatened, “Hurry up or your breakfast is road slop!”
Alas, one person’s efficiency is another person’s high-pressured breakfastexperience.
It is easy for us to live at an ever-increasing pace. Perhaps that’s one reason I love the “seasons” so much. Not only the seasons of wind and weather, but the seasons of our Christian calendar. In a world where text messaging reduces the spelling of words to single letters, and where new technologies give us our food, news, and email at the touch of a button, God’s priorities and methods seem at odds. Here is One who is never in a hurry—who created the earth and everything in it in a step bystep orderly fashion; who set history in motion with generations of babies, youngsters, adults and the aged; whose years pass with the regularity of seasons.
We all know the Scriptural truth: “Man’s ways are not God’s ways…” Nowhere is that more evident than with the events of Christmas. I have a feeling that if it were up to me and you, the events at Bethlehem would have been recorded in Genesis 4, and Genesis 5 would be renamed“Revelation.” But the will, the ways and the works of God cannot be rushed. His plan will unfold as He ordains, no matter how we desire to rush it on more quickly. Sunday, November 29, is the beginning of the Advent Season. The word“advent” means “coming” and these four weeks of Christmas are an annual opportunity to focus upon the coming of the Son of God to our world. If we will let Him, the Holy Spirit will take us all on a journey toBethlehem to wonder and celebrate in a new way the glorious gift of Jesus, the Savior, Messiah, Redeemer. Just think of the years of longing, looking, hoping, seeking…that were fulfilled in that Holy Night. Many tried to “hurry” that up, too. Israel was always looking for a leader, or a prophet, or a king, or a judge that would be THE Son of David. No matter how much they hoped, or how good a king might be, the peoplewere disappointed again and again. It seemed as if the true Son of David would never come.
And then, He did. Sixteen times throughout the Gospels, Jesus is recognized, hailed, and implored as “The Son of David.” Apparently,the people who reached out in faith to Jesus for every kind of need had no trouble surmising that He was indeed, the long-awaited Son of David. Matthew’s Gospel begins with these words…”The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). Some may think that Matthew’s record of the ancestry of Jesus is chauvinistic—tracing the Savior’s line through Joseph. Luke’s record traces the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Mary. Remarkably,though, Matthew’s account mentions five women in the ancestral line of Jesus (Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, Ruth and Mary), while Luke’s mentions none, not even Mary herself. The story of one of the women named by Matthew is found in the Old Testament Book that bears her name, the Bookof Ruth.
In Ruth we read a beautiful story of growing faith, of hope dashed and rekindled, of love lost and found, of joy thought out of reach, then fulfilled beyond measure. It is a rich, challenging story of spiritual truth. Ruth paints a picture of Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer. It is a perfect story for the season of Advent. Ruth’s four chapters fit neatly into the four weeks of Advent. But more than the number, the book can be anchored in four themes that can strengthen our relationship with the Savior: faith, hope, love and joy.
Welcome to this Advent journey in the Book of Ruth.
Grace and peace!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
We're Baaaaack!
Elizabeth enjoys reading to a dog at the library's "Paws to Read" event.
Jillian sports a "mohawk hat" in Massachusetts!
The girls loved ice skating with Aurora!
Tony's first speaking invitation was at the church where he received Christ.
Our girls in traditional Vietnamese dress for church.
Faith and Joy in the pumpkin patch!
Getting autographs backstage with "Go Fish."
Anna Mei pitches a rubber chicken at a "Chicken Chuckin'" booth at a fall festival.
The fam with our friend, Mickey.After about 8 weeks in the United States, we have returned home to Vietnam. It is a quite Tuesday night in Danang...at least at our house. We arrived home on Sunday night at about 10:30 pm local time. This is the first time I have felt like I could sit at the computer without falling asleep, so I thought I should take advantage and give a brief update about our trip to the US.
First of all, it was a wonderful, blessed trip. We had a great time. It was incredibly busy, but we came home with some lifelong memories.
So, how did we spend our 8 weeks?
...traveling to 12 states
...sharing our work with at least 19 different churches and groups
...keeping 30 medical, dental, and eye exam appointments
...visiting with so many people we love
...obtaining items to bring back to make our house a little more like home
...a week of family vacation and a 2-day session with our board
Predominant emotion now that we are back...Gratitude
It took a small army of people to give us such a wonderful trip! Everywhere we turned we received blessing. Amazing acts of kindness, thoughtfulness, and sacrifice...like
...all those who provided housing for one or seven of us. You made us feel at home.
...rides to and from the airport (we arrived at 10 pm and departed for the airport at 4:30 am, so transporting us definitely meant a labor of love and a loss of sleep!)
...food: hmmm...8 weeks at 3 meals a day for 7 people--that's 168 meals, many of them provided by dear friends. In Kentucky tradition, I must say, "We ate good."
...a van provided to us for the duration of our stay! And it had a working DVD player (happy dance)
...a week at a Florida resort so we could have some family time at the start of the trip
...tickets and invitations to so many wonderful experiences--a "Go Fish" concert, a hayride and huge corn maze, a natural history museum, and a couple of festivals and farms....
gift cards and shopping trips for the girls and me (and my first "mani-pedi").
First time I heard "When will we get there?" Before we ever left the Danang airport, from Elizabeth.
Funniest statement: Also from Elizabeth. I overheard her talking to Anna Mei in the ladies room at the beautiful Hong Kong airport: "I PROMISE. I did NOT touch one thing, and it flushed!"
And, lastly, a story from our return trip under the category of "And not a jury in the world would convict me...."
Many of you know that our family traveled in two groups for some of the flights to and from the US. Here is the background: Coming back, Tony, Anna Mei and Elizabeth had a day of flying from Lexington to San Fransisco, then on to Hong Kong and Saigon the next day. Jillian, Faith, Joy and I left Lexington at 6 am to Chicago, then after a 6-hour layover, on to Hong Kong (where we joined the rest of the family for flights to Saigon and Danang). We were, as my mother would say, "loaded for bear." We took advantage of the 2 suitcase/2 carry-on rules, so we had a total of 28 bags between us. With my 8 large bags checked, we still had 8 carry-ons of various weights. So I was glad that we got a luggage cart when we arrived in Chicago. After breakfast, we discovered that one of the twins had left a small purse on the plane. Not a big loss...nothing in it of value. But, we had about five more hours to fill, so I asked an airline employee if there was a place we might check about it.
Many of you know that our family traveled in two groups for some of the flights to and from the US. Here is the background: Coming back, Tony, Anna Mei and Elizabeth had a day of flying from Lexington to San Fransisco, then on to Hong Kong and Saigon the next day. Jillian, Faith, Joy and I left Lexington at 6 am to Chicago, then after a 6-hour layover, on to Hong Kong (where we joined the rest of the family for flights to Saigon and Danang). We were, as my mother would say, "loaded for bear." We took advantage of the 2 suitcase/2 carry-on rules, so we had a total of 28 bags between us. With my 8 large bags checked, we still had 8 carry-ons of various weights. So I was glad that we got a luggage cart when we arrived in Chicago. After breakfast, we discovered that one of the twins had left a small purse on the plane. Not a big loss...nothing in it of value. But, we had about five more hours to fill, so I asked an airline employee if there was a place we might check about it.
She directed us to "Lost and Found." It was about a 20-minute walk she said, but you have the cart and the girls will enjoy seeing the airport, she assured me with a smile. So off we went. At "Lost and Found", I was told that items didn't arrive there for 2-3 days, but I could check back at the gate where we landed. By the time we headed in that direction, I had a stunning, heart-sinking realization..at some point we had left the secured section of the airport and we would now have to go through the security check all over again. So, off with the jackets, shoes and jewelry, out with the cell phones and computer, run all the bags through the x-ray machinery...you get the picture. My "never-make-a scene" 10-year-old queried, "If you see that lady again, you're not going to say anything are you?" I decided to have a little fun..."You'll know when I see her, Jillian. My top lip will curl at one side. My tired, red eyes will widen as my eyebrows raise in recognition. My knuckles will turn white as I grip the handle of the luggage cart to keep them off of her neck, and a gutteral, emotion-charged greeting will emit from my lips, 'Yooouuuu!'"
Actually, it wasn't so bad. We did enjoy the airport. And they let us keep the cart at security, walking it through separately after unloading. We arrived back at our departure gate without the purse, but no worse for wear. And I have a story that makes me smile...
The Lord has blessed us immeasureably. My heart is peaceful tonight overall, a little sad to say good-bye, but content with fond memories of so many expressions of love.
I wish you the same. Grace and peace!
I wish you the same. Grace and peace!
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