The Most Dangerous Baby on Earth!

Dear Crosswalkers,

I'm sure many of you saw the recent news item about the Cannonball that couldn't be stopped. The crew from the TV show Mythbusters fired a homemade cannonball in the bay area city of Dublin as part of an experiment. Unfortunately, it missed the target. Then it kept going, and going, and going. According to one account, it "tore through a cinder-block wall, skipped off a hillside … bounced in front of a home … ripped through the front door, raced up the stairs and blasted through a bedroom … exited the house, leaving a perfectly round hole in the stucco (see photo), crossed six-lane Tassajara Road, took out several tiles from the roof of a home … and finally slammed into [a family's] minivan." Yikes!!  The local police sergeant said, "Crazy, crazy, crazy. You wouldn't think it was possible." This one little six inch cannonball had an almost unbelievable journey with some remarkable effects!

At Christmas, we celebrate the fact that a little baby was born that had an incredible journey from heaven to earth and whose effect on planet earth was beyond calculation. In the Christmas story in Matthew's gospel, King Herod considered Jesus to be the most dangerous baby ever born. How could a newborn infant be a threat to a king? On the most elementary level, it was because the wise men were searching for the baby who was born to be King of the Jews. But on a deeper level, here's the prophecy of Simeon about the baby Jesus:

Luke 2:34-35 - Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

And so it has been for 2,000 years... The baby born on Christmas has caused many to fall, but he has been a joy for so many others!  MAY JESUS BE YOUR JOY, NOW AND ALWAYS! 
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

10 Big Lies Exposed by Christmas

Dear Crosswalkers,

This Sunday we will begin a mini-series from Matthew's gospel called "The Real Reason for the Christmas Season." We will feature Christmas songs and a very straightforwardmessage about what Christmas is really all about. It's called, "Why God invented Christmas," and if you have some friends or family members who need to hear the gospel, this would be a great Sunday to invite them to join you in worship! 

Recently I read a blog by James Emery White. He was issuing a warning to beware of the deceptive message that in encoded in American Culture. This deceptive message stems from the 10 big lies our culture insidiously wants us to believe. Obviously there are more than ten, but here is his list: 

1.   It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere, since all religions are basically the same.

2.   Christians are anti-science/anti-intellectual, and anyone who is a Christian must have checked their brains at the door.

3.   Marriage and family are purely social constructs and are therefore fluid and malleable by the current society.

4.   Personal significance and importance lies in gaining fame and wealth. 

5.   There are no absolute, transcendent truths in the moral or spiritual realm.  All such truth is relative.

6.   Sex is physical, not spiritual.  Do with it as you will.

7.   Science is the ultimate arbiter of truth and determinant for both fact and meaning.

8.   The separation of church and state necessarily means the separation of religion and the public square.

9.   Churches are man-made organizations that you can take or leave, inherently corrupt and compromising of true spirituality.

10. The Jesus of the New Testament is a fabrication and not historically accurate.  It should not be believed.

Perhaps you can think of some others. If so, why not email me and I'll add it to the lists for on-going study for the future. It is crucial that we stand for God's truth in a society that is becoming more and more hostile to it. What is remarkable is how the Christmas story in some way refutes most of these lies! Come this Sunday as we look at the truth of Christmas from a different perspective!

See you Sunday! 
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

The Word of the Ages and the Word of the Year

Dear Crosswalkers,

This Sunday will be a Great Day of Worship filled with choices! At our 9:00 a.m. service we will feature the message How God’s Plan Unfolds in Your Life! This is based on the Parable of the Measure and the Parable of the Seed Growing Secretly. Fascinating insights await you from the teaching of Jesus our Lord! Then at 10:35 we will enjoy The Great Christmas Giveaway!  This is an inspiring musical performed by combined kids from Crosswalk and Sunnyvale Christian School. This is a muscial production that promises to rock the house! Two fabulous choices make for a great day at Crosswalk!

THE WORD OF THE AGES

The Word of the Ages is God's Word, the Bible. Here is the KJV of Psalm 119:105 - Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. While I'm personally partial to the modern and updated translations of God's word, I think we should all pause and thank God for the King James Version, which celebrated its 400th anniversary this year. Check this out: More copies have been made of this book than of any other book in the English language!  The "genesis" of the KJV began in March 1603. After a long reign as Queen of England, Elizabeth I finally died. The Scottish King James VI, her cousin, was the heir to the throne. At that time, Scotland was one of the poorest kingdoms in Europe. When James heard that he was at last going to inherit the throne of England, it was said that he was like "a poor man … now arrived at the Land of Promise." At his bidding, the new translation was published in 1611. You can read the fascinating back story in a well written article in the National Geographic magazine by following this link:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/12/king-james-bible/nicolson-text

Here is a quote from the article to see how the KJV has influenced our way of speaking:

"If a child is ever the apple of her parent's eye or an idea seems as old as the hills, if we are at death's door or at our wits' end, if we have gone through a baptism of fire or are about to bite the dust, if it seems at times that the blind are leading the blind or we are casting pearls before swine, if you are either buttering someone up or casting the first stone, the King James Bible, whether we know it or not, is speaking through us. The haves and have-nots, heads on plates, thieves in the night, scum of the earth, best until last, sackcloth and ashes, streets paved in gold, and the skin of one's teeth—all of them have been transmitted to us by the translators who did their magnificent work 400 years ago."

The article quotes the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall, dean of Westminster Abbey.  He is the man who conducted the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton in the abbey earlier this year (which, by the way, was a very biblical and spiritual ceremony). Speaking of the KJV, he says, "There are moments which move me almost to tears. I love the story, after Jesus has been crucified and has risen, and he appears to the disciples as they are walking on the road to Emmaus. They don't know who he is, but they talk together, and at the end they say to him, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.' That is a phrase—so simple, so direct, and so powerful—which has meant an enormous amount to me over the years. The language is full of mystery and grace, but it is also a version of loving authority, and that is the great message of this book."

THE WORD OF THE YEAR

Back to our friends from across the pond, we have a news story regarding the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the granddaddy of all dictionaries. Every year they pick one word or phrase that best defines the most significant social change of the past year.  They call it"the word of the year." This year, OED experts from both the U.S. and from the U.K debated some popular new terms. The list included the following: occupy, podcasting, Arab Spring, and bunga bunga. However, they settled on the "squeezed middle." The OED defines it as "the section of society regarded as particularly affected by inflations, wage freezes, cuts in public spending during a time of economic difficulty …." An OED spokesperson and judge defended the choice, stating that "it's something that, in a way, we all feel we belong to." You can read the full article at this link:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/28/oxford-english-dictionary-picks-squeezed-middle-as-word-of-the-year/

Of course, the Word of the Ages has a lot to say about whatever the Word of the Year happens to be. Staying with the KJV we have this verse: John 16:33- These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. The word "tribulation" is from a Greek word that means "pressure." It is used in secular Greek of a heavy weight that is used to press the oil out of olives. In the world we will always feel like the "squeezed middle!"  But as the world is busy squeezing us and pressuring us, we can be of good cheer, for the Lord has overcome this world for us! 

See you Sunday! 
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

This Little Light of Mine...

Dear Crosswalkers,

I came across a story that touched my heart and got me thinking about Christmas in the Silicon Valley. The article was entitled "An Epidemic of Loneliness." In it, a British medical doctor named Ishani Kar-Purkayastha shared about his interaction with an 82-year-old hospital patient named Doris. According to the doctor, Doris seemed healthy and ready to be discharged from the hospital on December 23. To his surprise, she kept complaining about mysterious health issues. Dr. Kar-Purkayastha wrote: "Yesterday it was her arm that was hurting, before that her hip. Truth is, Doris is an incredibly healthy 82-year-old, and we can't find anything. I have no doubt that it will be the same today."

When the X-rays came back normal, he told Doris that she would be discharged and would have to go home. Looking toward the floor, Doris quietly said, "I don't want to go home …. It's just that I'm all alone and there are so many hours in the day." Then after a long pause, she sighed and asked, "Doctor, can you give me a cure for loneliness?"

Dr. Kar-Purkayastha reflected on this incident:

I wish I could say yes. I wish I could prescribe her some antidepressants and be satisfied that I had done my best, but the truth is she's not clinically depressed. It's just that she has been left behind by a world that no longer revolves around her, not even the littlest bit.

There are thousands like her… for whom time stands empty as they wait in homes full of silence ….They are no longer coveted by a society addicted to youth …. [Doris] is alone, and it brings home the truth of this epidemic that we have on our hands—an epidemic of loneliness …. The most difficult part is that I don't know how to solve this, although I wish I could. For now, I simply retract my diagnoses. Sheepishly, I insist that Doris spends her Christmas this year on the ward, and I can see her mood lift. But as I steel myself for the inevitable influx of unwanted grandparents whom I know will arrive, I cannot help but wonder how it is that things could have gone so badly wrong.

How is it that things have gone so badly wrong? Of course a variety of factors come into play, but surely our independently minded culture, our lack of community, and our national tendency to withdraw from a faith community all contribute to this epidemic of loneliness. Add to that our self centeredness and you have a lot of lonely people. I wonder if Doris was a part of a church family.  Would it make any difference?

We are at the very beginning of the Christmas season. My challenge is for us to make a difference in the life of someone else. Who are we missing in our church family? Who haven't we seen in a while? Who is separated from their family and in danger of falling prey to the epidemic of loneliness? 

James 1:27 - Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

THREE TREMENDOUS THANKSGIVING TRUTHS

Dear Crosswalkers,

Thanksgiving is one of our great American traditions that focus on God as our Creator and Provider, and seeks to cultivate in us what is a dominant virtue in the Bible: Gratitude.   Here are three wonderful truths about thankfulness.

First, over the history of the Christian church, there have been many great thinkers that have inspired us with teachings about gratitude. Here’s a link to a list of 13 great quotes about having a thankful heart: 

http://takingtheyoke.blogspot.com/2010/11/13-thanksgiving-meditations.html

For example, it starts with quote from G.K. Chesterton, who said this:

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." 

WOW. Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder! It is a great devotion to simply go to this blog and read through these inspiring quotes.

Secondly, speaking of happiness doubled by wonder, recent studies confirm the temporal value of gratitude and Christian commitment. A November 2010 article in The Wall Street Journal summarized the research which showed a number of positive emotional and physical health benefits from having an attitude of gratitude:

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy, or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections.

In a new twist, researchers are discovering that thankfulness brings similar benefits in teenagers and even in children! The research says that “kids who feel and act grateful tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches, and feel more satisfied with their friends, families, and schools than those who don't.” The researchers concluded, "A lot of these findings are things we learned in kindergarten or our grandmothers told us, but now we have scientific evidence to prove them …. The key is not to leave it on the Thanksgiving table."

    Yet another study conducted this year confirms what we’ve    known for a long time: People who attend worship services    regularly are more optimistic and less depressed than      non-religious peers.  You can check out this story in Time

    online by following this link:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/11/study-religious-folks-have-a-sunnier-outlook/

Of course, we need to read these studies with godly wisdom and discernment. Our goal as followers of Jesus is not happiness but holiness!  The purpose of the church is not to make us happy through increased social connections but to launch us on a mission for and with Jesus! Joy is a by-product, not a goal.

And this brings us to the third lesson about Thanksgiving, which is from history. It is a widely circulated myth that the Pilgrims first came to America to escape religious persecution.  WRONG! Over a decade before they boarded the Mayflower and came to America, the Pilgrims fled England to Holland to escape persecution. Holland was by far the most tolerant and religiously diverse society in Europe at that time. The Pilgrims found religious freedom there, but they also found a society that was full of immorality and non Christian values. In 1620 they came to America to escape the corruption they found in the “old world!” THEIR MOTIVE WAS NOT TO ESCAPE PERSECUTION BUT TO PURSUE PURITY!

They left the open society of Holland to establish a society that practiced biblical principles. It is good for us to remember their example of braving the high seas and the fierce weather and an uncertain future because they wanted to establish a society that honored God above all! At Crosswalk, may God be so honored in our midst!

We have much to be thankful for this year.  As we gather around the thanksgiving table, let’s be grateful that pursuing holiness leads to happiness. I am grateful for the privilege of being your pastor. May God bless you with a joyous and restful Thanksgiving holiday!

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John