What's in a Name?

Christmas is About Jesus – What’s in a Name?

Matt. 1:22ff

Intro: Do names really matter? Most names today are selected not according to what they mean but either how they sound or whether they are on the top ten list. The name Jesus Christ is different than any other name. It is the name by which God has revealed His plan of salvation and the real meaning and purpose of life. Jesus Christ is the God Man who was sent from heaven to earth, who was born in a manger and lived a life that revealed ultimately that he is the Word of God become flesh. Jesus himself proclaims that he is the great eternal God when he calls himself the great I’AM. (John 8:58)

1. What does the name Jesus mean? The name Jesus was very common in the time of the early church and before. It specially referred to someone saving someone from getting hurt in battle. Now the big difference with this being the name of God’s Son is that it refers to the ultimate victory of the toughest battle – our sinful nature. The crowd that greeted Jesus as he came into Jerusalem before he was arrested and crucified screamed out – Hosanna or literally the Lord saves those in the in the middle of battle. The Old Testament equivalent of Jesus was Joshua. Remember that Joshua and Caleb were the only spies to come back with a positive report and excitement about over taking the Canaanites because the other spies viewed them as giants.

2. What does the name Immanuel mean? The prophets of old talked about a virgin being with child and the fact that his name would be Immanuel or literally God is with us. The amazing miracle of the birth of Christ is that you have the eternal, infinite God taking upon himself human flesh. John proclaims in his gospel that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we beheld his glory as from the Father. It is impossible to comprehend how the infinite God is able to take on a finite flesh and blood body but yet he does. So as John declares we have God living or dwelling in a human tent. When Jesus taught that the kingdom of God was near he was referring to his own presence. So Jesus is truly God and Man and his coming means that God is physically with us.

3. What does the name Christ mean? The word Christ literally means anointed one referring to the practice of anointing either a king or priest who would be set aside for office. Jesus is the anointed one who is set aside to be the Son of God, Messiah, the Christ and Immanuel. This name refers to Jesus’ office or position of being a king set aside to rule over God’s people. Jesus is the special one chosen to be the redeemer of God’s family. Only Christ has the ability to forgive sin, transform a life and then restore a family together.

Conclusion – The Name of Jesus is above all names! Yes, Jesus is name that turns heads and causes trouble. The full name or title Jesus the Christ truly refers to the God – Man who experienced life on earth and came to live in such a way that his life transforms you and me. So there is power in this name, because it is the only name under heaven and earth through which anyone can know God and be saved. So what’s the big deal about God naming his son Jesus or Immanuel? He is the only one that is capable of redeeming us or laying down his perfect life so our sinful life can be forgiven and transformed. Otherwise Christmas isn’t about a manger, shepherds, angels or redemption but about who has the largest gift under the tree.

Ouch - Dave's a Jr. Higher at Heart

I do have a difficult time admitting that I am getting older and that doing crazy activities is always a risk. Last year this time I had surgery to remove some skin cancer on my leg. This required me to be in a cast and crutches for a week. I will always remember making burritos on Christmas Eve as I hobbled along. This Christmas I am blessed with a bruised ‘bottom’. It is truly my own fault. We had an amazing Christmas Party for our tutoring kids and families. We had a great turn out between our tutors, special friends with gifts and the larger community. I rented a couple of the jumpers for the kids to enjoy. We did something different and got one of the more teen – adult jumpers, the gladiator. I had fun watching and decide to take one whoever was the champion of the morning. Matthew was left standing undefeated. So I not knowing if I could whip him jump up on the platform and end up easily taking him down not once but three times.

My joy of victory was short lived as the following week we go skating with the kids. We had a large group of over 40 and go to our now favorite place, Skateland in Mesa. I am a good skating and only have to watch out either for little kids that fall in front of you or someone crazy like Darious who speeds by you and accidentally trips you. Matt and I got into a little with the different sessions and he comes back for retaliation. This time he pushes me when I am really flying and end up having to slide out of the way to miss a little munchkin and collide with the hard wooden floor – ouch. I knew the second I connected with the floor that I would be in agony. I slowly remove myself from the floor and do a sportsman like shake it off routine. Little did I know how hard I had hit and how black and blue my tucsh would be.

After taking all of the kids home I end up on the couch in dire pain. I ask my Anne for the heating pad and wait patiently for the pain to subside. It didn’t and I was hurting most of the night. As I reveal to my Anne the extent of my injury she is shocked and does a laugh and oooh type of thing.

Is there some deep spiritual lesson in all of this? Maybe – act like an adult and you won’t get hurt? Maybe if you are going to play with the kids and act like the kids don’t be surprised when one of them gets even. I know that my physical body is fallen, falling apart and truly my responsibility to be wise in how I choose to use it or might I say abuse it. I think the better lesson which sounds more Christmas like is that just as Jesus came to earth from heaven and took upon himself flesh and blood and earthly life that I at times love to be like the people/kids God has brought my way. So I am being incarninational when I play with my New City kids or hang out with my grandmas and enjoy a donut.

I know that bumps and bruises are part of life and that without ever taking any risk nothing will happen. I know the typical phrase – nothing ventured nothing gained.

Ouch - Dave

Jesus Brings Hope to the Hopeless

Christmas is About Jesus – Jesus Brings Hope to the Hopeless Micah 5:2

Intro: Little things matter! I know at times it might feel as if no cares about you or your circumstances. It is easy at times to really believe that no body ever notices you. I can remember in High School being at a point in my life where everything came to a screeching halt. I was dumped by my girlfriend, my rock band died and even though I had the coolest sport car I wanted friends who liked me for who I was not what I owned. I believe that one of the main reasons why God had Jesus be born in an insignificant place, Bethlehem, was to help us see that He truly cares for the little people that are usually forgotten.

#1. What is hope? Why do we need hope?

It isn’t easy to define hope because in one sense it is something that is always looking towards the future. The dictionary would say that hope is a desire for something with the expectation of it happening. One might say that hope is what gives you the ability to keep going even in the face of rough circumstances. The challenge is what is the basis of the hope that you hold towards the future. If you aren’t a Christ follower than your hope is based upon your own accomplishments, skills and means. It ultimately means that your hope is based totally on yourself and your belief that you can do it. The problem with this is at times I fail or quit because I don’t have the ability to keep going.

Faith and hope are related to one another. My faith isn’t in myself but in God and my hope is that He is faithful to his promises and will always be there to help me as I face life circumstances. Today most people place their faith or trust in their careers, education, possession or network of friends and not God. We live in a society where often a faith in God or hope in God’s faithfulness is scorned. So how do find hope in the face of a gloomy economy or a family tragedy?

#2. Jesus brings hope because he is the eternal ruler.

It again is amazing that God would send Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem to have Jesus who by name is the one who will save his people from their sins. The word Bethlehem meant house of hope or place of hope. I believe that God wanted to show both the Jews and those outside the Jewish Family that His love and our redemption isn’t based upon our accomplishments but upon the work of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is the eternal God, creator and ruler who has always existed he becomes the true basis for any hope in life.

If Jesus were truly born of royalty he would have been born in a place like Jerusalem which was the religious center of the world. God wanted to show that his heart has and will always be for the poor both physically and spiritually. He is opposed to the proud and arrogant, who think they are capable of living life apart from Him. Mary and Joseph were literal no-bodies that become the parents of the God-Man and savior. He is not only born in a manger but grows up among the poor in Nazareth as the carpenter’s son.

#3. How do you get hope in a hopeless situation?

It shouldn’t be any surprise that God sends his angels to proclaim the coming of Jesus not to the Palace or Temple of rulers but to lowly shepherds out in the field. They come to proclaim that God has brought the hope of the ages to Bethlehem in a stable. The shepherds and wise men search for the baby Jesus understanding the implications of what might happen if Jesus truly is God’s Son, the Savior of mankind and the Messiah.

I will be the first to admit that I can act as if I am strong and have the ability to do and face anything in life. The reality is that this would be a total lie. If I place my faith and hope for the future solely in myself I am totally lost and will lead others down the path of self –sufficiency. Today’s world totally promotes the image that honesty and dependency on others is a sign of weakness. The coming of the Christ Child to Bethlehem gives us a hope that God’s love is truly not based upon where you live, what you own or who you know. So the only way to have hope in any situation is to trust Christ with your total life. As we confess our sin, rebellion against God and our need to be redeemed we have a hope that can face anything in life, even tragedy and our own death.

Conclusion: Live like you have Hope!

When you face tough circumstances what do you do? Often we allow the fear of the unknown to paralyze us. John tells us that perfect love or hope casts out all fear. When we have placed our lives in God’s hands He will give us His peace and the ability to trust him both with the outcome of our circumstances and not to worry or fear about tomorrow. Remember Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will fall into place.

Frustration Shouldn't Stop You

I am learning that one of the by products of working with many different people is varying levels of commitment, expectation and the end result. My life is centered around nurturing relationships that are Christ driven to see people serve others unselfishly. It is easy to say this but another thing to pull it off and not step back at times and either think that I am so cool to get 300 people to paint 10 houses or the reverse, boy did I blow it by not being more organized at smaller event or why is it the case only 2 people showed up to help with my own neighborhood work project last week?

I have always struggled with people that look at life from a negative perspective. All it takes is one sour apple to spoil the whole bunch. I am learning that being a positive factor in anything in life will transform any situation. I know that especially around Christmas time people are more open to talk about the difference having hope in life can make. What is the one thing that is going to help you keep going and not stop or quit in your present situation? It doesn’t matter what the circumstances we all come to the end or our rope at times.

You add what I have been talking about to doing work in a cross-cultural setting where you have many different ways of doing something and you have the ingredients for friction and frustration. It is like learning to speak another language and sometimes the more you try to do it right you mess up more. It is so easy to impose my personal values or ways of doing things and miss out on allowing God to work through the chaos of life that I miss out on many blessings. I know that having done both construction work and church work most of my life that there is always someone who knows what they think is the right way to do something. If you suggest or do something different you receive a lot of flack or threats, i.e. I’ll quit or we never did it this way or this is doomed to fail.

I love how the apostle Paul reflects on his life journey, which was at times a mess with the following thought from 2 Cor. 4: 7:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed; always caring in the body of the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

The simple fact is that most of Paul’s heart ache in life was from his past life as a Jewish leader and also from his new role as the missionary to the non-Jewish world. Paul was a mover and shaker in his day and wasn’t afraid to stir the pot or step out and do something totally different so that more people could both hear and see the gospel.

My life at present is working with many kids from the inner city and a lot of Grandmas from my neighborhood. We have been doing mercy church for over the last year plus. At times I do consider whether the amount of time, funds raised and the results are truly worth it. This comes out of my educated and white culture that says everything has to be a certain way for it to be considered a worthy endeavor. The other side of my life, which is Jesus talking to me, says that He came specifically to love the least, the last and the lost. I love the Master Card commercial that says ultimately that certain things in life are priceless. This is my life at present as I could tell stories each day of being with different people and seeing first hand results of living out the gospel in both word and deed. So what is my point in writing this blog but to encourage myself to not quit and for others to see the heart of God for the poor, broken and lost around them? It is way too easy to become insulated from the real world around you and live in a Christian ghetto or vacuum.

I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all of the answers for relating back to some who question the type of work I am pursuing. All I can say is that God has given me a passion and a call to love on the South Phoenix neighborhoods. Yes I would love to have a time table for a lot of things that I do but I am beginning to see that what matters is God’s time table over all not mine. Yeah I do care about being organized and seeing God bless. I guess Paul’s two cents was that his life was always facing different messes and the adventure is in watching God work through those circumstances for his glory to show forth his grace and mercy.

Who is Jesus?

Christmas is About Jesus – Who is Jesus? John 1:1-3

Intro: The Mystery of God. Anne and I were able to attend the performance of Handel’s Messiah last night at the Community College. It is a truly incredible musical work that unfolds the story of Christmas that shows the amazing love of God. How is it possible that the Holy Creator God who made the universe would come as a baby in the manger that lays down his life that we could be forgiven and have a new relationship with God? This is a mystery that goes beyond our ability to understand and comprehend.

Yesterday I painted some of the walls in my community. We did this last month and with the help of about 15 volunteers it went really well. Lupe, Sammy and Matt actually were the paint sprayer experts. I guess this time because it was cold no on showed up at all – at least except for my personal helpers, Chalino and Matt. After about 15 minutes of working 2 guys show up and we work for about 2.5 hours and accomplish almost as much as the month before. I asked my guys what they learned from this and they said that being a servant is the only way to go. It doesn’t matter whether you have 300 volunteers like for our painting blitz or just a handful like yesterday. Jesus is the example of how the God of this universe who created everything chooses to become a servant leader to show us the way to heaven, which is through Him.

#1. Jesus is before the beginning.

Over the next month we are going to talk about the real meaning and purpose of Christmas. We will look at the who of Jesus Christ today. As we sing Lord I lift your name on high we sing the chorus that Jesus came from heaven to earth to show us the way. John the old apostle saw the big picture about Jesus Christ. He was there at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he was at the cross and he out lived all of the other disciples.

John tells us that before the beginning of anything that Jesus has always existed. Jesus declares to the Jews that before Abraham came into existence that he is the I AM. (John 8:58) Jesus is referring back to the name that God tells Moses to call him that he is the eternally existent God who always is, has been and will be. (Exodus 3:14) Jesus claims to be God who has always existed.

#2. Jesus is the Word.

The apostle John tells us that Jesus is the Word. As you read Genesis 1 and the description of how God created the universe and all of life it says that God said let there be and it came into being. The spoken Word of God is what brings something out of nothing. The Word in this context is actually a person Jesus Christ. John chose a word, logos, to depict Jesus as the eternal mind or mouthpiece through which everything comes into being. It referred back to the Greeks and their notion of an eternal mind. What John is saying is that Jesus is the eternal Word of God that spoke things into existence.

#3. Jesus is the creator and author of life.

I know that deep down inside all of us at times wonder about where did we really come from or why am I here? As we consider the incredible statement that Jesus Christ is the means through which God created and brought life into existence it will help us eventually understand that we were made with a purpose. We didn’t come from a cosmic accident but through the design of a God who is holy, merciful and loving. It is impossible for mankind to fathom how one is able to make something out of nothing. Science attempts to say it can imitate the creation of life in a laboratory but it isn’t possible.

Conclusion: Make your Christmas about real life.

I was talking to someone during our painting of my community walls who was saying that Amazon orders were up almost 60% from last year’s Christmas and that Best Buy was up 30% from last year. It would still seem that Christmas is not about Jesus but about getting bigger and better presents. Don’t get me wrong giving in itself is an amazing quality for someone to pursue but I am afraid that most of us are still into being takers. So the simple challenge is to ask the question as to whether or not my actions at Christmas are about the One who came to give us real life or whether we still believe that life is wrapped up in presents under a tree with sparkling lights?

Jesus is the One who has existed before anything else; He is the Word of God who created all things including you! Let us worship Him as the God who became Man as John declares in his Gospel, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:14

Reflections the Morning After

What is the church? Is it a building? Is it a gathering on a Sunday? Is it where a couple of people meet to talk over coffee or a couple praying before they start their day? Is it 300 people coming together on a Saturday to paint 10 houses, give Bibles to the families they have helped, clean up some neighborhood alleys and then eat lunch in a local park? I will admit that the type of church God is birthing through New City – Barrio Nuevo is not your typical church. God is teaching me about what it means to be Kingdom minded and seeing the church as both many and one.

Over the last 5 months I have been dreaming and planning for the Barrio Nuevo Painting Blitz. I have two special friends Jeremy and James who have helped over the last year do small scale painting projects where we will do one or two homes with any where from 30-60 volunteers. We have gotten our supplies through a couple of generous friends that have a heart for the inner city. We have found our homes to paint through word of mouth and just walking the neighborhoods. We schemed together why not do something much bigger just before Thanksgiving. Why not attempt to gather hundreds to volunteer and then do a lunch event in the park with music and outreach for kids.

Little did I understand the amount of work that would be required and the amount of trust that would be required to get key leaders to plan ahead and follow through? I have a side of me that is hyper organized and another side of me that says just trust the Lord. How do you just trust the Lord for food for 400? I know that Jesus tested his disciples to see what they would do with the crowd of 5,000 plus. The incredible miracle that day was a young boy had a basket with a few fish and loaves. Jesus blessed the food and it fed everyone. Much in a similar fashion Jesus used a teen whose mom worked at Safeway to get the majority of the food. I did panic a few times because everything came together the night before. (What if Safeway decides to say no and we have to buy all of this food on the day of the Blitz and speed hundreds of dollars.)

I was truly impressed with how God raised up a group of people who stepped up to do the real work like cooking the food, serve the food, come out the week before to prep all 10 houses, purchase lots of ladders and the list could go on and on. I really didn’t think at first that we would 300 volunteers but more like 150-200. As the day approached and I had groups come out of the woodwork I prayed for another house. I didn’t want all these people to show up and not have enough work to do. Amazingly one of the families we were helping calls the Monday before the event and asked if we could paint a friend’s house which is a block away. This ended up providing work for 35 people. I am humbled by the fact that a Christian Band from Southern Cal drove out on their own dime, rented a trailer and played for two hours for free. As I talked to the band the leader said they would love to come out again.

I had the privilege of being able to step back and watch all of this happen before my eyes. I had 7 leaders oversee the houses and then 2 special leaders oversee those leaders. I drove around with a couple of my teens that were my picture crew that took video and pics of the Blitz as it unfolded. I think back to how Jesus chose twelve disciples not 20, 100 or 1000 to be his hands, feet and mouth in the world. It was through these twelve that the world has experienced a revolution. As I spoke to the group gathered for the lunch at Hermoso Park it was both humbling and exciting to see the Kingdom expand in my neighborhood. I was so jazzed to see the people we have been helping and loving come and respond. I talked to an older lady and her son, who wouldn’t win any awards for how they dress, that commented on how incredible it was that people would come from CAL and the larger Phoenix area to help them. I met a couple of the homeless in our neighborhood and under resourced people who were touched by what happened.

I know that painting a house or feeding a person isn’t going to solve their personal ills. Yet, I do know as we engage the community and cast a vision of helping a neighbor and building community spirit that it is beginning to happen. I am thrilled to see a group of youth and teens choose to help and get dirty instead of just hanging out and causing trouble. I see these kid’s parents wondering about why they have gotten involved and now see many of them coming around to see that church is more than a building or saying that you are a this or a that.

The Sunday after this amazing event we had a small turnout for New City at Night. I think we had 30 people. This even more showed the power of God to work through a few to accomplish a lot. Someone who had just started coming and helping got into some serious trouble that will see him do some jail time. I reflected on the words of a fellow pastor who does mercy church in Chicago that it takes years to see things happen. Then I reflected on the fact that it has just been 1.5 years since we started and something is starting to happen.

Yeah, I still have to do the dirty work. I was fortunate to have a large group collect all of the equipment and deliver it to my house after the blitz. It still took a group of my teens a couple of hours to collect all of the painting buckets and trash. It took us another hour to clean my truck, get something to eat and admit that it had been a long but wonderful day. I know going to sleep that night I was encouraged to see that God plus 1 has always been a majority. The gospel is going out both through the actions of a few and the words of Jesus being spoken through his servants. Now I am ready for a little vacation before Thanksgiving.

Dave

Heads Up!

Heads Up! Keep Your Focus! 2 Tim. 4:5

Intro: Life is crazy at times but you can keep your focus! I have dreamt and waited over the last 4 months for the painting blitz to happen. I never dreamed that we would have over 250 helpers impact our neighborhoods. I am totally blown away by how much support and help God raised up through the network He has established through New City. I have to be honest and say at times the amount of work that needed to be down was overwhelming. I have learned to keep my head up and eyes focused. God is always greater than any circumstance. I am humbled by what happened yesterday. God used the hands of 300 of His servants to touch a neighborhood.

1. Stay clear headed! Paul and Timothy lived during a time of intense persecution of the church. Paul had been one of the key activists against the new church before Jesus appeared to him and transformed him into the apostle to the non-Jewish world. One of the more difficult things in life is to stay cool and collected when bad things happen. The last thing you need in a crisis situation is someone who is going off or over or under reacting. The word does literally mean to be sober or clear minded. This obviously refers to the image of a person who is drunk and is incapable of functioning. When we become distracted by the circumstances around us or focus on lesser important things we become like someone who gets a DUI. God may not send us to jail but we end up with the consequences which means many are hurt.

How do you stay clear headed? Obviously if you had drunk alcohol or taken drugs you will be far from being capable of responding in the middle of a crisis. The amazing gift of being a follower of Christ is that God the Spirit is in you and with you in the middle of crazy circumstances. As you learn to trust Jesus even the worst circumstance you face God will help you live through it. 1 Cor. 10:13 becomes an amazing assurance that God isn’t going to test you beyond what you can handle. He isn’t going to necessarily give you an escape door to walk away from your mess but the ability to walk through it.

2. Understand that life is both good times and bad. I know that many Christians and even those outside the church believe that once you accept Christ that you will never face hardship or bad things in life. This is a total misapplication of what the Bible teaches. One of the marks of someone who is growing in their relationship with Jesus is that they are able to walk through any circumstance with Christ’s help and not give up or quit.

Most of us don’t want to hear that life even with God is going to be tough at times. Anne and I attended a conference on Thursday that focused on doing Church based community development. The speaker is a pastor from Chicago who started a church in the ghetto 35 years ago. He told story after story of how God seems to always use the worst circumstances to bring about miracles. The reality, which he mentioned often, is that it takes a long time, years, for things to happen.

Paul’s advice to Timothy, to you and me is to learn how to have a long haul mindset. I think most Christian are soft and don’t know how to do hard work and get spiritual blisters. This is not to glorify suffering but to see that it is part of life and often God chooses to use it to grow us up in the faith. How are you going to face your next challenge? Run from it or face it and allow the Spirit of God to give you spiritual power to overcome your circumstances. This means we have to be willing to admit we are hurting, need help and don’t have the answers. As Jesus works in us through his people and His Spirit we will have a joy that goes beyond a bad day. This will enable you to have joy in the face of heart ache which will touch the lives of those around us who don’t know Jesus.

Conclusion: Keep the message alive!

What Paul is concerned about for Timothy and for the rest of us is that it is too easy to become sidetracked with the hard things in life, yes bad things happen and people get killed, someone is robbed or you do something totally brain dead. Paul wants us to remember the reason why we are here and it isn’t for selfish purposes. We have a message to keep alive by both what we say and how we live. Paul understood that Christ had a job for him to accomplish. He knew at times his former Jewish friends wanted to kill him so he would stop talking about Jesus. Much in the same sense the Roman Rulers also saw Paul as a threat and had him arrested and eventually executed.

Jesus is our real example of someone who understood that his life involved dying on a cross. How is it possible to live a life full of joy and excitement when you know it is all going to end on a cross? The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross for the ultimate joy set before him in heaven. I never want to down play the fact that at times we will suffer, have horrible days, even get in trouble but the one who can come to us and give real rest and peace is Jesus Christ. Are you going to keep your head up? Are you going to ask Jesus to give you his peace that is able to overcome the worst situation? Ask him for help right now and discover the impact of the gospel in your life.