Even as I typed the title to this blog, I wonder where that expression come from.  But I know the feeling knowing that there is something bad right around the corner.  I remember as a kid waiting for the moment my Dad would find out what I had done.  Like the time I “borrowed” his stereo and carried to a friends house down the street to add a little “culture” to our lemonade stand.  What made him come home early from work I will never know – but I remember the sinking feeling as I saw him drive by.

That feeling is the same feeling I get as I read through the account of Adam and Eve in Chapter 3 of Genesis. After they ate of the Tree God had forbidden them to eat of, God finds them hiding in the garden. As he comes to them and addresses the consequence of their sin we hear him turn to Satan and say,

“Because you have done this,

   “Cursed are you above all the livestock
   and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
   and you will eat dust
   all the days of your life.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
   between you and the woman,
   and between your offspring^[a] and hers;
he will crush^[b] your head,
   and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:14-15

Curse, “to call on a deity or supernatural power to send injury or destruction”, those words had to rattle Adam and Eve to the very core.  They had never heard anything like this come out of the mouth of their creator.  Now in great fear they waited “for the other shoe to drop.” To the woman God said,

  “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
   with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
   and he will rule over you.”

Genesis 3:16

And now to the man, God turns and says, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ …” He waits for his due, in silent fear he is sure he know what is coming.  The very first word confirms his fears.  God says,

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
   through painful toil you will eat of it
   all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
   and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
   you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
   since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
   and to dust you will return.”

Genesis 3:17-19

I have in my mind the image of Adam, knowing what was coming and not even listening beyond the first word… “Cursed…”  In my mind I see his racing, I know it – I am cursed like Satan.  After a second or two he hears, as he replays it in his mind “Cursed is the ground…” “The ground?” What a moment of relief it must have brought.  This relief would be short lived, he would later understand this consequence brought “death” to man.  But where was  the curse?  It was removed from man and given to the one who would redeem and rescue then man.  The curse was placed on Jesus, along with man’s death.

God made him who had no sin to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

The other shoe did fall – for all your sin, and for all my sin.  It fell on the child of Bethlehem, it fell on the one they called the “Prince of Peace.” In the Christ, whose birth and Epiphany we just celebrated we are saved, from sin and death.

I pray that each day I would live in joyful thanks, and humble service to the one who Redeemed me, as Luther wrote of Jesus my Redeemer: “who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order that I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”

<>< Craig

Welcome to the new year 2011.  It still amazes me that we are still here at all.  I thought sure most of us would die when the Y2K bug swept through our nation shutting down all the computers, leaving us with cave paintings.  But yet again, my computer came to life this morning, It Survived! This morning as I broke ice off my sump pump hose in my parka, I was reminded yet again of Global warming and the toll that it is taking on us all.  I also had a scary reminder this morning of mortality as I stepped on the bathroom scale.  I’m not sure when it broke, but we need to get a new one, this one is obviously dead (or soon will be if it keeps up like it did this morning.)

But today my ponders were most captured by the very thing that captivates who I am, the Word of God.

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Our God excells at NEW.

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)

I rejoice in a new year, a clean calendar, fresh resolve, new goals, and all that comes with it. But I find hope and life in a God who will each day, make me new – removing the old sinful Adam within me and bathing me in new and fresh love and compassion.  I pray on this new year I am more captivated by God’s amazing newness, then the fresh page on my calendar.

<>< Craig

Life is too short to waste ponders on stuff that doesn’t matter!

I have a nativity outside my office on a small table. as the weeks before Christmas unfold the scene begins to build, the animals are there at the stable, while the shepherds watch close by.  Mary and Joseph are in my office moving across my credenza toward the stable.  The wise men are clear across my office wending their way through the many switch backs on my book shelves.  The wise men have lots of time left.  Jesus is in the top drawer of my credenza, right next to a couple of cans of soup I keep there for quick winter meals.

Last week some of the children from our Early Childhood Center stopped by and brought me a beautiful candle they had made for me.  As they gathered outside my office they quickly noticed the nativity.   One of them asked me what it was.  I told them it was my nativity set.  He gave me a scowl and said “but there is no baby jesus?”  I explained that Jesus is still coming and I showed him Mary and Joseph on their journey.  He was not impressed with Mary and Joseph.  He was very frustrated that there was no Jesus.  He kept repeating as only a preschooler can “It hasta have baby Jesus!”

I continued to try to reason with him, to no avail.  He didn’t buy my plan.  as the class left to go on and deliver other gifts, he turned and said, “It’s not a Christmas natibity with out the baby Jesus!”

How very true…. It is not a Christmas “natibity” in fact it is not truly Christmas at all with out the baby Jesus.

May the joy of Christ’s coming into our world to take on our flesh, and to pay for our sins, fill you with great joy on this Christmas Day!

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)

This Christmas I have been taking time to ponder that story of Christ through the eyes of George Frederich Handel.  Our congregation has been using some of the great choruses of the Messiah to tell the advent story of the King of Kings.  This Sunday we focus on the whole advent story of the Messiah as with Strings and Choir we celebrate, Messiah.

I remember many times over the years hearing choirs sing bits and pieces of the Messiah.  I have never had the privilege of hearing the entire Messiah live in one sitting.  It is on my bucket list.  I also remember listening to children as they hear the great Hallelujah Chorus for the first time, eyes wide, head tilted at that perfect angle to take it all in.  I can also recall the “whispers” of the children to their parents “Are those the Angels?”

That thought came to me again the other day as I was listening to a recording of the Messiah in my car, “are those the angels?” Then my mind drifted to the Christmas Story and the life of Christ from a new perspective, from the angle of the angels.

Can you imagine the scene in heaven as the Lord of Life leaves his throne and to the angels surprise is next seen in the being of a tiny child, secure in the womb of his mother.  What questions the incarnation must have brought.  Since angels do not have the mind of Christ, and are not privy to the thoughts of God, they must have been filed with wonder.  Can you see them poised and ready on that night when Christ was to be born for the command of God to swoop in and rescue the child from the cold, and the disgrace of the manger, but the command never came.

They were given the command to go and tell the inhabitants of the hill country the news. At the request of their God they went in full voice to sing the praise of heaven to shepherds below.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:8-14

Can you imagine the excitement of the Angels, finally they get to do something! They get to share with the Shepherds the story.  I like to imagine that their excitement was filled with dialog not recorded  by Luke,   “Boys, do you have ANY idea who this is that we are singing about?”  Not the script they would have written for their King, but delighted to be a part of this mysterious drama that was unfolding.

I pray that I, this Christmas will share in the excitement of the angels to welcome the King of King to the manger bed of Bethlehem.  I pray that I will not be able to contain the joy of the night!

This is not the angels only encounter with their King as he walked the earth.  Scripture tells us more of their interaction.  Come back as we ponder again the angle of the angels to the life of Christ.

<>< Craig

I got a phone call yesterday in the office, (I work full time at Cross View Lutheran Chruch) from a christian book publisher who wanted me to order a new Bible Study curriculum that they put out.  We had a nice conversation, I even ended up ordering the study for review.  At the end of the phone call I head “Thanks for your order, you have a happy holiday season!”

I was stunned for just a moment, what a Christian Publisher really wishing me “Happy Holidays!.” My response was, “I plan on having a Merry Christmas not a Happy Holiday.”  Have we become so afraid that we can not even say Merry Christmas to another Christian?  While I recognize the fact that this sales person might not have been a Christian, just because they worked for a Christian company, but Come On! these sales call are all scripted!

Last year I first found one of these buttons and was excited to wear it.  I also carried one in my pocket, so if someone commented, and said they liked the button or the message it carried I could give them one,  It’s time to take back Christmas the joyous celebration of the birth of Christ.  His presence among us has changed the course of human history for eternity.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

If you would like to order some buttons, or magnets for your car just click the button to visit the website www.wmamc.com and spread a little Christmas Joy!

<>< Craig

Bob here, knows pickles or at least he looks like he does.  I know pickles too, or at least I know what I like, and what I don’t like.  It’s really quite simple, I like sweet pickles.  It should also be noted that for me this also means I do not like dill pickles.

While I have never personally made and pickles, I have grown cucumbers, so that makes me a partial pickle expert.  I will let you in on a not so secret concept from the world of pickles.  The only difference between a dill pickle and a sweet pickle is what you soak them in. If you want a sweet pickle, and who doesn’t, don’t soak it in dill brine.

If your cucumber is soaking in dill brine, you can wish all you want, you can play soothing music for the pickle, you can talk to it every day, you could even put it in a climate controled environment, but no mater how much you WANT it to be a sweet pickle, ….”oh please be sweet, oh please be sweet, oh please be sweet…” it will be a dill pickle.

This same idea, that there is only one difference between pickles, and that is what you soak them in, can be applied to your daily life in Christ.  The only difference between you and me, who have been called to be a “holy nation, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God” from the rest of the world is what we are soaking in.

So when was the last time you took a good soak in the Word of God?

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

We are called to be “holy people, a royal priesthood.”  The life of sanctification is not just wishful thinking, or pleasant music, or kind talk.  The sanctified life, the “Holy Life” takes continued soaking in the good stuff of God, His Word, His Sacraments, His Fellowship, in comes in making sure we are not losing our focus and being flavored by the world.

I seem to come back time and time again to the words of Paul as he calls us to stay focused on what is life giving, and flavor enhancing…

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

So go ahead and soak in a little “holiness” today, and let the peace of God make you “sweet” unto salvation!

<>< Craig

p.s. thanks Keith Ferrin for passing on the pickle idea …

It was my junior year of college when I stumbled on the Freshman down the hall whose glasses were almost as thick as mine.  Ray and I soon became friends, but it was not our membership in the nearsighted-since-birth club that brought us together. We discovered we liked the same kind of food and enjoyed the same hobbies.  A love of the same music and a a fondness for the Green Bay Packers is what caused us to spend real time together.  While Ray lived down the hall, he could more often then not be found in my room, either spending time with me or my room mate, another good Packer fan.  For my senior year at college I chose to room with Ray and we enjoyed spending time together.  One of things that made Ray interesting was his love of The Word.  As a little boy he made it his goal, in order to keep up with a Jewish friend, to memorize the first five books of Moses.  He had memorized Genesis and Exodus but his passion for the writings of Moses waned at that point and he moved on to the Gospel of John and selected psalms.

The summer after my senior year I got married, and I asked Ray to be my Best Man.  We had solidly become best friends.  We would often talk on the phone and wrote to one another. That was back in the days of the letter.  People in the eighties would still take a pen or pencil and a piece of paper in hand write a note that would end up in an envelope and be dropped in the mail. As our lives continued on, we stayed in touch and, although we saw each other very seldom, we still remained good friends. Six years after Ray and I were college roommates, he was finishing his final year at the Seminary, getting ready to take his bold passion for Christ into the mission field.

During this year I received a letter from Ray.  He shared with me many details about his life and future plans, but more than anything he shared with me his great excitment over getting engaged!  Ray was getting married.  For lots of reasons this was not a day I thought I would ever see, but I was so very excited for him.  I was excited at the prospect of being a part of his wedding, and celebrating his marriage.  Within a couple of days of receiving this letter, when it was still on my pile of mail on the kitchen counter, I returned home one evening to hear the news that Ray had been killed by a drunk driver the night before while pulling out of the seminary with his fiancee.  It was unimaginable news that knocked the very wind out of me. It is a loss of friendship that to this day I struggle to fill completely.  To this day that final letter of Ray’s can be found in the top drawer of my desk.  While the letter was not life changing, or profound in its message, it is for me the last memory I have of Ray.

There is another stack of mail, this collection of letters sits not in my desk but on it.  The collection of personal connection and memories is contained in the Bible.  While I enjoy and treasure my last letter from Ray, I love the collection of letters from my God.  I have a deep and abiding love for the collection of love letters from a God who is not only my best friend, he is my Redeemer, my Savior, and my King.  So why don’t you pick up a good letter, from a great God and sit back and enjoy the read!

<>< Craig