Thoughts Of Some Guy In Ohio
Thoughts Of Some Guy In Ohio
Echoes of Faith in Silent Nights
When is it okay to break out the Christmas tunes and string up the lights? Join us as we navigate the unspoken rules of holiday cheer, sharing personal tales that blend the warmth and occasional heartache of the season. Our conversation takes a heartfelt turn as we honor memories of loved ones who are no longer with us, reminding ourselves of the bittersweet nature of this time of year. Beyond the tinsel and traditions, we unravel the profound significance of Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus and the hope it brought after centuries of silence. Imagine the anticipation akin to a child's excitement before a big trip, capturing the spirit of longing and fulfillment felt by the people of Israel.
In the quiet moments of our faith journeys, when God seems silent, we uncover layers of growth and resilience, drawing from the wisdom of scriptures like Hebrews 11:1-2 and Psalm 56:3-4. Conversations on the weight of waiting reveal the shared responsibility we have in nurturing each other's spiritual paths, even when doubt looms large. Through the story of Jesus' birth, we explore how divine intervention often surprises us when we least expect it, transforming silence into a powerful message of love and salvation. As we reflect on the impact of that transformative night over two millennia ago, we find renewed encouragement to focus on compassion, trust, and the potential of unwavering faith.
so today is December 1st. You guys know what that means for all of us normal people. It's now okay to start listening to Christmas music and have your tree up. For the rest of you, I pray for you. I'm just kidding. It was funny. I had a conversation with someone yesterday and the guy was like he's like I'm just not ready for Christmas music and I'm like neither am I Most traditional Christmas music. I've never really listened to it, but I'm a believer that Christmas music is acceptable from December 1st to December 25th. Once the 26th hits, we're done. I think your tree should be down on the 26th. That's just me and I'm not anti-Christmas. That's just you know.
Speaker 1:I grew up in a house where our houses were always decorated and my mom danced around, my brothers and I was screwed. I'm sure you know this time of year is incredibly challenging for some people. It's incredibly difficult at times. I think back to when we lost my grandparents. Christmas was always such a big staple in our life, and so was Thanksgiving. This is, I think, the third holiday season that I haven't had them, and it's been weird for me, because the one thing that I miss the most is my grandmother's cooking. It was phenomenal. Every year she would build me, or she would make me my own pie it was just mine, and she would tell me this and she would set it aside and she would let no one else have it. Or I remember we would sit around with my grandfather and he would tell stories of what his Christmas was like growing up. You know, this time of year can be difficult for a lot of people. The holidays are tough. I don't think we can ignore that. But the beautiful thing about the season, though, is really and I know you've heard it said the entire holiday is, and should be, is about Jesus. That's the reason we celebrate, and I know we can get into semantics about timing and this holiday, and we stole it and listen. We could go there all day long, but around this time of year almost unanimously, time of year almost unanimously there's this desire to be better people, to see the good in people, to be more generous, to be more loving, to be more compassionate, and, whether people admit it or not, I believe it's because, at our core, we all recognize that the birth of Jesus was the greatest thing that's ever happened to humanity. It's a gift God himself stepped into the world. Can you imagine that. He said it in the video we watched, and I know that I've talked about this. He said it in the video we watched, and I know that I've talked about this.
Speaker 1:Between the Old Testament and the New Testament, there's 400 years of really nothing, no writing, no prophecies. For 400 years, the people of God, who had this really intimate relationship with God, this one-on-one conversation on a regular basis, all of a sudden, god goes dark to them. God's silent. 400 years of essentially nothing, and when you look at it, especially Jesus' time when he came into existence, you can see what's come of it. There were wars, there was doubt, the nation of Israel was once again under slavery. It was dark for them. They were experiencing darkness. For them, they were experiencing darkness. The Pharisees had taken this relationship with God and turned in all these rules and regulations and made it this huge burden for people. 400 years goes by and nothing. Can you imagine waiting 400 years and feeling as if, though, nothing is happening? I know I talked about this a couple weeks ago.
Speaker 1:The most impatient people in the world are kids. They have no concept of time. So, in our household, we have to be really careful about what we say to our kids. So, for instance, we were going to New Hampshire and we weren't leaving until Friday. Last Sunday, or two Sundays ago, I made the mistake of saying to Miles Miles is my three-year-old that in a couple of days we're going on a trip in a van with Maga, that's my mom, grammy, which is Danny's mom, uncle Jeff and Ashley. I said this on Sunday and I heard the same question asked to me 300 times from Sunday to Friday. Every time he saw me he was like Van Maga, uncle Jeff, grammy, ashley now I'm like nobody. And he'd go oh, and then five minutes later, as if he's a goldfish, he'd come back and go Maga, grammy, I was like nobody, we're not there yet. So all week he was in anticipation of this trip. It's all he could talk about, which drove me nuts. But the day that we woke up on Friday morning I didn't even let him ask the question. The moment he woke up I said Miles, guess what? He said what, sorry. I said guess what? He said chicken butt, because that's what he says. But I said guess what? He said what? Sorry. I said guess what? He said chicken butt, because that's what he says. But I said guess what? He said that. And then I said what? No, what he said, what I said, guess what? Today, maga, uncle Jeff Ashley Van Tripp, he went yay, yay, coolest thing ever. But for him that's what he had been waiting for so patiently.
Speaker 1:So the night that Jesus arrived, the nation of Israel has been waiting for a Messiah. 400 years of silence, 400 years of not knowing what was coming next, 400 years of anticipation. And all of that anticipation was settled the night that the Savior was born. The night of Jesus' birth was the greatest thing that ever happened, not only in their history but ours. At just the right moment, at just the right time, as things were exactly the way they needed to be, as things were exactly the way they needed to be, god showed up Into darkness, into despair, into brokenness. The Son of man was born, emmanuel, god with us. Can you imagine how incredible that night would have been To sit there and know that the Son of God was coming into the world, not knowing what the plans are, not knowing exactly what he's going to do next, but just knowing that God went from being so far away to, all of a sudden, you could hold him in your arms. I think you and I oftentimes don't understand how important that was for them. They were lost, they were hopeless. They were lost, they were hopeless, they were broken, but that night, salvation came. That night, hope came.
Speaker 1:You know, this time of year is hard for a lot of people. This year might have been difficult, the last couple years might have been difficult, the last couple years might have been difficult, but the reason why the story of the nativity is so important is because every year reminds us that hope has come, that the story doesn't end here. God might have seemed distant to them, he might have seemed like he'd left them in the dark, but he was working. God is always working. So let's look at this.
Speaker 1:400 years of time takes place between the last prophet of the Old Testament and the coming of Jesus. In that 400 years, a lot was happening behind the scenes. The Greek language spread throughout the known world, creating a common language that would later help spread the gospel. Roman roads were built, making travel easier for future missionaries. And then Jewish people, despite facing persecution, held on to their faith in the promise of the coming Messiah. It's often been said that God is never late. He's seldom early, but he's always right on time. The Apostle Paul drives it home. When he writes this to the Romans, it says in Romans 5-6,. It says you see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, christ died for the ungodly 400 years of preparation, 400 years of God allowing history to unfold so that the spreading of the message of the gospel could reach the ends of the earth. 400 years where God was working day in and day out preparing for what was coming.
Speaker 1:You know, so often when we talk about God and I see this a lot, especially in my own life like we act, like we want God to be a genie for us. We just want to say a prayer and just God magically give us everything that we want. But the reality is is God works in his own timing because he knows what's best for us. I think about this often when I think about my wife, because my wife was not the only one that I prayed for that I would marry. I'm just being honest. I was in a couple of relationships prior to her and I remember almost every time in every relationship I was like God. Relationships prior to her and I remember almost every time in every relationship I was like God. Please let this be the one 15 years in my marriage. All I can say is God, thank you for not letting those be the ones. And it sounds funny, but that's how you and I operate. We want God to give us what we want, because it's what we think is best.
Speaker 1:We believe that if God can just give us all the money, solve all our problems, fix all our ailments, that we'll never struggle again. But here's what I've learned. And it's not to say that God doesn't answer prayers because he does. And it's not to say that God doesn't answer prayers because he does, but a lot of times, the prayers that he chooses not to answer, it's hardly ever. No, sometimes it's wait Because there's something to be learned. In those moments there's a matter of faith that comes with trusting in God.
Speaker 1:If God gave me all the money that I ever wanted in the world, I'd probably still be in debt. If he answered all of my cares and all of my concerns 100% of the time, I would learn to rely on him, and not a bad thing, but I would actually. I could cause myself harm because I would never have to go through life, I would never have to struggle. I would never learn how to be patient, right, isn't that what they say that if you want God to give you patience, that he's not going to give you patience, but he'll give you situations to be patient in. And so for 400 years it's been silent. But those 400 years had to happen because the birth of Jesus was coming at just the right time in history, when the stage was going to be set that not only the gospel could be spread to the ends of the earth through a common language, through the Roman roads, but God knew that at this point in history was the perfect time for him to show up.
Speaker 1:During these 400 years of silence, the people of God. They would have held on to the Torah, which is part of that's the Old Testament, and they relied on God and they trusted in God and they believed. Sometimes silence is necessary. The birth of Jesus was an incredible event. The anticipation of 400 years made it even more so. God might be silent, but it doesn't mean he's not working. I need you to understand that. He needs us to understand that he doesn't always give us what we want, but he always gives us what we need.
Speaker 1:I was reading a quote by CS Lewis Actually, I saw it floating around on Facebook the other day. It said that the failure of humanity is that humanity continues to seek everything to make themselves feel complete, except the one thing that can. Cs Lewis was a modern-day theologian, a follower of Jesus, and as he writes these words, he understands that so much of humanity is seeking everything, but God, jesus, is the answer for everything. It's the most Sunday school answer that exists. There was one time that I was sitting in a class with a bunch of teenagers and we were talking through the book of Matthew, and I don't even remember what the question was. It had something to do with the scripture we're reading and they're like well, the answer is Jesus. And I'm like well, technically no in this case, but technically yes, because the answer to life is Jesus. The answer to overcoming sin is Jesus. The answer to salvation is Jesus, the answer to light and to the darkness the answer to hope. The one thing that you and I are longing for is this relationship with God and this ability to be restored to him through his son. Jesus is the answer. It's the greatest thing we've ever been given In Israel.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of them got it, but a lot of them missed it 400 years of waiting. I think it was St Tom Petty, who said the waiting is the hardest part. No, that was kind of all right. Tom Petty wasn't a saint, by the way, in case anyone questions me but he's right, though. He said waiting is difficult. Waiting on God to answer, waiting on God to respond, waiting on God is challenging for us, but so often it's in that waiting that we learn to rely on Him the most.
Speaker 1:Silence is the hardest thing that you and I have to go through a lot of times when it comes to our faith. Silence builds character, silence builds hope. It builds faith. But silence can also build doubt, can also build fear. Hebrews 11, 1 through 2 says Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for 400 years of silence, and the people of Israel kept pushing forward. They kept believing, they kept hoping, they kept waiting for the day when God would show himself again. And then he did.
Speaker 1:Christmas is so much more than just a holiday we celebrate once a year. It's so much bigger than that. It's so much bigger than giving a little bit of extra money to the Salvation Army. It's so much more than knitting together and eating together. It's so much more than Christmas music. It's so much bigger than the lights and the house and the tree and the gifts and all of it.
Speaker 1:The story of Christmas, the true story of Christmas, is the moment that hope stepped into the world. Christmas is the moment that hope stepped into the world. It's the moment that God allowed himself to become human, to live among us, to try and help us understand just a little bit more of who he is. The night Jesus was born, it changed everything For everyone. That's the beauty of it Is. This story isn't just for us, it's for everyone. When Jesus came into the world, he came with the sole purpose of eventually giving up his life to sacrifice, to give you and I the ability to restore a relationship with God that we had never seen before.
Speaker 1:And so often, I think, you and I, I think we get lost in the silence. We get lost in the silence because, if I'm honest, sometimes having faith is difficult when God doesn't show up the way that we expect him to. It's challenging. When God doesn't answer us back immediately. It's difficult, but it's in that silence that we believe and we trust that God is still working. Psalm 56, 3-4 says this when I am afraid. I put my trust in you, in God, whose word I pray is. In God I trust. I'm not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? I can imagine David when he writes this psalm, that he's struggling with his own afflictions, his own concerns.
Speaker 1:For 400 years, the nation of Israel was just looking for an answer, and they found it in the most unexpected place. Silence is hard, but silence can be beautiful. Silence forces us into a place where we realize that it's not all about us. You know, last night we came together and we prayed. A handful of people came out. Last night I was sitting back in one of the pews.
Speaker 1:One of the biggest struggles I have and just being honest with you is my goal in life. My hope in life, is to help people not only know who Jesus is, but to spiritually develop a relationship with him to where they're stronger in their faith because they've met me. That matters to me, that's a significant part of what I feel like I'm supposed to do is to help people grow in their faith, and so that's a weight, that's a burden. Sometimes it's a good burden. Faith, and so that's a weight, that's a burden. Sometimes it's a good burden. But man. It's a burden. And I remember I was sitting back there and I was praying and I was kind of like in the moment and I just felt this like sense of peace come over me, felt this like sense of peace come over me and I really believe that in that moment God was reminding me that this burden is not just mine to carry, but not only that, but this burden, the burden to save humanity, the burden to see people come to Jesus, the burden of that. It's a burden that Jesus already took care of At just the right moment, at just the right time.
Speaker 1:In 400 years of silence, god showed up to remind not only them, but to remind us that the story wasn't over yet, that God was willing to become a human, to come into our world in order to eventually sacrifice himself on our behalf. And all of that comes back to that night, the night Jesus was born. The world was waiting for something. They were in anticipation of it. They just 400 years of silence. And then they heard a baby cry. Listen, that was just good timing, right? Your kid's brilliant, I'm just saying. Like he knew where my heart was going and God was like let's you know, but I'm serious. 400 years of silence. They heard a baby cry and that baby would grow up to save humanity. 400 years of silence, but that night, god was speaking louder than ever, reminding them, reminding us that this is not where your story ends.