Pondering COVID-19 ...

"... even the hairs of your head are all numbered."

Matthew 10:30

In the matter of a few hours, our whole world changed.

Thursday, March 12th, 2020, started like many of my “last day before March Break” days had started in years past. I taught my classes, wished my students an enjoyable break and prepped all my handouts and resources for the first day back. I could walk away and leave school behind me because everything was planned and ready to go when we returned.

Over the course of that day, I had several conversations with colleagues who had March Break trips planned but, in the wake of concerns over the Coronavirus, had cancelled those trips. My wife Judy and I had planned to visit family in Quebec but we were, quite frankly, exhausted and decided we just wanted to stay put. Also, being education workers, there was a slightly greater risk of exposure, and we sure didn’t want to end up inadvertently passing the virus along to our elderly parents.

After dinner Thursday evening, I was informed by a friend that the Minister of Education had closed all schools for the two weeks following March Break, blindsiding us completely. The long tendrils of COVID-19 had now reached out and touched our world.

In the days that followed, zoos, museums, malls and theatres — any place of public gatherings — were closed down. Businesses moved to a “work from home” model. As one of three co-pastors of our church Fellowship Oshawa (fellowshiposhawa.com), I joined in discussions over how we were going to continue to serve our church family: what would we do re: preaching and providing a sense of community, despite physical distancing. The phrase “a new normal” became familiar.

Not knowing what this is going to look like moving forward has made it a challenge to rest, to enjoy the “break”. And I have found myself pondering what it looks like to pastor our congregation through this. Much of our community has been built around shared experiences: shared meals, shared games and activities, shared laughter. How do I help my church family maintain that needed sense of community during a period of time where physical proximity is discouraged, even potentially dangerous? 

Thankfully, we have so many tools available to us to be connected, not just by voice but face-to-face: FaceTime, Ring Central, WhatsApp and Zoom are just a few of the tools we’ve used over the last while. I’ve touched base with friends and family this way and found great encouragement from doing so. I’ve even been able to help a friend get started to learn to play guitar via a WhatsApp video call!

While it’s all been challenging, I have also had more time for introspection; our crazy, hamster-wheel lifestyles in North America don’t often leave room for that. And I’ve noted a lack of fear and anxiety. (Remarkably, I felt no pressing need to stockpile toilet paper ...) And the reason for that is God and His character.

The Bible is one of the key ways God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind; another is through His Son Jesus. But Jesus stepped into time for only a short period; God left us His Word in written form so that we could continually learn more about Him, and be reminded of the things we had forgotten.

1. God is Sovereign. This means that He is in control; nothing catches Him by surprise. Colossians 1:16-17 reads “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” The person referred to in this passage is Jesus. Given this kind of sovereignty, the coronavirus is not something that will cause Him to say “Whoops! I didn’t see that coming!” Just like everything else in our lives — the pleasant and the unpleasant — Jesus knew it before it happened and it isn’t capable of thwarting His plans. So I needn’t fear that things are out of His control; He’s got this.

But if it’s all under His control, can He be trusted? Is He kind or malicious, faithful or fickle? The answers to those questions are also found throughout the Bible.

2. God is Good. Psalm 106 is just one of many that include the refrain found in verse 1: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 34:8 even invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good!” Don’t just take my word for it, or even the record of His goodness in the Bible; try it for yourself! What is very important to understand, however, is that God is good and righteous. He’s not Santa, doling out gifts and favours with a hearty chuckle; He is King, true to His plans to do what is just and righteous and good for His Kingdom. An important question for you might be: are you a subject of His Kingdom, safe within the protection of His walls? Or are you outside the gates, unprotected and unable to enjoy the benefits of His resources?

3. God is Faithful. Lamentations 3:22-23 reads “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Sadly, our generation and culture knows so little about love that lasts; how many marriages do you know of that are still solid after 20, 15, even 10 years? When I introduce a new course I’m teaching, I share a bit about myself and my students often clap when they hear that I have been married to my best friend for over 30 years; their hearts yearn for a love that lasts a lifetime but they don’t often see examples of it being possible. God’s love doesn’t just last years, or a lifetime; it never ends. He is faithful forever. To whom? To Himself, of course! And because of that, because He is Truth, He cannot be false to His promises.

So, if you are a follower of Jesus, you needn’t fear the coronavirus; One much greater than the coronavirus is your God and King! Regardless of what happens here on earth — whether you contract the virus or not, whether it takes your life or not — that same Sovereign, Good, Faithful King Jesus took your place on the cross, suffered the punishment for sin that you deserved, and transferred His righteousness and perfection to your account so that He could pour out His steadfast love on you unceasingly, even into eternity! Paul states, and every follower of Jesus can echo it, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil.1:21) While He leaves us here, let’s proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of hope, to our neighbours, to our family members, to our friends. Tell them of the Saviour who died to set them free from sin to love Him and be loved by Him! Show them, by your example, that His “perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18) Give them a reason to take that first step, to “taste and see that the Lord is good”.

Love like Jesus loved, sacrificially. If there is a need, act. Be wise, for sure, and take precautions, but don’t fear; nothing, not even death, can touch you outside of His will.

And if you’re not a follower of Jesus, now is the time. Because of your sin, you stand condemned before Him. Oh, He is patient, loving and gracious; the fact that you’re reading this is evidence of His grace to warn you of your eternal peril. If the coronavirus, or a car accident, or simply natural causes, should take your life today, you will stand before this King and you will be judged based on what you did with Jesus; did you ignore the rightful King and choose your own kingdom, usurping His throne? Or did you bow before Him, give Him your heart and life and ask His forgiveness for your rebellion against Him? There’s still time, right now, where you sit reading this post, to take advantage of His gracious offer to save you; take it today! After over 50 years of being His, with many, many screw-ups along the way, I can attest to His goodness even when I wasn’t good, His faithfulness even when I wasn’t faithful, His love even when I didn’t demonstrate my love for Him. He is such a loving King! Kneel before Him today and give your all to Him; you will never regret it!

A Word About The Word

"In the beginning was the Word ..."

John 1:1

Ever played the Telephone Game?

You line up a group of people and then whisper some message to the first person (only once, no repeats!) who then turns and whispers what they heard to the next person, and so on down the line. When it reaches the last person, they loudly proclaim the message they received, whereupon the first person states the message they sent, and everyone laughs at how the message got convoluted going down the line.

It's a silly little game, but it can make for a good teaching illustration on how it is important to listen carefully, or communicate clearly; one might use it at a staff team-building event, or in a classroom, or as a sermon illustration, or at a marriage seminar.

Atheists and others who argue against the veracity of the Bible love to use this as an example to illustrate how oral traditions are not trustworthy channels for passing down information from one generation to another. They suggest (validly) that family stories can get muddled from generation to generation, as details are left out, or inaccurately retold, or even incorrectly perceived.

Say, for instance, that you grew up as I did, a first-generation Canadian of Dutch descent. Both of my parents were children in Holland during the German occupation of that country in World War II. I heard many stories about relatives hiding Jews during the war, or being part of the Resistance, or the struggle to find sufficient food. My maternal grandfather was taken to the German labour camps; he survived and even successfully escaped from the camps, walking back home from Germany to Holland. My paternal grandfather managed to keep his little family safe and alive, despite one home being bombed and another having a plane crash on it. And in the tail end of the war, when the Allies were pushing the Germans back into Germany, they were evacuated from their home in Arnhem in the middle of the night by Canadian soldiers, because the fighting was about to get very heavy. They escaped with no loss of life, and learned very important lessons about the relative importance of "things".

As I recount these stories to my children, it is quite possible that some of the details will be wrong; not intentionally, but simply affected by my memory and perception. My children will then pass the stories on to their children, perhaps including a few more inaccuracies, until, in a few generations, the story is no longer the same one told to me as a child.

If we were to apply this same principle to the first generations described in the book of Genesis, we would understandably imagine that the Creation stories, for example, or the story of Noah, would be markedly different from the real accounts and therefore, not reliable. They would be relegated to mythology, the kinds of stories that become "enhanced" over time and retelling.

But let's go back to my families' stories of WWII. What if, as I recounted the stories to my children over dinner, my parents and grandparents were also sitting at that same dinner table? My grandparents could clarify the details of what happened, because they were there. My parents could correct the errors in my retelling of the stories, because they were there. And now the stories have been corrected, realigned, as it were, to rectify any errors and ensure their veracity. And as this pattern continues, as I become the grandparent at my grandchildren's dinner table, I can correct the inaccuracies as well, ensuring valid transmission of the stories.

This is precisely what happened with those early oral traditions. First, early families were very closely knit, not like our individualistic Western culture; several generations often lived together, or in close proximity, and stayed connected. Second, Genesis 5 gives us the first of many genealogies in the Bible. It also records that people had significantly greater lifespans. I mapped it out once for a class and discovered that Adam died when Lamech, Noah’s dad, was 46 years old. So eight generations could hear the accounts straight from Adam.

Later, Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. These and the rest of the Old Testament were hand-copied by scribes. To ensure accuracy in the recopying, the scribes kept numerical tallies on each page of the number of jots and tittles (dots and strokes which make up the Hebrew letters) on each page, the number of words on each page, what the center word should be, and so on. They strove to obey God’s command: “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take away from it ...” (Deut. 4:2) And we now have hundreds of times more copies and fragments of the word of God than of any other ancient document. Many of these manuscripts and fragments go back thousands of years, and show us that no significant changes have occurred to our copies of God’s Word, compared to those written even before Jesus was born.

The Bible is accurate historically. In every aspect where the Bible can be tested and verified (by archaeology, for example), it has been shown to be trustworthy. There have been, over the years, instances where it was thought that some lack of discovery seemed to prove the record in the Scriptures false, only to have it verified later. For example, until 1961, no record of Pontius Pilate existed, much less anything about him; this resulted once again in some claiming that the Bible was inaccurate, simply a legend or myth. Then a stone was discovered with an inscription, not only naming Pilate but verifying biblical details about him, and validating that particular Scriptural account.

Of greater significance than its accuracy, I believe, is the ability of the Bible to speak into each aspect of our lives with relevance and authority. In every aspect where I’ve trusted its wisdom, it has proved faithful and true. And in every aspect where I’ve ignored its instruction, I have suffered the same ramifications of my decision that Scripture warns against. The Scriptures are internally consistent and coherent. One can choose to ignore the instruction found in it, but one cannot avoid the consequences of that decision.

For example, the Bible teaches that we are not born as clean, blank slates; we are born already sinful. It's in our very make-up. As I raise my children, I notice that I don't have to teach them to lie; that comes naturally. I have to teach them to tell the truth. I don't have to teach them to be selfish; that comes naturally. I have to teach them to be kind, and share, and think of others. Just read Lord of the Flies by William Golding and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. A naturalistic worldview has a hard time explaining this; nurture doesn't cut it.

The Bible teaches that our sin results in death; not just physical death, but spiritual death, separation from God. Our consciences condemn us, and we try to quiet the inner voice by finding fulfillment elsewhere: in drugs or alcohol, in sex and relationships, in fame and success, even in religion. None of these things can truly fill the void; no matter how good those things can be, there's still something missing. Solomon, the richest, wisest, most powerful king, who had everything, including 700 wives, said of all his projects, experiments and accomplishments "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity and striving after wind!" (Ecclesiastes) I have experienced it myself; when I tried to satisfy myself with other things, even good things -- work, success, relationships, religion -- they left me empty. I needed to find my satisfaction in God; it's how He has designed each one of us.

The Bible teaches that, because of that sin in me, I am already guilty before God, and condemned, before I've even done anything. We may not be as bad as we possibly could be, but we're all as bad off as we possibly could be! Now, our myths always create a human hero who rises above, who is bigger than life, to save the day. The Bible is unique; it teaches us that we can't save ourselves, but God, the One who created us, who we rebelled against, loves us still because He IS love. Only a perfect human could pay the price to satisfy His perfect justice and no human is, or ever was, perfect. So He sent His Son to become a human, live a perfect life, and then die in our place, so that God's justice and righteousness could be satisfied. And when we acknowledge our inability to make ourselves right, and accept His free gift of forgiveness and righteousness, on account of what Jesus accomplished, we find inner peace, lasting peace. Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus." And I know that peace; I've experienced the difference, because I acted on what the Bible said I needed to do.

Scripture explains, clearly and logically, the human condition, and answers the big questions like "Why, and how, am I here?",  "What is my purpose? What is it all about?" and "What happens after life is over?" You may not like the answers to those questions, but it provides answers to these big questions, and the unified package is coherent. I have a peace, and a purpose, and a passion, not because of my circumstances but in the midst of them, because of my relationship with Jesus. He is what makes all the difference.

We should not be surprised at the attacks on God’s Word; it was the devil’s first recorded challenge in Genesis 3: “Did God really say ...?” And he hasn’t changed his tactics. But you and I can rest assured that the Bible we have today is accurate and true, because it is God’s Word and He is faithful and true.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Isaiah 40:8

As always, I welcome your comments. I can be reached at mikeysingsbass@gmail.com.

What's The Point Of Easter?

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread,

on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

Luke 22:7

Yesterday was Good Friday, the day in which followers of Jesus remember, and celebrate, the His death on a Roman cross to pay the penalty for our sin. You may wish to read an earlier post of mine, entitled "What's Good About Good Friday?"

As Good Friday approached, I was preparing some other things when I came across some verses that struck me quite powerfully. I love that about God's Word; it makes the claim, in Hebrews 4:12, that it is "living and active", as opposed to dead and static; as a result, I should not be surprised that, after years of studying it, I still find new things to learn. Anyway, in preparing for a communion feast, I came across the verses above.

Verses 1 and 2 of the same chapter read "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death ..."  Hmmm ... seems they had the same problem over 2000 years ago that we're dealing with today; the top religious leaders embroiled in some dirty scandal. If you've read my posts, you know that the consistent message of the gospel, as found in the Bible, is that being religious, performing religious rituals and doing religious things cannot save or transform you! The only thing that can is actually not a thing at all; it is a person, the person of Jesus Christ. It is to Him that we look for forgiveness, not acts of penance. It is in Him that we place our faith and trust, not in an institution like the church. And it is Him that we follow and model and obey, not a set of rules and regulations. And any good works that we perform are not done to EARN our salvation or favour with God, but a response out of a heart of love for the God who loved us first! But I digress ...

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a memorial feast, reminding them of the time the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God was preparing to set them free by His mighty hand. This involved the people eating bread with no leaven (yeast) for seven days; not only that, but they were instructed to go through their houses and remove all leaven from their homes. All this was done while He judged Egypt for their sin of rebellion and stubborn disbelief. The ninth plague was darkness, and it was followed by the last and most terrible plague, the death of the all the firstborn in the land. And this is where Passover comes in: God instructed the people of Israel that they were to take a lamb, a blemish-free, perfect lamb, and kill it, and then take the blood of that lamb and splash it on the doorposts and the lintel of their home. "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you" and judgement would not come to their home.

Every single one of these symbols points to Jesus! Jesus was the Son of God sent to set us free from the slavery of our sin; because we are powerless to free ourselves, God had to do it by His mighty hand. Leaven is a picture, a type, of sin throughout the Bible; Jesus was the only Man in history to be without sin, and He came to remove our sin from us. But it came only at great cost to Him; John the Baptizer called Him "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", a reference to that Passover Lamb. Jesus was perfect and blemish-free, making Him the only suitable One to be our substitute. He was slain, and when HIS blood is applied to our lives, God's judgement passes over us, because Jesus was already judged in our place!

Remember the ninth plague, darkness? When Jesus hung on the cross, "there was darkness over the whole land" for three hours. In that time, God judged Jesus for our sin and, since Jesus came to BE our Passover Lamb, there could be no protection for Him; God paid the penalty for our sin with the death of His own Firstborn!

This, ladies and gentlemen, clearly demonstrates the extent to which God was willing to go to, the costs He was willing to incur, to procure our salvation. This is the clearest demonstration of His love for you and me! Readers, I plead with you, accept His gift of salvation! He offers it without cost to you, though it cost Him everything! What He asks in return is your obedience, your faith, your love, and SUCH a loving God is a delight to follow! This Easter, make Him your Saviour, your Passover Lamb, the Lover of your soul! It will change EVERYTHING, and you will never regret it! 

If you have questions about this, you can reach me at mikeysingsbass@gmail.com.

The Devil Is In The Details?

"Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

Luke 12:7

It was the summer of 2000.

A young woman named Megan attended her friend Bree's wedding at Joy Bible Camp as part of the bridal party. She also carried a burden; within her womb, a tiny life was growing.

That little one was not the burden. Her burden was choosing the right family in which to place her little one for adoption. She asked God to direct her, to give her wisdom to make the best choice for her baby.

My wife and I, with our then 4-year-old David, were camping at Joy at the time, although we knew nothing of that story. We heard there was a need later in the summer for male counselors at Senior Youth Camp; we talked and I volunteered. In the last week of August, we headed back up to Bancroft; I had a cabin full of teenage boys, and Judy and David had a room to themselves. We would spend time together whenever I was free.

In the middle of the week, I was paged for a long distance call. It was our adoption agency (JFJ Hope Centre): "We have wonderful news! A little boy has been born in Sudbury, and the birth mother has chosen you as the adoptive parents! You need to come right away!" I replied, "But I'm in the middle of Youth Camp!" And they responded, "Well, you're getting someone to take over, because you're coming to Sudbury!"

We informed the staff, who were all delighted on our behalf. Then I needed to tell my boys why we were leaving midweek. One of the staff suggested, "If you're willing, it might be really impactful for these teens if you'd share this story with the whole camp." So we did. They were excited and supportive. Would we please update them by the end of the week? We agreed.

My parents drove 2.5 hours to Bancroft to get our little David and care for him. He was settled in their car, and I was walking to our van with our bags when I was again paged for a long distance call from the adoption agency. "I don't know how to tell you this, but the whole thing has fallen through. Sit tight till we figure out what's going on." And the whirlwind comes instantly to a complete and utter standstill.

Over the ensuing hours, we would learn that the birth father's mother came to the hospital, saw the baby and wanted to raise him. That would not have been a good thing, and so the birth mother did the only thing she could to protect him; she claimed sole custody. We could understand her decision, but that didn't diminish our heartbreak.

That night we had our evening Bible study session. It was on committing your life to God. As a wrap-up, we would all go out in small groups of 2 or 3 and stand along the shoreline of the lake, talking with God about surrendering to Him. I stood with two other guys at the shore, silent before God. My heart ached for a little boy that I had already begun to love, whose loss I already had to grieve, and I didn't understand why. The tears began to flow. "I don't understand why this happened, God! Why would you let us get the phone call and go through all of this, when you knew it would all implode?" I wasn't angry; I was hurting and being completely honest with God. "I don't like this, it hurts so badly, and I feel completely in the dark." But then I said (and did) something that was not really characteristic of me in that stage of my life: "But I'm going to choose to trust You, God. I'm going to choose to believe that You ARE good, that You love me and have my best in mind." That was August 30th, 2000.

The week at camp ended, nothing changed with the adoption, we headed back home and resumed our lives. The school year started, and the hectic weeks of September melded into the regular routine of October. In the middle of that month, we again received a call from the adoption agency: a birth couple had chosen us as adoptive parents. We met with them on two different occasions and then, on the 25th of November, our beautiful Kathryn was born. Little did we know that her birth mom, Megan, was the same one who had been at Joy that summer! We met with them two more times in the next year. From that point on, the birth father was content with what he had in letters and photos. We continued to exchange letters and photos with Megan over the next few years until that came to a close as well.

When Katie was roughly 2 years old, we received a letter from Suzanne, a birth parent adoption worker with the agency; she was retiring and decided to send us a farewell letter! She had been the support worker for both David's birth mother and Katie's birth parents. She wrote what a delight and privilege it had been to be a part of placing both children in our family. She wrote a little paragraph to David, and another to Katie, and finally signed off. And then she added a PS: "I was cleaning out my files and found this, and I thought you might like to have it." When a birth parent decides on adoption, one of the first things they're asked to do is think about and list the characteristics they would look for in an adoptive couple. Some only want someone to love their baby, while others have a 19-item checklist. Megan was the "19-item checklist" type, and Suzanne had attached a photocopy of her list; she thought we might like to see what Megan had written down that ultimately resulted in her choosing our adoption profile.

I have no idea what is on that list; I couldn't tell you a single thing Megan wrote there. As I pulled that sheet out from behind Suzanne's letter, I saw only one thing. In the top right hand corner of the page was recorded the date she had written that list: August 30th, 2000, the same day I stood on the shore and told God I would trust Him! He honoured that, and He went a step further and showed me that I was right to trust Him!  I said, "God, You didn't have to do that, but that's pretty cool!"

In the years since Kate's birth, we have met and become friends with Bree and her husband Eric (though we still never knew this connection). A year ago, Bree turned 40 and her husband brought some of Bree's close friends together, including Megan, for a girl's weekend. As they visited together, Megan shared that she had been thinking a lot about Katie, and hoped that in the years to come, Katie might want to connect with her and have a relationship. Little did she know how soon that would happen.

Only a week later, we encouraged Kate to connect with her birth parents. We helped her find Megan first, and she sent her a friend request on Facebook. Megan received the request and thought "I don't know a Kate van't Slot. I'll just delete it." Her oldest boy, who LOVES to be outside, chose that moment to come in and look over her shoulder. "But Mom" he said, "what if that's OUR Katie?" Megan had kept a baby picture of Katie on the wall in her home and, as her children asked questions, she answered in age-appropriate terms. So her children all knew about this 'Katie'. At her son's comment, she went to Kate's Facebook page and "stalked" it. Suddenly she recognized something in one of the pictures! "That's the shoreline at Joy Bible Camp!" She immediately grabbed her phone and texted Bree. "Do you know a Kate van't Slot, and a Mike & Judy van't Slot?" Bree responded, "Why, sure! They are great folks. Kate was a lifeguard at Joy, bla bla bla..." Megan texted back, "That's MY Katie!" Bree responded with "ARE YOU SERIOUS?? I'M CALLING YOU RIGHT NOW!" And thus began a very enthusiastic and tear-filled conversation!

Anyway, Kate met with her birth mom, and later in the summer, her birth dad as well, and they are exactly the wonderful, caring, self-sacrificing people we've always told Kate they were. We've enjoyed getting reacquainted as well. It has been good all around, and I'm grateful, as these kinds of reunions don't always turn out that way.

But I share this story with you, dear reader, to either inform you or remind you that my God is big, big enough that He can orchestrate and conduct the workings of our universe -- burning suns and spinning galaxies -- and at the same time, involve Himself in the little details of our lives, the things that we, perhaps, might even deem inconsequential. Contrary to the title of this post (which is intentionally stated as a question), it is NOT the devil that is in the details; it's God. He loves us, He cares about us, He sticks with us and walks with us and weeps with us and rejoices with us. The psalmist David writes "You are intimately acquainted with all our ways" and it takes a big and powerful God to be able to do that! The details are not always pleasant at the time; the heartbreak of the loss of that little boy through the adoption reversal was significant. For someone to say "But you have other children now" is an indication that they've never experienced such a loss, and they don't really understand. But ultimately, God used the experience to teach us about Himself, and to show us He had something else, something very beautiful, in mind for us.

Know that He loves you, know that He is interested in the details of your life, and He directs them for your good and His glory. If you feel lost or confused, choose to trust Him. If you feel abandoned, know that it's not true; He's right there. If you can't see His hand at work, trust His heart. Call out to Him, invite Him in. And if you don't yet have that kind of relationship with Him, there's no time like the present. Make it happen today! If you have questions you need answered, please contact me; I would love to talk to you and I can be reached at mikeysingsbass@gmail.com.

Fear Not!

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were filled with great fear. 

And the angel said to them, 

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy..."

Luke 2:9, 10

"Go, sit in your room and wait until your father gets home." Those have to be the most fear-inspiring words of my childhood!

You see, the guilt of wrongdoing brings fear, the fear of punishment, because wrongdoing has consequences. Thankfully, my parents also taught me that, when there is repentance, there can also be forgiveness and restoration.

I love the story of Christmas, because it is a BIG story, one that transcends my day-to-day existence ~ the struggles, the disappointments, the pain ~ and gives me reason and confidence to hope that there is something more!

But first, a disclaimer: these thoughts that I am about to share are not all my original thoughts. I read Our Daily Bread together with my wife the other morning, something we strive to do on a regular basis, and the devotional centred around these thoughts, on which I have elaborated.

Throughout the Bible, we read various accounts of people who have encountered God in one way or another. In fact, the Bible begins with the creation account, and once God created man, He placed him in a beautiful garden, filled with everything the man could need (and likely, some things he might just want!) When we read between the lines in Genesis chapter 3, we discover that it was a regular habit of God and mankind (the man and the woman) to walk together in the cool of the garden.

Stop for just a minute and contemplate that.

God and mankind, just hangin' out, walking together, enjoying one another's company, talking about things, maybe laughing over some of the ridiculous antics of the animals ... and absolutely no fear on the part of the man and woman at being completely vulnerable before an all-powerful, all-knowing and perfectly holy God.

Sadly that would change before too long. The story goes on to describe how mankind chose to distrust God (who had done everything to demonstrate His trustworthiness and love), believe the lies of the serpent (who had done nothing to demonstrate his trustworthiness) and rebel against their Creator and King. And once they ate of the fruit, "their eyes were opened" and they hid themselves. Why? Because their guilt brought about fear of judgement from the Righteous Judge. And, being holy, God had to judge their sin and rebellion, and declare the aforementioned consequences for their wrongdoing.

What He didn't have to do, but did, was promise that the curse would not be for always, but that God would provide a Saviour, who would rescue His people from the curse of their rebellion. When there was repentance, there could be forgiveness and restoration through the Saviour.

As I mentioned previously, in the Bible we read of people coming into the presence of this holy God, and the response of each individual, when their own sinful self is exposed by His perfection, is to be fearful. At Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16), when the presence and glory of God rested upon the mountain, "all the people of the camp trembled." In Isaiah 6, when the obedient prophet Isaiah is confronted with the holiness of God, he says, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips ... For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."

Fast forward to the New Testament. An angel appeared to Zacharias in the temple, and Luke 1:12 records that "fear gripped him. But the angel said, "Do not be afraid ..." An angel appeared to Mary, the soon-to-be mother of the promised Messiah, and one of the first things he says is, "Do not be afraid!" (Luke 1:30). In chapter 2, when the angel appeared to announce the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds, it says in verse 9 that "they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." "

Again and again, the refrain "Do not be afraid!" rings out! Why? Because Jesus has come! Even though the presence of God naturally brings about fear, the message of Jesus' birth is that the Saviour has come! The name Jesus means "Jehovah saves!" We couldn't save ourselves; God Jehovah had to save us! And He did, in the person of Jesus. Jesus did not come to judge sinners, but "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). John 3:17 says, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." There is no more need of fear, because Jesus came to tell of God's love for sinful mankind. 1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment ..." The holy God still had to exact the consequences, the punishment, for sin. But He chose to have His loved Son pay the penalty for our sin, in our place. So the price has been paid! No more cause for fear! If we will repent of our rebellion and sin, there is forgiveness and restoration offered through Jesus the Messiah!

Jesus came to teach us that we no longer need to fear God's holiness. If we accept God's offer of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are restored to the kind of relationship mankind once enjoyed with God; one marked by love and joy, one that can be safe in its vulnerability before an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfectly holy God, because the punishment has already been served by God's Son.

In Christ, God sees us with perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear. This Christmas, accept the Greatest Gift ever given, the gift of freedom from guilt and judgement, the gift of forgiveness and restoration that God offers you through His beloved Son, Jesus.

Reformation Day: The Quest For Truth

"I am not ashamed of the gospel,

for it is the power of God for the salvation

of everyone who believes."

Romans 1:16

Does it matter what you believe? 

Martin Luther seemed to think so. He was willing to put it all on the line to confront what was false and open up the discussion about what was true.

Some would say, "It doesn't matter, as long as you're sincere." But what if you're sincerely wrong? Someone I know sincerely believed that his cancer would not be helped by chemotherapy or radiation therapy; instead he should drink copious amounts of a type of naturopathic tea (I believe it was called Essiac). Sadly, it did nothing and he's been buried for several years now. There were doctors who injected pregnant mothers with thalidomide, sincere in their beliefs that it was helpful, rather than harmful. There are many who have suffered as a consequence.

So it is NOT enough to be sincere. You need to be sincere AND right, especially in the really big stuff. If there is an afterlife, then that would qualify as "big stuff". And if there isn't, then you only have this one life, so getting that right would be "big stuff" too.

Some people expend significant time and energy preparing for retirement: pensions, stock market, RRSPs, health care, real estate. They research, they invest, they monitor. If, by reason of amazing health and good fortune, we enjoy 40 years of retirement, it is considered outstanding! Sadly, I've also known friends and colleagues who diligently planned ... and then unexpectedly died within 6 months before or 6 months after their retirement date. The reality is that retirement is not inevitable ... but death is.

Yet rarely do we spend the same kind of resources to settle the question of eternity. So often I hear comments like "Well, I feel ..." or "In my heart, I believe ..." but almost never "Well, I did some research and here's what I found ..." The infamous Ben Shapiro loves to say "The facts don't care about your feelings!"

Belief systems often purport to have things to say about the afterlife. Atheism (yes, it's a belief system) claims there is no God, and nothing afterward. Islam promises paradise for the faithful. Hinduism describes the process of reincarnation; do it again until you get it right. Since there is no empirical evidence for any of these claims, they must be accepted by faith.

Christianity, at first glance, seems to be "more of the same". There's a heaven for good people and a hell for bad people. But on closer scrutiny, the Bible says more. Yes, heaven is real and so is hell. Jesus mentioned hell frequently; it was clear he believed it was a real place. But here's the thing: heaven, the Bible teaches, isn't for good people; it's for perfect  people. (Wait ... what?) And hell wasn't originally intended for people at all. It was designed for Satan and the angels who followed him in his rebellion against God. The Bible goes on to say that the human race, in Adam and Eve, rebelled against God too, so we are all, by default, headed for hell ... unless someone perfect intervenes for us.

And that's what happened; the perfect Jesus took our place, took our punishment, took our death in our place ... and God offers us His perfection in exchange! So the only ones who get into heaven are not the worthy, but those who accept God's generous, loving, free offer and are made worthy in Jesus Christ!

This is distinctly different from all other religions. Every other religion teaches "If you DO this, you can be saved." Christianity teaches "Because Jesus Christ has DONE it, this is the ONLY way you can be saved."

Now, we can't prove empirically that Christianity is true. But it stands or falls solely on the person of Jesus Christ, and he was a historical figure, so if we prove him a fraud, we could at least eliminate Christianity from the plethora of options.

Jesus said, in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me." He didn't claim to be a way or a truth; He said He was THE way and THE truth. No one comes to the Father except through Him. That means Buddhism won't do it, Hinduism won't do it, Islam won't do it; it's Jesus or nothing, according to Jesus's own claims. He also claimed to be the Son of God, which is what qualifies him to be the Way. So if we are honestly searching for the truth, we need to decide between "It's Jesus Christ, and all else is false" or "Jesus Christ is a fake and Christianity is nonsense" and we move on to our flavour of preference.

Here, at least, we can apply empirical analysis, since Jesus was a real person with measurable claims. C. S. Lewis stated that

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice ... You can shut him up for a fool; you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

So to simplify, here are the positions:
1. Jesus was a liar, who was out to take advantage of those who would fall for his wild stories. If that is true, we ought to do everything possible to expose him as a fraud and gag his followers.

2. Jesus was a mentally ill megalomaniac, who actually believed the claims he made. If that is true, we still ought to expose him, but with compassion, and gently educate his followers.

3. Jesus is exactly who He claims to be; the Son of God who came to be the Saviour of mankind. If this is true, we ought to reject all else and grant Him our worship, our obedience, our very lives.

Two "hostile" atheistic individuals who examined the evidence and wrote about their discoveries are Lee Strobel (The Case For Christ) and J. Warner Wallace (Cold Case Christianity). Strobel was an investigative legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, who set out to disprove Christianity when his wife became a follower of Jesus Christ. Warner Wallace was a homicide detective specializing in cold cases, who decided to put his significant skill set to work disproving Christianity. I own both books, and they are definitely worthwhile reads, since we can't possibly do all the evidence justice in a short blog post.

If Jesus was a liar, we can understand that he would enjoy the "ride" for a while; free meals and stays in followers' houses, a fair bit of attention and notoriety. But if he was looking to increase that, why did he say such difficult things, that even his present followers began to leave? (John 6:66)

And then there's the issue of crucifixion. The Romans had perfected this torture device to exact the most pain from the victim, while extending the suffering for days. Anyone who was knowingly creating a false persona would NOT hold on to the deception in the face of crucifixion. The "Jesus as a liar" argument is a washout.

So what about Jesus as a madman? Gary R. Collins, Ph. D., stated that there were several things to indicate that he was in his right mind:

• He was an emotionally healthy individual; he did not demonstrate inappropriate emotions
• He spoke clearly, powerfully and eloquently; he demonstrated no thinking disorders or irrationality
• He had deep and abiding relationships; he exhibited no unsuitable behaviours.

Jesus wasn't lying when he stated his claims, and he wasn't crazy either. But just because someone says something is true doesn't make it true. We would want some evidence to back it up. If I tell you I'm married, you don't have to believe me just because I wear a wedding band and have a marriage certificate. But if I have those things AND a reputation of being truthful AND a pile of witnesses who were there at the wedding AND more witnesses who had done life together with us over the past 29 years, the claim becomes pretty reliable.

Jesus's claims are far more significant; he didn't claim to be a messenger from God, he claimed to BE God! "Whoa, Mike! That's crazy talk!" you respond. In Mark chapter 2, verses 1-12, we find the record of Jesus healing someone who had been paralyzed for some time. Interestingly, his first response is to the friends' faith, and he says, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." Since only God can forgive an offense against God, Jesus was either blaspheming (not typical of him) or claiming to be God (right in line). The religious leaders observing this were outraged at his apparent blasphemy. Jesus responds, "So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins ..." and then turns to the paralytic and says, "Take up your stretcher and walk!" and he does.

If I tell someone their sins are forgiven, there's nothing to see to prove that my declaration has come true. But if I tell a paralyzed person to walk, you'll know very shortly if I'm a fraud! Jesus demonstrates his authority in the spiritual realm by exhibiting his power over the physical realm. He healed the blind, the lepers, the hemorrhaging, the lame. He calmed storms and he raised the dead to life. And ultimately, he himself rose from the dead, proving that he was who he said he was, and that he can do for you what he said he can. No one in history has ever been or done anything like Jesus. He stands unique among all others.

Martin Luther decided there was more to the Jesus of the Bible than stale and abusive religion. I asked Jesus to be my Saviour and Lord many years ago, and am still learning what it means to be his follower; I've never regretted that decision. You can do the same!

The Fingerprints of God

Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes,

His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen,

being understood through what has been made ...

Romans 1:20

I do some of my good, deep thinking in the shower. (Too much information?) Anyway, the source of this most recent pondering is my cancer.

It's not a big deal; there's no need to worry.  It doesn't even remotely compare with those who are suffering through leukemia, breast cancer and the like. I have had malignant melanoma in the past. It's a genetic gift from my mother. (Thanks, Mom!) I get checked out annually at Sunnybrook and the amazing Dr. Mary Mackenzie keeps a close and caring eye on me! She noticed something unusual in colour on one of my moles and referred me to another doctor to have it removed. Not the first time, probably not the last. It'll give me another cool scar to make up some ridiculous story about!

What sparked the "deep thought" was that, when I went to the plastic surgeon, I also had him look at something unusual on the side of my nose. He immediately identified it as a basal cell.

What made me think I should point it out to the doctor? That little bump on the side of my nose wasn't behaving the way it was supposed to.

Isn't that interesting? The fact that it wasn't behaving as it was supposed to implied that there was a way in which it was supposed to behave. According to what? Or who?

The truth is, your cells ARE supposed to behave a certain way; it's in their internal programming, in the DNA. But why? If we are to believe that we (as living organisms) arrived by random, naturalistic processes, then why would ANYTHING have a "supposed to" state at all?  Logically, chaos + time on its own does not equal order + structure; it requires the external input of intelligence. I see this as I look out the window at my lawn and gardens; heaven knows I've waited a long time, and the chaos has not come to order by itself! It's going to require my (ahem!) intelligence to bring some order and structure to the chaos that is there. Left to itself, it will revert back to wilderness. The very fact that there IS a structure, and order, and predictability, to the universe, is an argument for a Creator.  Even Charles Darwin said, "The impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for the existence of God."

I am a marine biologist by training, and a teacher of mathematics by profession. However, I am not just a scientist because I've been trained to be; it's in my very nature (you can ask my wife). If my faith was indeed blind, if it required me to ignore or refuse the facts, the truth, I could not; it would contradict every part of my being. But in fact, what I find is that what I read and learn from God's Word, the Bible, beautifully and cogently explains what I see and what I experience in the world around me.

The Bible tells us that God wants to be known by us, that He desires to reveal Himself to us so that we can have a relationship with Him. Romans 1:20 (above) indicates that He reveals something about Himself in the very universe He created, just as we might learn things about a painter by examining the painting, or about a sculptor by examining the sculpture. The creation reveals that the Creator is powerful, and creative; artistic, and detailed. The creation shows us that the Creator must, by definition, be outside of His creation, beyond His creation, free from the limits of His creation.

But I can't ever truly know Picasso, or Michelangelo, or any other famous artist, just by examining their work. To truly know a creator, I would have to be able to meet them and spend time with them.

And that's precisely what God, the Creator, made possible. He came to this world, in the person of Jesus, to have us meet Him, and be able to spend time with Him, to truly know Him. He explained God to us through His words, and He showed God to us through His actions. Most importantly, He demonstrated the incredible, incomprehensible love of God for us by going to the cross and dying in our place, so that a relationship with God could become a possibility, even a reality!  And God left us the Bible so that we could read this "letter from God" and understand His plan, His design, and His heart for us.

Dear reader, I'm here to tell you that you are not an accident; you are an intentional part of God's magnificent work of art!  He came up with the idea for you, and He formed you with intent and purpose. He knows you, and He wants you to know Him. And those of us who know Him and are known by Him want that same beautiful intimacy with God for you! One way to explore this topic in a very open and non-threatening way is through Alpha. My wife and I are presently hosting an Alpha course. Every Monday, we share a meal together with the group, watch a 25-minute video and then spend some time in discussion. We love the friendships we develop with some fascinating people! If Alpha sounds like something you might enjoy, see if there is an Alpha course being offered in your area here.

Sir Francis Bacon, great scientist of the 1600s, wrote "Let no man or woman, out of conceit or laziness, think or believe that anyone can search too far or be too well informed in the Book of God's Words or the Book of God's Works: Religion or Science. Instead, let everyone endlessly improve their understanding of both." Both God's Works and God's Word reveal His character and His nature.

And as a result, I can even find it possible to thank God for the things He's teaching me about Himself through my cancer.