Thoughts from the Desk of Gene Mims

Lost. That word chills anyone who has ever endured it.  Being lost and the helpless feelings, the fears and disorientation  make it one of the worst experiences possible.  Last summer while on vacation we were in a store to get some things we needed when I noticed a little boy running up and down several isles.  At first I thought he was just a boy enjoying the freedom of a big space and taking advantage of the opportunity to run.  The second time he ran by me, however, I saw his tears and heard his trembling voice saying softly, “Mamma!, Mamma!”  I immediately knew he was lost so I searched for a woman I knew would be looking  for him.  I saw her frantically trying to find him.  I could see the boy and I could see her but they could not see one another.  I stopped the boy and called to his mother and they were reunited.

When someone is lost then two parties are affected.  In this case the little boy and the mother.  He experienced some fearful moments as she did.  His at losing his mother; hers at losing her son.  Eventually they would have found one another but my help sped up the process.  One lost, one losing, and one seeking is an easy way to understand our relationship with the Father.  We, like sheep, are lost on our own going away from the Father.  The Father has lost us to our sins and rebellion and sends Jesus, His Son, to bring us back.  We cannot find our way back to the Father like the little boy in the store surely would find his mother.  The separation between us and the Father is too great for us to conquer on our own.  But Jesus comes seeking and searching.  His mission on earth was to “seek and save that which was lost.”  (Lk. 19:10)

The little boy in the store was happy to find his mother.  She was relieved to find her son.  I enjoyed helping.  Our scripture today reminds us that everyone in heaven rejoices when anyone lost to the Father is found.  If you are lost then know Christ is seeking you.  If you see someone lost help them to find their way home to the Father through Christ.  If you see someone who is found then rejoice with heaven over their repentance and salvation.

As you light the Advent candle tonight rejoice in being found and take the mission of Christ to seek and save that which is lost as you own.

Nothing could have been more unimaginable in Old Testament times than a shepherd who did not care for his flock.  Shepherds were to watch, care for, protect, feed, water, and seek after their sheep.  This is why the metaphor that Ezekiel uses to describe the leaders of Israel, who like bad shepherds, had allowed the people to be destroyed.  Ezekiel says that they were  selfish, negligent, and uncaring with the result that God’s  people were scattered and became “food for every beast of the field.” (vs. 4)  They wandered without leadership and the nation became prey for other nations who destroyed it.

But the Lord promises two things to his people.  He promises to restore His sheep (His people) and to judge the wicked leaders.  Ezekiel reveals that the Lord intends to shepherd His people by doing a number of things.  He would “seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick….” (v.16)  The great news, however, was that he would “set over them one shepherd, My servant David….” (v.23)  The One Shepherd is Jesus Christ  born in Bethlehem, viewed first by shepherds, and later referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd. (John 10:11)

We are like sheep scattered by our sins, circumstances, and events in this world.  We live in the chaos of constant change, corruption and crises.  It is hard to understand what is happening around us and how we should think and react to everything we face.  It is a comfort to know that our God cares for us personally.  He sent His Son to live among us, to share our humanity, to share our experiences and to redeem us from the curse of what can destroy us.  He seeks us, heals us, calls us, cares for us and delivers us from our dangers.

As we light the Advent candle tonight read Ezekiel 34:11-24 and think of Christ each time the good shepherd is mentioned.  Thank the Lord for His care for you and yours.

We lit the Candle of Peace yesterday at church and focused on the annunciation of the Messiah by the angel to the shepherds. Upon receiving the news of the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem the shepherds hurried to see Him.  Their good news became real when the saw the child and told everyone what they had experienced.

Shepherds in the Bible are a significant part of the redemption story. In addition they provide a theological motif for the work of Christ.  Abraham, Moses, David, and Amos were shepherds. David brought a new understanding to our relationship with God when he declared, “The Lord is my shepherd.” (Ps. 23:1)  The shepherd boy who became the warrior-king understood the powerful meaning of what it meant for God to be his shepherd.  Shepherds lead sheep. They bring them to water, food and safety.

Shepherding requires three functions: presence, voice and protection. The presence of the shepherd gives comfort and assurance to the sheep.  He walks among them caring for their needs, soothing them with words and songs.  His voice to the herd is distinctive. Sheep know the shepherd’s voice and they respond to him.  Finally, shepherds protect the flock with “rod and staff.”  The rod is a weapon used against predators and the staff is used to rescue them whenever they wander away from the flock.

David sees the Lord as his shepherd leading, feeding and restoring his soul.  He protects him and provides the way to live in the Father’s house forever.  Jesus is our Shepherd who provides us with everything we ever need in every situation.  He is our bread when we hunger, our living water when we thirst, our strength in our weakness, and our salvation from sin and death.

As we light the Candle of Peace tonight, let us remember to ask Christ to lead us, protect us, and give us what we need.

Isaiah begins this famous chapter with the question: “Who has believed our report?”  He goes on to say that this Servant who comes has “not stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”  The majesty of God outstrips our feeble minds as we try to understand how a Holy God would send His Son to be “bruised for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.”  We might have expected someone sent from God in royalty or with military might and political power.  We might have hoped that the sins which have ruined our lives might have been excused and forgotten.

What a surprise then for our hope to come in a baby.  Gentle, helpless, and unknown, Jesus came into the world with a message of hope and a mission of forgiveness both of which were brought to us through His suffering, death resurrection.  To understand this we turn tonight to this chapter in Isaiah to learn what exactly it takes for God to love us completely, forgive us eternally, and restore fully.  It takes nothing less than a sacrifice, not in symbol, but in the reality of the cross.  History records the agony that the prophet Isaiah predicted the Servant would undergo for our sins.

Sometimes it is easy to avoid the cross because in it we view God’s judgment on our lives.  We might minimize sin and transgressions but God will not.  We are accountable for each one  we commit and we are condemned until we trust Jesus-the Servant/Savior-to forgive them and cleanse us.  Isaiah does not hold back in showing the effect our sins have on the Servant.  He is bruised, crushed, oppressed with our griefs, sorrow, shame and guilt.  But He did it because He loves the Father and He loves us.

Tonight before we worship tomorrow, light the candle of Hope thanking the Father for sending Jesus.  And that the Lord for His loving sacrifice that saves us from our sin.

The restoration of the nation Israel was directly tied to the coming of the Messiah.  The Servant of God would come in dramatic fashion to restore the fortunes of God’s people once again.  Who would have imagined that the Messiah would come to earth born of a virgin in a obscure town?  Who would have thought that a manger would be His first bed and shepherds would be the only ones besides His earthly parents to welcome Him?

Isaiah saw years into the future and noted that the Messiah would come bringing the good news of God’s salvation and God’s reign to this world.  His coming would mark a new age and His work would bring the redemption everyone in the world desperately needed.  Although His coming would be quiet and His early life very normal, the work He would accomplish for the Father would be astounding.  He would come revealing the Father and bring hope to the world.  His life and message would become the gospel for all generations.  His passion would save people from their sins and fallen ways.  He would do whatever necessary to fulfill the Father’s promises to His people.

Isaiah notes that this Servant of God “will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted…” so that earthly powers would be astonished by Him.  Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy in the most dramatic fashion when he was crucified, buried and resurrected.  This historical event, which began in Bethlehem, has never been refuted, equaled, or surpassed.  Jesus Christ has been exalted by the Father through His redemptive work.  But that is not all.  His first coming was without fanfare.  His second coming will be with power and glory so that all peoples and nations will know Him.  Our hope does not stop with His first coming.  We have the hope of the resurrection and the hope of His return to guide and comfort us in these unsettling times.

Tonight we light the candle of Hope and we confess with Isaiah that Jesus is  the Exalted Servant.  His astonishing life and work has brought us the good news of God’s love, forgiveness, and free gift of eternal life.  Tonight we take a moment to thank our Lord for successfully saving us and giving us His victory over sin, the world, the flesh and death.

The judgment of God on His people was so devastating that when God began their restoration they could not believe it.  He announced that their punishment was over and a new day had dawned but they refused to believe it.  Isaiah was sent with a message of comfort and hope declaring that “her warfare has ended” and it was time to make way for the coming of the Lord (Is. 40:2).  What kind of Savior and Lord did the people expect?  They expected God’s ruler to be like the rulers of their age-powerful, dangerous, and mean. But God’s Servant was just the opposite.

Isaiah announced that the chosen Servant would be empowered by the Holy Spirit and would come gently and humbly to lead His people back to righteousness.  The prophet said that the Servant would not raise His voice nor would He crush the people with violence.  Instead, he would come to faithfully bring justice to the earth and would never be defeated nor discouraged in doing His assigned task.

Do you sometimes feel like your life is such that God may be through loving you or unwilling to provide for your needs?  We all have felt the shame of sinful failure or perhaps the setbacks of unfaithfulness to our God.  We may think or fear that the Lord has reached a point where He will no longer deal with us.  But Isaiah reveals that our Savior is humble, gentle, and faithful to forgive our sins and give us His righteousness.  The prophet wrote, “He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth…(Is. 42:4).  Our God is a God of love and His love brings forth His purposes for our lives.  He cannot quit and He will never give up on us.

The humility of Christ calls for humility within us so that we will never give up-not on the Lord, ourselves, our lives and the reasons He has created us and called us to be His children.  Read Isaiah 42:1-13.  As you do confess the truths the Prophet reveals about our Lord, thank Him for His faithfulness and sing a song of praise for His life and work. Light the candle of Hope and live in the hope Christ alone gives.