Wilderness Wanderings

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 4:9)

We're doing the same text again today as we did on Friday, as there's more to it than just the list of virtues that I talked about Friday. Paul offers two other tidbits as well. We are to think about that which is excellent or praiseworthy to feed our mind with better things. But Paul also offers us things to practice and an assurance that the God of peace will indeed be with us. Today we'll dwell on these practices.

We need to practice this Christian life, because there are otherwise ways that we can flatten the whole thing into merely believing the right stuff about God in our heads. For instance, in one of the overtures to our CRC Synod this year, a statement is made about the hymn to Christ in Philippians 2:6-11. I have no commentary here on the overture itself, but this single statement seemed worth lifting up to think about.

This is what it says: "The hymn of Philippians 2 is not intended to show us how Christ, in use of his power, was 'humbling himself toward a life-sacrificing kind of obedience' so that we, in turn, will accept our calling and use our power for 'others to thrive.' Rather, the hymn of Philippians 2 is a beautiful statement of the eternal plan of God for his Son to pay the debt for our sins by his death on the cross."

According to this then, Philippians 2 is mere information, a statement of truth about God's plan to save the world via Penal Substitutionary Atonement. It has no other application to our lives or anyone else's. In fact, not even Christ's own submissive humbling of himself to death has anything to do with the text—it is only about the plan of God, mechanically followed.

But to accept such a disembodied reading of the text, divorced from the wider context in which Paul offers the model of Christ, then of Timothy and Epaphroditus, and then of himself, all for the reason of pleading with Euodia and Syntyche (and the rest of the church) to "be of the same mind in the Lord"—well, it misses something important. Namely: it misses the doctrine of the Incarnation. If the Scriptures are only present to teach us right truths, right systematic theological beliefs, but not at the same time bear on the way we live our lives in imitation and response to that truth—then we deny that the Word can or has become flesh and made its dwelling among us.

In 1 John 4:2-3, he offers us a simple way of "testing the spirits." The smell test he gives is the incarnation. "Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God," he says. The ones that don't are the spirit of anti-Christ. That is: they deny that Christ, the eternal word—came in the flesh, in our real world. I am not suggesting that the writers of the cited overture above are guilty of this—but there is an unhealthy tendency represented here that's worth noting.

Because "the Truth" as we have come to know it as Christians is no longer a propositional statement about something as abstract as a theory of the atonement. The truth is a person: Jesus Christ, come in the flesh to die and rise for us. A truth who we are to imitate and model our own lives and behaviors upon.

This is what Paul is talking about here at the end of our passage. "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." Elsewhere, Paul says it even more plainly: "follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1).

We human people learn just as much—if not more—by imitation and apprenticeship than we do by classroom lecture. We are invited therefore, to model our lives on Jesus' life, on Paul's life, and on the lives of other faithful Christian who have grown and are continually growing up to maturity in Jesus Christ. We need mentors and role models in the faith—people we can ask questions of, learn from, and imitate—trusting that in all of this—the God of peace remains with us by the power of his Son and Spirit.

So: how are you practicing the Christian witness found in the lives of those like Paul or other Christian role models in your life or in the scriptures? And, how are you being a Christian role model to others? Whatever you do: continue to put the life of Christ into practice—trusting always in God's presence, accomplishing it within you as you go.

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. 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)

The whole of this letter to the Philippians has two concerns in its background—forms of persecution that Paul and the Philippians are suffering from the outside, and, under that stress, forms of conflict that threaten to tear this church apart from the inside (like the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche).

Similar dynamics have played out in every era of the church. Even today. In our day, the church is shrinking—by roughly 14% in the last decade by the latest census numbers. We feel this and are tempted to believe that our decline is the result of facing persecution from a secularizing society on the outside that is peeling away our members. Under this stress, we much more easily fall into forms of conflict that threaten to tear the church apart from the inside.

As the writer of Ecclesiastes says: "there is nothing new under the sun."

In the face of these pressures from outside and inside, Paul has invited us to seek joy and conversation in the Lord's presence that we might find the peace of Christ. And now, finally, he invites us to simply contemplate better things. Rather than letting our minds mull endlessly over the problems, pressures, and sins that threaten us from without and within, Paul invites us to feed our minds with virtuous things that are excellent and praiseworthy instead.

"You are what you eat" the saying goes. If you feed your mind a constant stream of junk—ruminations on sin, fear of wildfires and climate disasters, loathing of the government, contemplation of persecution and secularization, mistrust of fellow church members, despair about the future, and whatever else is wrong with this world—well, if that's all your mind chews over in a day, you're going to get indigestion. And you may very well descend into becoming more and more these things that occupy your mind the most: thinking too much about sin may inadvertently tempt you into it; mistrusting others, you may become less trustworthy; loathing the government, you may increasingly become loathsome; despairing about the future, the clouds of despair may begin to haunt your present, too.

And so Paul invites us to feed our mind with better things. "Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." That is, chew them over, ponder them carefully, let your mind run wild for a while on the best of what virtue has to offer. The vegetables of virtue are far better fare with which to feed your mind than the empty, sugar-rush calories of bad news. And indeed, as you ponder these things you may just find that you become more and more what you ingest: thinking of what is true, you align your life to it. Pondering what is lovely or beautiful, you may seek to become more lovely in character. Pondering the right, you become more righteous.

Interestingly enough, this list of virtues that Paul offers are not explicitly Christian virtues. Some of them don't show up anywhere else in the Bible. It is actually a virtue list that Paul has drawn from the work of the pagan philosophers of the day. The subtle point appears to be this: all that is good and true in this world belongs to God and is a gift of God—no matter who came up with it. And so, as you chew over these virtues, your capacity to see God and His Spirit abundantly at work as the Sovereign King over all Creation and Creatures is expanded.

Slowly it may just dawn: the God whose Spirit is everywhere present and at work, even in a secular world and in the atheist philosopher, is also here with me—and how much more so through Jesus! May that notion give you peace.

Rejoice in the Lord always…The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4a, 5b-7).

"I have everything I need for joy!" Robert Reed proclaimed. Amazing! His hands are twisted, and his feet are useless. He can't bathe himself. He can't feed himself. He can't brush his teeth or comb his hair. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette (sorry, some of you are too young to know of these). Robert has cerebral palsy. His shirts are held together by Velcro, but his life is held together by joy.

How can this be? you ask. Robert would tell you that he trusted in God. Seeing that he was not able to handle life an his own, he turned to God for help. He lived into the words of our text. But how did he get to that place? How can you and I get to that place?

Paul's offer of prayer is not an easy solution; no magic formula here, no bedtime or morning rote repetition of words that we have labelled prayer. We tend to treat prayer as a trip to the grocery store. Walking through the aisles, we pick and choose what we want, go to the cashier, tap our credit card and voila, the store gets its money and we, our groceries.

We expect similar things to happen when we pray. Yet, the first image of prayer in the Bible is an all-night wrestling match. As morning dawns, Jacob's hip is dislocated but he refuses to let his opponent go until God blesses him.

Ours is a world where kingdoms are in conflict everywhere. We set up our own kingdoms and expect God to bless them. But in prayer, we are invited to address the man crucified as King of the Jews, who is now reconciling the world to himself, and is already making all things new by dismantling all human kingdoms. In prayer, we take the cares which distract our hearts from this truth and cast them before God. We name them before God, getting them off our chests, out of the secret places where they drive us to distraction and depression.

This is wrestling in prayer, passionate, specific, honest, thanking while begging for answers, getting to the place of peace. We begin our prayers with, "God, help me, I'm in trouble" and end our prayers with, "Your kingdom come." In between, as we grapple with God, our requests shift from a 'me focus' to a 'God focus'. This shift in focus indicates a change in desire. Our yearnings let go of our own kingdoms as we learn to pray, "your will be done".

Earlier, Paul had written, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (1:20). In a few verses he will say, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" (4:12). This is where the journey of prayer takes us; being content in what God gives.

Paul is talking about the serious business of bringing our lives before God, examining our dependence upon him, placing our lives in his hands to be used by him; remembering, and celebrating what God has already done; confessing our needs; and dedicating our gifts; committing ourselves and all that we are to make our cause God's will. "Prayer is yielding life to and leaving it in the safe hands of God."

As we wrestle with God in prayer, we discover his blessing. His peace enters unseen from backstage. Through we have wrestled with God through the night, we discover it as a gift given, not a thing earned or won. In prayer, we see Christ upon his throne; we see that he has history in his hands; we see that his kingdom is breaking into this world. And by his Spirit he sets our hearts at rest. His peace becomes our shield. He is our shepherd. Though the storms may blow, we believe that he will bring us to refreshing waters and green pastures.

As you journey on (consider these things, know that you), go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you.

May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm.

May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you.

May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:5b-7).

Today, we return to these verses to reflect on the discipline of Christian prayer. This text joins a host of others than encourage us to be constantly engaged in it. Revelation 5:8 gives an image of our prayers rising as incense before the Lord on his throne. Jesus tells us to, 'Ask, seek, knock and we will receive, find and have doors opened' (cf. Luke 11:9-10).

Elsewhere, Paul adds to the chorus: "Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17); "be faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12); "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:18); "devote yourselves to prayer" (Colossians 4:2).

These instructions feel rather overwhelming and when Paul adds things like 'pray in the Spirit' many Christians wonder if there is some form of super spiritual prayer reserved for the elite; to which the answer is 'no'. It's helpful to step back and see the larger picture being drawn here. A good starting point are two verses from John's gospel. Early on, we learn that Jesus came so we could become children of God (1:12-13). When children encounter stress, they instinctively run to their parents. This is the image the scripture invokes in all its passages about constant prayer.

The other helpful passage is from John 15 with its image of the vine. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. The image is simple: branches can only live if they are connected to the vine. The problem with 'Christian branches' is that we are capable to disconnecting from our vine. When we do that, we usually go looking for a different vine. Thus, Jesus tells us in this passage to 'remain' in him (5). Prayer is one the chief means of staying connected.

Once, I compared prayer to a telephone and I said God always picks up when we call. Today, I might use the image of texting, emails, and other forms of social media through which we stay connected. The point is still true: God will always receive and respond to our communications. But I also think these images are inadequate. These communication tools keep us at a distance from the people we are connecting with. They are helpful, but we deeply desire a more intimate connection. So does God.

A more robust Biblical understanding of prayer includes that when we pray, we enter the very presence of God. Again, the image of a child crawling onto the lap of a parent comes to mind. Many adults don't necessarily like that image because it makes us look weak. Well, sorry to break it to you, we are weak. Prayer is an act of humility in which we draw strength and comfort from God because our resources our quite limited.

When prayer becomes the act of entering the presence of God, our anxieties do diminish. We see God. We see that his resources and power are without limit. On the throne is the Lamb, the wounded one, the demonstration of God's great love for us. That is also why we can bring our petitions with thanksgiving. In his presence, we know that we do not carry the burdens of the world on our shoulders; we don't even have to carry our own little burdens. God has us.

How does prayer become this place and space? Truly, there is only one way. Practice. Individually and communally, we need to keep coming back to the place of prayer. Some people use prayer prompts: a picture, a place, a candle. Others find that praying with spiritual friends helps bring them into the presence of God. Starting the day with prayer is not an end in itself. It should set the stage for regularly returning to God in the course of the day. Practice until its our natural response.

Remember, God wants this for us, even more than we want it for ourselves. In the end, we discover that the results of prayer are gifts that God has given. More on that tomorrow. Jesus tells us that the Father is eager to give, but we need to ask (Luke 11).

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you.

May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm.

May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you.

May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:5b-7).

Many Christians have lived this text. You may know some of them. However, you may struggle with the guilt induced by too much anxiety. You feel that you do not measure up because of those anxious thoughts. Please believe me when I say you are not alone. Many Christians find the things of this passage beyond our reach. So, it's a good place to spend a day or two.

Let's begin with a story of a couple who did live within 'the peace of God.' You may know the hymn that arose from one of their experiences. It's called, "When Peace like a River".

Horatio Spafford was a businessman and lawyer who invested in the growing town of Chicago in the mid 1800s. However, the great fire of 1871 destroyed much of what he owned. About the same time, his son died. After these tragedies, his wife needed a vacation, so the family decided to spend some time in Europe. At the last minute, Horatio was detained by business concerns and stayed behind.

His wife, Anna, and their four daughters left on a luxury cruise ship. However, mid-Atlantic it was rammed, and the daughters died. Anna was picked up unconscious from the water and transported to England. She sent a telegraph to Horatio, "Survived alone. What do I do..." While he was crossing the ocean to be with Anna, Horatio composed his famous hymn.

A decade later, Anna and Horatio led a small American contingent to Jerusalem to form the Christian society known as the "American Colony." This society engaged in philanthropic work amongst the people of Jerusalem regardless of religious affiliation, gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. During and immediately after World War I, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations of the eastern front by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages, and other charitable ventures.

It's a remarkable story. Again, I don't tell this story to make any of us feel guilty or to suggest that we ought to aspire to be like the Spaffords. God led them to do what they did, and he leads each of us along our own paths. I tell the story to encourage your faith in God, that he is near, and that he does quiet our anxious hearts. We can trust him in this.

As Pastor Anthony said yesterday, we need to receive this good news repeatedly in our hearts. He spoke of joy, while today's text offers prayer as an antidote to anxiety. But before we reflect on that, we need to hear again the little sentence Paul inserts between joy and anxiety. "The Lord is near."

There are two ways in which we can read this text. On the one hand, we can read it in light of Jesus' final promise to his disciples, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Before that, he also said, "I will ask the Father. And he will give you another friend to help you and to be with you forever" (John 14:16). The Heidelberg Catechism says, "In his human nature Christ is not now on earth; but in his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit he is not absent from us for a moment" (A 47).

On the other hand, we can hear Jesus' promise in Revelation, "Look, I am coming soon! ...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (22:12-13). In this sense, we hear Paul telling us that Jesus will be returning any day. His return will bring all the suffering of this world to an end. This promise has long encouraged Christians to persevere in their suffering. It will not have the final word.

As we reflect on prayer and engage in it, we ought to meditate on both these readings of the text. Remembering is one of the central disciplines of the Christian. To move forward, we must remember what we have already learned and experienced.

In the next two days we will take a deeper dive into this text, until then, go with God's blessing.

[Now] may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21).

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Leviticus 23:23-25 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In!

1. Salvation by grace through faith" is easy to believe by difficult to practice. Do you agree? How have you experienced this in your life?
2. When you hear the phrase, "walking with God", what images come to mind?
3. What joy & freedom do we experience when we remember that we belong to Jesus?
4. What is the sinful nature? How have you experienced it? What are your deepest motivations? (Remember, it is usually quite difficult to answer this question – but don't worry, the Spirit will guide you).
5. How do we participate in crucifying the sinful nature?
6. Can we be certain that the fruit of the Spirit is growing in us? What will be the result of that fruit?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:4-5)

We are back to finish off the letter to the Philippians now that our Vibrant Weekend and Prayer Guide have finished up!

We find ourselves flipping a new page in the Philippian letter. Paul has taken the first few chapters to tell us of the mindset of Jesus (i.e. humbling himself to the cross and submitting himself to the Father alone and not to his own recourse), how he himself has sought to live out of this same mindset of Jesus, and how the Philippian church and those within it experiencing fights and division (like Euodia and Syntyche) should live out that Jesus-mindset too.

Having said all that, Paul returns to the theme of joy. This is also where he began back in chapter one as he told of his praying in joy for the Philippian Christians, thankful for their partnership in the Gospel and for God's work in them that God himself would see to completion.

Even as Paul rejoiced in his prayers, now he invites the Philippians into the same. Joy and prayers. We'll come to the praying part tomorrow. Today it's enough to talk about joy.

One of the most significant antidotes to the mistrust of our fellow Christians that breeds division like that between Euodia and Syntyche, is a healthy sense of the joy of the Lord. If we remember the angel's announcement to the shepherds that we heard last week: the Gospel is good news of great joy for all people. If we somehow recognize that our joy is gone or has been replaced by fear, doubts, or suspicions, it is an indicator that our own heart needs tending in the presence of God before we can engage fruitfully again with our fellow Christians. We somehow need to receive again the good news of great joy in our own hearts so that what spills out of us in encounter with others might also be seen and heard as a joyful, Gospel word.

How do we do that? Many ways. One is simply by practicing. If you don't feel joyful: try rejoicing and giving thanks to God anyway. It very often is the case that working a habit like rejoicing for an extended period of time, even when we aren't emotionally in the mood for it, can serve to usher our emotions gently along until we do begin to feel it. Another way to find joy in the Lord once again is to remember and to seek to trust that indeed "the Lord is near." Even when everything else might feel like its coming undone or when it feels like there are enemies all around—a recognition of the presence of God in that place can change things. Even valleys of death's shadow can be transformed into an experience of God's care and provision when we remember that he is there, too.

Of course, a third way to renew our joy is simply by talking to God. We'll touch on that more tomorrow.

This kind of joy in Christ makes it possible to make known the mind of Christ to those around us. The word Paul uses to describe it here is "gentleness." Another word for that gentleness Paul tells us to make evident to all, is forbearance. A willingness to let things go or to delay our reaction or desire for retribution. Doing so offers a gracious, merciful forbearance as God has done for us. Again, we can do this because the Lord who has displayed his gentle forbearance with us, is near. It's a cause of joy. A cause for taking on the same mindset.

So: rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

The folks leading the Vibrant Conversations in our congregation this weekend did not prepare a devotion for us to share with you today. Instead, I want to pray Psalm 72 with you. It is likely that David prayed this prayer as he handed over the kingdom of Israel to his son Solomon. When we Christians use this psalm, we are praying for Solomon's descendent, Jesus Christ. The prayer, 'your kingdom come,' is a succinct summary of this psalm. The devotions Pastor Anthony shared with us this week were about shalom. Here is a prayer for that sholom which Jesus came to bring. As we pray it, let it stir our imaginations and hearts as we consider where God is leading our congregation next.

Let us pray:

Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.

May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.

May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.

May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.

May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.

In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.

May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.

May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.

He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.

May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field.

May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.

Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen.

Day 4

Reflect

1. What were a couple of things that caught your attention since you prayed yesterday?

2. How has God or how might God deepen your desire for our congregation to be a scout in the world of God's shalom?

Imagine… Being an Ambassador

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:16-20)

Paul presents us with this amazing calling, namely being ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is "an official envoy, especially a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special diplomatic assignment."

We are ambassadors for his story in word and in deed becoming a public demonstration of the gospel:

• We are messengers of the gospel in our daily lives

• We model godly character everywhere we go

• We mold the culture of our workplace and neighborhood

• We minister grace and love

• We are a spokesperson for truth and justice

• We do good work*

We recognize that all of our life is to be a testimony to God's grace and his desire to reclaim the lost as his people and the world as his kingdom.

*adapted from Imagine Church by Neil Hudson

Prayer Ideas. Dear God…

- open our ears to hear the Spirit…

- let us hear your pleasure in what we do…

- let us hear your imagination for being ambassadors in every area of life…

- give us a holy imagination…

Daily Reflections (to take with you as you keep your eyes, heart, and spirit open during the day)

1. How did you reflect on being an ambassador?

2. When have you experienced our church acting as an ambassador?

3. Were there moments when God gave you insight into how our congregation could be ambassadors?

Day 3

Reflect 1. What were a couple of things that caught your attention since you prayed yesterday? 2. How has God or how might God deepen your desire for our congregation to be a foretaste to the world of God's shalom?

Imagine… Being a Scout

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let"s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." Luke 2:8-15)

God is at work bringing the great turning point of the ages. A savior is born who is the Messiah, the Lord—but no one notices. No one notices until the heavenly hosts fill the sky, telling the good news to the shepherds. The shepherds seeing and hearing about God at work can't sit still; they must go and see what God is doing. They must see how God brings peace (shalom) into the world. When they know what God is doing, their response is to give God praise and glory and to tell others.

The reality is that God is always going before us. God is at work. He sets the table, prepares the land, works in people's hearts, and more. Part of our faith life is discovering where God is at work. We then discern the gifts, skills, and passions of our congregation to know when to join him in that work. Sometimes that work will stretch us. Sometimes that work will call forth a new love. Sometimes that work will be so hard that we find no choice but to rest entirely on God.

But whatever that work is, when we see God at work and join him there, we return from that work, giving God praise and glory and telling others what God has done.

Prayer Ideas. Dear God…- open our ears to hear the Spirit… - let us hear your pleasure in what we do… - let us hear your imagination for being scouts in the world… - give us a holy imagination…

Daily Reflections (to take with you as you keep your eyes, heart, and spirit open during the day) 1. How did you reflect on being a scout seeing where God is at work? 2. When have you experienced our church acting as scouts? 3. Were there moments when God gave you insight into how our congregation could be scouts in the world?