Retro: Painting Class!
Ten years ago today – painting class with Jessica, at the Community Centre in Jesús María!
Ok, here’s the real picture! Click for a larger version.
Jim
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Looking and Praying for a Place to Meet…
We’ve been learning a lot, as a church, about what a church actually is. And it’s a big topic! But one thing we know is – it’s important to meet together.
After our service yesterday, Ezequiel and Oscar and I went to check out a nearby hall that we might be able to use, temporarily, to meet. After some cold Sundays, meeting inside is attractive! Of course, cold season will be over soon, but then comes rainy season with its own problems.
This place has its pros and cons. One issue is that there are no doors on the bathrooms – hopefully something than can be fixed!
There is a good amount of space for the main service. There is a small little room that might work for the children’s Sunday school – certainly not ideal, it’s like meeting in a storage closet (and no door there either!).
But – hopefully it will be temporary!
For the last two Sundays we’ve been giving people opportunities to be more involved. Partly in the Sunday service and all that entails. But a big job will be raising funds for a permanent place for the church to meet. We’ve met in three main places so far, and we’d like to be a little less nomadic!
So the congregation is coming up with ideas to raise funds. The church has already saved up quite a bit. And you can be involved too – just go here, click on the country you would donate through, and scroll down to the bottom of the page to read about the Path of Life Project.
We also talked about prayer on Sunday – another important responsibility that we have as believers!
Here’s one part of the study – what we learned about our strategic position in personal prayer. Pray with us for this special need of a place to meet!
We pray…
- with confidence, because Christ has saved us. (Heb 4:14-16)
- with humility, because we are in need. (Psa 10:17; Jam 4:6)
- with repentance, because God is merciful to forgive. (Psa 32:5; 1Jo 1:9)
- with joy, because God is a good and loving Father. (Mat 7:7-11; Joh 16:24-27)
- with hope, because the Spirit helps us in our weakness. (Rom 8:25-27)
- without ceasing, because God is always with us. (Mat 28:18-20; 1Th 5:16-18; Heb 13:5-6)
- in secret, because we look for God’s approval, not people’s approval. (Mat 6:5-6)
- with expectation, because we pray according to His will. (Joh 14:13-14; Rom 8:25-27; 1Jo 5:14-15)
- with patience, because we are God’s chosen people, and God will fulfill His purpose. (Luk 18:1-8)
- with thanksgiving, because God has always been faithful. (Psa 100:4-5; Phil 4:6-7)
Adventures in Moving
Moving is always an adventure, and this move has been no exception! As is often the case, there has been so much going on, and I have so much to talk about, that I have no time to do it!
Moving in Mexico has some added challenges that you may or may not experience in the country where you live. When you move into a house, it may be pretty stripped down (the owners of the previous house were very thankful that we had left a few lightbulbs!), and not always exactly ready to live in.
I’ve explained to some people that the previous house would have cost us a lot more in the long run, but this one is costing more in the short term. So we’ve been working on things like:
- Installing one of the main downstairs windows
- Repairing/replacing locks
- Purchasing and putting in bathroom mirrors (still working on that one!)
- Electrical/gas lines for the washer/dryer
- Repair/replacement of the kitchen tap/drain
- Installing lights where needed
- Needed changes in paperwork
… and that’s just a start. But we’re making progress! And the house itself is in much better condition than the one we left.
Thank you so much to those who helped with the cost of some of these things through your special gifts for our move.
We were so thankful to have the generous help from friends in our church with cleaning and moving. We got the majority of the furniture and appliances moved in one day at the end of November, and then spent a good part of December moving the rest and cleaning the old house.
But on top of all the moving challenges, we had other adventures. For example,
- A punctured tire while we were moving things from one house to the other
- A car battery reached the end of its life as we were handing the keys of the old house to the owners
- The same day, our internet stopped working
- Power outages
- Water pressure problems
But amid all these things, we have been able to reflect on God’s provision, the kindness of friends, and, in this season, the joy of the coming of the Messiah!
Outside of our dining room window is a tree that hummingbirds and sparrows just love. They are a constant reminder to us of Jesus’ words:
Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7
There’s still a lot to do as we unpack and continue to install what needs to be installed or repaired. But we’re so thankful for how God has provided over the past few weeks!
Christmas Song #7: Index and Resources
Thanks for joining me for this look at Who is He in Yonder Stall?. Here is the full list of posts, and then I’ll share a few other resources:
- Christmas Song #7: What is Christmas All About?
- Christmas Song #7: Lord of Compassion
- Christmas Song #7: Tears and Triumph
- Christmas Song #7: But – Look!
- Christmas Song #7: Wrong Made Right
Resources:
- Who Is He In Yonder Stall? (lyrics)
- Benjamin Russell Hanby (biography)
- Benjamin Hanby (Wikipedia, with links to more information)
- 16 March 1867 – Benjamin Hanby Died (second item)
- Who Is He in Yonder Stall? (article by Bob Cottrill)
- Up On The Housetop (lyrics and historical notes)
- Who Is He In Yonder Stall? (performed by the Elora Festival Singers)
- Who Is He In Yonder Stall? (performed by The Collingsworth Family)
Past Christmas Carol Series:
Christmas Song #7: Wrong Made Right
Who is He in Yonder Stall? is a song of contrasts. We have a Baby in an animal’s feeding trough. We have a Man in the wilderness, weeping.
Then we have a Man who is sought after and admired for His compassion and gracious words.
But then He prays in the garden, and dies an agonizing death. So undeserved! Who is He?
The chorus is, of course, the contrast. But in the final verse, what has been wrong is made right. The suffering Man is no longer suffering. The misunderstood no longer misunderstood. The One who loves and heals takes the position that He deserves and we desire.
And it all starts when the dead comes to life:
Who is He that from the grave
Comes to heal and help and save?
Who is He that from His throne
Rules through all the world alone?
Some people have questioned whether or not the Baby really was “the Lord”, as the chorus says. After all, wasn’t He “exalted” after the cross (Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4)?
Well, certainly, He took a new position as the gracious Saviour, the One who triumphed over death and ascended to the Father, later on. And we still await His complete unopposed rule on the earth.
But Hebrews 1 actually answers the question, by applying Psalm 102 to the Son. “You, Lord (Yahweh), in the beginning founded the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands” (Hebrews 1:10). He was already Lord at the dawn of time. He was Lord on the cross (1 Corinthians 2:7-8). He was Lord when He ascended, and He is Lord today.
And if anyone has any doubt, He will be seen as Lord in the future and forever.
What does it mean that He is Lord? It means that He was in charge and in control when there was no room in the Inn in Bethlehem. He was in charge and in control when He was murdered by sinful men on a cross. And He is still in charge and in control. Which means that history has meaning, and purpose. And the seemingly strange contrast of a gentle, suffering Man who is Lord will be seen as a further reflection of His eternal glory.
We don’t always see, today, the purpose in history. But God does share with us the great panorama of His grand plan. The author of Hebrews says it well:
…For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels—Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
Hebrews 2:8-10
Benjamin Hanby recognized that the important thing was the identity of this Man, His characteristics. Powerful and compassionate – and Lord of all! Let this song remind you of that this Christmas, and into the new year.
’Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
’Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! crown Him, Lord of all!
Christmas Song #7: But – Look!
Even those unfamiliar with the Authorized Version (King James) of the Bible might know this archaic word. After all, even today many people know the story of the angels and shepherds in Old English:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luke 2:8-9 (AV)
Lo! Another translation of the word has carried over into some modern translations, because it’s hard to find a more contemporary word that is as accurate – Behold!
“Lo!” may actually be a short form of “look!”. The idea is just that – “Look!” “Pay attention to this!” “Unbelievable, but true…”
The word appears often in the Christmas story. Here’s just a sample:
- “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31)
- “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
- “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…'” (Luke 2:10)
- “Now after hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, was going on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.” (Matthew 2:9)
But the word also appears at the end of the story. When the resurrection happens, of course. But before that, when Jesus is talking about the cross. The fact that He, the Lord, would be betrayed and bound and crucified was in many ways “unbelievable but true”.
And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners…”
Mark 14:41
Hanby has been writing about the humility of the Saviour, the compassion of the Saviour. But – wait! Look! Sorrow, and pain – so undeserved.
Lo! at midnight, who is He
Prays in dark Gethsemane?
Who is He on yonder tree
Dies in grief and agony?
The first shock of the song was that Jesus was born in humble circumstances. The second shock is that He dies in grief.
Often in New Testament Greek the cross is referred to as the “tree”. Some English translations make this clear, but others do not. A tree was a place of testing in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life was taken away because of the curse. (Genesis 3) The tree became a place of curse (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Jesus became a curse for us on a tree (Galatians 3:13). Because of His death on a tree, the Tree of Life is restored to us (Revelation 2:7).
Now the tree represents new life for us. But most did not understand at the time, when Jesus was hung up on the “tree”, that this was the great “Lo!” of history – the moment that all must look to – the cursing that brought blessing. The grief that brought eternal joy (Hebrews 12:2).
And His obedience in His death leads to eternal worship.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
Revelation 5:12
“At His feet we humbly fall!”