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Don’t you love Christmas lights?
I do. But we cannot turn on our tree…our generator is just barely able to
keep up w/ the furnace and fridge at present. But last night in our dark
neighborhood we saw something out the window…a neighbor down the street
hooked his generator up to his outdoor Christmas lights, providing a real
pick me up to many of us sitting in the dark right now.
The end of this month we’ll spend
a full week at my parents’ house, and our 3 kids, and Josh and Jami and
their 2 kids. Mom and dad are really looking forward to our arrival, but I
predict that by the time we’re done with them they’ll testify that the
prettiest Christmas lights they’ve ever seen are our tail lights as we all
drive away!
The ice storms of 1 week ago have
rendered many of us without power, and recovery is proving to be a very slow
process. But it’s amazing what God can do in our hearts in difficult
circumstances. My family and I have learned some important lessons this
week I dare say we would not likely learn if our power was on. More on that
in a minute.
But all of us can shine brighter
in times like these. The darker our world, the better our light can shine.
All you can see on our street is the lights of our neighbor!
We believe in Missions, shining a
light to some dark places around the earth…and I like a saying that was on
our missions board at Grace Baptist in Milan, NM as I grew up: “The
light that shines farthest shines brightest at home.” Our internet
ministry is also a bright light around the world today, but the brightest
light should be right here in our area.
Our text says:
“When Jesus therefore saw his
mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his
mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy
mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
First, let us remember that years
before, this is the same mother and son who cuddled together. She is the
one who birthed Him in that stable, changed his dirty swaddling clothes, and
fed Him in many intimate moments, hiding them in her heart. She is the one
who went back after Him as a boy in the temple when she thought she had lost
Him. They had a special bond, no doubt.
Now, here’s the point: Notice
what Christ did as He was dying. Looking down, He saw His mother, and in
great concern that no one would care for her, He asked the disciple standing
next to her to care for her and treat her as his own mother.
Even as Christ was dying, He saw
the need of His mother. He wanted to make sure that His mother was well
cared for before He died. This consideration for others was not just seen at
Calvary but throughout His life as well.
His earthly ministry was about
others. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.” Christ came to earth for the purpose of helping
others find the way to Heaven. He cared for the needs of the sick, crippled,
maimed, and others. Christ spent His time helping others.
He also was considerate of His
disciples. He spent time with them, mentored them, exhorted them, taught
them, and loved them. He instructed them in the way they should live and
taught them the truth about God’s Word so they could reach others. He was
reaching out to them so they could, in turn, reach out to others.
We all could admit that we don’t love others as much as
Christ did. And sometimes it takes a tragedy to make us love others. A
popular magazine reported that in the wake of the September 11 tragedy, over
four hundred couples withdrew their divorce documents in just ten days. And
we saw outpourings 2 years ago w/ the tsunami and last year w/ the
hurricanes. What opportunities do we have right now in the dark? Are we
being the light we need to be, or are we so self absorbed in pity that we
cannot see beyond our own needs?
We have a generator because one of you reached out. And our
neighbor has a kerosene heater of ours because we did the same. This
morning I saw a beautiful sight—power company trucks out in front of our
house. I took a bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups out to them! Just a
simple thing, but they acted like it was a huge blessing in the wake of so
many sneers and complaints they regularly receive. It was such a small
thing, but it meant so much more in the cold and dark…it was a light! I
quipped to my wife, “Ain’t I a saint?! If anybody’s going to heaven I am!”
[joking, of course]
It sometimes takes pain to help us realize that we need to
love others. But Christ doesn’t want us to wait until we are hurt to realize
the importance of loving others. John 13:34 says, “A new commandment I
give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also
love one another.” That verse really puts things in perspective. We are
to love others as much as Christ loved us. He gave His life for us!
What lessons have you learned in
the dark? I have learned a few.
Listen to this writing I read
yesterday:
---
“A few months before I was born,
my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the
beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon
invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and
was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young
mind, he had a special niche. My parents were my instructors many
times--Mom taught me the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the
stranger--he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on
end.
He took my family to our first major league ball game. He made me laugh,
and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, and Dad didn't seem
to mind.
Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each
other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to her room and read
her books (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the
stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was
not allowed in our home...but our visitor, however, got away with
four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother
blush.
My Dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in the home, not
even for cooking. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular
basis. He brought cigarettes right into the house, and was never questioned
about it. He made it all look cool, matter of fact. He
talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes
blatant, often suggestive, and generally embarrassing.
I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced
strongly by the stranger. Time after time he opposed the values of
my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our
family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as
he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's house today,
you would still find him sitting over in his corner, usually with people
gathered around him. His name?....
We just call him by his initials, "TV"
He has a younger sister now. We call her, "PC"
---
I believe we put way too much
emphasis on things that don’t really matter, and we give away too much time
to trivial nonsense. Sitting at home in the dark with family it’s all about
what is truly important. Survival, first of all, and relationships,
conversations, books, prayers, and helping others are all easily done when
you realize they are more important than things you have to plug in to the
wall!
We learned that we MUST do
something about limiting our kids TV, computer, and video game time. After
just 2 days w/out power, they were practically going thru convulsions, and
we were right behind them! When we moved in to the Robinson’s house
Saturday evening the kids ran to the TV, and I believe they would have
watched a documentary on foot fungus if that was all that was on!
It’s amazing how self absorbed we
can become, and how inward focused we can get over time. Another lesson I
learned personally: Not to put my own needs before spiritual needs. I
truly believe it was a mistake to cancel church on Sunday morning. We could
have had a service. The windows gave light and we could have brought in
portable heaters. We may not have had much of a crowd, or a microphone, or
a big screen, but who cares. How did Christians have church for thousands
of years before these last few decades anyway? I believe if my power was on
at home I would have seen the way for the church, but I missed it as I
focused only on myself.
To truly be the Christmas lights
we are supposed to be during this storm we must take advantage of the
darkness, and maybe not being able to see your hand in front of your face is
a good thing if it takes attention of of yourself so you can place it on
others.
Even in Christ’s time of
suffering, He was thinking of others. When was the last time you thought of
another before yourself? When was the last time you took time to help
someone else? Christ commands us to love one another! Take time right now to
ask Christ to help you be considerate of others.
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