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Christmas Bells

by TerryLema December 17, 2020

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) wrote a poem entitled, “Christmas Bells.” It was turned into a song with which we all are familiar. Longfellow wrote the poem as a 57-year-old widowed father of six children, the oldest of which had been wounded and nearly paralyzed in the Civil War. The poem captures the conflict in his heart.

He heard the bells on Christmas ringing from his home in Cambridge, he knew the promise of the angels in Luke 2:14 of “peace on earth,” but what he saw around him was a world of injustice and violence.

Like the psalmists of old, he wrestles with what he sees in this world, and what God has promised. I think we might have thought the same thoughts in this difficult year. But like the psalmists of old, Longfellow remembers that God shall prevail. Reading Christmas Bells this morning gave me hope … I pray it does the same for you.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

December 17, 2020 0 comment
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Little Ones to Him Belong …

by TerryLema December 16, 2020

I love the music of Christmas … not just the carols or the modern songs … but the hymns, choruses and songs that tell of the reasons for Christ’s coming.

One of the most precious of all is the simple song, “Jesus Loves Me,” that we have taught our children to sing.

My favorite version is sung by Marshall Hall (link below). I have shared it before, and I never tire of watching the faces of the people in the audience as they listen to the words as they drive deep into their souls just how much God loves them.

Jesus loves me, He will die. Heaven’s gates He’s gonna open wide. And He will wash away all our sins. And let His little child come on in!”

“Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me!  The Bible tells me so.

For God so loved us … “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” [John 3:16 HCSB]

Christmas is so deep and yet so simple. God so loved us that He came.

As we stand before the manger this Christmas season, let us remember that.

Jesus Loves Me - Marshall Hall / GVB - Bing video
December 16, 2020 0 comment
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How Joyful!

by TerryLema December 15, 2020

I have been thinking more about Norman, the 7-year-old- who told Santa that he is ‘good all of the time.’ I, of course, am not a ‘norman.’ I am pretty much an ‘un-norman,’ needing the forgiveness of God repeatedly.  I am much more like the prodigal son than I am Norman. It does not take much to remind me that I am just a sinner saved by God’s amazing grace.

But as Romans 4:7 reminds me, there is much joy in being a sinner saved by God’s amazing grace. “How joyful are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered!”

I am especially awestruck at this time of year when I consider the babe in the manger and what it cost God to bring that forgiveness to me.

Philippians tells us Jesus, the Word, left the glories of heaven to come to this earth, taking on our human flesh, taking on our human condition, taking on our punishment. He did it for the “joy that was set before Him.”

Now that joy is mine as I see all my sins covered by the Blood of the Lamb of God on that cross. That joy is mine knowing that I am forgiven and forgiven again. Every time I come to my Precious Savior in repentance, I know that His forgiveness will touch my sorrowing heart.

When I fail, the Father calls me to sorrow and to repent, and when I do, I am forgiven – again.

Bill & Gloria Gaither – Forgiven Again [Live] – Bing video

 

December 15, 2020 0 comment
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Dear Santa …

by TerryLema December 14, 2020

Don’t you love children’s letters to Santa.  One little boy wrote, “Santa if you brining presents with batteries bring the batteries.” That sounds like a child who has had to wait in the past for his parents to do a rush trip to a store before he could play with his toys.

One little girl wrote, “You better bring my pony this year. Or there will be consequensis.” She even drew the pony and everything so Santa could get it right.

But my favorite is one I read several years ago and shared with the congregation this past Sunday.  “Dear Santa, there are three little boys who live at our house. There is Jeffrey; he is 2. There is David. He is 4. And there is Norman; he is 7. Jeffrey is good some of the time. David is good some of the time. But Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman.”

 Norman is good all the time. I have never been a ‘norman.’ In fact, I have almost always been a ‘norman-opposite.’ I have seldom been good. Growing up I was the one who was in trouble all the time. My younger brother, Mike, was much more a ‘norman’ than I was. That did not always serve him well since it often drove me to get him in trouble or blame him for what I had done.  (Thankfully, he still loves me, and I was able to make up for some of the things I did to him long ago!)

One day, I will stand before God. And I will give an account of my life. “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” [Romans 14:12 HCSB]

When that moment happens, I will not be able to claim I am a ‘norman,’ who is ‘good all the time.’ Neither will I be able to “make up” some of the bad stuff with good stuff as I did with my brother.

But I will be able to claim something even more remarkable … I have placed my trust in Jesus!  Hallelujah! Amen!

 Trust In Jesus- Third Day - Bing video
December 14, 2020 0 comment
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Reaching out

by TerryLema December 13, 2020

We are not meant to do this walk of faith alone. We need each other. In fact, Paul wrote specifically to the Galatians that we are to help shoulder the burdens of others and that by doing so we will fulfill the law of Christ.

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” [Galatians 6:2 HCSB]

This is particularly difficult to do this year as 2020 is a year of isolation.  Yet precisely because it is, we need to make the extra effort to check in on each other and keep the lines of communication open. But there is another side to this verse, and that is that the ones with burdens have a responsibility also.

When burdened we often draw away from others. We cease meeting with people, we back away from gatherings or routines that once marked our walk with Christ. Maybe we think no one will understand. Maybe it just takes too much effort.

As a pastor I have often seen people experiencing difficulties, and I have seen them stop coming to church and stop contacting others. It is a trick of the devil to get us alone, to make us shoulder our burdens by ourselves, to keep us from help.

So if you are burdened, reach out. Do not try to go it alone. And do not expect others to always seek you out. Make the effort to find the ones who will help you carry your burdens.

Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works,  not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  [HCSB]

December 13, 2020 0 comment
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Power Over Sickness and Death

by TerryLema December 12, 2020

I am meditating on the power and authority of Jesus seen in Luke 8. First, His authority over the natural world when He calmed a violent storm with only His word. Then, His authority over the spiritual world when He commanded a “Legion” of demons to leave a possessed man.  Those who witnessed these events were overtaken with fear.

But Luke does not end with Jesus’ power over the natural world and over the spiritual world. He has two more incidents to report.

After leaving the region of the Gerasenes, Jesus returned to the other side of the lake. There he was immediately confronted by a grieving father, Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, whose only daughter, 12 years old, was at death’s door.  He pleaded with Jesus to come to his house. [vs 40-56]

Jesus consents, but as they travel to Jairus’ home, a woman suffering with a chronic bleeding condition that left her “unclean” for 12 years touches the hem of Jesus’ robe in faith and is healed. Jesus stopped, immediately recognizing what happened, and seeks in the crowd for the person who had anonymously touched Him. Initially everyone denies it, but Jesus was not moving until He discovered who touched Him.  (Can you imagine what was going through Jairus’ mind during this delay?)

Finally, the woman confesses, and Jesus announces, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” [vs 48 HCSB]

They get to Jairus’ house and Jesus tosses out the hired mourners who think the child is dead. He then takes the child by the hand and tells her to get up. She does. And “Her parents were astounded,” Luke reports. [vs 56 HCSB]

In Luke 8, Jesus, exercised authority over the natural creation, over the spiritual world, and finally over sickness and death. He astonished everyone who witnessed that authority. I pray we too are astonished and amazed by our Wonderful Savior and LORD.

December 12, 2020 0 comment
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Power Over the Spiritual World

by TerryLema December 11, 2020

Reading Luke 8 on Tuesday morning gave me much to consider. Beginning in Verse 22, Luke tells us three amazing stories about the power and authority of our Savior and LORD, Christ Jesus.

He begins in verses 22-25 with the calming of the storm on the lake. After that when the boat reaches the other side, they arrive in the region of the Gerasenes, opposite Galilee. There they are confronted by a man possessed by demons.  Jesus commands the demons to leave the man.

The demons recognize the authority of Jesus that they must leave the man, but they beg Him not to “banish them to the abyss.” [vs 31 HCSB]

Jesus gives them permission to enter a herd of pigs. Unable to contain the “Legion” of demons, the pigs rush down a steep bank and drown. That upsets the men tending the pigs who rush off to report the incident to the town.

When the townsfolk come out to see what happened, they find Jesus and the formerly-demon-possessed man sitting and talking.  Verses 36 and 37 report the outcome and as it turns out, it is the same reaction the disciples had when Jesus calmed the storm – fear.

“Meanwhile, the eyewitnesses reported to them how the demon-possessed man was delivered. Then all the people of the Gerasene region asked Him to leave them, because they were gripped by great fear.” [HCSB]

Fear was the response of the disciples when Jesus took authority over the storm, and fear was the response of the people in the region of the Gerasenes when Jesus took authority over demonic powers. In these two incidents we see the power and authority of our Savior, Christ Jesus, over the natural world and over the spiritual world.

No wonder we stand in wonder in the Presence of Jesus!  All authority, all power are His!

December 11, 2020 0 comment
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Power Over the Natural World

by TerryLema December 10, 2020

One of the new customs for the Christmas season is to read one chapter a day from the Gospel of Luke beginning on December 1. I was amazed by Luke 8, the chapter for Tuesday the 8th. It begins by telling us that women who had been healed and delivered were supporting Jesus and His Disciples. Then Jesus gives the Parable of the Seed and the Sower, along with a reminder that we are to be light for all to see. At one point, Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him but were unable to get through the crowd.

The part of the chapter that truly touches me begins in verse 22.  After a long day of preaching and ministry, Jesus got in a boat with His disciples and told them to go to the other side of the lake. He was so exhausted He fell asleep and did not even awake when a fierce windstorm arose and threatened to swamp the boat. [Luke 8:22-25]

Finally, the disciples woke Jesus and told Him, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!” [vs 24 HCSB]

Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the raging waves and they immediately obeyed Him, and the storm ceased. In its place was a great calm. Of course, that frightened the disciples even more than the storm did.

As I thought on that passage all of a sudden I saw the storm in our country that is going on right now, and I started to chuckle. Let me explain why I laughed. Every politician, from local mayors, to state governors, to congressional leaders, president, and president-elect think they can calm the storm with their proclamations, directives, and strategies. But they cannot. They think – in a way – that they have the power over the storm when they are really in the same boat as the disciples! “Master, Master, we’re going to die!”

Only Jesus has the power and the authority to stop the storm. Even when He was at a low point, exhausted from ministry, He only had to say a word and the cosmos obeyed.

After quieting the storm Jesus had one question for His own, “Where is your faith?” [vs 25 HCSB]

We might ask ourselves that same question!

December 10, 2020 0 comment
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Remember

by TerryLema December 9, 2020

I love the Christmas music. One of my favorite carols is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” The opening verses remind us of several truths.

“God rest ye merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay. Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day. To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray. O, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O, tidings of comfort and joy.”

I like how this carol reminds us to “remember.” We are to “remember” that Christmas is all about Christ, our Savior. We are to “remember” that He came to save us from Satan’s power. And, when we “remember” we will find comfort and joy.

It is easy to forget the deep message of Christmas. The world wants to keep us on a superficial level. It wants us to think about gifts and elves on the shelves and Christmas movies and food and Santa Claus. The world wants us to focus on temporary things that will pass away.

The enemy of our soul has his own goal also. He wants us stressed, weakened, hopeless, lonely, and unsatisfied. He wants us dismayed.

It is only when we “remember” that the reason for the season is the birth of our Savior that we overcome the intentions of the world and the devil.

1 Timothy 1:15: “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…’” [HCSB]

(770) [OFFICIAL VIDEO] God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Pentatonix - YouTube
December 9, 2020 0 comment
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In the beginning …

by TerryLema December 8, 2020

There are three genealogies of Christ Jesus in the Scriptures.  There is a lot of debate about the differences found in those contained in Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel. Many scholars look at Matthew’s Gospel as the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph’s line, and Luke’s Gospel as the genealogy of Jesus through Mary’s lineage. I am not a great scholar so I will let you decide what you think.

There is a third genealogy of Christ Jesus found in Scripture. It is in John’s Gospel. And it is amazing! It is the Divine genealogy of Christ Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” [John 1:1-4]

The true wonder of Christmas is that it is not the beginning of Christ! Sometimes we think it all started in the manger – it didn’t!  It started before the foundation of the world.

1 Peter 1:18-20: “For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you.” [HCSB]

Before the world was created, God had a plan to redeem fallen mankind. The Word, God’s Son, would come to earth to bring grace and truth, and to open the way for us into the Father’s House.

Long before the manger, the Word embraced the Cross. He agreed to leave the glory of heaven and come to earth to shed His precious blood for us.  The Word became the Lamb of God.

We celebrate our redemption this Christmas Season in light of that wondrous glory of Christmas that the manger was not the beginning!

December 8, 2020 0 comment
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Pastor Terry Lema

Pastor Terry Lema has been married for 53 years, and has 3 children and 3 grandsons. Terry graduated from Trinity Bible College, and and recently retired as Lead Pastor at The Way Church in Middleton, Idaho.

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