Date: 24 Dec 1999
Time: 13:37:24
A retired Navy Chaplain shared this story. Near the end of WWII, he was assigned to an aircraft carrier. He had just gone to bed when there was a knock at his cabin door and a sailor entered. "Chaplain", the captain wants you on the bridge immediately. He said you don't have time to get dressed, just put on your robe and come to the bridge. The chaplain did as he was told and when he arrived at the bridge, the captain turned to him and said; "Chaplain, I need a prayer and I need it NOW". The chaplain asked if anything had happened and the captain said; "Yes, something happened -- the war is over, and we need a prayer. Our radio is connected to our escort ships, I'm going to make the announcement and then we need a prayer". The captain made the announcement, the chaplain prayed, then the captain took the microphone and said; "I have one more order --- light ship!" Suddenly, every light on the carrier turned on. Then, in darkness around them they began to see it happen. On the ships that had sailed in darkness for years, hatches were flung open, running lights began to come on, as far as you could see pinpoints of light filled the night. ... The war was over, the people who had walked in darkness of war had seen a great light, the light of peace.
Tom at St. Matthew, Mesa.
Date: 28 Dec 1999
Time: 18:25:05
To enlighten anyone in regards to Isaiah 9 would lead us into a complete study in the wonderful writings of Isaiah. Most of the book of Isaiah is dealing with the problems in government at his time but the rest of the book is dedicated to the tribulation, the millennium, and even to the time when the great city descends out of heaven. Isaiah 30: 26 is the key verse to understanding the complete work of Isaiah. If you have ever been a student of science, Isaiah 30: 26 becomes quite evident, that a Red Giant sun, will be the cause of the tribulation period. A red giant last for approximately 4500 years. A sun in the Galaxy Andromeda turned into a Red Giant in the year 1609 and is still a red giant. We might well ask ourselves "Who could survive with everlasting burnings? Who could survive everlasting fire?" as recorded in Isaiah 33: 14. Revelation also suggests a red giant in Revelation 16: 8 The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. For those who don't know what a red giant is I will try and explain, with my limited ability. A red giant is the natural science that occurs on every sun sooner or later. It is the beginning of the dying out process of any sun. The sun, in it's beginning, is composed of hundreds of atoms. Each atom in it's turn is slowly vaporized by the extreme heat the sun omits. As of this time there is only two atoms remaining on our sun: the heavy hydrogen atom and the Carbon atom. The carbon atom will never be vaporized because it can withstand more heat then the sun will ever create. When the heavy hydrogen atom is vaporized, the sun will expand from anywhere from 50 to 1000 times it's size in a matter of about five days. It will continue to burn a red giant until it caves in on it's self and becomes a super nova. (I would suggest all Christians study about the super nova that happened in the galaxy Trantula Nebula in February 1987. This even is recorded in the magazine "Smithsonian" the March issue of the year 1987. It is also something this earth will also experience at the end of the millennium, as recorded in Revelations. I could write a full explanation but it would take up a great amount of space. If anyone would like to know how they could survive such a cataclysm, as it is recorded in the Bible, you can e-mail me at pwbred@aol.com/
Date: 22 Dec 2000
Time: 22:08:33
I am in the habit of doing a Christmas Character Monologue for my Christmas Eve Sermon. It is a good way to add interest to the service for those who only come once a year. It helps make the experience memorable, and I like to think it challenges their stereotypes of what church is like.
This year, instead of being the Innkeeper, or a Shepherd, I thought it would be fun to be Isaiah. But also a bit of a challenge. How do you present the character of Isaiah, who wrote around the 8th Century BC, in the 21st century? I would like to have him reflect on what he had in mind when he first wrote these words. What was the burden facing the people of his day? What was this great multiplication of joy he was predicting? Was it such a relief to be rid of the bad king AHAZ and to prepare for a coronation of Hezekiah? What does the prophet, as he visits the 21st century, think of the interpretation of his writings as they apply to Jesus? There has to be a message here that God can surely do great things. Even our words which we use with one intent can be used for a much greater purpose by God. There is so much wonder for my Isaiah Character as he muses on the historical developments of Christmas, and the contemporary celebrations in which his ancient words pack such powerful meaning.
It is an exciting challenge, to become Isaiah for 15 minutes on Christmas Eve. But I was really looking forward to some help from all you desperate preachers, and the offerings are pretty small so far. Any ideas for an aspiring prophet?
DidgeriDave of Saskatoon
Date: 23 Dec 2000
Time: 00:27:54
DEAR DigeriDave
wow what a great Idea! I am only a few minutes into thinking about this but maybe Isaiah would say that when we look back at Christ we have some difficulty interpreting what we see as he had some difficulty interpreting what he saw.
sometimes Isiaih saw the messiah as sitting on a throne and surrounded by his subjects
sometimes he saw him as surrounded by dogs
sometimes he saw him in total power with a kingdom that never ends and sometimes he saw him more mutilated than any other man
may be iasaih would say something like when he looked into the future with his prophetic eye he saw the coming of Christ as one sees the approach of a great mountain range. Its beautiful majestic and are inspiring but the details are not seen until you actually get there. one of the details there was no way for him to see until he actually arrived there was the fact that he was not just seeing one set of mountain ranges but actually two with a great plain between them. the appearance of Christ looked like two different kinds of people coming at once but actually was one person coming twice with a great length of time between the two. again, when you are seeing something from a far off the details are difficult to manage.
may be Isaiah would comment on the anticipation of he promise he had ad how he wonders how the Christians of this generation could just take such a thing for granted.
may be he would comment on how that millions of people before us didn't have access to God in the incredible way that we have access to God. That it wasn't always like this.
I dont know
God bless you so much and have a great christmas
pastor Troy
When Robert Lewis Stevenson was a child, homes were lit by lanterns, and streetlights were lit by hand by lamplighters walking through town at dusk. One evening as Robert's Nanny prepared his room for bedtime, she saw him staring intently out the window. "What do you see, Robert?" she asked. Without taking his eyes from the window he responded, "I'm watching that man knock holes in the dark."
A hole in the dark --
Many people have reservations about the idea of Christian Governement. Many of these people are Christians. I'm a Christian and I have reservations. The term "government" conjures up ideas of tyranny and oppression, especially when we recall past systems. Looked at this way, the idea of combining government and church is untenable. It is relegated to the junk heap of past mistakes.
I believe Christian government is like a destination toward which, if we were certain it was the good place it was idealistically purported to be, we would all want to go. We would eagerly anticipate our arrival. But it's hard. We can't even imagine what it looks like. Until now we have seen only a lot of mistakes. But these "mistakes" may yet lead us into truth.
If it's true that Christ reigns, and if it's true that the essential idea is not just some sham, fanciful interpretation of scripture, then we should prepare for it -- and we should discern what it looks like -- and we should help shape it (as God enables us). At the same time, we should be aware that there are a number of people who are attempting to do these things already -- and their motives quite often appear to be strictly political: fairly much devoid of charity, tolerance, and mercy.
I think it would be helpful to look at a few of the many things Christian government is not:
~ It is not an assembly of people, elected or otherwise, who simply vote on issues and do not have a personal understanding of (or relationship with) the people they impact. Few of the people who write laws have ever been to jail, for instance. ~ It is not a set of biblical tenets administered to us as law alone, and not also as everyday life principles -- perhaps taught in the same way that Jesus taught -- through parables. ~ It is not an entity designed to control the thoughts of it's people. This one needs no clarification.
My suggestion as to what Christian government is: It is primarily an assent: The idea is true. As we acknowledge this it will begin to flow naturally. Children have a lot to say about Christian government. They form their positions on it very early in life as they are nurtured by their parents and as they are exposed to reasonable, playful, fair-minded activities. This happens even before their thinking is formed. It is love, attention, playfulness and fair-mindedness that impacts them -- and that best defines who we are as a Christian government. That's where we need to be in the future -- great over-simplification -- but that's it -- it's what we need to preserve into every elder generation.
Dan Servatius www.pclink.com/elf elf@pclink.com
I remember a Jewish friend of mine telling me that he was grateful to Christianity and Islam for evangelizing the world. If the Jews had been left alone the idea of One God would not have been given to the whole world. It seems to me that this is a deep observation about the three children of the book -- indeed, in Christ the doors have been open and all humankind is invited into the grand banquet. Merry Christmas.
tom in ga
Here is to wish all of you a blessed and happy Christmas and hopefully many blessing in the coming year. It has been a joy to hear all of the different opions. God Bless, MR in NY