Living Water

Christopher Wolf Twenty (CW20)

christopherbwolf — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:52:32 +0000

Twenty years ago, I went for a very special walk. As you know I love walking, so telling you that I went for a walk isn’t a big deal. But this walk was a one of kind…

It was December 31, 1991 and it was very cold. But I went for a long walk anyway because I had come (been led) to a decision. I had already decided that I wanted to serve others and try to improve the world. But at 21, thanks be to God, I realized I couldn’t do this on my own – I needed some help. I was also undergoing a spiritual awakening. I had grown up reading the Bible, going to church on and off but I was yearning for more. So this walk was a prayer walk – during which I committed my life to following Jesus Christ in everything. I smile as I look back and realize I couldn’t have known what it would mean. I had begun to let go of Christopher and began to embrace Christ – which at times has seemed like a loss but in actuality has been all gain…

^“He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life (Mark 8:34-37)?”

This week on my radio show, Walk With Me, I talked about this anniversary and shared 12 things that I have learned over the twenty years as a follower (not as a pastor – that would be a separate list, because after all I am a follower first). I wanted to share this not because I have perfected this – by no means! I still fall short all the time. But I wanted to let you see that anyone can move from seeker to believer and ultimately from believer to follower. Oh, how I have been transformed and continue to be transformed by the love of God in Christ and the Holy Spirit!

12 Things I Have Learned After 20 Years of Following Jesus

1. Pleasing God first – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).” It’s not about me. Less Christopher, more Christ. Not pleasing people or myself. When our first instincts are to please ourselves or others – we’re already off the path – and that is why so many people feel so empty and unfulfilled – no matter how much we try to please ourselves and others – it will be endless. When we seek God first, then we will find fulfillment – I know it sounds backwards but it’s how it works. At the end of the day, I have to be able to say, God has been pleased with what I did today; and seek His forgiveness for the parts that were not pleasing.

2. It’s about my relationship with Jesus; not my religion. I love, need, depend on, celebrate with, misunderstand, get frustrated with, talk with, cry out, admire, and imitate Him – just like in a relationship. It feels real. He’s there, alive, responding, guiding. And I’m always mindful of how He went to the cross, died and rose again to save me. He is always faithful. He is visibly and invisibly at work in my life and in this world – I absolutely trust in Him – He has never failed me.

3. Prayer, Prayer, Prayer; Bible, Bible, Bible. Can’t stop praying, can’t afford to stop praying. Praying about everything. And can’t stop reading the Bible; verses are on my mind all day. When I hear a song or listen to the news or hear people talking – corresponding verses just come to mind.

4. Holy Spirit – seeking to yield to and cooperate with the HS in everything. Anything good that I do is by the HS’s power. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “a new creation.” I am a new creation – much of the old has gone and much new has come. Listening, waiting on, seeking comfort in the Holy Spirit’s presence.

5. Obedience – always trying to do God’s will over my will. Obedience as gratitude and worship rather than a chore or following a “list.” Obedience unlocks blessings from God. Asking the question, “What does God want in this situation, relationship, etc.?” Again, it doesn’t always happen, but making this the focus makes a huge difference – the desire to yield to God’s will.

6. Risking for Christ’s sake – loving others fearlessly, loving the unlovable, reaching the unreachable, forgiving when it doesn’t make sense, and being okay with failing. Opening my life up so that God can be glorified – that my vulnerability can be used by Him and that it can open doors for others. I can risk and fail because I am confident, not in myself, but that God has me no matter what. Being bold about loving others and sharing my faith. Leaving it all on the field and going all in.

7. Winning doesn’t always look like winning – most often it’s enduring and remaining standing.

8. Being vs. Doing – I used to think that I had to do a lot of stuff for the Kingdom – numbers, accomplishments, etc. Not. God’s asking me (us) to be faithful. That’s what He can use. Accomplishment, activity, doing more…is about us. And being impatient is about us…Being patient and waiting on God working is also being faithful. I’ve had to learn to be patient.

9. What has broken me in life has made me who I am. I used to resent things I didn’t have growing up as well as feeling bad about wounding experiences and failures. Now I understand better that God works best out of our brokenness and vulnerability rather than our strengths. I am able to lead, care for, pastor, teach, reach out primarily because of my woundedness; and then my Spiritual gifts enable me to “export” and share that passion and compassion effectively.

10. Facing opposition and rejection – following Jesus is going to involve opposition from the world, from Satan, and sometimes even from other Christians. Sometimes the opposition is overwhelming and aggressive and weathering. But I have learned to expect it in a healthy way rather than being surprised by it. We need to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10ff). Just as we share in abundant life with Christ, we also share in His sufferings in this world.

11. Christianity is not a solo endeavor. Need a lot of support and encouragement to follow Christ – I have been blessed by Jenny, my children, my brother, father, other family members, many friends and church members over the years who pray, encourage and hold me accountable.

12. Gratitude begets more gratitude. I used to think about what I didn’t have. But as I have drawn closer to Christ, I am thankful for everything and focus much less on what I don’t have and probably will never have. Cultivating thanksgiving to God has changed my perspective on life, material things, health, wealth – when I focus on how it all comes from His hand then I am more and more thankful for every little thing and I don’t cling to “stuff” – that isn’t mine anyway

And is this challenging, draining and often doesn’t seem like a lot of fun (in the world’s terms)? True. It would be much easier to just sit on the sidelines and phone it in. Do I feel like an alien many times because of trying to follow Christ in this corrupt, crazy world? Yes. But I can’t think of anything more fulfilling and blessed and filled with ultimate joy. The things I have seen and beheld, the power I have experienced, the joy, wonder and adventure, the opportunities I’ve been blessed with to meagerly assist with the Kingdom of God, to have communion with God’s heart about the lost, the hurting and injustice, to see Christ in others, to be authentically alive…absolutely beyond my dreams – and beyond anything I would have “accomplished” on my own. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).”

And just like Jesus said, it’s about the fruit. If you are blessed by my life and ministry it all comes from and all credit is due to God. We all have different journeys, but it is about the fruit of our lives – do people see, experience, draw closer to God because of the way we live.

I’m no Paul, but my hope is that, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the peace of God will be with you (Philippians 4:9).” And, hopefully, you can see there is no magic formula here, I am not special; I simply responded to His calling and said, “yes” – by His help.

He’s calling to you too…to introduce Himself…to re-introduce Himself…to draw you closer…

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (September, 2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

The Best of Living Water 2011

christopherbwolf — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:41:32 +0000

Hello: Here is the 2011 Best of Living Water! Thank you so much for your support and prayers! May God bless you in 2012. The full Living Waters from the below excerpts can be found at http://christopherbwolf.wordpress.com. Please take some time to write back/post about which ones were most meaningful to you and why. I would really love to hear from you about that Christopher

Proof, January 2011

What if people said of you and me, “I know what it is to be loved by God because of the way you loved me?” That’s the kind of goal or achievement I am seeking after. That my life, my loving, my faith – all pointed to God that clearly. And think of how transforming it would be within churches and beyond them into communities! When people look at our lives, if we are doing this faithfully, the only conclusion they can come to is, “Only Christ could be the author of that kind of life.” So as God’s “letters” – there really is only one true and faithful response – “Here am I; send me.” Here we are Lord; write us with your Spirit, address us to other lonely, broken, despairing human hearts and…send us.

One Bread, One Body, February 2011

Second, Paul’s description redefines success, making it based on the resemblance to Christ – unity, health and functionality. According to this passage there is direct connection between a church’s health and unity and its ability to authentically resemble Jesus. So that, it doesn’t matter the size, its worship “performance,” or its income – worldly measures of success. Do people experience the salvation, love, forgiveness, healing and transformation of Jesus? These are things that can’t be faked or fudged – a church that is depending on God and depending on one another will be obvious…This is about belonging to one another – to need others in the best and worst times of life and faith. It’s the difference between being a part of a religious social club and being part of the body of Christ – huge.

For Good, March 2011

So, can we come to a place in our lives, where we see our wounds, our mistakes and failures, disease, apathy and wickedness, even death – all of these terrible circumstances as part of a larger plan that we know and are convinced is for our ultimate good? And to be sure, Providence does not excuse or erase wickedness, apathy or other things; nor does it take delight in failures or catastrophes – it lovingly and compassionately supersedes and overrules them.

or +…It’s Our Choice, April 2011

But a big, yellow smiley face, as pleasant as it is, has no power. A smiley face has never equipped anyone to truly follow Jesus, or to forgive, to reconcile, to be merciful and gracious or to share the joy of salvation; but not only that, a smiley face has never enabled someone to overcome addiction, or leave guilt and pain behind. With all of this and more, only the cross has that power.

Resurrection, April 2011

As I am writing this, blossoms, buds, sprouts, and shoots, botanical ambassadors of new life, are fighting through wind, snow, earth, rocks, and other things to emerge from the ravages of winter, from death. And somehow the breathtaking symphony of color and fragrance always wins. Spring happens no matter how bad the winter was. You and I will never know what it takes for them to push through all of that to make it through to the other side. But we do know this. That through Jesus suffering and dying on the cross and being dead and buried, new life, resurrection emerged into this world and into our lives through faith. It wasn’t a snap of the fingers, it wasn’t a magic trick, it wasn’t a formula, and it was anything but easy. But it happened…

About Bullying, May 2011

At the same time, I just want to offer some solutions for schools, companies, churches and communities. First, if there is no truth about bullies, their targets and bullying episodes, there will be no healing. Schools, churches and companies can and often do try to cover it up, but it won’t work. Sometimes the calculation is made that “moving on” will cost less than “upsetting” everyone with the truth. False. The truth about bullying may be ugly and upsetting, but only when there is accountability, consequences, understanding and restoration can the body or system respond in ways that are healthy and life-giving. Because guess what – bullies and bullying systems don’t just stop after one target – and that’s just one target people may know about. If there is anything that we have learned in the last few decades about leadership – it is that credibility and dealing with issues head-on, no matter what the cost, is effective, builds trust (over time) and leads to a more secure future. Second, bullying is not just about individuals and communities – it’s a justice issue. Tolerating bullying is unjust and means that a school, church or community is operating for the few or for the “self.” Whatever you want to call them – the popular, the elites, the righteous – may be working in your school, church, company or community for the benefit of themselves and will protect it aggressively. Yet, when people are working against bullying and not tolerating it, it means that a school, church, company or community is committed to justice for all.

Possibility, May 2011

It’s happening right now somewhere – someone is facing an impossible situation – and they are getting down on their knees and praying their heart out; and somewhere someone is introducing and invoking God’s Word and Spirit where it has never been before – and with all of this – there is hope, real hope and possibility.

Worthy Worship, May 2011

The first is that we have to shift from thinking of worship as only a ritual to thinking of it as an encounter or meeting with God. Could we come to worship prepared to meet God? How, you say? You’ll find Him through hearing His Word read and proclaimed, through loving fellowship of other believers, through prayer, through praising – music or otherwise – God is there ready to meet us through the Holy Spirit…Second, and related, is that we have to shift our thinking of worship as a once a week activity to everyday. Anytime we thank, think of, devote time to, serve, sacrifice for God – this is worship…If we only walked or exercised once a week, our health and fitness would not improve much. Same thing with worship. Third, our approach as worshippers has to experience a paradigm shift. We have to go from “getting something” to “giving something.” We have to start coming to worship because we want to thank God for creating us, saving us and sustaining us. God is worthy of our worship in His own right, but then we also reflect on His marvelous works in our lives – and suddenly worship is more than an just an hour on Sunday.

Promises, June 2011

Beloved ones, I know that many of you are asking those and other questions today. Real, painful questions that you have been wrestling with for so long – without answers. Let’s stop shaking the Magic 8 Ball furiously until it gives us the answer we want! But when I have exchanged my search and demand for answers for remembering and embracing these promises – that’s when I have healed and moved on and seen God working new things in my life. Let God be God, and let us be His people to whom He has promised wonderful things through good times and even in the midst of suffering, trouble and sorrow. We may never have or find answers in this life – but we do have God’s promises – promises that can’t be diminished. I pray that you receive these promises as your own today – welcome, embrace, and cling to them.

Where You Belong, July 2011

Even with all its flaws, a gracious group of Christians sharing Christ and life together is the highest, purest form of community – because the bonds and connections are supernatural (the Holy Spirit) not performance or money or appearances or status – you just come and belong as you are. And it is the closest thing to thing to Heaven – it’s the closest thing to truly experiencing God’s love and presence. After all, a Christian community is an embassy of God’s Kingdom – where joy, love, justice and wholeness reign. So, hey there, what are you doing this Sunday? I know many of you have been hurt by church and by Christians. I know that it is hard to trust again. I know you want to belong and to be a part of something real. I know you might think what I am saying sounds impossible. But remember, with God all things are possible! I would love nothing more than to see you come through those doors, encounter God in new ways, as well as experience the loving embrace of people who may not know you but somehow have been waiting for you…the embrace of brothers and sisters to whom you can belong. I’ve prayed for it, I’ve dreamed about it, and one day…

Something’s Missing, August 2011

Like Red (The Shawshank Redemption), like the woman in this passage (Luke 7:36-50), when we seek and work to grasp – how forgiven we are, how we don’t deserve God’s grace (but have it anyway), how broken and hopeless we are without Him, how we can be freed of the past and from our sins, what it cost to save us (Jesus bearing our sins at the cross), and from what we are saved; our responses over time will be increasing – joy, passion, gratitude, devotion, service, hope, strength and more. Oh what is possible when a group of people who are acutely mindful of their “savedness” (over their “chosenness”) and therefore alive and new in Christ, get together and praise God, love one another and go out and seek to share that love with everyone around them in their community and the world! And when their worship and fellowship and mission and serving and giving and their living throughout the week is more and more influenced and impacted first and foremost by their joy and gratitude from being saved by God – watch out!

In The Broken Places, September 2011

I know you and I have our broken places. Real and painful. Some are because of loss and grief. Some are because of being harmed or abused. Some are because we made destructive decisions. Some are because we are addicted. Some are because we are separated or divorced. Some are because of dysfunctional relationships. Some are because of a lost job or career. Some are because of heartbreak and losing heart. There is so much brokenness in our lives and in this world! Oh, how I wish it weren’t like this! But all I can tell you is how God works – works through – not around – all the brokenness. And, He often meets us most powerfully, most obviously, and most vividly at our broken places…Strong at the broken places. Lower Manhattan Thriving after 9/11. For when I am weak, then I am strong. If you are waiting for everything to go back to normal, if you are waiting to wake up as if it were all a dream, if you are waiting until you are better or “more together” – that may not work nor may not happen. But please know you already have everything you need for God’s healing and restoration to begin…It doesn’t end at our broken places; it begins.

Walk With Me (the introduction to my new book, With You Every Step of the Way), October 2011

Like any good guide, I want to walk alongside you for a while, sharing, reflecting, and taking steps. Maybe we can even stop and sit and rest for a while together. All of our journeys include mountaintops, valleys, and wildernesses; and it often seems like the weight we carry doesn’t get any lighter. As you know, I can’t alter the journey God has graciously designed for you, but I can encourage you, whisper wisdom and insight, help reveal purpose and promise, laugh and cry with you, and make it more bearable, as well as illuminate pitfalls, landmarks, and breathtaking views along the way. So, would you walk with me for a while?

Heart Portrait, October 2011

Because, the kind of heart God is interested in, the kind of heart He can really work with is, “The sacrifices (worthy worship) of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17).” Though I am sinner, may God, through the Holy Spirit, also find a growing humility, repentance and contrition for those times when my heart is turned away from God. But also for those times when life has broken my heart, may I see the loving stitches from the hand of God sewing it back together. A heart that looks more and more like a vessel that is willing to be used and poured out for God’s Kingdom and for others.

Season’s Healings, November 2011

Have you ever noticed that the some of the most blessed, sacred, and wonderful things in our lives have come during or after the tears? Think about the hopes and dreams that have come after tears. Think about the strength and renewal that has come after the tears. Think about the clarity and focus that has followed after our tears. Am I right? It’s no coincidence that Psalm 126:5 says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” As much as tears of fear, grief, sadness and isolation are a part of our lives and a part of our faith journeys, they do not have the last word; they are not the end. In fact, they are a gateway to God’s comfort, the comfort of others, truth, clarity, renewal and much more.

An Uncommon Love, December 2011

It’s the love you’ve been searching for, the love of which you’ve dreamed, the love you’ve been thirsting for…and it’s the love that doesn’t have to be sought after or found; it finds us…it has found us – that’s the baby in the manger!Oh, when we awaken to find and behold the gift of God’s uncommon love for us in our hearts and lives – it’s better than even the best Christmas morning gift opening! Then all the fear and self-serving and confusion can disappear as fast as the wrapping gets torn off presents. And then when you and I, depending on God, start to try to love others in these ways – loving spouses, children, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, fellow church members, everyone faithfully, unconditionally, sacrificially and daringly…what’s possible is this amazing, uncommon love of God becoming more and more visible so that while it may not be a baby in a manger or a man on a cross or an empty tomb; but it will still be His body. Christ in and through you and I – loving, reaching, restoring, liberating, lifting up, and embracing right here, right now for all the world to see and know.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

An Uncommon Love

christopherbwolf — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:01:03 +0000

Hello! Merry Christmas! Here is this week’s Living Water! It’s a remix of Sunday’s message. Please remember to listen to Walk With Me, Wednesday night, 8 pm on yfnradio.com. And if you’re in the North Jersey area, please join us on Christmas Eve, 5:30 pm at First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook. Blessings, Christopher

An Uncommon Love

So I typed “the need to be loved” into Google and it registered 362 million results. Not surprising right?

Just a quick survey of conversations with family and friends as well as today’s popular songs, television shows, movies and books reveals that many of them revolve around this quest to love and be loved.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. To love and be loved, well, those are good things. It’s the kind of loving though that is presented through these media and more importantly, the loving that many of us experience in life that is concerning. Because with reality and in media, we don’t often see loving that is healthy, life-giving and whole. And yet it is driving a significant amount of behavior and decision-making – ranging from well-intentioned to foolish to destructive to even worse.

Unfortunately, much of the love we experience and witness is based on appearances and surface, self-serving, often manipulative, convenient, and safe; in other words not really love at all. In addition, what adds to fuel to the fire with all of this is the strong connection between self-worth and loving.

And yet, at the heart of all the sentimentality of Christmas is a great, wonderful, powerful, transforming truth: God’s uncommon love is made visible in the birth of Christ. Let me show you…

This uncommon love has four characteristics. First, it’s a faithful and promised love. It’s hard to find good examples of faithfulness and kept promises today. When Jesus was born, it was the fulfillment of a promise God had made to His people, that their redemption, the whole world’s redemption would come through David’s lineage. “I will maintain my love to him (the promised descendant of David – Christ) forever, and my covenant with him will never fail (Psalm 89:28).” When Jesus was born that never failing love was nearer than ever before and remains as close and promised today for us through the new covenant in His blood and through the Holy Spirit.

The second characteristic of God’s uncommon love is that it is unconditional – meaning there it is a free gift – we don’t earn it, keep it or remove it. Why? Because God loves us uncommonly because it is about Him; it’s His character. Much of the love we experience is based on our behavior, expectations, agendas and more. That’s not God’s love. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10).” God’s love as made visible in the birth of Christ was about Him and was His initiative. In our lives today, He loves us…just because. Unconditional love is so liberating – it frees us from who were were, from the past, it upholds us in the present and allows us to step confidently into the future.

The third characteristic of this uncommon love is that it is sacrificial. Loving sacrificially is not too popular today. We want to love and be loved…conveniently, safely and without any pain. That usually doesn’t work out anyway. But God’s love in Christ is very different. “Who, being in very nature, God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness…(Philippians 2:6-7).” He was and is the Son of God and He completely condescends to us – Creator taking the form of one of His creations – to live, suffer, die and be raised for us – out of love. It wasn’t a mistake or random event that He came here. There is truly nothing like this.

Finally, the fourth characteristic of God’s uncommon love is that it is daring. Jesus coming into this world as a human, as a child – think of the vulnerability, the risk. This is what moves us we about romantic love – a hero or heroine risks and dares to love when it doesn’t make sense, in ways that do not make sense or are unconventional. As well, Jesus enters this world not just as a vulnerable child – God dwelling in the flesh, so close, but then He dares to and actually does reach and transform human hearts, while at the same time challenging the religious establishment and turning social conventions upside down. He loved and still does love the unlovable among us and sheds His grace upon our unlovable characteristics – this is a daring, risky, nonsensical love – but it’s true and it’s ours.

You’ve heard Garth Brooks, Adele and others sing this song. I ask you to listen to it as if it were coming from Jesus, “When the evening shadows and the stars appear and there is no one there to dry your tears, I could hold you for a million years to make you feel my love…I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue, I’d go crawling down the avenue, know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you feel my love…Go to the ends of the earth for you, to make you feel my love.” This song echoes all of these God love characteristics. When you think about all of these together – faithful, unconditional, sacrificial, and daring – this uncommon love of God is, for many of us, barely believable – too good to be true. It’s inspiring and breathtaking and adds such meaning to what Christmas is really about: the revelation of God’s love in Christ – powerful, transforming, healing and ultimately saving…in other words, a miracle, a visible demonstration of God’s love and power.

It’s the love you’ve been searching for, the love of which you’ve dreamed, the love you’ve been thirsting for…and it’s the love that doesn’t have to be sought after or found; it finds us…it has found us – that’s the baby in the manger! Please hear me today. Loving and being loved never should have been and no longer has to be a distorted, fearful, manipulated, or pretentious experience. Oh, when we awaken to find and behold the gift of God’s uncommon love for us in our hearts and lives – it’s better than even the best Christmas morning gift opening! Then all the fear and self-serving and confusion can disappear as fast as the wrapping gets torn off presents. And then when you and I, depending on God, start to try to love others in these ways – loving spouses, children, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, fellow church members, everyone faithfully, unconditionally, sacrificially and daringly…what’s possible is this amazing, uncommon love of God becoming more and more visible so that while it may not be a baby in a manger or a man on a cross or an empty tomb; but it will still be His body. Christ in and through you and I – loving, reaching, restoring, liberating, lifting up, and embracing right here, right now for all the world to see and know.

May the gift and miracle of God’s uncommon love truly become yours this Christmas.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (September, 2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

2011 Christmas Letter

christopherbwolf — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:52:57 +0000

Advent 2011

Dear Members and Friends of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook:

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

For as long as I can remember, there is a single moment I long and wait for every Christmas Eve…

It’s after the service, after gatherings we might attend, it’s after everyone else has gone to bed…

In the sacred quiet of this miraculous night, I sit and try to treasure up “all these things and ponder them in my heart” – the wonder of God coming near – Emmanuel.

As this season continues and we approach this night of wonder, I invite you to please join us for the following:

Sunday, December 11 – 10:30 am Worship on the Third Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 11 – 4 pm Annual Vespers Program with Dinner

Sunday, December 18 – 10:30 am Worship on the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Saturday, December 24 – 5:30 pm Christmas Eve Service

Sunday, December 25 – 10:30 am Christmas Morning Worship

I know, I know, we live in a cynical, non-stop time; and to say that I am still amazed and in awe may be surprising. But if you think about it, no matter how many Christmases that we share and experience, the story, the event, the miracle is still as awesome as it was at the first one. God chose to come to us and to save us. It takes my breath away when I go there and sit with Him in the quiet of that night.

As the heavenly messenger proclaimed with a light that conquered the darkness that night, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).” If there was ever news too good to be true…and yet it was and is true. The hopeless, hapless shepherds lives are turned upside down as they are told to go see the proof – a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). He came to us. In just one night as the Son of Heaven bent down to dwell on earth – the separation from God was being bridged, being poor was never the same, being hopeless and grieving were never the same, being on the outside was never the same, sin and death would never be the same either.

And He still comes to us, while we are still sinners, while we forget about Him, while we are distracted, while we despair, while we think this is “just another Christmas.” I invite you this year more than ever before, to take all these things – His arrival, His promised return, His sacrificial and transforming love, His death and resurrection and His Kingdom and reign – and “treasure up all these things and ponder them in your hearts.”

After the trees, lights, gifts, carols, cookies and food; in the quiet of Christmas Eve and in the quiet of our hearts and souls – the hope, the peace, the joy, the love – the wondrous, once and yet eternal gift of God in Christ can come alive again.

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Christopher B. Wolf

Season’s Healings

christopherbwolf — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:38:10 +0000

As she stood in that familiar station in the kitchen, stirring the filling for the Thanksgiving pies, she could feel the tears welling up, then meandering down her cheek and then finally dropping into the pie mix. She vainly smiled thinking, “Well, there’s some of the salt I needed to add anyway.” The stirring of the pie filling stirred the memories of the dear ones who were no longer there to give direction, talk and share in the special day.

The holidays are wonderful times. But if we’re being honest, as the years go on, their effect is a combination, much like life, of laughter and tears. The holidays are a concentrated version of this – we feel the laughter and tears more intensely. The awareness of loss and vacancy is higher, appropriately so, during the holidays.

Whether it’s a holiday or just a regular day, it’s not just cheeks and pie fillings that are baptized and seasoned by tears, blouses and shirts, letters, pillows, keyboards, cups of coffee and more.

In addition to my own tears, by virtue of being a pastor and a friend, I have witnessed a lot of tears. I love to wipe away my daughter Madelyn’s tears in part because that’s a good thing to do but also because it reminds me of the Bible verse, “And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes (Revelation 21:4).” I want to do that for everyone – for the tears of failure, tears of fear, tears of grief, tears of loneliness, tears of powerlessness, tears of fatigue, tears of rejection and more. I don’t know, maybe I have known a lot of sad people; I mean, it’s definitely part of my mission to be in places and be with people who need comfort and strength. On a lighter note, I think that some people avoid talking to me because there are probably going to be some tears

If you think about it, tears are very interesting. The Bible acknowledges in multiple places and ways, that tears are a part of the faith journey. In addition to the promise of having them all wiped away, it talks about them as food during sad times, Jesus weeping at the loss of friend Lazarus, tears as repentance and grief over sin and exile; but also tears turning to joy (Psalm 126) and even the very comforting, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle (wineskin). Are they not in your book (Psalm 56:8)?”

Another thing that makes tears interesting is that they reveal truth. As one friend said, “Tears are truth. Whatever the reason for the tears – joy, sadness, fear – whatever is causing the tears, it is a true experience.” And that friend was right. When we face the truth of our lives, tears often flow; when we read, watch or witness something that is truthful, tears often flow. Think of your favorite book or movie and how you react to it. I know as soon as Ray Cansella in the film Field of Dreams looks over and realizes that the catcher removing his equipment is his father, my eyes are already tearing – because there is beauty and truth in the pieces of life coming together and in reconciliation. Or when I am driving and I am switching radio stations and the song Wind Beneath My Wings comes on and reminds me of my Mom and I fight back the tears – because of the truth of our relationship and the grief. Or when I read or listen in the news about someone overcoming the odds or surviving a crisis or trial – because of the truth that God gives us strength we can’t even fathom until it’s needed.

It’s no coincidence that Psalm 126:5 says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” As much as tears of fear, grief, sadness and isolation are a part of our lives and a part of our faith journeys, they do not have the last word; they are not the end. In fact, they are a gateway to God’s comfort, the comfort of others, truth, clarity, renewal and much more.

And, how about this – what is left when the tears dry or are wiped away? Salt, right? Remember what Jesus said, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth (Matthew 5:13 MSG).” If and when we are ready, God wants to convert and transform the wounds and tears of our lives into healing and hope for us and for others. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” The most authentic witnesses and people of faith are the ones who have endured, who have hung on through the tears and who have loved others and offered hope out of their brokenness – “seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.”

Maybe your tears have been “seasoning” parts of your life today – because of grief, loss, anxiety, despair, isolation, futility or another; but I want you to be comforted knowing that they are real, they are the truth, that God knows them and has compassion for you, that these tears are a path to true joy and serving others, and that ultimately they will be wiped away by God himself.

Amen!

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (September, 2011).

Drawing Near

christopherbwolf — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:35:59 +0000

Hey there! Here is this week’s Living Water. Please also tune in tonight for Walk With Me – my new radio show – www.yfnradio.com, 8 pm Wednesdays. Grace and Peace, Christopher

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8