Category: All Articles

The Optimism of Christmas

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Holiday

–December of 2001

The Optimism of Christmas

One Christmas Eve over a century ago, an American Episcopal minister was riding horseback across the Judean hills in Palestine.  He stopped his horse at a hillside clearing near the very place where shepherds “watched their flocks by night” so long ago.  Reverently he surveyed his surroundings.  Above him flickered the same stars that looked down upon the new-born Christ-child centuries earlier; below him, sleeping in the darkness, were the narrow streets of the village of Bethlehem.

Though the air that night was cold, the heart of the notable preacher was warmed as he worshiped in his outdoor sanctuary.  The scene so transfixed itself upon his mind that upon returning to America, Rev. Phillips Brooks captured the panoramic wonder of that evening in the words of a poem which he later gave to his church organist, Lewis Redner, who set the verses to music.  You will recognize the familiar carol:

 O little down of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.

Then Brooks penned this astounding, but time-honored evaluation:

 Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light,

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight!

What an incredible expression of optimism!  The hopes and fears of all the years find their fulfillment and resolution in the Baby of Bethlehem!  Born in obscurity under inauspicious circumstances, this Child would be hailed as the Savior of the world; the Conqueror of death, hell, and the grave; the Prince of Peace and the King of Kings!  What an antidote for a restless and chaotic world!

As this article goes to press, our nation is in a war.  Bombs fall on foreign soil as we seek to root out the perpetrators of a great evil.  Here in the homeland, many men and women live under the threat of biological warfare, while others grieve the loss of loved ones.  But above the noise, confusion and political turmoil of our world, as hope and fear continue to battle within the hearts of men, it is fitting that we conclude this year by quietly reflecting upon the coming of One who fulfills every hope and calms every fear!  The confidence of the Christian must remain today where it has always been — in the birth, life, death, resurrection and soon return of the Baby of Bethlehem; for therein, and only therein, is every hope fulfilled and every fear resolved!

Triumphing Over Tragedy

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Church, Theology

–November of 2001

Triumphing Over Tragedy

America has been awakened from decades of secure slumber by a terrorist nightmare of monumental proportions.  In a series of murderous assaults, our sense of territorial invulnerability has been shattered, our economy shaken to its heels, and our carefree way of life halted in its tracks.  The American psyche was clearly rattled on September 11, 2001.

Our response to this national horror has been interesting.  Rescue workers became heroes in swift succession as they braved the burning buildings only to be entombed with those they sought to save.  Congressional leaders closed ranks, made speeches, and allocated funds to relieve the victims and to capture the attackers.  The talking heads in the media marshaled the experts and discussed everything from Islamic fanaticism to World War III.  The average American, however, went to his knees in prayer, stood in line to give blood, and opened both his heart and his purse to thousands of widows and orphans.

My greatest disappointment came from the religious media personalities.  They blamed every segment of sinner it was safe to blame (though Scripture says judgment must begin at the house of God), predicted the end of time, and offered specials on their latest prophecy book.  These are the same religious leaders who promised dire consequences for the world just because our calendar was changing was from 1999 to 2000.  In their haste to capitalize on another “ministry opportunity” they stooped once again to interpreting the Bible through the newspaper, instead of interpreting the newspaper through the Bible.

A very bright spot for me came from two things that our President did.  First, he led America to the place of prayer.  Second, he stood atop the rubble of the World Trade Center and announced to the world that America’s soul had not been torn asunder for it rested on something far more permanent than concrete and steel.  He reminded all of us that terrorists may destroy our infrastructure, but they could never damage our spirit.  I don’t believe our President was grand standing.  He was simply voicing his core beliefs.

President Bush offered the church a great object lesson as he stood atop that pile of rubble.  During times of crisis the church must possess and project a discerning faith that looks beyond the fleeting shadow of the moment to the abiding substance of eternity; beyond things shaken to the things that are unshakable.  Jesus told His church not to fear anyone or anything that could destroy the body (the passing), but fear Him that could destroy both body and soul (the permanent).

The men of this world despair when buildings topple, bodies are broken, and lives are snuffed out.  But the child of God stands amid the encircling gloom of a desperately troubled day, lifts his eyes to Heaven, and remembers “this world passeth away but He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

In times of tragedy the greatest responsibility that the church may have is simply to live up to its greatest convictions and beliefs.  Oh yes, we must be there offering our hands to dig through the debris.  We must be there offering our hearts to comfort those that mourn.  We must be there giving of our means to provide shelter and food for those who are needy.  But, we must also be there standing atop the broken dreams of this present world letting our faith point the way to the only world that really lasts.

Knowing God

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Theology

–October of 2001

Knowing God

To the average man in America God is an inference, not a reality.  He has put belief in the Almighty into the back of his mind along with the other various odds and ends that make up his philosophy of life.  The possibility of an intimate acquaintance with God has never entered his thinking.

Christians, to be sure, go further than this.  God is more than brain deep.  To them He is life deep.  The Bible makes it perfectly clear that God is personal and can be known in personal experience.  Leaping out from almost every page of Scripture is a God who affects us and is affected by us.  The Old Testament gives us portraits of God speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive such manifestation.  We see Him walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden, eating with Abraham by his tent, and arguing with Moses on a mountain top.  The gospels give us a front-row seat as God steps from behind the curtain onto the stage of life to interact with man.  The Bible assumes it to be self-evident that we can know God intimately.

Within the holiness tradition, we are regularly summoned to know God, to talk to God and to love God as one loves a friend.  Yet, to many, the idea of being intimate with God is still mystical and illusive.  Their knowledge of God is more accidental than intentional—more like an occasional contact than an ongoing companionship.  When talking about God they use the textbook language of a learner rather than the transparent language of a lover.  They remind me of a story the Boston Globe carried about an Elvis Presley look-alike contest.  One contestant had this to say, “Elvis was my idol.  I have seen his concerts, watched every movie he has done, bought every album he made, collected ticket stubs and clippings from programs all around the world, had my hair styled like his, and won many look alike contests.  I’ve stormed the stage at his concerts so that he would see me, and I’ve climbed the walls at Graceland to catch a glimpse of him.  It’s really funny, though.  All the effort I put into following him…and I could never seem to get close.”

Why do so many Christians find it difficult to get close to God?  I believe, for the most part, it is the same reason we find it difficult being intimate with one another.  One of the more significant barriers to any relationship is self-centeredness.  The sinful self seeks independence from both God and man.  It is self-seeking rather than self-giving.  No relationship can find true intimacy unless there is a giving of oneself freely to the other.

Another barrier is superficiality.  Our image-conscious culture holds others at enough distance to prevent the development of close relationships.  To allow people to get close means that they will see me as I really am.  We struggle with this kind of openness.  Honesty about ourselves makes us vulnerable.  Being vulnerable is often too threatening to our self image and security.  When this is carried over into our Christian walk, we keep God at a distance.  We fear exposing our inner self to Him.  We talk to Him in clichés rather than pouring out our heart in true transparency.  But the more we mask our true self and hide from God and others, the more distant our relationships become.

A final hindrance is time.  Children spell love “T-I-M-E” and so does God.  Most relationships I know are starving for a lack of time.  Our Western culture has forgotten how to walk.  We know only how to run and drive.  We pack our days so full that time to build meaningful relationships is all but impossible.  Our relationship to God has to be “crock-potted” not microwaved!  The salvation of our soul may be the miracle of a moment but the making of an intimate relationship with God is the work of a lifetime.

God wants to tear down every barrier and walk with us in intimate fellowship.  Scripture tells us if we will, “draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to us.”  That’s not just a possibility, but a promise.  There is no better time than the present to start “knowing God”.

Don’t Forget to Say “Thank You”

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living

–September of 2001

Don’t Forget to Say “Thank You”

He was sitting in his garage watching cars go by, nodding and daydreaming of yesteryears.  My surprise visit startled him back to the present.  We shared greetings and took a little time to catch up on family news.  My 83 year old friend then walked me to his bedroom and showed me two of his most prized possessions.  The first was his lifetime subscription card to the God’s Revivalist.  The second was a plaque from his church thanking him for his many years of service.  My friend beamed with joy.  He felt appreciated.  Somebody had taken the time to say thank you.

As I have advanced in years, my realization has grown of the importance of expressing verbally and in other tangible ways my appreciation for the contribution that men and women have made to life.  My first valuable lesson came as a result of the H. E. Schmul Banquet.  We invited hundreds of people to our campus to celebrate the life and legacy of this great man.  I watched Brother Schmul bask in the accolades given him by one leader after another.  Plaques were presented, letters were read and a proclamation from the Governor was presented.  Brother Schmul was still radiating in the warmth of those accolades the next day!  It was a beautiful moment!

Banquets to celebrate life should not be limited to the high profile saints with very visible ministries.  There are thousands of faithful men and women in our denominations, local churches, mission organizations and Christian day schools who have given years of faithful, sacrificial service who deserve a word of thanks.  Why not have a party and celebrate their life and labors?  Let them know they are appreciated!

If you’re a son or a daughter with a parent that has reached an advanced age, have a celebration.  Write a letter of gratitude and read it to them.  Yes, you’ll cry and they will too, but do it anyway.  They will treasure that letter more than a million dollars worth of gift cards.  They will read it and re-read it many times over.  It will be their sunshine on many a dark and cloudy day.

Church, have a “Pastor Appreciation Day”.  Pastor, find those senior saints in your church and honor them.  Have a “Grandpa Jones Day” or a “Bertha Smith Day” and let both young and old extol their virtues.  No, they didn’t go to dark Africa, but they did stay true to the home church.  They paid the bills, never missed prayer meeting, taught Sunday school and faithfully cleaned the church when the preaching was good and when the preaching was bad.  Celebrate their faithfulness.

God despises any lack of gratitude.  Eleven of the thirteen plagues that troubled the traveling children of Israel came upon them for their ungrateful grumbling.  The reprobates of Romans 1 began the first chapter of their degeneration with these words, “neither were they thankful.”  On the more positive side, God is planning an indescribable celebration and a rewards banquet for His children when this life is over.  Why not get a head start and spread a little cheer now!

Don’t be stopped by the false humility that says, “I don’t want anyone making over me now; my reward is to come.”  Don’t miss the opportunity all around you to make someone’s day.  Don’t forget to say “thank you” in a meaningful way.  The time will come all too soon when the opportunity will no longer be with you.

A Word for Men and Movements

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Church, Ministry

–May of 2001

A Word for Men and Movements

Dr. Paul Brand tells a story of his most memorable visitor to his leprosy hospital in Vellore, India.  One day a French friar named Pierre showed up wearing a monk’s habit and carrying a carpetbag that contained everything he possessed.  Pierre was born into French nobility and he had served in the French parliament.  After WWII, while Paris was still reeling from the German occupation, parliament faced a serious problem of thousands of homeless beggars in the streets.  While the politicians and noblemen debated their plight, the beggars starved or froze to death in the street.  Disillusioned with the slow pace of political response, and desperately wanting to help the street people, Pierre resigned his post and became a Catholic friar to work among them.  Failing to interest politicians or the community in the beggars’ plight, he concluded his only recourse was to organize the beggars themselves.  He taught them to do menial tasks better.  Instead of sporadically collecting bottles and rags, he divided them into teams to scour the city.  Next they built a warehouse from discarded bricks and started a business in which they sorted and processed vast quantities of used bottles from hotels and businesses.  Finally, Pierre inspired each beggar by giving him responsibility to help another beggar poorer than himself.  Pierre’s project caught fire.

After years of successful work, Pierre suddenly awakened to the fact there were no beggars left in Paris.  “I must find somebody for my beggars to help!” he declared.  “If I don’t find people worse off than my beggars, this movement could turn inward.  It will become a powerful, rich organization and the whole spiritual impact will be lost.  My beggars will have no one to serve.”

It was this fear that brought Pierre to the leper colony.  It was at the leper colony that he found the solution to his crisis in Paris.  Returning to France and to his beggars, he mobilized them to build a ward at the hospital in Vellore.  “No, it is you who have saved us,” he told the grateful recipients of his gift in India.  “We must serve or die.”

Pierre possessed a crucial insight into what keeps both men and movements alive spiritually.  Good men can get so caught up in wanting God to do something for them, they forget that God’s main work is to do something through them.  The more a person reaches out beyond themselves, the more enriched they become and the more they grow in likeness to God.  The more we turn inward, or “incurve”, the less Christlike, even less human, we become.

Movements are the same way.  When a movement turns its focus inward and concentrates on preservation, it will become stymied and begin the death process.  Even though it may report financial or numerical gains, it is dying all the while.  It has “incurved”.

The Western church needs no more urgent message than the message of servanthood.  We share a planet with three billion people who earn less than $2 per day.  We live in a world in which 40,000 children die every day from hunger and disease.  Our inner cities are filled with millions of people who have no saving knowledge or understanding of Jesus Christ not to mention serious educational and physical needs.  All the while we are spending record amounts on ourselves and on the edifices in which we worship.  Maybe we need to listen to Pierre and be reminded that the need to serve is fundamental to Christian life and that the act of serving is the very thing that keeps us alive.  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”