This Child

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 28th of December, and the last Sunday of 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

I doubt any of us remember our days as a little baby.  My earliest memory is of a time when I was around four and my parents put me on stage at our family reunion and had me sing “I’m A Little Teapot”.  At one time much later in life, I did see an old photo of me – looking a lot like Anson’s twin, with a head full of curly yellow hair – with a cigar in my mouth and my great-uncle holding a lighter ready to fire me up.  I couldn’t have been much older than two, and I have absolutely no memory of the event.

All of this is just to say that while we might not have many memories of our early childhood, we were all babies at one time, and most of us had babies of our own in our younger adult years.  So I believe we would all agree that a baby is one of the greatest miracles in life.  And it can be a load of fun watching that child grow and see what it becomes.

In our current day and age, the internet allows us to chart, record, and report on the birth and growth of a child over the years.  For a lot of us here, our early years were only recorded by hand in the family bible, a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.  Before that, any record of a person’s childhood would have been a rarity.

Which is why we know so very little about the child named Jesus.  We know about the manner of His conception, the days before His birth, His birthplace and first visitors, and that His parents took Him and all fled to Egypt to escape death from a cruel tyrant.  But that’s about it.  We’re not told of His first steps, of His early schooling, of how He reacted when He was no longer the only child in the family.  We have no stories of the adventures and squabbles He must have had with His half-brothers growing up.  We don’t even know what happened to His father, Joseph.

But there is one brief account of an occurrence shortly after His birth.  Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Luke shares with us this part of what little we know of Jesus as a little baby, in verses 21 through 40 of the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation

31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

--Luke 2:21-40 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to us in the same way that we enter this world – as a vulnerable little baby.  He came quietly, with a very few invited to His birth.  And we know He grew into an adult, but we have so few details of those first 30 years.  Maybe that’s for the best, because knowing His ministry is what truly matters to us, and His sacrifice is His most important gift for us.  Thank You for planning all this for our sake, our salvation.  And thank You for giving us the Light to guide our steps.  We who follow Jesus try our best to live by His example.  But too often we struggle loving as He loved, loving as He commands.  Father, we know how our failures to properly serve You displeases You.  We need You to help us live in a manner that is more righteous in Your sight.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your and Your Son, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Robert Fulghum once wrote in the Kansas City Times, “Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten.  Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

“These are the things I learned:  Share everything.  Play fair.  Don't hit people.  Put things back where you found them.  Clean up your own mess.  Don't take things that aren't yours.  Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.  When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.”

The newspaper article noted that “this writer has captured the basic part of what Jesus meant when He said, ‘Unless you become like little children, you won't enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

The things Mr. Fulghum learned in kindergarten really revolve around loving one another.  When we truly love others, we don't try to hurt them or cheat them, we share with them, we try to help them and watch out for them.  Jesus wants us to love others - He commands us to love others.  He wants us to be like little children in our outlook on the world.  So let's remember what we learned in kindergarten.

Eight days after Jesus was born He was circumcised according to the first covenant between God and man through Abraham.  Joseph and Mary named the infant Jesus, as the angel Gabriel had instructed them.  They took Him to the temple, following ritual custom, and there He was recognized as the Messiah, first by a man named Simeon, who had been waiting at that place for the Messiah to come, and then by the elderly prophetess Anna, who served the Lord day and night.

Now when we see a little baby, we can only wonder what he or she will become.  We may someday see how they mature, but that will take years and years.  In the case of Jesus, both Simeon and Anna instantly knew that this tiny baby, this Child, was the Savior of mankind.  I can only imagine how a passerby might have reacted upon hearing these declarations.  Yes, a baby is a miracle, but how could a baby… how could this Child possibly redeem all mankind?

There is one more instance we’re told of that happened when Jesus was a youth.  He was at that age where most of us are very confused, trying to figure out the world, thinking we know everything and nothing at the same time.  But Jesus wasn’t exactly like the rest of us, not in this regard at any rate.

Please listen as we continue Luke’s account of the young Jesus, now grown from a baby into a preteen, in verses 41 through 52 of chapter 2…

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

--Luke 2:41-52 (NKJV)

Jesus’ response to His mother carries a little preteen attitude, doesn’t it?  “Didn’t you know I would be doing what My Father told Me to do?”  I can just hear the unspoken part: “What’s wrong with you, Mother?  Have you suddenly gone stupid?”  But can you imagine a child of twelve holding forth in such a way that the learned adults are amazed at what is being said?

The thing is, though, while we may know next to nothing of the early years of Jesus' life, we can see here that even at just twelve years old, Jesus knew who He was and what He was supposed to do.  I was thirty years old and in my second year of college still trying to figure out what I was supposed to do.  And it took another 30 years for it to fully sink in.  But here was Jesus at the tender age of twelve already carrying out God’s will.  Still, He also realized He needed to wait just a bit longer, and honor His mother and earthly father as well as His heavenly Father.

This Child…

Look at this tiny baby, born in a stable, there among the cows and sheep, sleeping in a feeding trough with hay for bedding.  And they call Him a King, and not only that but the King of kings?!?

See the old man, Simeon, holding the infant in his arms, those tiny fingers clutching his.  This is the long awaited Messiah?  This is the Savior of mankind?  This baby, this child?

Yes, this Child.  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.  And He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  This Child redeemed us and reconciled us with God.  Following Him leads to salvation.

The New Year begins in four days.  A lot of folks will make resolutions of things they’ll do to better themselves in the new year, resolutions they’ll too soon break.  The new year does bring a new chance to improve ourselves and also to better the world around us.

How will we spend 2026?  Will anything change for the better?  Let’s spend it serving Jesus, the once little child who is now our King.  In that beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to redeem us and bring us back to You.  And You sent Him not as a conquering hero, but as an innocent, vulnerable baby.  Yet this Child changed the world!  Sadly, the world hasn’t accepted the change, because it hasn’t accepted Jesus as Lord.  For the world is Satan’s playground and he lies and deceives and offers all kinds of pretty temptations to draw us away from our Lord.  Please forgive us, Father, those times when we allow ourselves to listen to and give in to those evil urgings.  Forgive us when can’t completely turn from our sinful ways.  Please help us ignore the devil.  Help us turn away from our sin and turn fully to You.  And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, Your entire life was humble, from Your birthplace to Your final breath as a mortal when You asked God to forgive those who nailed You to the cross.  Yet You were born a King, the King above all kings, the King who loved us and gave of Yourself for us.  Lord, we thank You for loving us this much.  We just ask that You now please give us the courage and the strength to carry on Your work here on earth.  Please forgive us when we struggle to do as You command and love all others.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Our Joy Made Full

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 21st of December, 2025, the fourth Sunday in Advent.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

We’re not entirely sure who composed the 98th Psalm, but some, including the early church fathers, attribute it to King David.  In it, the author sings, “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”  (Psalm 98:3b (NASB))  Now this would have been written just about 1000 years before Jesus was born, but we know that Jesus is the salvation of God, that Jesus is the Christ.

Isaac Watts understood this, too, and that passage led him to compose one of my favorite hymns for this time of year, one that we’ll be singing in a few minutes: “Joy to the World”.  The passage and the hymn both speak to our awaiting the coming of our Lord Jesus, not only for His birth but also His return, when He will call His church home.

While the entire world might not yet know Jesus, let alone accept Him as Lord, and not everyone is filled with joy right now, still, we who know Jesus as our Lord and Redeemer are indeed joyful.  Our joy comes from being able to celebrate Jesus’ birth, and also in looking forward to His return.  So be joyful, Family!  But if you’re not feeling particularly joyful because of something that has happened, then at least be encouraged, for God does love you – and think about attending our Blue Christmas service this afternoon.

Our Bible is all about Jesus, so we could say that reading it should bring us joy.  And indeed, it contains many passages that speak of joy and being joyful, of rejoicing and even of shouting for joy.  But I was lead to one for today where Jesus wants to share His joy with us.

Think about that for a moment…  Jesus want us to have His joy, the joy of God, so that our joy can be complete, no matter what we’ve done or experienced, no matter what we’re going through.  With the joy of God we can do as the Apostle Paul tells us and rejoice always, giving thanks in all situations.  Please listen and follow along to our Lord’s encouraging words as recorded by the Apostle John in verses 9 through 17 of the 15th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible this morning…

9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.”

--John 15:9-17 (NASB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for electing us to follow Your Son Jesus!  Thank You for sending Him to redeem us.  And thank You for sharing Your joy with us when we obey Your Son.  Through Him and our obedience to His commandment, our joy can be made complete.  Just as You love Jesus, He loves us, and He commands that we love others in that same way.  But too often we struggle with this.  Father, we know that these inner battles displease You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your and Your Son, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

I know I've used this before, but it bears repeating for the message it carries.  Our society as a whole is becoming increasingly self-centered, with more and more people caring only about themselves and what they can get out of life, rather than how their actions and words may impact others, for better or for worse.  George Bernard Shaw once noted that, “This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

I don't know about you, but I want to be a force of nature, a force for our Lord Jesus, not some selfish little clod.  Even though I might sometimes complain that the world is not doing what it could to make me happy, I still take great joy in serving my Lord, and rejoice in His blessings.

Jesus left us with rather simple tasks: to love one another and to make disciples.  Our joy is made full when we do as He commanded.  But we all know that those two “simple” tasks are not all that easy to carry out and complete.  We can be quite hesitant to approach someone to tell them about Jesus, especially a stranger, or someone we know is dead set against anything religious.  And as for loving others, there are some that are very difficult to love, for any number of reasons.  But Jesus calls us to love others as He loves us.  His love is selfless, unconditional, sacrificial.  Are we capable of loving like that, even for the people that hate us?

There’s one sentence in that passage that should compel us to do as Jesus commands.  Jesus declared, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit.”  Jesus chose us, you and I, to go and bear fruit, and the sweetest fruit comes from helping a lost soul find and know Jesus.  Studies have shown that doing good for our fellow man makes us feel good, gives us joy.  What better good could we do than to help someone receive salvation and everlasting life?

As I said, loving all others and making disciples for our Lord is not easy.  In fact, Jesus warns us that doing as He commands, while it can increase our joy, it may also bring hardship as well.  But even if it does, we should remain joyful as we endure the hardship and tribulation.  Hear the words of our Lord delivered in His Sermon on the Plain as recorded by the Apostle Luke in the 6th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 22 and 23…

22 “Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way.” 

--Luke 6:22-23 (NASB)

Be joyful if the world turns against you because of your belief in and service to Jesus.  Rejoice, even in the midst of trials and persecution.  Jump for joy, for God has been watching and has a wonderful reward all prepared for you in heaven.  This kind of attitude comes when our joy is made full by Jesus.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come.  Let earth receive her King.  Let every heart prepare Him room.  This is what Advent reminds us to do, to make room in our hearts for Jesus.  And Jesus calls us to help other folks open their hearts to Him as well.

Our joy is made full and complete when we follow Jesus and carry out the task He left us.  No, it won’t be easy.  But even when our neighbors and fellow man mock us and persecute us for our belief and our service, we can take comfort and joy in knowing what awaits us in heaven.

So let us go and bear fruit.  In that beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer, our true joy.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to redeem us and bring joy to the world.  Sadly, the world doesn’t really want joy, not the true and full joy Your Son brings.  The world thinks joy comes from things we own or what other people can do for us.  This kind of joy, earthly joy, is temporary; it fades with time.  If the world would accept You and Jesus, it would understand.  But the world is Satan’s playground and he doesn’t want people to understand.  He wants them to be easily disappointed so they’ll turn against You.  Please forgive us, Father, those times when we let the world dictate our actions.  Forgive us when we turn every way but to You when looking for joy.  Please help us share our joy with the world by sharing Your love.  Help us rejoice in the face of trials and hardship so that others may see Your hand at work in our life.  And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You promise to make our joy full and complete if we only do as You command.  And we will obey Your command if we love You.  The joy You offer lets us rejoice even when others hate us, laugh at us, persecute us simply because we follow You.  You chose us to serve You, Lord, and we thank You for loving us this much.  We just ask that You now please give us the courage and the strength to go out and do as You command.  Please forgive us when we struggle, as did the Apostle Paul, to do what we know is right, and to not do what we know is wrong.  And please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Our Lord of Peace

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 14th of December, 2025, the third Sunday in Advent.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

The Apostle Luke tells us that when Jesus was born, a multitude of angels proclaimed, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men!”.  Peace on earth…  When has this poor earth ever known peace?

You might have heard or read stories of how hostilities ceased on Christmas Day during World War II, and how in some places the German and Allied troops came together to sing carols.  Whether all that is true or purely anecdotal, I don’t know.  But I do know that the very next day, they went back to killing each other.

That’s the kind of peace the world offers: short-lived and quickly broken.  On the other hand, we’re very good at wars and conflicts, and it takes so little to start one.  Even during this most joyous time of year.  I just read of a huge street brawl during a Christmas event on the island of Nantucket.  And around the globe, Christmas markets and displays, especially Nativity scenes, are being vandalized and destroyed.  Peace on earth and goodwill toward men seems like nothing more than a wish, a dream.

The great prophet Isaiah lived approximately 700 years before Jesus’ birth, yet he foretold of that birth and of the life of Jesus quite accurately.  Some folks think that the prophets of old predicted the future, but that’s not the case.  Our biblical prophets simply spoke for God, giving Him a physical voice, relaying what He said would happen.  This is how Isaiah “knew” all about the birth and life of Jesus, because God told him about it.

And this is especially true for one of Isaiah’s best known passages in his great book of prophecy, one that is often quoted at Christmas-time.  Please listen and follow along as the prophet repeats what God told him, from verses 6 and 7 of the 9th chapter of Isaiah’s book, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

6 For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

--Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for choosing the right people to speak for You.  And thank You for inspiring them and giving them the courage to do just that – to give voice to Your words.  Through them, You warned Your people, and You still warn us of our fate if we disobey You.  And sometimes they bring us great and wonderful news, such as when Isaiah told of Your Son coming to us to redeem us and offer us salvation.  This shows Your love for us.  We sometimes forget, or maybe just take for granted, how much You do love us, how much You have blessed us.  And so we struggle to show that love to others.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

19th century poet and activist Caroline Norton penned this succinct verse:

“For death and life, in ceaseless strife,

Beat wild on the world's shore,

And all our calm is in that balm -

Not lost but gone before.”

I don't know if Ms. Norton was speaking of Jesus here, but it would certainly fit.  Jesus is that balm, the Balm in Gilead that makes the wounded whole and heals the sin-sick soul.  Even as the world goes wild, He will bring calm to our soul.

Isaiah called Jesus the Prince of Peace, who brings a peace that will have no end.  Our responsive reading this morning encourages us to take that peace.  In the whirlwinds of doubt, in the apex of the storm, when we just need a place to rest… take the peace Jesus offers.  There’s no need to struggle or fight a battle that’s already been won, so just claim His peace.  But let’s be careful how we consider that word “peace”.

Jesus had been teaching the multitudes using parables, including the parable of the sower, where He gave the example of seed falling on unsuitable ground compared to good soil to describe how the word of God can have different effects depending on the spiritual state of the one who hears it.  After this, He and His disciples prepared to go to the country of the Gadarenes, across the Sea of Galilee.  The Apostle Mark tells what happened next, in the 4th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 35 through 41…

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” 

--Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)

You’d think that the disciples would have figured out by now that Jesus was not just another normal man.  No man can simply tell a storm to go away and have it happen immediately.  Only God has that authority.

But in this case, the peace Jesus commanded was peace as the world considers it, with a cessation of turmoil and strife.  Unfortunately, the peace that the world offers is too often very temporary and easily broken.  This is not the everlasting peace Isaiah spoke of.

A little later in His ministry, Jesus is trying to prepare His followers for the rapidly approaching time when He will no longer be with them.  He tells them of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the indwelling of the Father and the Son.  And He promises a new gift.  The Apostle John saved the last of this for us, in verse 27 of the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, when Jesus said…

27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

--John 14:27 (NKJV)

Jesus doesn't promise to calm the storm raging around us, as He did on the Sea of Galilee.  But if we have faith in Him, He will calm the storms raging within us, no matter what may be going on all around us.

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, but sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.  Jesus offers a peace that is everlasting, not like the peace the world offers that is short and easily destroyed.  When the world gives peace, we are filled with worry over when it will end and how bad will things be after it ends.  With the peace Jesus offers, there is no worry about it ending, nor what might come next.  Jesus calms us from within.  Blessed be the name of Jesus.  In that beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to redeem us and bring Your kind of peace into our lives.  This world doesn’t even know true peace, let alone provide it.  And that’s because the world doesn’t know You.  The world is Satan’s playground and he doesn’t want real, lasting peace among men.  Please forgive us, Father, when we can’t let go of the world’s way and look to it and our fellow man for peace.  Forgive us when we worry more about the storm than about serving You.  Please help us show the world what true peace looks like.  Help us calmly face our trials so that others may see Your hand at work in our life.  And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, long before You came to this earth, You were foretold as being the Prince of Peace.  And at Your birth, God’s heavenly host proclaimed peace on earth.  For that moment, there was true peace.  But then, mankind being what we are, that peace was shattered.  Peace on earth has always been fragile, but Lord, You offer a peace that is unbreakable, a peace that lasts forever and ever, a peace that the world can never give.  Thank You, Lord, for coming to us even while we wallowed in our sin.  Thank You for giving us Your peace, whether it is by calming the storm around us, or by calming the storm within us.  Please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  And please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

What Is Love?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 7th of December, 2025, the second Sunday in Advent.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

What is love?

Poets and authors and songwriters have been describing love pretty much ever since there have been poems and writings and songs.  The dictionary tells us that love is “a strong feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, such as for a parent, child, friend, or pet”, “an active, self-giving concern for the well-being of others”, and “a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for another person”, among many other definitions.

The Greeks have four different words for love – not just three, as some will say, but four.  “Philia” is the love between close friends or brothers – think of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.  “Eros” is the love found in romantic relationships; it’s what drives that sexual desire.  “Storge” refers to the love between family members, like a mother for her child; sometimes called “familia” or “familial love”.

And then there’s “agape”, the one many have likely heard of.  “Agape” is an unconditional, sacrificial love.  It is a love of choice, a love that humbly serves others, a selfless love.  It is the love Jesus showed us, the love of God for us.

In the 13th chapter of his 1st Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul defines agape love in very clear terms.  It is here that he tells us that love suffers long and is kind, and that love never fails.  I’m not sure we humans are entirely capable of that.  Love at first sight quickly goes sour.  “Love” based on physical beauty or sexual attraction fades with time’s passage.  Even the love between parents and their children can be broken apart and cast aside.

But there truly is a love that suffers long and never fails.  It is the love God has for us, His creation.  And it is the love Paul discusses in another of his letters to the early church.  Please listen and follow along as Paul reminds us of God's love, shown through the gift of faith, of the Holy Spirit, and of His Son who reconciles us and offers us salvation, from the first 11 verses of the 5th chapter of his Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

--Romans 5:1-11 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for showing Paul the truth and giving him the power and the courage to face all his trials as he established churches throughout the known world.  And thank You for inspiring him to write so many letters to those early churches.  In this letter to the church in Rome, he reminds us of all You’ve given us and all out of love – love for Your creation, love for Your children.  We sometimes forget, or maybe just take for granted, how much You do love us.  You show us in an endless display, if we’d only stop long enough to look.  We struggle, though, to show our love for You.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

I love this little story...  A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God".  As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered.  In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix.  First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound.  In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel.  There was nothing else to say.

Sometimes we don't need words in order to speak volumes.  I can only imagine what must have been running through that congregation’s minds, sitting there in the gloom, with the unspoken words of love ringing in their hearts.  Only someone who truly, deeply loved us would take the punishment meant for us, the punishment we deserved.  Only He would die for us so that we might live.  Those scars shout, “I love you”.

The Gospel account of the Apostle John is sometimes called the book of love, and not only because the author refers to himself as “the disciple Jesus loved”.  Among its many references to love are those describing the love Jesus has for us and the love of God for all mankind, including the one verse that is most well-known and often quoted the world over, even by atheists and non-believers.

We know the story.  One night, a Pharisee came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness, seeking to know more about this remarkable Man he’d heard of.  John recorded this conversation for us in the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account, including this passage from verses 13 through 21 where Jesus explains to Nicodemus…

13 “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

--John 3:13-21 (NKJV)

In the first part of that passage, Jesus is foretelling His impending death, being lifted up on a cross as a blood sacrifice to atone for our sin.  And all because of love.  God loves us, so He sent His only Son into the world to carry out the salvation plan.  Jesus loved His Father, so He accepted His role in God’s plan for mankind.  Jesus loved us enough to take our punishment and to die so we could live.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but to redeem it and give it a chance at eternal life.  If He and God didn’t love us, we would all have stood convicted and condemned, as in the days of the flood.

Toward the close of their last supper together before His arrest, after Judas left the room and right before Jesus foretold that Peter would soon deny Him, our Lord issued a new command to His followers, those seated with Him that evening, all believers since that time, we today, and all Christians hence forward until the end of the age.  John recorded this one, too, in the 13th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 34 and 35…

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

--John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

At another point in His ministry, Jesus tells us to love all others, not just other believers.  But this is a telling point, because if we can't love other believers, our own brothers and sisters in Christ, then how can we possibly love all others, including non-believers and even those who hate us for our faith?

We Christians do seem to have a hard time loving even other Christians all the time.  We easily get into spats and arguments, carrying grudges and resentment, destroying our love.  We can do better, but it takes a concentrated effort.  Jesus commands us to make this effort.

Jesus calls us to love.  We lit the candle of love this morning to recognize and acknowledge the love Jesus has for us, but also to remind ourselves of that last command, that calling.  This isn’t romantic love Jesus wants of us, nor the love we have for our parents or our children, or our grand-children, or any of our relatives.  It isn’t even brotherly love Jesus calls us to.  It is agape – unconditional, sacrificial love, a love we choose to give, a selfless love that drives our humble service to others.  It is the love that helps other folk in their time of need.  It is the love that leads us to pray for our enemies, those that would do us harm, praying that they too might find salvation through Jesus.  Let’s show Jesus our love by loving others as He loves us.

In the beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us.  Even though we are a stiff-necked people, even when we rebel against You, even when we are disobedient children, You still love us.  And when we were lost in our sin, You sent Your own Son to redeem us and show us the Way.  Even if we don’t always show it, we in this house thank You, Father.  We love You and trust You in all things.  But sometimes we don’t show our love.  We don’t love others as we should.  We even wish harm on some.  Please help us show our love in all things, dear God, to all people of Your creation.  And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You clearly showed Your love – for God and for us – in how You lived Your mortal life and how You gave Your all for us.  Thank You, Lord, for coming to us when we wandered in the wilderness of our sin, to show us what love really looks like.  Thank You for teaching us love, through Your words and Your actions.  We love you, Lord.  May those simple words convey our love for You and our Father God.  Please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  And please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.