Hallelujah! A Savior is Born!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

            Luke 2: 8-14 (NIV)

 

2020 has been an extremely trying year for the world. In all the turmoil of COVID, politics, job loss, and all the other calamities that have befallen people this year, it is easy to forgot that there is hope. But on this day, we remember the one true hope for humanity - Jesus Christ. He is the savior that God has given us - not some vaccine or politician. The things of this world will ultimately disappoint us, but salvation through Christ is eternal.

On this blessed day, I wish the peace of Christ our Lord upon each and every one of you.

My Faith Story

My church's pastor gave us an assignment this week - take a video where we share our story of how Christ changed us. Well, I don't do video but I like to blog.

Let me begin by telling you about one of my other loves - medieval fantasy. As a boy, I thrilled to the stories of King Arthur and his knights. I remember running around the house with a "sword" may of tinkertoys while listening to the Camelot soundtrack on our stereo (boy, I am really dating myself). In high school, I fell in love with Lord of the Rings, which led me to Dungeons & Dragons. I played extensively during high school and college. As an adult, I turned my back on such "childish" pursuits. Oh, I still role played, but I did it in the guise of "serious" historical study as a Civil War re-enactor.

My love of medieval fantasy re-awakened, however, after I watched the Lord of the Rings movies. I started to read fantasy again and to dabble with tabletop and computer roleplaying games. But most seriously, I took up live action role-playing (LARP), where I dressed up as a knight and engaged in mock combat with fellow LARP enthusiasts.

You may think you know where this is heading. Another "Jesus saved me from the evils of fantasy role playing" you may say. 

Actually no. Christ is far more sophisticated than that. Instead, he used my love of fantasy to draw me closer to him. You see, as I spent time roleplaying a knight, I began to study the history of the institution of knighthood and its code of chivalry, I learned a few surprising things.

• Chivalry = Christian virtue: The code of chivalry is deeply rooted in concepts of Christian virtue. Knights are expected to "do unto the least of these" by using their strength to defend the weak. Furthermore, they were expected to be pure, honorable, upright, humble, etc. In other words, they were expected to be Christian soldiers. Of course, many knights strayed from this path (but haven't we all?).
• Knighthood = Service: The essence of knighthood is service - serve the king, serve his people. In fact, the term "knight" literally means "servant" in Old English.

How did this affect me? I began to think about the idea of serving a king. Twentieth Century Americans are no particularly are not particularly fond of "bending the knee" to a king, but I realized that there is a king to whom we should pledge our fealty. A perfect king - the King of Kings - Jesus Christ. I was filled with a desire to serve Him, and his people. I started getting involved with church and various charities. I wanted to learn more about my King so I began to read His Word - the Bible. I am still traveling the path to knighthood, but as I do, I find that my relationship with Christ is growing stronger.

The Lord Comforts Me

If we listen, the Lord will speak to us. He recently reminded me that. Let me share my story.

I went to the doctor recently due to a health concern. At my appointment, the doctor stated that he believed my condition was not serious. He wanted me to take on more test but was still confident that I would be fine. Just take some pills and I would be good as new (almost). Later that day, he called me back with the test results. I missed the call so he left the message. He sounded rather grave when he asked me to call him back. I was not able to reach him before he left for the night.

That night I was concerned about my health. Why did the doctor call me back? Was it really something far more serious? As I was worrying, I read this passage in the Bible.

He [God] has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. (2 Cor 1:10)

In this passage, Paul was talking about troubles he experienced, but I knew that God was using this line to speak to me. I immediately felt comforted. For He has delivered me from health issues before, and I felt like He was telling me not to worry about this.

As it turns out, the doctor just had a few questions for me. Once I answered them, he repeated his initial prognosis. I was worrying for nothing, but the Lord took those worries from me.

There IS Someone

While reading my Bible recently, I was struck by a passage.

If only there were someone to mediate between us [God and Job], someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot. (Job 9:33-35)

Of course, we now know that there IS someone to bring us together - Jesus Christ. His sacrifice healed the breach between the Father and man, allowing us to approach him without fear. This is shown when the veil separating the Holy of Holies was torn upon Jesus's death.

It is amazing how often (and often quite subtly) the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Jesus.

Never Fear

It seems that the word of the year for 2020 is FEAR.

There has been so many scary things in this world this year - COVID, riots, murder hornets. What next?!

But our Lord is the antidote to fear. Throughout the Bible, He comforts us.

The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Ps 23:4)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isa. 43:10)

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Jn. 16:33)

It is easy to let fear win and lose hope when we place our hope on the things of this world. Everything and everyone in this world will ultimately fail. Not so with Christ. When we place our hope on Him, nothing can prevail against our ultimate salvation, our victory, though Christ, over death itself. So there is no need to fear. We are in His good hands.

Happy Birthday USA

On this day 244 years ago, the delegates of the 2nd Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, formalizing our political separation from Great Britain and the establishment of the United States of America.

More importantly, this declaration set forth a lofty principle of natural rights.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

This statement resonates in the heart of all paladins. We commit ourselves to this principle and seek to uphold it.

We acknowledge that our country has not always lived up to this ideal. This saddens us greatly. Yet we remember the many times that this country and especially its young, brave men have stood up for the principles of freedom and democracy. From the green at Lexington to the hills of Gettysburg, the beaches of Normandy, and the sands of the Middle East, Americans have fought and bled and died for liberty. For this, we thank God for the United States of America, and heartily celebrate her founding.

So in the years to come, let us do as Abraham Lincoln recommended and solemnly resolve

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Amen 

Why I Believe

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone 

who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 

(1 Peter 3:15 NIV)

If you know any non-believers, you may at some time be asked to explain and defend your faith. As Peter wrote (see above), we must be ready to respond in those circumstances. You don't need to have a PhD in theology, philosophy, and history; instead just explain what Jesus has done for you.

Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to know have answers, and more importantly know where to refer people, when they have hard questions about the reality of the Christian faith.

In a nutshell, here's the case for Jesus being God:

1. God really exists.
2. Jesus really existed.
3. He claimed to be divine.
4. He predicted his death and resurrection, then did it.
5. His resurrection proves point # 3.

Do we have hard evidence for these statements? Rather than reiterate them here, let me direct you to some resources that will provide the answers.

• The Case for Christ / Cold Case Christianity - These 2 book were written by trained investigators (one was a journalist and the other was a police officer who worked on murder cold cases). Each has a similar story; they were avowed atheists whose wives became Christians. They decided to use their skills to learn more (and in one case, disprove) the Christian faith. But when they investigated, they became convinced that Jesus was God, and they became Christians. Each provides an excellent overview of the evidence for Jesus's divinity.
• Cross Examined - This is the YouTube channel run by Frank Turek, author of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. I haven't read the book so I cannot comment on it, but the YouTube channel has dozens of excellent videos about the faith. Turek tackles the various objections and questions about the reality of God and Jesus. Most videos are short (under 10 minutes) so are not too taxing.

This just skims the surface, but is a good start if you are truly interested in learning more about the evidence behind the Christian faith. Alas, as Turek frequently mentions, many people don't really want to know the truth about Jesus - they are on a happiness quest rather than a truth quest, and Christianity prevents them from what they want to do. I pray that you are on a truth quest, and find these resources helpful.

Exodus

Background for Sunday's battlegames

A murmur rippled through the gathered crowd huddled in the basement of the modest villa in the capital city of Airedale. A dozen men and women, all loyal to the King, had congregated to discuss the latest proclamation of Duke Rodrick of Palmyra. The proclamation read:

To All Citizens of Palmyra!

Let it be known that the King is truly dead.

He has left no heir to the throne.

Therefore, we have no recourse but to assert our  own authority.

Henceforth, the Duchy of Palmyra shall be a free and independent state.

Anyone expressing loyalty to the so-called King 

shall be considered a traitor to the Ducal Crown

and subject to all due penalties.

Duke Rodrick I

The crowd wondered: would he really follow through with this threat?

At that moment, the door was flung open. The group recoiled in alarm, but then relaxed when they saw who entered. It was Brother Kayfin, leader of the Paladins of Palmyra - defenders of the King's people.

"'Tis true, my friends. The Duke has begun to make arrests. We need to escape from Airedale."

"Where shall we go?" One of the elders asked.

"Brother Rhobrynd and I have scouted out the southern regions," Kayfin replied. "We found a good spot. It lies upon the banks of a secluded lake. The passage to it runs through swamps and woods. The Duke shan't find us there."

The party agreed that it sounded perfect - a veritable oasis in their time of need.

"Will Rodrick allow us to leave?" asked one of the elders.

"Likely not," Kayfin acknowledged. "We must flee in secret. Spread the word through the community - gather your things and prepare to depart tonight. We leave for our Oasis."