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As a song leader I occasionally like to sing two songs to prepare the hearts of the congregation in their participation in the taking of the Lord’s Supper.
I start with “Silent Night, Holy Night” It is a song about the birth of Jesus Christ that is both mournful and hopeful.
The birth of Jesus was set in a scene that was humble and solitary… Just Jesus and his parents in a small corner of a small town.
Jesus’ birth was celebrated first by Shepherds and then by Wise men from the East accompanied by celebratory gifts. Even the stars in heaven witnessed his birth.
The events accompanying Jesus’ death were frightful and demonstrative… earth quakes, the buried dead coming to life, the sun’s illumination turned off and the tearing of the veil in the Temple that separated Israel from God.
His death scene was completely different from his birth scene. A quiet manger scene verses the scene of being raised on a cross on top of a hill for all of Jerusalem to see. Surrounded by those who hated and despised him.
The two common denominators of Jesus birth and death were his complete sin free innocence and the presence of his mother Mary.
I follow “Silent Night, Holy Night” with “Up from the Grave he Arose”
He lived like no other… born in humbleness and humility. Killed in agony and rage. Raised in triumph and glory.
I love the sentiments expressed in “Silent Night, Holy Night” and “Up from the Grave he Arose” and hopefully leading those two songs helps bring the participants closer to Jesus Christ so we can live like no others.
In the Veterinary business it can be very difficult to find a Veterinarian to add to your practice. In fact there are recruiters you can hire to find you an Associate… they charge $30,000.
It made me wonder what would we be willing to pay to “recruit” a new convert or to add a member to the congregation (if you could do that)
Of course I have written two books based on my Uncle Rob’s Blog. Those books are not free to me. I have to pay every time I order some.
I keep some of those books at the church building and if a visitor from the area comes to services I give them a copy. I inscribe my name and phone number inside the front cover. I’m not ostentatious about being an author. I usually tell recipients that its best use is as a sleep aid. Lol.
I keep some books in my truck and at my office in case I run across someone who indicates a little “spiritual” inclination.
Examples…
We have several regular visitors who attend. Recently one said… “I’m really enjoying your book… it is really well written”
I gave a young member a copy who couldn’t afford one. The next Sunday she told me she cried over an article. Which one? “Good News About Alzheimers”
I was at the scrap yard and a woman came up to me and started talking to me and for some reason hugged me. I asked… how are you doing? She said very well spiritually. Anyway we talked for a while and she followed me to my truck and I gave her a book.
The other day a client who I have known for a long time came in with his dog and both volumes of my book. He had bought them and wanted them autographed. Then he added that he had read both books twice and was amazed at how I could write what I wrote. I have known him since before his wife left him for another man and broke his heart. He added that he was a believer but didn’t attend anywhere.
My Uncle who lives out in California says they use my books as a basis for their Bible class in the denomination where he attends.
I could add many more examples.
Here’s what I know for a fact. Not everyone reads the books I give them. Not everyone appreciates the content… but some do. It’s kind of like sowing the seed… you just keep giving away books and hope that some good is done.
Those books do cost me something but I would pay a whole lot more to help someone find Jesus Christ.
I knew a Preacher/fellow Elder who I worked with for over thirty years. To my best recollection he never paid me a compliment. That is until the day he left and then over a phone conversation he paid me a compliment that may be the best compliment I have ever received and it brought tears to my eyes. That was very encouraging.
On the other hand I know people who give out compliments like giving out candy on Halloween… everyone gets one. I had led singing one Sunday morning and had a fellow tell me what a great job I did. That felt good until a few Sundays later a Song Leader led singing who I thought did a particularly poor job and yet the same fellow who paid me a compliment gave the other a guy the exact same compliment… “great job song leading” All of a sudden the candy didn’t taste so sweet.
I’m not saying to only give out compliments every thirty years nor am I saying to continuously give out compliments. But what I am saying is make those compliments real and special. Pay a compliment when it is deserved and provide some details like…
- that prayer you led stirred my heart.
- that prayer brought tears to my eyes.
- the songs you led were inspiring and touched my heart
- I learned something in class today that I had never ever thought of. Thank-you.
- you are going to be an excellent Elder some day and I can’t wait.
Compliments can be very encouraging when given properly and are a great tool for stimulating spiritual growth. When given improperly they can be meaningless and empty.
When Ezra came to Judea to bring the Law of Moses the first thing that happened was that he heard a report of rampant sin… the intermarrying of Jews with the gentile people. He immediately dropped down to pray and to seek guidance on how to remedy the problem.
When Nehemiah heard a bad report about the people and Jerusalem, he also dropped down in prayer and resolved to remedy the situation by rebuilding the wall.
God was with Zerubbabel and King Darius and God was also with Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes. However, King Darius was much more active at protecting the Jews than King Artaxerxes was.
King Darius warned and threatened the surrounding governors with punishments like “impalement” while in King Artaxerxes time the surrounding Governors were given a free hand to intimidate and persecute the Jews. A discrepancy it seems.
Ezra was ashamed to ask King Artaxerxes for troops and protection on the trip to Jerusalem. But King Artaxerxes provided officers of the army and horsemen to accompany Nehemiah. Maybe because Nehemiah was an official of the court and Ezra was just a Jew?
Ezra (and others) successfully got the Jews to commit to only marrying other Jews and to get rid of their Gentile wives and children. You might think with that great cleansing of sin that God would make them prosper but alas it was not so.
Nehemiah came along and found that the Jews were again intermarrying with the Gentile girls and in addition found that the rich Jews were oppressing the poor Jews… charging them interest on loans, confiscating their properties and enslaving their children. Nehemiah was successful in correcting those sins and again you might expect with this turn to righteousness that the yoke of Persian domination might be cast off and Israel might be free and prosperous once again but alas… not so.
Ezra and Nehemiah were acting on the premise (faulty) that God was going to restore Israel to its former prominence and throw off the yoke of foreign domination and give them a King like King David. Their actions were to accomplish that goal. But it was never to be.
No one, including Ezra and Nehemiah, understood the great “mystery” that God was going to reveal. That there would be no earthly kingdom, there would be no earthly King and they would always be under the domination of foreign powers regardless of how “pure” (racially and spiritually) they were.
In the future they could marry whoever they wanted to. They could eat whatever they wanted to and they could worship wherever they wanted to (to name a few things). True freedom.
It becomes easier to understand the backlash against Jesus Christ and the Jews disappointment when you understand those deeply ingrained beliefs based on the Law of Moses… it’s blessings and its curses.
We all are depressed when our expectations come up short but must be resilient enough to change as God reveals new information to us and our understanding is clarified.
