Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 22

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - AND AFTER?

AND AFTER?

So the event of history has happened and is history. The Child has been born, the shepherds have visited the manger, and the wise men are apparently on their way.  The inn-keeper has told Joseph and Mary that the inn was full; Herod has not yet learned of the event. What do you suppose happened after all this? The Bible is silent on what all happened after the recorded events.

After the shepherds had visited the manger the Bible states that: “…they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child”(Luke 2:17) and that “[t]hen the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God…” (Luke 2:20). Did this last or, as is often the case, did friends and associates convince them that what they had witnessed was not in fact true but something they had probably misconstrued?

Did the wise men, when they had returned to their home area, remain committed to what they had seen and had travelled so far to experience, or did they return to their previous ways of worship and previous gods?

Was the inn-keeper influenced and changed by what he had witnessed from this couple to whom he had offered the manger and by the events that subsequently unfolded? And what did he do after?

We know, of course, what Herod did after he heard the news and of the events that unfolded in Bethlehem by his orders, events that have become known in history as the Massacre of the Innocents.  What can we learn from all this?

The shepherds had heard from God, the wise men had seen a sign, and Herod had heard about the prophecies and the first indication of the “Good News.” These are the three ways that God communicates to us even today. Did the shepherds continue to believe what they had heard from God or did they, as others probably suggested, start to think that it was really just their imagination or a dream? Many people may hear from God today but really don’t listen thinking that it was just something in their head. After all God is often just in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).

Also, the wise men who saw the sign, did they really continue to believe? Jesus said, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah”(Matthew 16:4) and “[f]or as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation” (Luke 11:30).  So, how often do we miss or not continue to believe in the sign God has given us?

Lastly, Herod had heard the word of the prophets and not only refused to accept that word but rebelled against it. Are we any different? Do we pay attention to the prophets or do we reject their words as did the people of old?  Are we not like the rich man who asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers so they would repent in the story in Luke 16? And the reply from Abraham: “…If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

We don’t listen for God nor do we often see the signs all around us. We ignore the prophets and deny the one who rose from the dead. We seem not to learn lessons very well. Perhaps it would be wise to try harder in this New Year. At least it is something we should all think about.

HAPPY NEW YEAR   

Pastor Caroline - Jesus Is The Light - Christmas Eve Service

Pastor Caroline - December 23, 2020

 

A Humble Birth

What a beautiful reminder David Jeremiah brings to our attention here in the reading today from Daily in His Presence. Try to imagine Mary giving birth without any medical attention to attend to her should she be in need. They are in a stable, a most humble beginning for the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords to be born. The very word of God became flesh on that silent night in Bethlehem. The stars shone bright over the place where He lay and the Wise Men came to greet Him. A truly humble beginning for such a child as this, who would forever change the world.

 

I wonder if when Mary looked into this precious face she had any idea what His life would bring. A young mother who would one day have to watch Him die. A young mother who would see Him through to the age of 33, marveling at His mighty works here on earth and realizing — He was sent— to be our Saviour.

As David Jeremiah said in the last paragraph,

Jesus came into the world “in the likeness of men”, (Philippians 2:7)

May we live our lives according to His teaching that we may strive to leave this world in the likeness of Christ.

 

Have a very Blessed Merry Christmas. Please join us on Thursday evening for our Christmas Eve service at 6 PM. Bill will have it on the website for you to tune in and share that very special time with us. This is our way of being safe and being connected at the same time as we share the Christmas message and a few of our favourite Christmas Carols. We hope they are yours as well.

God bless each and everyone.

 

I will return in the New Year as Wednesday December 30 I will take a break. Happy New Year to everyone. May our Lord give you many rich blessings. I am sending much love to everyone in the name of Jesus.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 21

Dr, Barclay with Something to Think About - THE CHILD

Over the past few weeks, we’ve mentioned the wise men, the gifts, and the shepherds; all of which are important to the Christmas story. But in fact, it’s really about the Child born one day in a manger in Bethlehem. We may not know the exact day He was born or the exact location, but one thing is certain, He was born. There is apparently no reputable scholar or historian who will dispute the simple fact that Jesus was born, lived where the Bible states He lived, and was crucified in His early thirties. There is also little dispute over the fact that no other solitary life has impacted humanity more than has the life of Christ.

The Bible indicates that from the beginning Jesus’ birth and death was planned that way, but why? God is omnipotent, He could have just waved His hand and made any changes He desired to the world but He didn’t. He had His own plan, but why this way?

It is said that every one is a sinner. Romans 3:10-12 puts this way: “There is none righteous, no not one…there is none who seeks after God…there is none who does good, no, not one.”  Romans 6:23 also states that “…the wages of sin is death…” and it says in Joshua 24:19 that “…He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.”

God could have just have forgiven our sins but He would not. It would not really be fair to forgive some and not all and that would mean sin would really go unpunished. Perhaps people could work their way to forgiveness but that too would be unjust because some are more capable of work than others.  Psalm 7:11 remarks that “God is a just judge…” and so working to forgiveness is not going to be the way.

But why did He chose to come to earth as an infant and grow up amongst us as His way of doing things? There are probably many reasons but let me relate three.

First, coming and growing up among us as He did, allowed us to relate to Him on our terms. It gave us the ability to interact person to person so to speak and at the same time illustrated His extreme concern and love for His creation.

Secondly, through Christ, we were able to see God as He meant us to see Him. John 14:9 states “He who was seen Me has seen the Father…” because “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father”( John 6:46).

  Thirdly, He came as a baby so that we would not be afraid. The first thing the angel said to the shepherds, in Luke 2:10, was “…‘Do not be afraid.’”  Who could be afraid of an infant? If however, He had come with all His glory, as He will the second time, there would have been a great deal of fear, as there may well be on His next visit.

To have a God who is willing to come to us so that we can relate to Him, who has made himself visible through His Son and who has humbled Himself enough to come as an infant with all that entails, well, that is truly something we should all be thinking about this Christmas season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS   

 

Pastor Caroline - December 20, 2020 - Love

Pastor Caroline - Wednesday December 16, 2020 -

My Love Letter to God

Today I want to write a love letter to God. I guess this year because of Covid I am much more aware of God‘s protection than ever before. I also have more time to just sit and appreciate what God has done and is doing for me over the years of my life. So please forgive me if this seems personal, however, the Lord is leading me to share this with all of you. Perhaps it could be that you would be able to say, “That is just how I feel”, and so maybe it can be your love letter to Him as well. So here goes.

Dear Lord:

Good morning my dear Heavenly Father. I am writing you today as I just want to say thank you for everything in my life. For so many years I have felt you close to me, watching over me, protecting me, loving me and showing me Your ways in my life. The people who have come and gone and the people who are now in my life have brought me Your love and guidance in so many ways, especially in areas where I need correction, direction, and guidance. You always sent and still send someone to be Jesus to me. There have been times in my life when I could and still do, feel your arms drawing me close as to comfort and console me. Strong arms that say “I won’t let go”. And I know you won’t.

Thank you for showing me how to accept myself as I am, and at times that wasn’t easy on my part, until you reminded me that you made me and what you make is always good. Please help me to always live up to your expectation of me to be the person you see me being. You understand me, you strengthen me, you allow me opportunity to tell others about you, you influence my every day with Your word and the joy I feel in You. You teach me to look up because I am of Your world, not the world here on earth which I am passing through. I cannot thank You enough for even this one great truth of which I claim and tuck away in my heart. So many times I’ve had to remind myself of this and suddenly, my day became brighter!!  You are my source of joy, today and for all my tomorrows until I am finally home where I belong. Wow —how blessed I am. Thank you.

 

Thank you for giving me the ability to do the things I never imagined I could do, and I couldn’t without you.

Thank you for teaching me how to love, especially when it seems most impossible and to learn that all things are possible in Christ.

Show me how to be a living sacrifice as Jesus was and continues to be to us every day.

Please allow me when I leave this world to leave Your love and gift of salvation to more people than I can count, and not to bring any glory to me but rather, to bring glory to You and one day welcome them to Your heavenly home.

Oh yes, and thank you for giving me a talent or two which made it easier to share You with others. Thanks for helping me develop them on Your time frame and only when I needed them so I would not boast.  You are so amazing!!

 

Please Lord, never never let me take You for granted, or take for granted the gifts and blessings you have given me over the years. Every day, a new day, a new gift, breath itself and the joy of seeing the day from dawn to dusk, adding yet another day to my journey in life.

 

I am sure I don’t tell you often enough how much I love You, so please forgive me. I’m sure I don’t say thank you enough, however, I do love You and thank You more than I could ever express. I am so grateful for a Father such as You, Who accepts me as I am, never gives up on me, comes to my aid when I fail or need help, puts words in my mouth that are like honey on my lips when someone needs a soft, sweet word and shows me how to be silent, in the tender, mercy moments of life.

Am I blessed?

YES, YES, YES!!

And it’s all because of you, Father God.

 

Well I guess I’ll close for now Lord and one day we will be together, to walk and talk together in a place where the roses never fade and when all the finishing touches are complete on my mansion over the hilltop. Then I will come to you, because I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

Lord, one request please, may I be in the choir, and lift my voice every day, forever more.

Love, your grateful daughter Caroline.

P.S. Thank you for your gift of Jesus to the world so many years ago, heaven continues to receive those who have received Him as Lord and Saviour and many more still to come. Praise His name!

Merry Christmas to you and it is a Merry Christmas for us because of Your great love.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 20

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE SHEPHERDS

 THE SHEPHERDS

Matthew tells of wise men coming to the Christ child some time after His birth, perhaps a few months after, but how long we don’t really know. Luke relates the story of the shepherds coming to Christ’s birthplace shortly after His birth. There is no indication of these people, the shepherds, seeing a star or any other such sign but of them just quietly tending their sheep.  Can you picture it, a night just like any one of hundreds of others, that they must have spent tending to their flocks and just passing the time as best they could. They were doing their routine chores and surviving.

Shepherds were among the poorest in Judea and probably for the most part uneducated. Also, they were in the lowest echelon of Judean society. Nothing significant happened to shepherds. So, when out of the clear sky, beings suddenly appeared, it would not be surprising that the shepherds would be fearful. Thus, the first thing the angel spoke was “Do not be afraid” and then “…I bring you good tidings of great joy…For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12) 

    To the lowest of the low in Judea and with no warning came the message of Christ’s birth. Not to the rich or powerful or the prestigious was the announcement of the fulfillment of prophecy made. And it wasn’t made to the world as a whole but to “you good tidings” and “a sign unto you” and “you shall find”; personal messages to the shepherds themselves. And so the shepherds went, found, believed, and returned spreading the good news of what they had seen.

  Thus was the birth of Christ. He came unexpectedly and without warning even though His arrival had been predicted hundreds of years previously. So also may be His next coming. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 says:” For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” While 1 Thessalonians 5:6 states: “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do but let us watch and be sober.”

The story of the shepherds tells us that events can happen quickly and without warning, but we must always be ready for that unexpected event. And also to believe when we hear from God. It may not be from a choir of angels but perhaps only a small quiet voice. Remember, the Bible reminds us that the Lord was not in the wind, or an earthquake, or a fire but in “…a still small voice”(1Kings 19:12).

What would the story have been like if the shepherds had not paid attention to the angels, or if they had not believed God?  What if they had not gone to the manger or had not returned spreading the good news? Their lives probably would have gone unchanged and they would have missed out on the greatest event in history. What will our story be like if we don’t “keep watch and be sober” (1Thessalonians 5:6)?  If we don’t expect the unexpected, and don’t believe God when He speaks even in a small voice?

If that were the case, our story may end differently than we wish. So this Christmas when we remember Christ’s first coming, remember that He promised to come again in an equally unexpected but different way, and that we should always be ready. It would be a great misfortune to miss the moment and regret it for eternity.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Caroline - Joy

Pastor Caroline - December 9, 2020

 

Today I would like to look at the Good News Bible, Psalm 46-Verses 1, 2 and 11, and let you know that God is always with us in our trial. His very word assures us as seen in these Scriptures.

(1) God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble

(2) So we will not be afraid

(11) The Lord Almighty is with us, the Lord of Jacob is our refuge.

 

I have a friend who will undergo medical attention in the next week. It came quickly and unexpectedly; however she is trusting in her Almighty God for strength, courage, and a healthy outcome. As she stands in faith to the promises of the Father, she will put her- self completely in His care. She will believe the doctors and nurses will be given a supernatural wisdom and expertise as they work over her. Her confidence in the power and answer to prayer is what will sustain her. As she knows she will be well cared for, and have the full support of her family and friends she knows she is not alone. God is sending her, even now, an awareness of His presence as He lets her know His word is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. As He has walked by her side through many medical challenges she has always been able to give a praise testimony to His faithfulness. It shall not stop now!! He will keep her heart and mind focused on Him as He carries her through this valley to once again bring her to the mountain top where she can shout can of His great love and power.

So as God reminds her and us, of Psalm 46 Verse 11:

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge, it does bring comfort to know He truly sees and understands our trials.

 

Be not afraid, have courage, and know that I am God ——

Be still; and know!!

I am here in your trial,

I will bring you through your trial.

“You” can depend on “Me.“

The Lord Almighty is with us Psalm 46 Verse 11.

 

Take courage in whatever you are facing today and know God is there. You are not alone in this trial and He has a glorious outcome, to which you will give testimony to as to encourage someone else. Be still, and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

Have a wonderful day trusting Jesus.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 19

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE GIFTS

 THE GIFTS

Last week, the question was about how the wise men knew the Jewish prophecies and to look for a sign regarding their fulfillment. Recall that when those signs appeared, they acted with confidence, travelling four months to seek out the location to where the sign led and to pay homage to the prophecy’s fulfillment. They must have known it was to the birth of a child and to that end they brought gifts to present to the child. How old was Christ when the wise men came? We don’t really know, but Matthew 2:11 states that “…when they came into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him.”

This passage implies that the wise men came to a house, not a stable with a manger, and that they worshipped a child not a baby. According to the Bible, when the wise men came and presented their gifts to the child they could not have been there at the same time as the shepherds. For the shepherds, according to Luke 2:15-16, made haste to be at the side of the babe in the manger.  Matthew only speaks of the wise men following a star (2:7), but makes no mention of shepherds, or for that matter a stable.  What Matthew does talk about is the gifts.  But why those gifts?  Why would one bring those particular items to a baby or a child?  

Gold might be expected if they truly believed that this newborn was to be a king but frankincense and myrrh?  

Frankincense was considered to be involved with priestly duties, and in Jewish law there was to be a strict separation of religious and royal functions, while myrrh was a substance primarily used in burial rites.  These would not be items one would expect to be given to a child, but to a person who was to be both a king and a priest.  Up to this time, only one person in the Bible was both a king and a priest. This was Melchizedek, king of Salam and a priest during the time of Abraham.

Now in Isaiah 60:3 it says that: “The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”  In 60:4: “…Your sons shall come from afar…” and 60:6 “…They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.”  Notice, no myrrh.  (Isaiah is speaking upon Christ’s second coming, where there will be no death, henceforth, no need for myrrh.  Just gold for the King and incense for the Priest.)

It’s amazing how the Bible brings everything together and how indeed the wise men did bring appropriate gifts to the child after all. And today, what do we do? We often don’t even  walk across the street to read messages about the Child much less consider a four month journey across a desert to give gifts. It doesn’t have to be gold or frankincense, but what do we give to or on behalf of the Child?

Actually what we can give and need to give is much more simple than gold or incense.  All that is required of us is to be of service to our fellow man. Matthew 25:40 states: “…‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”  Essentially, our help and empathy towards our fellow man is a service to the Lord, and that is an appropriate gift for the Child.

And it’s also something to think about.     

Pastor Caroline - December 6, 2020 - Peace

Pastor Caroline - Wednesday December 2, 2020

 

Be a Servant

Philippians Chapter 2, Verse 5 from the Good News Bible. (all scripture used today will be from the Good News Bible)

(5)The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had:

What attitude did He take?

In Verse 7 of Chapter 2 we are told He took the nature of a servant. In other words He took the attitude of a servant.

Do we take the nature, (attitude) of a servant?

Has someone asked you lately to do something for them and you looked for a way not to help?

Well my friend, you have robbed yourself of a blessing. How blessed you will be when you serve others. Take some time to reach out to someone who is alone, or failing in their health, perhaps going through a rough time, or needs help with banking and groceries, and be Jesus to them. Be a servant. Help in whatever way you can. A little help is worth much when someone is in need. Give up some of your personal time to share that time with someone who needs a little kindness. And don’t look for payment or praise, do what you can for another, telling no one. Be humble; as Jesus was, not looking for an opportunity to boast.

 

As we come before God daily offering ourselves to His service, we need to be ready to take action. Jesus himself served all the way to the cross, look at Verse 8 in Chapter 2, here in Philippians:

(8) He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death — His death on the cross.

 

He laid down His life to serve the debt we owed; He became a ransom for every one of us. He continues to serve us every day of our lives. For this we should be very grateful and willing to help others.

 

God will provide you the strength and energy you need to serve. Use the gifts the Lord has given you, to serve others and to bring blessing into their lives.

Hebrews Chapter 13 Verses 1 and 2, reads as follows:

(1) Keep on loving one another as Christian Brothers

(2) Remember to welcome strangers into your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it.

 

In other words, be hospitable, giving your service unto the Lord. Serve in the love of Christ.

 

And Hebrews Chapter 13 Verse 16 reads:

(26) Do not forget to do good and help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.

Are you willing to be a sacrifice?

 

So my friends are you serving and pleasing God in all you do as you serve with a heart and love of Jesus Christ.

 

Take on the nature (attitude) of a servant and be the very best servant you can be representing Jesus in all your days until you are called to glory.

 

Bless you today as your serve and thank you for doing so.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Ecclesiastes Part 18