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Friday, December 28, 2007

The Bright and Morning Star

The Old Testament ends with the messianic prophecy that “the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2). In context, this prophecy anticipates the inauguration of Israel’s Golden Age. Messiah will come to Earth, vanquish Israel’s enemies, and restore Israel to an intimate relationship with Himself (see 3:16—4:3). This apocalyptic sequence comprises Israel’s hope.

The New Testament closes with a reference to Jesus’ second coming. He came to Earth the first time as the incarnate Word, the baby of Bethlehem. He will come to Earth again as the invincible King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:11–16). Revelation 22, the last chapter of the New Testament, records Jesus’ promise to return “quickly” (verse 12) and identifies Him as “the Bright and Morning Star” (verse 16).

The morning star appears just before the sun rises. The order is noteworthy, because before the Sun of Righteousness arises with healing in His wings for Israel and fulfills Israel’s hope, He will appear as the Bright and Morning Star to fulfill the Church’s blessed hope. He will snatch the Church from the Earth to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17).

I have found no scriptural reason to suppose Jesus cannot rapture His Church today, but He may not do so in my lifetime. Suffice is to say we should maintain an any-moment anticipation and an every-moment dedication.

May some of the luster of the Bright and Morning Star shine through you and me today and throughout the New Year!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

2008 U.S. Senior Open

Some of you may know the U.S. Senior Open will be played at the Broadmoor Golf & Country Club in 2008. It’s a big deal! Although the tournament is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 3, tickets are already becoming scarce. The event will pour millions of dollars into the local economy and show off the scenic wonders of the Pike’s Peak region to thousands of out-of-state visitors.
The Broadmoor course and the five-star rated Broadmoor Hotel are as beautiful as they are famous. Presidents and entertainment celebrities have stayed at the hotel and played the course. Photos of them grace the walls leading to the hotel’s restaurant area.
I stayed at the Broadmoor last year while attending the Write for the Soul Conference. I served as a resource person for the many aspiring writers in attendance. However, I have never played the Broadmoor course. Perhaps I will be able to play it in 2008. Hope springs eternal in a golfer’s heart.
A few years ago, I thought I would tee it up at the Broadmoor. Highway Baptist Church in Falcon, Colorado, gave me a generous cash gift and a gift certificate for golf at the Broadmoor. When I presented the certificate at the pro shop, I was told the certificate was good for merchandise but not golf. Broadmoor golf, I learned, is restricted to members, members’ guests, and hotel guests.
So why didn’t I play golf when I stayed at the Broadmoor during the Write for the Soul Conference. Two reasons: snow and cold. The conference was held in winter and even if the weather had been warm, the conference left no time for anything but meetings and appointments.
Things are looking up, though. Last night, my golf buddy Mark called to say he has an extra ticket to the U.S. Senior Open. “Would you like to go?” he asked.
I like questions that don’t require much thinking. “Of course, I would like to go.”
Next time Mark and I play golf, I will buy him a brat and a Gatorade.
Christian friendship is always a treasure, but it’s priceless on a golf course.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

White Christmas and a Bright Hope

I hope you had a very merry Christmas. Gloria and I did. We drove one hour north to Denver, where the family gathered for lengthy gift exchange and a brief lunch of ham, vegetables, finger food, and a variety of desserts. A country berry pie from the Gooseberry Patch restaurant in Penrose, Colorado, was an especially big hit.

Colorado received snow yesterday, making December 25, 2007 our first white Christmas along the Front Range since 1987. Although snowplow drivers worked on Christmas Day, the roads were slick. Cars moved very slowly along I-25, especially in both directions over Monument Hill. If Rent a Sleigh and Reindeers had been in business, it would have made a huge profit.

I’m happy to report Gloria, our three dogs, and I arrived home safely.

Another Christmas is officially in the history books. There may not be another, because Jesus promised to return someday to escort His Bride, the Church, to Heaven. What a bright hope this future event instills in us!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

The Star of Bethlehem

The magi viewed an astronomical wonder. A star announcing the arrival of the King of the Jews appeared.
Acting upon the divine disclosure, the magi journeyed to the Jews’ capital city, Jerusalem, the reasonable birthplace of a king. But the King of the Jews had been born in the humble, little town of Bethlehem, five miles south of Jerusalem, in fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, “But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2, NKJV). Only a disclosure of this prophecy guided the wise men to Bethlehem and Jesus.
Human reason leads away from the miracle of the incarnation. It just doesn’t make sense that God would send His Son to Earth to be born in a stable, to live among sinful human beings, and then to die on the cross for us. But Scripture leads us to these startling facts. The written Word leads us to the incarnate Word and enlightens us so we may be the illustrated Word to our contemporaries.
Christmas is a good time to recommit ourselves to the task of helping others find the way to Jesus.