David and Benjamin Hijack The Water's Edge Vlog

An announcement of our Christmas Eve Worship Experiences by David and Benjamin with a few bloopers at the end.

WE Christmas - Love

Nothing is more thought about. Nothing is probably more talked about either. It is what we all long for.

It means different things to different people. The two teenagers think it is one thing. The young mother thinks quite differently about it. The brokenhearted has a unique perspective on love. A couple celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary have a much different point of view. To the priest it is something entirely different altogether. 

In the Bible the Greek word used for love is agape. Agape is a verb. It is not something we feel. It is something we do whether we feel like doing it or not. A biblical view of love is not something like: “I am in love with him.” It is more: “I love him.” On the cross Jesus wasn’t thinking, “I’m in love with that person.” But he was able to say, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” 

It means everything when we begin to understand that love is something we do. We love people we feel like loving and we love people we don’t feel like loving. Biblical love has nothing to do with the other person. It has only to do with our own character and integrity. Consider our Lord on the cross: There is no greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. 

When asked what the most important thing in the world was: Jesus said it was to love God, love others, and have a healthy love of self. Paul tells us what love is and what it’s not:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

Jesus says the world will know that we are his disciples by our love. My dream for our church is simple: that we are lovers of God and lovers of people. It is the thing that we do. We invite others, we care for others, we pray for others, we serve others, we give to others, we forgive others, we encourage others, and on and on and on. We are a blessing and we are blessed because we love.

God’s gift of love through Jesus has changed the world and can change your world. God gives and continues to give. Open the gift. Embrace it. Share it. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

WE Christmas - Peace

My message on discovering, embracing, and living out God's gift of peace in our lives.

WE Christmas - Peace

The soldier finds it in the middle of a battle. It can be missing for the monk kneeling at the center of the Sanctuary. The woman walking through a busy city can have plenty of it. The man sitting on the dock observing a quiet lake may only remember a glimpse of it from days long past.

It has almost nothing to do with our surroundings and everything to do with our heart. It is elusive. If it wasn’t, everybody would have plenty of it. Nothing quite like it exists. You recollect when you had it and want to return to those times.

Peace. The Hebrews call it shalom. The Latins call it pax. The Greeks call it eirene. Peace has more to do with balance and focus and contentment and wholeness than it does with the absence of violence. Biblical peace means completeness: the awareness we have what we need and who we need to be wholly and happily complete.

We live in a world that makes peace a challenge. Persistent distractions. Saturated schedules. Burdens from yesterday. Anxiety about tomorrow. Conflict with loved ones. Jealousy and envy. Consumerism. You name it. And then a persistent, quiet voice speaks words of grace:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. –Jesus in John 14:27

Peace doesn’t come from a self-help program or planning or simplicity or healthy boundaries or perceived security. It comes from only from God. We won’t have peace with the world or any person in the world until we are at peace with ourselves.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6-7

It’s late. It’s been a long day. Getting the kids ready for school. Getting ready for work. A stressful day at work. Getting kids from school to sports to home. Making dinner. Cleaning up from dinner. Helping with homework. Doing laundry. A phone call to her mother who isn’t feeling the best. She looks at the messy house, turns off the light, and lays her head on the pillow. She is looking at six hours of sleep and she needs every moment of it because tomorrow will be just as relentless. She prays. Thanks God for kids, a job, food, the guy sleeping on the other side of the bed, provision, forgiveness, and potential.

Nothing about her day would indicate peace. But the One who created the day dishes it out anyway and then serves a few more helpings for good measure. God gives it and it’s ours for the taking.

The best is yet to come…

Craig