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The Church of Ages (John 4:24; Matthew 23:29-36; Psalm 118:22-24)

-Story from God's Ear

    In an ancient city, a church, in the midst of great excitement and anticipation, was built on the Rock of Ages. It was said that this structure would last for all time because its base was the most secure and stable footing in all the world. The people of that city could hardly wait for the beautiful edifice to be built on this most holy of places. For too many generations to count, they had come together to pay homage to their God on the stone that could not be broken and would stand against all that tried to destroy it. After decades of laborious work, the church was completed. It seemed to rise to the heavens, directing all who saw it to lift their eyes to the God to whom the glorious structure was built. 

Prior to the first service, there was a grand ceremony. The minister, stirring everyone’s emotion and faith, had never spoken so eloquently. The inside of the church was a fit setting for the preacher’s splendid words. Great swooping archways and stained glass windows majestically lifted human spirits and caused the congregation to be glad for what they had done for their God. Never had the believers sung with as much power and joy. They rejoiced in the church on the Rock of their salvation. As time went on, many people forgot about the Rock and began to delight in the church more than for Whom the church had been built. Before the building of the church, everyone who came to that place focused his gaze on He who was the Rock that many believed was the place where God Himself dwelt. Now that the church stood over it, people’s attention was on the building, and not upon the Foundation. The archways that used to direct worshippers’ eyes to heaven now allowed adoration to only reach as high as the ceiling. Their vision of God used to reach to the heavens, but now they could only imagine Him confined within those walls. Instead of a good and limitless God of unfettered imagination, they could now only imagine a god who was only as good as they could imagine.

No longer experiencing the power that was brought into their lives by worshipping together with one heart, people found other more “fulfilling” activities to do on the days of worship. Personal happiness became a goal to many, and they invested in those things that they hoped would bring to them a sense of meaning.The joy that once was natural and true and from which flowed a spontaneous love and hospitality, was now replaced with a desire for things that they hoped would bring them the joy they once felt while worshipping at the Rock. The beautiful structure they had built with their own hands had taken the place of a gathering place at The Rock of Ages. What little truth they now believed was only a dim light of that which they had originally possessed.

As their experience told them that the truths of the tired Old Rock were no longer fashionable or helpful, people began to slip away from attending the church they had built. The structure began to slide into disrepair. The once magnificent spires were dingy and began to crumble. Secure window frames, that held the storied images in stained glass, dried out and, from time to time, a glass would loosen crashing down to the road below. The hinges that held the doors firmly in their casings started to pull away from their mountings, and drafts of wind whistled through the church. Once, a warm and inviting place to pray and congregate with other believers, the church was now cold and austere. The new minister talked a lot about being nice and helping people, but he had forgotten how people were empowered to do so. His message was cold and wintry, like the inside of the church.

Finally, the church was deemed no longer safe for people to inhabit and was closed. People walked by the dilapidated old building and hardly noticed it as they passed. They would say things like, “I don't know why that building still stands. Maybe someone will buy it and use it as a museum of useless relics.”

One day, a man who had heard of the “old teachings” of the Rock of Ages, bought the church property and tore the building down to its foundation—carrying away the rubble. The Rock of Ages, and all of its strength was exposed again. People from miles around came to hear the old truth and to worship together at the Rock. Many hearts were gladdened and lives were changed.

After a few years, a group of believers came to the man who had purchased the property, and proposed that a magnificent church be built on the Rock of Ages. “What a memorial to the power of God it will be!” said one zealous woman. The man thanked her, and kindly declined the offer.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Randy Adamson

    Randy Adamson grew up at the corner of Fifth Street and Ninth Avenue on the north side of Greeley, Colorado. His father and uncle's mortuary was on the corner, his house was first house to the east, and his grandmother's house was the first to the north. This little triangle of buildings became the backdrop of many of the important occurrences in Randy's life.

     During his years growing up, the north side of Greeley housed a large portion of the city's Hispanic population. With a Greek momma, his coloring allowed him to fit in well with many of his neighbors. There were not a lot of Greeks in Greeley then, but he found out that Hispanics, though separated by an ocean and a sea, had much in common with his mother's ancestors. Both cultures had a love of family and valued respect for other people.

     Randy learned early on that when he embellished a story, it had more appeal to his listeners. When he began to write, he discovered that he got himself in a lot less trouble writing fiction than in trying to enhance a true story's weak plot. At one point he considered being a newspaper journalist. After two classes in journalism in college, he realized reporting the truth would not be something he could do with integrity, nor would he have as much fun as when he created his own reality.

     In his senior year in high school, Randy became aware of the reality that God did indeed exist, and if He existed, needed to be worshiped. Since then, his belief in God has played a key role in decisions, practices, and vocations that have effected his life. Bible reading has become almost a daily routine with him, and he has found that he is intrigued by the possible backstories of the characters he reads about. 

    Other possibilities were presented by his reading of Scripture. He became curious about the stones that would have sung out if the people around Jesus had not cried out, “Hosanna.” What was life like for blind Bartimaeus and his buddy before and after they asked Jesus to heal them? There is only twelve verses about the wise men in Matthew. What prompted them to travel seven hundred miles to visit the baby Jesus, while the Jewish spiritual leaders who were three miles away in Jerusalem did nothing? The world around Adamson's childhood, at the corner of Fifth Street and Ninth Avenue, influenced his interest to write fictitious stories that were impacted by his faith. All of his books, God's Ear and GASPAR and PILATE are the result of his musings about Biblical 'What ifs?'.

Saint Pilate?

    June 25^th in the Coptic Church is St. Pilate's Day. To us in the West, having been raised on a diet of vilifying the Roman governor, the idea seems amusing. But the early Church did not see him as such. When you read New Testament accounts of Pilate, you cannot help but wonder why the Governor was not treated with as much contempt as Judas the Betrayer. The Gospel recorders are so matter-of-fact in their treatment of Pilate.

    Early Christians saw Pilate as trying to save Jesus' life, and being an unwilling participant much like Abraham was in the near sacrifice of his son, Isaac. They saw his hand-washing as a foretelling of how Jesus' blood would wash away believers's sins. Pilate was a good guy. The Roman Church, effected by the writings of Jewish and Roman historians who had good reason to cover up Pilate's conversion, passed that tradition on to us. The Coptics and the Orthodox see Pilate in a different light than we do. Is it because they trusted the history recorded by their brothers in Christ over emperor-pleasing historians of the time? Brother Matthew, the writer of the first Gospel, sure seemed to have no problem with Pilate—I think I'll trust his opinion. Happy St. Pilate's Day!

Purchase PILATE: Book Two of the St. Nicholas Chronicles 

on Amazon.com 

A Christmas Carol at Advent

Randy Adamson

    “He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas.” This humorous depiction of Ebenezer Scrooge's character reveals Dickens' ability to poke fun at people's foibles. You cannot read the story of A Christmas Carol without getting the feeling that there may be frightfully more of Scrooge in you than there is of his affable nephew, Fred. Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol to heighten British awareness to the social incongruities in Victorian England. The Carol keeps pace with the rhythms of the Christmas season, and, more directly, with the Christian notion of Advent and the anticipation of the coming of Christ. From the opening clause, “Marley was dead,” to Tiny Tim's final proclamation, “God bless Us, Every One!” there is this sense of joyous anticipation in the Carol that righteousness will prevail.

    Dickens divides his novella into five chapters which he calls staves. Staves refer to the musical notation of staffs which reinforces the idea of the story's title. What is even more interesting than the chapter titles' relation to music is the relation of the five staves to the five weeks of Advent. As the Church looks forward with growing anticipation to the coming of the baby Christ at Christmas, so A Christmas Carol builds the expectation of the reader until Scrooge finds redemption in the final pages.

    A Christmas Carol reveals each person's road to Jesus. We are more sinful than we can ever know. Each of us is so much more like Scrooge than we are willing to admit to ourselves. Our depravity is absolute, but our Savior is capable of erasing all of our guilt, filling us with the joy of a redeemed Ebenezer. Treat yourself to a spiritual treat this Christmas by turning off the television, putting away your electronic phones, stashing your game stations, and enjoy, once again, the story that has captured the hearts of millions of readers.

    A free copy of A Christmas Carol can be found on Literature.org, or get a cheap copy at any bookstore or Amazon.com.

    You might have to take two occasions a week to get through A Christmas Carol during advent. Obviously, you may change anything you want to make the time you spend with Dickens a thoroughly personal spiritual indulgence.

    The following themes may aid you as you read A Christmas Carol:

STAVE ONE = Recognition of our own sin

STAVE TWO = The effects of sin on us

STAVE THREE = The joy of not letting sin control our lives

STAVE FOUR = The consequences of our sin

STAVE FIVE = Transformation through repentance

Stave One

BEFORE READING:

1. Pick out Dickens' humor (e.g., door-nail and coffin-nail comparison.) See how many you can spot.
2. In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Jesus says, “And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (For context, read Matthew 25: 31-40.) Jesus, many times reaches out to us through others. Look for those who reach out to Scrooge in this stave (e.g., the carolers).
3. Read Stave One .

AFTER READING:

1. Spend a little time reviewing what you found of Dickens' humor, and people that may have been Jesus' emissaries to Scrooge.
2. What are sections that describe the depth of Scrooge's sinfulness?
3. Which of Scrooge's short-comings remind you of yourself?
4. If you're inclined, see if you can write a humorous anecdote of one of your sins.
5. Spend time in personal prayer, asking God to reveal sins you're not aware of that need to be confessed to Him, and ask His forgiveness.
6. Reflect (or if you're bold, sing) I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
7. Pray as the Spirit leads.

Stave Two

BEFORE READING:

1. Look for events in Scrooge's life that helped to mold him into what he became.
2. Read Stave Two.

AFTER READING:

1. What events helped shape Scrooge's life?
2. Do we have to be fashioned by the negative influences in our lives?
3. What occurrences in your life has hurt you?
4. With whom do you need to seek reconciliation. Who has hurt you, or who have you knowingly hurt?
5. Reflect on or sing It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.
6. Read Psalm 139:23, 24.
7. Ask God to intercede in those areas of life that were hurtful to you.

Stave Three

BEFORE READING:

1. Think, as you read Stave Three, how the scenes in this stave are different from the previous one.
2. Read Stave Three.

AFTER READING:

1. Generally speaking, how are the scenes in this stave different from Stave Two?
2. What evidences are there that these scenes are having an effect on Scrooge?
3. Read Philippians 2:1-4.
4. Are there situations in your life where you tend to treat others as Scrooge would rather than with humility? Think of some examples.
5. Why is it important to consider the interests of others?
6. Reflect on or sing Joy to the World, and stop after the third verse.
7. Pray for those you may have hurt. When you're done, is there anyone you need to seek out for forgiveness?

Stave Four

BEFORE READING:

1. Look for the consequences to Scrooge's sin as you read.
2. Read Stave Four.

AFTER READING:

1. What were the consequences to Scrooge's sin in the story?
2. At the end of the stave, Scrooge says, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!” What does this statement tell us about Scrooge's frame of mind?
3. Read 1 John 1:8-10.
4. How are we made right with God?
5. What two things happen when we fail to admit to our sins?
6. What does God promise to us when we admit our sin to Him?
7. Reflect on or sing Good Christian Men, Rejoice.
8. What ways has God transformed you? Thank God for those transformations.

Stave Five

BEFORE READING:

1. Notice, as the stave is read, how people are continuing to be affected by Scrooge.
2. Read Stave Five.

AFTER READING:

1. How are people's reactions to Scrooge different now than in the first Stave? What is a situation where you noticed that the way you acted affected other people?
2. What is significant about Scrooge's awareness of the mundane objects connected with the Spirits' visits (eighth paragraph down from the beginning)?
3. What was your favorite scene in this stave?
4. How do memory, empathy, and the fear of death work to help change Scrooge?
5. Read Psalm 100.
6. Advent is a time to go back and reflect on the Christ child's coming, and look forward to the next coming of the Messiah. How is Christ's coming again a reason to celebrate?
7. Sing or reflect on O Come, All Ye Faithful.
8. The epistle, 1 John, teaches that it is the seeking of forgiveness of sin and seeking after Christ that are the practices of righteousness. Ask God to show you practical ways of incorporating His help and forgiveness into a changed life for Christ.