Jonathan’s Perspective

Abraham and Sarah struggled to trust God. It was a long journey from their initial hearing the voice of God Almighty. God promised Abram a large family that would become a nation, land, protection, blessing, wealth, and that his people would bless all the other nations. God promised everything a man could wish for and Abram was eager to start the journey to the

I once heard a story about a man who was in Amish country in Indiana. He went up to an Amish farmer and asked, ‘Are you a Christian?’ The Amish man gave a profound response, ‘I don’t know.

I went to Chicago last week to see my daughter in her senior musical, “Into the Woods”. There were a couple of lines that caught my attention. About halfway through the musical Red, after encountering the seduction of the Wolf, said, “Nice is not the same as good.”

Like so many of the Psalms, Psalm 95 starts with a call to praise. “Sing for joy… shout aloud… come with thanksgiving… extol him with music and song.” The way to come into God’s presence is with praise. The Psalmist is telling us to pull out all the stops. 

We have officially entered into Epiphany, the celebration of the magi – wisemen – coming to see the newborn king. Matthew tells us that “They went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” (Matt 2:9)

I love the story of Simeon. He was a man of prayer and was in the Temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple. They had brought the 40-day-old Jesus to offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving to God - two doves. Luke writes,

“In the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1, 4-5)

This passage is filled with grandeur and hope. John reflects on Jesus as the all-powerful one who has made the world.

Dr. Wolfgang Tschacher, researcher at University of Bern, experimented with song and its effects on people. He observed what many had before him. When choirs intentionally harmonize their voices, they also synchronize their breathing. That makes sense. But, unintentionally, their heart rates synchronize and begin to beat as one.

God steps onto the scene in big ways, miraculous ways, when He is doing something new. Israel’s history is filled with God breaking in to redeem his people. Miraculous births are an integral part of that history. Sarah and Abraham had long hoped for a child who would take care of them in their age and shoulder the responsibilities of leading an extended family.