David Bahn – Reflections

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Isaiah 35:1-4

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
    the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
² it shall blossom abundantly
    and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
    the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
    the majesty of our God.

³ Strengthen the weak hands,
    and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴ Say to those who have an anxious heart,
    “Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
    will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
    He will come and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
    and streams in the desert;
⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool,
    and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸ And a highway shall be there,
    and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
    It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
    even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

Who doesn’t rejoice when a baby is born? Perhaps the destitute mother who has no way to support her new born child. Maybe an uncaring father who sees just one more mouth to feed. Could be a harried nurse whose feet ache from days on end of 12 hour shifts. Might be a worried mom or dad who see only a responsibility that their too-young daughter now mother must face.

But these are exceptions. Mostly we rejoice. In the case of Emmanuel’s birth – a miracle in every way – there was much joy. Rejoicing abounded. Angels sang out in the night, “Glory to God in the highest!” The whole creation paused from their travail (cf. Romans 8:22) to breathe a sigh of relief and a song of praise because the time had come for God to act.

Even though we and all creation are waiting for the fullness of our redemption, we too sing our praises and rejoice at the Good News of Jesus’ birth. Joy to the world! Dear Christians Now Rejoice! Go tell it on a mountain! Jesus Christ is born. The Prince of Peace has come. The key of David is unlocking the doors of heaven. Blessings will flow from heaven. We will enter heaven’s gates. Wisdom from on high has been given to us. The mighty Lord has shown his power…in a baby! We are freed from Satan’s tyranny. Morning has dawned. The desire of nations is given.

Are you rejoicing? Listening to Christmas music – not Grandma got run over by a reindeer!  How about Handel’s Messiah. Mannheim Steamroller. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. King’s College Christmas Carols. There are certainly many more!

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear. Refrain

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

2 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. Refrain

6 O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain

7 O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

Text: Public domain

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Isaiah 40:1-4

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord‘s hand
    double for all her sins.

³ A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.

Company’s coming! Clear off the countertops! Clean the floors! Dust. Vacuum. Clean the bathrooms. We don’t live in a Better Homes and Gardens – decorated house. You wouldn’t stage our home for a real estate sale without some major decluttering, furniture moving, and storage unit filling. But when we’re having company certain things just must be done. It may not be listing photo ready. But there are some things we simply must do. I may not be the driver of that process, but I do like the result: a clean house and dirty-laundry-free living space.

When Emmanuel was to come, Isaiah says preparations need to be made. Rather than sweeping floors, however, we must humble the proud and encourage the timid. We must straighten our lives and order our life-choices according to God’s standards. But those means of preparation are for our good and blessing, not so that God will come. It will be better for us if we’re ready for him than if we’re not.

But our preparedness does not determine his mission or his purpose. He was committed to this before the foundation of time. Emmanuel’s intent and purpose is to bless, not to condemn (cf. John 3:17). His commitment is to redeem. He won’t be thwarted by rough roads or unable to traverse deep valleys. Like the song Reckless Love says,

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the 99
And I couldn’t earn it
I don’t deserve it, still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

…

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

Songwriters: Cory Asbury

Reckless Love lyrics © Be Essential Songs,

Bethel Music Publishing, Watershed Worship Publishing, Cory Asbury Publishing

Emmanuel has come. He will come again. His mission is love, grace, truth, and redemption. He has ransomed us. We are his. We need not earn it. But we must live it. He will come again. On that day faith will be turned to sight. All will be right with the world. Justice will be fully and finally served. The humble will be exalted. The arrogant will be abased. We who look for and pray for his coming will be eternally glad. So in anticipation of that, we sing…

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear. Refrain

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

2 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. Refrain

6 O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain

7 O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

Text: Public domain

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I was stuck in the mud up to the axles of my Dad’s 1963 Chrysler Newport. I had foolishly driven onto an unpaved field to turn around. And what looked to me like dry dirt was a bog of mud. I’m sure I nearly broke the transmission of the car as I rocked back and forth, spinning the tires, determined to get out of the mess I had gotten myself into.

On another occasion I had driven home from a date, and going too fast over a hill, the car had gone airborne! I think I actually did break a motor mount on the car that night. It’s a wonder the car survived my early years of driving.

I was oblivious on the one hand of the trouble I was causing, and deeply distressed on the other hand and bent on getting out of the trouble I had gotten in. In both cases I was reckless and irresponsible. Thank God that I didn’t cause even more damage to our family sedan!

When the road is straight, and the ride is smooth, we take little thought for our need for safe travel and dependable transportation. And so much of life is like that for us today. When things are going well, we easily lose sight of our need for God’s provision, protection, and rescue. His grace is a nice thing that we too easily take for granted.

But we are captive. We are captive to sin, death, sickness, discouragement, and troubles of others’ and our own making. We need a redeemer. We need Jesus. For apart from him, we are dead in tresspasses and sins. We are enemies of God. We are spiritually blind to our plight. And sadly these conditions assault us daily. Relentlessly. Cruelly.

But God came and dwelt with us – Emmanuel – and made us alive in Christ. As Paul puts it in Titus 3:3-7:

We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are broken people, living in a broken world, with broken and false remedies to our own rescue. When we realize that, we are ever more ready to sing, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel!”

Emmanuel has come. He has ransomed us. So now we rejoice for Emmanuel has come to us. We wait now for his final appearing and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

[Verse 1]

O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel

[Verse 2]

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law In cloud, and majesty and awe
[Refrain]

[Verse 3]

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grave
[Refrain]

[Verse 4]

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadows put to flight
[Refrain]

[Verse 5]

O come, Thou Key of David, come And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high And close the path to misery
[Refrain]

[Verse 6]

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high And order all things, far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge show And cause us in her ways to go
[Refrain]

[Verse 7]

O come, desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease And be Thyself our King of peace
[Refrain]

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Ezekiel 34:11-16

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

The 1996 movie Ransom stars Mel Gibson as a father of a kidnapped son. The ransom request to which Gibson’s character agrees  was for $2,000,000. As the movie unfolds, however, the ransom money becomes a bounty offer to anyone who fingers the kidnappers. It’s an interesting thriller. And while today the ransom would likely be more like $10,000,000, the fact remains: We are likely to do whatever it takes to rescue a loved one from abduction. You’ll have to decide for yourself about the idea of offering instead a bounty.

We might ask ourselves what we would give to ransom our child. We might wonder whether we have enough to do it. Jesus asks, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37). Therein lies the problem. We don’t have enough to redeem ourselves. Our debt is too great. Or even more to the point our abduction so complete and our situation so dire and we cannot reach deep enough into our own pockets. The money is just not there. We don’t have enough of the right currency. We are captive to our own captivity. 

When God acted on his plan to redeem and ransom lost and broken creation he came himself. Otherwise we are beyond redemption. We cannot reach to him. He must come to us. But what a cost!

Laying aside his glory.

Humbling himself to be born a baby in Bethlehem

Enduring the mocking and dismissal of the religious leaders of his day

Putting up with those closest to him who just didn’t get it

Submitting to the torture of his captors

Carrying is own instrument of execution to a hill outside the Holy City

Dying naked and abandoned by his disciples…and God himself

Being laid in a borrowed tomb

But O what a glorious ransom!

Paralytics set free to run and dance

Sinful women being set free from a life of abuse and forced depravity

A sick child freed from death’s grip at the last minute

Blind men being freed from a life of darkness

A dead man being freed from his grave and then his grave clothes

A doubting man being free from his unbelief

A struggling student being freed from a dead-end life

A faithful woman being feed from fear

A promiscuous girl being freed from guilt and condemnation

A conscientious boy being freed from demanded obedience

A lost son being freed from guilt and abandonment

A deceived woman being feed from her deception

And so many more… Because God heard the pleas of his people and sent our Ransom. He has redeemed us, not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death, and his kind, good, gracious, merciful love. How precious are his gifts! How blessed are we. God is with us.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

[Verse 1]

O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel

[Verse 2]

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law In cloud, and majesty and awe
[Refrain]

[Verse 3]

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grave
[Refrain]

[Verse 4]

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadows put to flight
[Refrain]

[Verse 5]

O come, Thou Key of David, come And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high And close the path to misery
[Refrain]

[Verse 6]

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high And order all things, far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge show And cause us in her ways to go
[Refrain]

[Verse 7]

O come, desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease And be Thyself our King of peace
[Refrain]

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Isaiah 7:10-17

 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ¹⁵ He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. ¹⁷ The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

I love Christmas music! Simple, heart-warming, Delightful and yet profound mysteries are expressed in music and poetry. I will bookend these weeks of Advent devotions with my two favorites. Today will be O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The last week of Advent (leading up to Christmas itself) will be Of the Father’s Love Begotten.

One of my favorite stories about this hymn is about a request that was made for a translation into Latin of this hymn. The request was met with a chuckle. “What? Don’t you know how to do it?” His friend explained, “Of course I know how to do it. But I don’t have to. The original is a 9th century Latin hymn!”

While the hymn as we find it today was first published in the mid 19th century, its origins are actually found in a Benedictine Gregorian chant from the late 8th and 9th century. History tells us that beginning the week before Christmas, the monks would sing a verse a day to prepare their hearts and minds for Christmas.

What’s fascinating about the original seven verses is that each began with a Messianic title from the Scriptures that prophesied and foreshadowed Jesus’ coming:

• O Sapentia (Wisdom) 
• O Adonai (God)
• O Radix Jesse (Stem or root of Jesse)
• O Clavis David (Key of David)
• O Oriens (Dayspring)
• O Rex genitium (King of the Gentiles)
• O Emmanuel (God with us)

The last of the original 7 verses is the one we sing today as the first.  But the seven antiphons in reverse order spell, Ero Cras, which means “I will be present tomorrow,” or “I shall be with you tomorrow.”

Interesting. Perhaps even intriguing. But let’s not get sidetracked in the intrigue. Let’s press on to Jesus! God’s great desire is to ransom us, and to do that God will dwell with us: Emmanuel. This is the promise God gave through Isaiah 750 years before Jesus would be born. A virgin would conceive. She would bear a son. He would be called Emmanuel, God with us. Emmanuel is Hebrew for God with us. God has told Ahaz that he had not abandoned Israel. He commands Ahaz to ask for a sign. And in false humility, Ahaz refuses. In the face of that, God promises a son to be born who will be a sign of God’s redemption and presence. 

The immediate fulfillment of that promise would likely be seen as a child born during the time of Israel’s exile. But that child would not be the fulfillment of that promise. That would come 750 years later when Jesus is born of a virgin. Matthew makes that so very clear: 

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). – Matthew 1:22-23

Jesus has come to be with us for only a short while, but long enough to ransom us. One day we will be with him forever. We pray for that in this hymn. Come, Lord Jesus… Emmanuel!

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

[Verse 1]

O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear

[Refrain]

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel

[Verse 2]

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law In cloud, and majesty and awe
[Refrain]

[Verse 3]

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny

From depths of hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grave
[Refrain]

[Verse 4]

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadows put to flight
[Refrain]

[Verse 5]

O come, Thou Key of David, come And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high And close the path to misery
[Refrain]

[Verse 6]

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high And order all things, far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge show And cause us in her ways to go
[Refrain]

[Verse 7]

O come, desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease And be Thyself our King of peace
[Refrain]

Join me in praying these Psalms on this Lord’s Day

Psalm 27:1-5, 14

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When evildoers assail me
    to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.

³ Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet I will be confident.

⁴ One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.

⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Psalm 57:1-3

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
³ He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Psalm 87

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
²     the Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³ Glorious things of you are spoken,
    O city of God. Selah

⁴ Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
    behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—
    “This one was born there,” they say.
⁵ And of Zion it shall be said,
    “This one and that one were born in her”;
    for the Most High himself will establish her.
⁶ The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
    “This one was born there.” Selah

⁷ Singers and dancers alike say,
    “All my springs are in you.”

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
² For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147:7-11

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!
⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He gives to the beasts their food,
    and to the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰ His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹ but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®)
Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
All rights reserved

Psalm 107:1

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:18-19

May [you] have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

1 John 4:7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

The Top Five things for which I am thankful fall into five broad categories. In reverse order of their importance they are…

# 5: Things I can taste, smell, touch, see, and hear.
# 4: Freedoms and blessings we enjoy in these United States of America
# 3: Family of believers – brothers and sisters in Christ
# 2: Family, wife, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews
# 1: The goodness, love, and grace of God shown in Jesus Christ.

Today’s thanksgiving blessing: The goodness, love, and grace of God shown in Jesus Christ.

Steadfast. Unwavering. Unconditional. Glorious. Good, so very good. Love is all these things. We see it so perfectly in Jesus.

We too quickly use the word love. “I love pecan pie. I love chocolate.” But that is not love in the truest sense. For in both those cases the love we speak of consumes and devours its object. The pizza and chocolate are eaten. They are no more.

God does not consume nor devour us. He loves us. He showed that by sending Jesus to be our salvation. Such a gift that was! It is the opposite of consuming. It is sacrificial giving. And it never wavers. It is steadfast. For this I am thankful. Deeply and profoundly thankful.

Today we’ll begin decorating our home for Christmas. I’ll bring down trees and lights from the attic. I’ll string some up in the front yard. “JOY” will be on our front yard, large and red. That JOY is there because God sent his Son to be our Savior. In fact, it’s one of the first Bible verses I learned, “God loved us and sent his Son.”

That’s what I come back to. It moves me to love God and neighbor. It is also that which most of all I wish to share with you, Dear Reader. And so I do:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

– 2 Corinthians 13:13

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Ephesians 3:14-21 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The Top Five things for which I am thankful fall into five broad categories. In reverse order of their importance they are…

# 5: Things I can taste, smell, touch, see, and hear.
# 4: Freedoms and blessings we enjoy in these United States of America
# 3: Family of believers – brothers and sisters in Christ
# 2: Family, wife, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews
# 1: The goodness, love, and grace of God shown in Jesus Christ.

Today’s thanksgiving blessing: My Family wife, children, grandchildren, sister, inlaws, cousins, nieces and nephews

I recently was asked to answer three personal questions, one of which is, “Where is your happy place?” My answer was simple…When I’m with my family, as many as possible of our children, grandchildren, cousins, sisters, nieces and nephews.” We had that this summer when we gathered family in Florida for a family celebration in honor of Diane’s and my retirements from full time ministry. We had as many as 20 or more people on one occasion during that time. It was truly a place of personal joy for me.

We’ve had other brushes with such joy. A few years ago we had family here after Christmas. I should add that after Christmas has been a staple of our family celebrations due to the rigorous schedule of Advent, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day services in the churches I’ve served. Most recently there were 5 services on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day. Our son, one year after being with us in the week before Christmas and through that day said, “We’ll never come again before Christmas. You are just too busy for family during that time.”

But after Christmas there is great margin for family celebrations. We’ve either traveled to see our children’s grandparents on Christmas Day, or looked forward to their visits shortly after Christmas Day. One year was a bit of a letdown for our sons, but a strong and strangely happy memory for me.

After the Christmas Day worship service we piled into our big blue 8-passenger Dodge van and headed for Missouri. Our kids weren’t very happy about this plan – especially the one who had received a new graphics card for his computer. He would have to wait for a week to plug it in and try it out. To make matters worse for them, almost all restaurants were closed on Christmas Day. It was cold and snowing and we were hungry. Finally we saw a Waffle House that was open. It was not only open, it was crowded. We had to wait for a table. I was truly delighted to be there with my family. I think I was the only one in that happy mood. Mention Waffle House today, and groans and complaints quickly surface. But it was family time for me.

We don’t have the perfect family. We each bring our own brokenness or shadow-side with us into every relationship. Nothing is without needed compromise, grace, forgiveness, and on occasion, the ministry of holding one’s tongue (cf. Dietrich Bonhoeffer). But I am thankful for my family. My wife is a Proverbs 31 woman, of whom I say, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” My children are a blessing for which I give thanks. Likewise our 9 grandchildren, and all the others. I thank God for my family. It’s # 2 on my list. Tomorrow I’ll share #1. 

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Rev. Jerry Kieschnick is the President Emeritus of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He posted this prayer a few weeks ago and again today. I hope it is edifying to you…

Dear Heavenly Father, Creator of the universe; Jesus, Son of God and Savior of the world; Holy Spirit, Comforter and Helper. In these few brief moments we thank you for your goodness, grace, mercy, peace, and abundant blessings, with these heartfelt praises and petitions:

For forgiveness in a world where many live in guilt …

For freedom in a world where many live in slavery …

For family in a world where many live in isolation …

For food in a world where many live in hunger …

For friends in a world where many live alone …

For faith in a world where many live in fear …

We give you thanks O Lord.

May these realities and remembrances inspire each and all of us to service, to your world and to your church, and to many other expressions of your great love for mankind, that your gifts to us may be used as a blessing for others. In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast 

Philippians 1:3-11

 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Top Five things for which I am thankful fall into five broad categories. In reverse order of their importance they are…

# 5: Things I can taste, smell, touch, see, and hear.
# 4: Freedoms and blessings we enjoy in these United States of America
# 3: Family of believers – brothers and sisters in Christ
# 2: Family, wife, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews
# 1: The goodness, love, and grace of God shown in Jesus Christ.

Today’s thanksgiving blessing: The Family of believers – brothers and sisters in Christ

I recall the moment with great clarity. The startled look on his face. The laughter of the congregation. The pointer flying across the chancel and landing right beside where I was sitting. It was a moment that I felt an incredible sense of love, belongingness, fellowship, and grace with the people of the church I was serving at the time. It was in the middle of a chancel drama when one of the actors let go of that pointer and it flew toward me. He was deeply worried that I’d been hit, or deeply worried that he had broken the fourth wall (definition below). But for me it was all about being part of the body of Christ in that place. I was one of them.

There are other times when that has happened to me: having elders gather around me and pray for me during a time of great anguish over a son; seeing members of the church I served at the time show up at the Children’s Hospital where we had sent our newborn son; having our house cleaned by a member of the church – uninvited and unannounced; hearing the congregation respond with applause to my announcement of a delay in my retirement date. Those are dramatic and singular. There are other times as well. Just seeing people lean into the mission of God in various ways, and loving and supporting one another within the church for the sake of those outside the church fills my heart with joy.

Paul makes it clear: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). He makes it clear, also, that we all have a part to play in the Body of Christ. “God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:24-26). 

I am thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Some may require extra grace. Others may be called on to provide that extra grace to me. But what a blessing it is to know we’re all sisters and brothers in Christ. We don’t have to face life’s challenges alone. We should never withhold our praise at the joy of others. We may need to comfort others in their loss (a high privilege). We might need comfort from others in our times of sorrow. And whenever we simply enjoy each others’ company and companionship, a meal, a moment of fun, or the shoulder-to-shoulder blessing of working together on a project, we are experiencing a foretaste of the feast to come. We will then stand shoulder-to-shoulder in praise of the Lamb, enjoy a “feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isaiah 25:6), and the fullness of perfect love between one another as the redeemed of God. 

All this because Christ has redeemed us all, and God has put his name on us in our baptism, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

I’m thankful for that. How about you?

The Fourth Wall

The fourth wall is an imaginary wall that separates the story from the real world. This term comes from the theatre, where the three surrounding walls enclose the stage while an invisible “4th wall” is left out for the sake of the viewer. The 4th wall is the screen we’re watching. We treat this wall like a one-way mirror. The audience can see and comprehend the story, but the story cannot comprehend the existence of the audience.

If you break that wall, you break that accord. This is called “Breaking The 4th Wall.” It can also be described as the story becoming aware of itself. – studiobinder.com