As Sue and I lay in bed the other night saying our prayers we became aware of how quiet our house has
become since our children have grown and left and started families of their own. I still miss going by
their rooms and praying for them as they were sleeping. I can still recall the silly game of saying ‘good
night’ out loud and having both children reply individually back so to ensure that our son was in his
bedroom and not waiting to scare his sister while hiding in her closet or under her bed! (I must admit, he
was pretty good at it)

It is strange how things can change. Sue and I used to look forward to a quiet evening when our children
spent the night at their friends’ home, now we find ourselves praising God for His grace in allowing us to
experience the ‘nosiness’ of a full house by having our grandchildren stay with us on the week-ends.

Ephesians 5:15-16 exhorts us to look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making
the best use of the time, because the days are evil. The Apostle Paul further explains this making the best
use of the time by commanding therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord
is.(vs.17) We make the best use of time by understanding and putting into practice the will of the Lord.

I think that in the following song Wayne Watson has captured our parental responsibility and given us
a reminder that our window of opportunity with our children is not open-ended. Let us make the best
use of the time God gives us for raising our children and for the additional time He might grace to us as
grandparents.

(song starts at 2:45)

There are watercolor ponies on my refrigerator door
And the shape of something I don’t really recognize
Drawn by careful little fingers and put proudly on display
A reminder to us all of how time flies

Seems an endless mound of laundry and a stairway laced with toys
Gives a blow by blow reminder of the war
That we fight for their well-being for their greater understanding
To impart a holy reverence for the Lord

But, baby, what will we do when it comes back to me an you?
They look a little less like little boys every day
Oh, the pleasure of watching the children growing
Is mixed with a bitter cup of knowing the watercolor ponies
Will one day ride away

And the vision can get so narrow as you view through your tiny world
And little victories can go by with no applause
But in the greater evaluation as they fly from your nest of love
May they mount up with wings as eagles for His cause

When my daughter, Stephanie, was a little girl I had a difficult time getting her to allow me to comfort
her. You could tell by the tears in her eyes that she needed and wanted me to take her into my arms
and rest in my love and security that I longed to give her. After a struggle of invitation and rejection,
invitation and rejection, she would finally surrender. What a blessed time it was for both of us basking in
the love that we shared with and for one another.

Jesus also extends an invitation to rest in his love and security that He longs to give us.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.”

Primarily this invitation is for salvation, but there is also continual rest that Jesus is offering. This rest
comes as we continually learn to follow Him and surrender our lives. Reflect with me on this invitation of
surrender in the following song by Rich Mullins.

We have just completed our most recent Couples’ Retreat. What a wonderful time to rejoice in our love for our
spouses and reflect upon our privilege and responsibility to display the gospel in our marriages. Sue and I will
be celebrating 32 years of marriage next month and the following song reminds me again of the great honor I
have in being married to her. I hope that it also expresses what you experience when you gaze upon your spouse.
May God be forever praised for His wonderful design and gift.

May God make us all a bit more like the subjects of this Johnny Cash song in 2012.

They wouldn’t bend – they held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn’t bow – they would not bow their knees to Idols made of gold
They wouldn’t burn – they were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.

Now the prophet Daniel tells about three men who walked with God
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before the wicked king they stood
And the king commanded them bound and thrown into the fiery furnace that day
But the fire was so hot that the men were slain that forced them on their way.

They wouldn’t bend – they held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn’t bow – they would not bow their knees to Idols made of gold
They wouldn’t burn – they were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.

Now when the three were cast in and the king rose up to witness this awful fate
He began to tremble at what he saw in astonished tones he spake
Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire
Well, lo, I see four men unhurt unbound and walkin’ down there;
There’s Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery coals they trod
But the form of the Fourth Man that I see is like the Son of God

They wouldn’t bend – they held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn’t bow – they would not bow their knees to Idols made of gold
They wouldn’t burn – they were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:20)

Well, He cried when He was hungry, did all the things that babies do;
He rocked and He napped on His mother’s lap, and He wiggled and giggled and cooed.
There were the cheers when He took His first step, and the tears when He got His first teeth;
Almost everything about this little baby seemed as natural as it could be.

But this baby made the angels sing, and this baby made a new star shine in the sky.
This baby had come to change the world.
This baby was God’s own son, this baby was like no other one.
This baby was God with us, this baby was Jesus.

And this baby grew into a young boy, who learned to read and write and wrestle with dad;
There was the climbin’ of trees and the scrapin’ of knees, and all the fun that a boy’s born to have.
He grew taller and some things started changing, like His complexion and the sound of His voice;
There was work to be done as a carpenter’s son and all the neighbors said He’s such a fine boy.

But this boy made the angels sing, and this boy made a new star shine in the sky.
This boy had come to change the world.
This boy was God’s own son, this boy was like no other one.
This boy was God with us. This boy became a man,

And love made Him laugh and death made Him cry with the life that He lived and the death that He died,
He showed us heaven with His hands and His heart, ‘Cause this man was God’s own son.
This man was like no other one, holy and human right from the start.

(chorus)

This baby was God with us, this baby, this baby was Jesus; this baby was Jesus, this baby was Jesus.

(Author) Andrew Peterson (Singer) Jill Phillips

It was not a silent night; there was blood on the ground.
You could hear a woman cry in the alleyways that night on the streets of David’s town

For little Mary full of grace with the tears upon her face.
It was a labor of love.

Whenever my family combines my name with that of gardening, they call me the ‘butcher.’ (‘Hacker’ would seem to be a more appropriate agricultural description, but who am I to say?) The sight and feel of my pruners and a disappearing bush bring me great joy and allows me to overcome my hurt in not being featured in Better Home and Gardens! Therefore it was with much interest that I read the following insights gleaned (notice the agricultural terminology) from an address/article from Sinclair Ferguson entitled, “The Christ of History.”

I have always been fascinated by the fact that Mary Magdalene was standing there forlornly in the garden, mourning the death of Jesus. Now we should pause here and notice something amazing before we continue. Our story, as human beings, began in a garden. Adam turned the garden into a wilderness, and Jesus went into the wilderness to deal with the enemy, in order that He might turn the world back into a garden again. Isn’t that wonderful to think about?

To return to Mary in the garden: John, who seems to love double entendres, records that Mary saw Jesus and supposed Him to be the gardener (John 20:15). Jesus wanted her to see Him like that, but it wasn’t just a little space that He was gardening. By His resurrection, He was ‘gardening’ the whole cosmos.

C.H. Spurgeon reflected on supposing Jesus to be the gardener and preached that the wonder is that ever you and I should have been placed among the plants of the Lord. Why are we allowed to grow in the garden of His grace? Why me, Lord? Why me? How is it that we have been kept there, and borne within our barrenness, when He might long ago have said, “Cut it down: why [hamper] it the ground?” Who else would have borne with such waywardness as ours? Who could have manifested such infinite patience? Who could have tended us with such care, and when the care was so ill rewarded who would have renewed it so long from day to day, and persisted in designs of boundless love?… Surely the hoe has spared many of us simply and only because He who is meek and lowly in heart is the gardener.

Supposing Him to be the gardener means that He will make the best of us. My family is very worried when they see me working in the garden. Not so with Jesus. He has the ultimate green thumb and we cannot be in better hands. He prunes with a purpose: increased fruitfulness. One day there will be a finally ingathering harvest, and those He has gardened, will be welcomed into the most pristine garden that only His hands could cultivate.

So if you ever see me with pruners in my hands, pray for my family’s well being living with the garden butcher, but also use it as an occasion to praise and thank Jesus our gardener.

During this present week of study leave, I have been immersing myself in the book of Revelation contemplating a possible future sermon series. I have been contemplating just what kind of book is it? Apocalyptic? The first verse speaks of the revelation (Greek apokalypsis) of Jesus Christ. Prophetic? Verse three states that the book is a prophecy. (Note also 22:7; 18-19). Circular letter? Verses four through 6 shows that it is to be read as a letter. Perhaps a combination of all three? (And still to be dealt with is whether we approach the book from a preterist, historicist, idealist or futurist interpretive grid!)

While exploring and reflecting on some of these interpretive issues, I came across a wonderfully refreshing story about how to ‘view’ the book of Revelation. This story is contained in an article by J. Ligon Duncan III; “The Eternal Glory.” (These Last Days: A Christian View of History) He writes:

The Bible insists that you cannot be earthly good unless you are heavenly minded. Heavenly mindedness actually promotes our discipleship here on earth, and it gives us the assurance that we do not labor in vain.

This reminds me of a story, which involves a Presbyterian minister. Once, when he was walking through the streets of a city, he came upon a shoeshine stand. There was a little boy industriously shining shoes, and the Presbyterian minister came upon him. He noticed that the boy had a book open. He looked closer and saw that it was a Bible. As he looked even closer, the little boy seemed to be reading from the end of the Bible. So the minister said, “What are you reading there, son?” The little boy replied, “I am reading the Bible.” “What book of the Bible are you reading?” the minister inquired. The little boy answered, “Why, I am reading the book of Revelation.” The minister sort of snorted and said, “Well, do you understand what you are reading?” The little boy smiled and replied, “Yes, sir, I do.” The minister (somewhat condescendingly) said. “Well, why don’t you explain the book of Revelation to me?” The little boy grinned and said, “It’s simple: we win.”

I wonder if that little boy would consider being my study partner.