Zach and Starlyn Wedding

A few weeks ago my daughter and I had the opportunity to do the videography for the wedding of Zach Teel and Starlyn Myers. Starlyn is a graduate of Trinity. The wedding had a Scottish theme and was so much  fun to video. It was so nice to hear the friends and family of Zach and Starlyn talk about what godly people both of them are. Congratulations to both of you and God bless. Here is a highlights montage of the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, pre-wedding, ceremony, and reception. Enjoy.

Advent Reading For Today: December 22

LUKE 2:36-38

³⁶ Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. ³⁸And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

The Bible does not provide a moment by moment picture of the people of God. From the last prophecy of Malachi to the announcement of John’s birth to Zacharias, God had not spoken for four hundred years. But just as in the days of Elijah, God has, as He always does, preserved for Himself a remnant, a chosen few who remained faithful, and who longed for the coming of the kingdom.

Anna, like Simeon, was one such faithful servant, as were those to whom Anna spoke, those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Her service came in the form of prayer and fasting. We, when faced with trouble, typically seek a strategy to solve the problem, and turn to prayer as a somehow weaker response. We ought instead to begin with prayer, and rejoice that our prayers, like Anna’s, not only served the saints, but as our text reminds us, serve God as well. The prayers of this righteous woman availed much, as our Father sent His only Son for the redemption of not just Jerusalem, but Judea, Samaria, and the outermost parts of the world.

—Pastor R.C. Sproul Jr., Saint Peter Presbyterian Church, Bristol, Virginia

PRAYER

Our loving and faithful Father, we ask that You would make us a people faithful in prayer, and in hope. In Your grace remind us O Lord, to look, and to pray for the coming again of Your Son, and to speak boldly of the Christ, as Anna did, to all those who hope in Him. AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Consider how you might add occasional fasts to your prayer life. Miss a meal, or a day’s worth of meals, and when hunger comes, use it as a goad to prayer, for a pressing issue in the life of your family or church, or to pray that Jesus’ name would be known throughout the land.

Advent Reading For Today: December 21

LUKE 2:33-35

³³And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Simeon was a devout man who had waited a long time for the Christ. Even though we expect this to be a moment of great joy and celebration, Simeon delivers a message of danger. He tells Jesus’ mother, Mary, that Jesus will be a tremendous troublemaker. Simeon knows his Old Testament. He knows that the prophets don’t promise a Christ as someone who gets along with everyone and never upsets the powerful. Simeon speaks of the “consolation” or comfort of Israel, and when Isaiah uses that language we see that the Christ is coming to “contend with him who contends with you” (Is. 49:25) and to “feed those who oppress you with their own flesh” (Is. 49:26). In a similar message, the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah that “I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant” (Jer. 1:9,10). We might think that this would be a shocking and troubling revelation for Jesus’ mother. It means certain doom for her Son. One doesn’t take on King Herod and the Roman Empire without provoking a deathly reaction. Simeon even promises Mary that “a sword will pierce through your own soul.” Disturbing claims, but this isn’t really news to Mary. She, herself, had sung similar words about her Son’s dangerous work. She knew that in Jesus, the Father, “has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty” (Lk. 1:51-52). She knew Simeon’s words were true. Jesus would be a premier troublemaker for the enemies of God. He came to pull them down, to overthrow them by the Spirit, and to lift up the people of God. The birth of Jesus is just the beginning of this path of the “fall and rising of many.” The world would never be the same. The enemies of God had little clue about the dramatic consequences of Christmas.

—Pastor Douglas Jones, Christ Church, Moscow, ID

PRAYER

O Father, thank you for the fall and raising of many that Jesus still brings to us. Thank you for the privilege of serving in Christ’s kingdom. We praise You for allowing us to be part of this adventure. Give us eyes to recognize His enemies and friends. Give us the courage to pull down and to build up. Give Your church the strength to withstand those who seek to frighten us. Let us rejoice in the work of Christ. AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Discuss with your family what sort of enemies Christ would seek to pull down today. What enemies today resemble King Herod and ancient Rome? What sorts of Christians provoke the sort of anger and deathly retaliation that Jesus provoked? Why does our celebration of Christmas often try to hide the more dangerous side of Jesus’ mission?

Advent Reading for Today: December 20

LUKE 2:25-32

²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

²⁹“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,

According to Your word;

³⁰For my eyes have seen Your salvation

³¹Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

³² A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

During Jesus’ ministry, He was known to have picked up little children and hold them in His arms. He would hold them and bless them (Mark 9:36; 10:16). Jesus welcomed the little children (Mark 10:14) then and now, and this is wonderful.  However, there was a time when Jesus Himself was a little child and someone scooped Him up in his arms and uttered a blessing (Luke 2:28). This man’s name was Simeon, and he is the man we just read about.

Simeon had been waiting to see Jesus, and some think that he was a very old man by this time. We really do not know how old he was, but from his words, we know he is ready to die, and die in peace: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word” (2:29). Here was Simeon, holding the baby Jesus in his arms and calling upon the Lord. Simeon’s eyes looked upon the salvation that had been promised, and was now (somehow!) in his arms.  The Holy Spirit had assured Simeon that he would not die before seeing the promised Messiah, “the Consolation of Israel.”

“And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

Simeon had longed to see this day, he lived for it, and he would now peacefully die because of it. It was on that very same day that Joseph and Mary and Jesus were in the temple to offer a sacrifice when the Spirit sent Simeon into the temple too. This is when he met Jesus.

For Simeon, this was a day of life and death, and life. Simeon looked in the face of Jesus; and as he did so he was full of life and ready to die. Simeon was holding Life in his arms, while at the same time he was approaching death. The Lord’s promises have been realized (again!); and while the dying face of Simeon is looking into the face of Jesus, he proclaims that this life is not some simple and private matter only for one elderly man. No, this is for the entire world: “a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

—Pastor Jeff Niell, Emmanuel Covenant Church, Glendale, Arizona

PRAYER

Grant, O Lord, that we adhere to Jesus, the Savior of the nations, with a tenacity throughout our years, so that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Train us in our youth and sustain us in our old age so that we may love You and display our confidence in Your promises. AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Noting the example of Simeon, discuss the importance of living lives of devotion based upon the sure word of the Lord, asking how this promotes confidence in life and death. Sing: The Song of Simeon (also known as Nunc Dimittis, which are the first two words of Simeon’s blessing in Latin, meaning “now dismiss”), and/or Comfort, Comfort Ye My People. (See next pages.)

Advent Reading for Today: December 19

LUKE 2:17–20

¹⁷Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Shepherds. Day and night, watching sheep, feeding sheep, protecting sheep, guiding sheep, and otherwise doing whatever else the care of sheep calls for. Not exactly what one would call a “glorious” job. This was just the case with the shepherds in the field at Bethlehem, as they “watched their flocks by night.” They did not hold high positions in the local city government. They were not religious leaders to whom people looked for theological answers or spiritual direction. They were not the intellectuals of the day, seeking to spearhead cultural change. They were just plain, ordinary sheep-herders, doing their jobs on a typical “winter’s” night.

Yet, despite all their relative unimportance to the rest of the world, it was these humble shepherds whom God chose for the incredible honor of being the first men not only to see the miracle of God come in the flesh but to announce it to the world as well. In the same way, God chose the humble maiden Mary to carry His Son in her womb. Just a simple “peasant” girl, yet the Bible says she is to be honored above all women.

As He often does, God exalted the simple and humble to be the first among men to know and proclaim the great coming of Christ our Savior. This is a wonderful thing. And if God used at the outset simple shepherds and maidens to bring the gospel into the world, He surely can use you and me as well in building the kingdom of God today.

—Pastor Bill Izard, Grace Covenant Church, Texarkana, Arkansas

PRAYER

Great God in heaven above, we give You thanks for Your own Son who took on the flesh of a newborn baby in order to save the world of men. We give You thanks for Your choosing the weak and the lowly to be a vibrant witness to the waiting world. Thank You for the shepherds who first “preached” the gospel that has now come to us. Thank You for humble Mary who carried God-Become-Man in her womb. Now hear our prayer: Make us faithful bearers of the Gospel ourselves, weak and helpless as we are. Fill our hearts with the joy of the shepherds, our minds with the ponderings of Mary, and loose our tongues to sing Your praises for the wonderful thing You have done in sending Your Son to be our Savior, in whose name we pray, AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Even the smallest child or the quietest family can help spread the good news of Christ’s coming to save the world by celebrating His birth loudly, proudly, and publicly. Plan with your family to carol in the neighborhood or at a local nursing home, throw a party, give gifts to others, etc.; and brainstorm other ways both to celebrate and spread the gospel this Christmas season.

LUKE 2:1–7

¹And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. ⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

If I were to ask you to tell me the story of the birth of Jesus, where would you fit the name “Quirinius” in? You would probably tell me about the shepherds and how there was no room at the inn. You might work in something about swaddling clothes and a manger, but you would probably be hard-pressed to shoehorn into the story much about the Syrian governor Quirinius. So would I. I can’t ever remember mentioning his name in my own tellings of the story. You probably don’t have a Governor Quirinius action figure to go along with your nativity scene.

So why does Luke use up this precious real estate on the pages of the Bible telling us who was in charge at the time of Jesus’ birth? Well, one answer is that he is giving us a couple of historical landmarks by telling us who was caesar at the time, and who was governor, so that we remember that Jesus was a real man born into history. But that isn’t all. We read these names, but then these guys don’t matter for the rest of the story. We hear who the world leaders are, but the angels don’t go to them. They aren’t told that the savior is born in the city of David or about the babe lying in the manger. They don’t even get to hear the song that the angels sing. They are left out of the loop, and in the dark. The new king had arrived, the new order was beginning, and the world leaders didn’t even get a memo.

Far outside the soft palaces and the luxurious comfort of these rulers’ beds that night, in a barn, in a backwater town, a baby was born. Jesus’ invasion of the kingdoms of men began. The Kingdom of God couldn’t be conjured out of the powers and authorities that were already in place; they were weak and ineffectual for salvation. Deliverance has to come from the outside. Human systems and organizations need to be saved themselves, so they cannot offer deliverance. They are powerless to meet man’s most fundamental needs, so Jesus must invade them and overturn them.

Therefore we cannot put our hope in princes or presidents, but in the King that was born in a stable. We pray for His advent. We pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We join with Him in His invasion of the kingdoms and organizations of men to bring them all under His dominion.

—Assistant Pastor Duane Garner, Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church, Monroe, Louisiana

PRAYER

Eternal Father, from whom all truth and justice proceeds: subdue the nations of the world, and grant them your peace. Hasten the time when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Sing Psalm 135 (next page). Discuss all the ways that the Kingdom is still breaking into the world, what other idols must yet fall, and how we should go about the business of overturning them.

Luke 1:39-42

³⁹Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

In this section of his gospel, Luke is interweaving two birth narratives. In the midst of recounting the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, Luke also tells the birth story of Jesus’ cousin and forerunner, John the Baptist. What happened when Mary, with the Son of God in her belly, visited Elizabeth, who was also great with child? The babe in Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy as the promised Savior drew near! This boggles our minds: How could baby John have known that baby Jesus was near? How did baby John know to leap for joy even enclosed in his mother’s womb? This is a great mystery. And yet again and again, we find that God loves the children of his people, even in their infancy, and that even babies can have a relationship with Jesus. David, the great Israelite king and psalmist, wrote, “From my mother’s womb, You have been my God” (Ps. 22:10). When godly parents brought their infants to Jesus, he did not turn them away, but blessed them and declared, “Of such is the kingdom of God!” (Lk. 18:17). We may not be able to explain how babies belonging to Christian families can be believers, and yet it seems to be the consistent teaching of Scripture. Our children belong to Jesus and to his church from their earliest days. All throughout the Bible, God’s promises are to us and to our children (Gen. 17:7). Christian fathers and mothers are blessed, as is the fruit of a Christian womb. This is the Lord’s covenant with us!

God draws people into his kingdom in all kinds of ways, at all ages and stages of life. But for children born into Christian homes, we should hope and expect that their experience will be like that of David and John the Baptist, never remembering a day without the joy of knowing Jesus in their hearts. Certainly, we should all be growing in grace, day by day and year by year. Our faith should mature as our bodies and minds mature. But some how, some way, God can work faith even in the heart of the smallest child. If you are blessed to grow up in a Christian home, you should always remember that even before you could speak or demonstrate your love for God, He had already claimed you and declared His love for you. Give God thanks for His mysterious and amazing grace to families!

—Pastor Rich Lusk, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL

PRAYER

Our gracious heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise, for you have made promises to our family. Those promises include loving and caring for us, and filling us with the presence of your Holy Spirit, even from birth. Help us to receive the kingdom of your Son as a little child, and to rejoice in the Savior’s presence, as John the Baptist did so long ago, even in his mother’s womb. Teach us to know and remember your faithfulness to thousands of generations, and help us to respond to the grace you have given us in your Son with whole-hearted trust and obedience. AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Discuss how God has demonstrated his graciousness to your family. Can any family members remember a time when they did not trust and love Jesus as Savior? How has God shown His faithfulness to you (or your children) even from the womb? What are some ways that your family can receive children in your church in the name of Jesus (Mt. 18:5)?

Advent Reading For Today: December 12

LUKE 1:34-35

³⁴Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” ³⁵And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

In response to the angel’s statement that Mary will conceive in her womb and bring forth a son, Mary asks, “How can this be? How can this be, since I do not know a man?” Upon a cursory reading of the text, we might assume that Mary’s response is one of faithless disbelief. Yet this seems unlikely…. How could it be that the one chosen to bear the only-begotten Son of God be lacking in faith? How could it be that Zechariah who had not believed was condemned to silence, but Mary, if she had not believed, would be exalted by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit?  No… Mary’s “How can this be?” was same “How can this be” that a child utters the first time he peer through a microscope and sees a world that he never knew existed in a tiny drop of water. It is the “How can this be” of wonder and awe. It is a “How can this be” that bows down, submitting to a divine mystery that not even she will ever fully comprehend. It is a question that springs from the heart of one who ends the thought with “Yet… not my will, but Your will be done.”

It is then that the Holy Spirit comes down and works things which are beyond description and understanding in the life of the believer. Ah, the mystery of the incarnation.

—Pastor Gene Liechty, Christ Church, Cary, North Carolina

PRAYER

Creator God,

We praise You for all the mysteries which You have placed round about us. They are too wonderful for us and we ask with the writer in Proverbs 30: “Who can understand the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, or the way of a man with a virgin?” Yet, Father, when we come to the incarnation, we arrive at Your greatest work of all… a virgin conceives, eternity takes on flesh, and the world is forever changed. We praise you for this mystery and we thank You for giving us the faith to believe the unimaginable.  In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION

Talk with your family about some of the outlandish promises that God makes in regard to you and your children and your future. Discuss the origin and importance of faith in our lives as we walk this God.

 

Advent Reading For Today: December 11

LUKE 1:32-33 ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT In these verses the angel Gabriel has already told Mary that she would have a son and that His name would be Jesus. He has told her not to be afraid and one of the reasons she should not be afraid is that her new son would be great. Her baby was no ordinary human who would be born and then grow up and eventually die. He would be great. Of course, we know how great He would be because we can look back at what He did and who He is. But Mary couldn’t do that. She could only listen to Gabriel and accept what He said. And He said the most amazing things! Jesus would be called the Son of the Highest. There is only one way to understand those words: Mary’s little baby boy would be called the Son of God. Can you imagine how she felt looking down into the manger nine months later and thinking that this little child was the very Son of God? But Gabriel had more amazing things to say about the baby that was growing inside Mary. He would be given the throne of David and therefore rule over the people of God forever. God promised that David would never be without a descendant on His throne and now Mary’s little baby was going to sit on that throne forever, ruling God’s people in love and justice. —Pastor Gene Franklin, Jr., St. David’s Church, Hockley, Texas

PRAYER O Lord, you have been so gracious to keep your promises to your people. Long ago you promised that David would always have a descendant on the throne of Israel, then you sent your Son to make sure that will always be true. Please give us that same spirit of faithfulness. In Jesus’ name we ask it, AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION Talk with your family about the importance of keeping your promises and show then that God was always faithful to keep His.

7th Grade Science Rube Goldberg Project

My 7th grade General Science class recently built this Rube Goldberg machine as a part of our study of simple machines (levers, wheel and axles, pulleys, screws, incline planes, and wedges). I think they did a great job. After learning who Rube Goldberg was and what a Rube Goldberg machine is I divided the class into four groups of four. Each group was to design and build a part of the machine and then connect it with the group preceding and following their group. The only parameters I gave them was that it had to crack and egg onto a hot skillet in the most complicated way possible, and it had to incorporate at least three simple machines. First each group made a drawing of their part. After I approved the design they had to build it all themselves. Since it is primarily made of duct tape and cardboard, and since many of the critical parts are propped in place with pencils, CD jewel cases and the like, it is not exactly a machine engineered to precise tolerances. Thus, there was a significant margin of error. It required many “takes”, but alas they DID get it to work. This video though is a compilation of two or three runs so that I could present different camera angles, but again, the 7th graders did get it to run all the way through with no human intervention. And they had many “epic failures.”
This was a great lab because it taught so many different lessons about science (and life). There was trial and error but they could not only depend on that as the ancient Egyptians and the alchemists did. They had to apply the scientific method. Experiments do not always turn out the way you expect. Sometimes stuff blows up and leaves the whole school smelling like vinegar and everybody gets mad at you. 7th grade girls should go by the general rule of thumb that if a 7th grade boy gives you advice you should at best treat it with skepticism, and strongly consider doing the opposite. Advice like, “Hey Margaret, shake up that bottle and see what happens” might leave you and the whole school smelling like vinegar and everybody being mad at you.
Enjoy…