For the Church

What I Have Learned About Pastoring Senior Saints

I recently visited with some of the senior saints in the church I pastor. I have been asking them this question: What do you wish young pastors knew about pastoring senior adults? The responses have been interesting but perhaps not that surprising. In this post, I will share some insights from these conversations and provide some practical ways, as pastors, we can love and lead our senior saints better.

I sat with the wife of the long-time pastor of our church. Her husband has since gone to be with the LORD, and she has remarried, but this sweet 90-year-old saint shot straight. She said I’m old, not dead! During our conversation, I realized the danger of solely focusing on children, students, and families. The LORD has been blessing our church in recent months, and we have seen good and healthy growth. This growth has mostly come from families with young children. As we have seen this growth, we have intentionally invested in the children’s ministry. I fear we will unintentionally create age-specific silos if we are not careful.

Your seniors have wisdom and experience, not just in life but in their walk with the LORD. They do not want to feel like the old bull being put out to pasture, and sometimes this is the message we send them when we focus exclusively on the young families in the church.

Another sweet widow, a woman who is nearly 85 years old, shared with me the reality of loneliness. She lives on a substantial piece of property just west of town. Her husband passed away several years ago as well as her only child. She has no close relatives and lives alone on her property. I visited her on a Friday and took my wife and three-year-old daughter. This sweet lady was so happy to have someone spend time with her. It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of our pastoral schedules, but dear pastor, do not miss the joys of visiting with your senior saints!

Finally, just a few days ago, I was sitting in a hospital room with our last remaining charter member. She is 95 years old, and her mind is still sharp as a tack! She was joking with me about the music she wants to be played at her funeral. She said, “Don’t play any of the new stuff; I want the old hymns!” Now our church does an excellent job at blending hymns of the faith with new, theologically sound music. Her statement was not out of displeasure for what worship sounds like at our church. Instead, it was a glimpse into her fond memories of church as a child. The reality is we will all be there one day. We will think back about how things used to be and will likely have specific songs of the faith we want to be sung because they hold a special place in our hearts; this is ok!

Out of these conversations, I want to give you three pieces of practical advice as you pastor older saints. These three points are areas I have been convicted of over recent months as I have had these conversations. I hope you will find them edifying and encouraging.

Do not forget about your seniors. They are at a point in life where they are being dismissed. They are losing their physical mobility and freedoms, such as living alone and driving. These are huge aspects of life that, as a young pastor, I tend to overlook. Remember what it was like when you wanted a seat at the table? Now think about how you would feel if the chair you had waited for was pulled out from under you. I believe that is how many of our seniors feel, and our job is to pastor them through this challenging season.
Make time for your seniors. We must remember our older saints are often raised with the idea that the pastor is a big deal. We must also not forget our older saints are often alone. If they think you are a big deal because you are their pastor, and if they are generally alone, 30 minutes of your time can significantly impact them. I feel so convicted about this takeaway that my wife and I are committing to spending intentional time with every one of our senior saints in 2023.
Be gracious to your seniors. Generational gaps are significant because each generation has its own culture. This is why we hear things like “back in my day” and “this is how we have always done it.” These are cultural cues. Be gracious to your seniors as you navigate change. Our identity is connected to our cultural realities, and when you change the church’s culture (which is often needed), you threaten identities. Be gracious.

I am so grateful for the senior saints the LORD has blessed me with at our church. They are the cream of the crop! I desire to pastor them well, and I hope these points of practical advice might help you as you pastor your senior saints. For their good and God’s glory, amen!

Serving Jesus: Our Effort or His?

By Brett Fredenberg / Jan 5

I have often struggled understanding what I should leave up to God’s sovereignty and what is my responsibility.

Some people emphasize God’s sovereignty in salvation almost to the exclusion of human responsibility. For example, when William Carey planned to go to India as a missionary, he was told by one minister, “Young man, sit down. When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine.” I disagree. That does not square with my understanding of the Great Commission, nor did it square with Carey’s understanding of God’s sovereignty.

Other people take human responsibility to the extreme. Rick Warren once said, “It is my deep conviction that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart.” Really? I don’t even understand the keys to my own heart, let alone others’ hearts. This sentiment places far too much emphasis on human ability to manipulate and persuade.

When it comes to sanctification, or growing in our salvation, some teach a very passive approach. Let go and let God, they say. Proponents of the “Higher Life” movement have argued that to actively strive against sin is to operate in the flesh. Conversely, others stress high standards of spiritual discipline to the Holy Spirit’s work, so that people end up trying to live the Christian life in their own strength. For instance, the Institute for Basic Youth Conflicts boasts of its “non-optional principles of life which, when followed, will result in harmonious relationships in all areas of life.”

It seems I’m not the only one who struggles to reconcile God’s sovereignty and human responsibility.

Where is the biblical balance? Or, more to the point: do I need to get busy working on becoming Christlike, or should I simply pray and ask God to do the work in my heart?

Consider Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12-13. I’m indebted to Steven Cole in his handling of this critical text.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)

Previously, Paul had exhorted his readers to live in a manner “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27). This gospel-worthy life is itself a picture of a life that is at work serving Christ and trusting in God’s sovereignty. It is not passive but active, because of its deep rootedness in relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s see how Paul describes this lifestyle in Philippians 2:12-16.

Verse 12: Our Human Responsibility

Paul begins with a call to obedience: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence…” (v. 12a).

Paul begins by commending the Philippians for their obedience. He has been discipling them, mentoring them and teaching them how to follow Christ, and he is pleased with their progress.

But what if Paul never returns? That is a real possibility, given Paul’s legal predicaments. So he calls them to obey his teaching regardless of his presence.

Paul is looking for unprompted obedience. I once developed a program at our Christian school with the goal of producing in students what we called “unprompted service.” The goal wasn’t just for students to serve but to develop the habit of serving—of being a person who student who sees needs around them and simply serves, unprompted by a leader.

This is similar to what Paul was looking for. He wanted his Philippian disciples to follow Christ while he was watching and when he wasn’t. He wanted their obedience to Christ to be free from Paul’s prompting.

Paul’s second call was to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (v. 12b).

The day we put our faith in Christ, we obliged ourselves to obey him too. By embracing Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, I removed every other god off the throne of my heart and welcomed him to assume the throne of my life. Since then, I have been working out the implications of that decision in my life.

Working out our salvation does not mean we are working for our salvation. No one can receive eternal life by working for it. Rather, as Cole helpfully points out, the only people going to heaven are those who have recognized that they were lost and called out to God to save them through the blood of his Son Jesus. Yet once we receive Christ, we enter the process of sanctification, whereby believers begin adopting and demonstrating their new life in Christ.

In fact, the ultimate aim of evangelism is not simply to avoid hell but to obey everything Jesus has commanded us: “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who died for his stand against Nazism, said, “Only the believer is obedient and only those who are obedient believe” (Stephen R. Haynes and Lori Brandt Hale, Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians, 1st edition., Armchair Theologians Series [Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009], 44).

Paul expects his readers to understand that while we are not saved by our works, we are saved for good works (cf. Ephesians 2:10).

“Working out our salvation,” then, means living out the faith we have in Christ. It is virtually the same thing as letting our manner of life be worthy of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27)—a life-long process.

Make no mistake about what Paul desires. He wants real change in the lives of the Philippian believers and he is calling them to obey and work hard to make those changes. This is our human effort side…But wait, look at verse 13.

Verse 13: God’s Side of the Equation

“[F]or it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (v. 13).

Paul just told us to obey and work hard. Now he defines the way in which that obedience and hard work happens. And the ability to obey and work out our salvation is supplied by God himself!

It is God himself that produces both our desire (or will) to live righteously and our ability to work for God’s good pleasure. This is all of grace.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking, I know that my salvation is from God, but now it’s up to me to do the hard work of living for Jesus. But the Dutch Reformed minister Andrew Murray (1828-1917) had this to say: “No, wandering one, as it was Jesus who drew thee when he spoke ‘Come,’ so it is Jesus who keeps thee when He says, ‘Abide.’ The grace to come and the grace to abide are alike from him alone.”

In other words, the same grace that God supplies for us to come to him in faith is the same grace that transforms believers and enables them to live obediently and righteously.

Paul described his own conversion this way. He went from being a church destroyer to a church planter because of grace (Galatians 1:13-15). So too, Paul calls the Philippians to obedience and good works empowered by God’s grace and not merely their own efforts.

Thus, we return to our initial question: Do I need to get busy working on becoming Christ-like, or should I pray and ask God to do a work in my heart?

The biblical answer is: yes.

How Guilt and Shame Can Bring Us Closer to God

By gsutton / Jan 4

When Adam and Eve rejected God’s goodness and authority by eating the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened and they suddenly recognized that they were naked. This new, hyper-self-conscious reality set in motion a series of actions, each one a strategy to hide the shame that they felt over what they had done.

The more they hid themselves, the more distant our first parents became from God and each other. Their nakedness, once a symbol of freedom, self-expression, and mutual enjoyment, suddenly became a symbol of shame. No longer feeling safe about being seen, they sewed together fig leaves to cover themselves.

To keep up the façade, Adam ran and hid from God. When God found him, Adam proceeded to make excuses and shift blame toward both God and Eve. To God, he says, “I was afraid when I heard your voice, so I hid.”

Quite audaciously, Adam continued, “The woman you gave me, she presented me with the fruit, and so I ate it.”

Eve also deflected responsibility, declaring that she ate the forbidden fruit because the serpent deceived her (see Genesis 3:1-13).

This theme of deflecting, blaming, and hiding has remained with us since Eden. Painfully aware of our own nakedness and shame, we, too, have become masters at cover up. Instead of fig leaves, we use other, more sophisticated strategies to cover the things about ourselves that we don’t want others to see. If anyone really gets to know us, if the real truth about us is exposed, surely no one—not even God—will love or desire us. If we let our guards down, we will surely be found out, abandoned, and forgotten.

And yet, we may be surprised to find an opposite dynamic also occurring in Scripture. Instead of running and hiding and creating masks with which to cover their nakedness, the Bible’s most exemplary saints shed their masks in favor of transparency and self-disclosure. Not only do they confess their sins, blemishes, and weaknesses privately to God; they also openly confess the worst things about themselves to each other and the world.

In the telling of his own story, Jonah reveals himself to be a grumpy, entitled, selfish, and hate-filled man (Jonah 1-4). Paul shares openly about his ongoing battle with coveting, bellowing out, “Wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:21-24) He also reflects on his prior life of being a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent man and concludes that he must be the worst sinner in the world (1 Timothy 1:12-17). Psalm 51, a beautiful and painfully transparent confession of sin, is introduced with the words, “A Psalm of David…after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” With these words, David admits his lust for Bathsheba and how he had adulterous intercourse with her while she was the wife of one of his most loyal soldiers and friends.

Jonah, Paul, and David were not seeking attention through melodramatic over-sharing. Rather, they saw the value of sometimes putting their worst foot forward as a way to show a watching world how long, high, wide and deep is the love of God. They wanted their readers, whoever they would be throughout the world and through the centuries, to become convinced that where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds even more (Romans 5:20). In other words, they viewed the transfer of grace as not only something that happens between a people and God, but also between people and people. It’s a community affair, not a private affair.

Their confessions are a setup for celebrating grace and for reassuring people everywhere that if God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness can reach and transform the likes of them, it can also transform any kind of person.

They wanted to convince the world that the one, true God forgives not just once or twice, but repeatedly, and that he forgives not just so-called “little” sins, but also supremely shameful and significant ones.

God, these ancient saints want the world to know, is above all gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).

As Brennan Manning has written, “Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.”

So how about us?

Do we believe these things like Jonah, Paul, and David did?

Do we believe them enough to shed our fig leaves and come out of hiding?

I pray we can go there.

Because the health of our souls depends in it.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at scottsauls.com.

Historical Portraits of Pastoral Care: Shepherding Like a Reformer

By gsutton / Jan 2

Shepherding the body of Christ means equipping his people to live skilled and holy lives within their individual contexts. Teaching of the word is of first importance; theology takes precedence. Theology helps bring clarity by which one can then engage in ministry more effectively, accurately, and faithfully. However, pastoral care and community life are not to be neglected.

Martin Luther, a key player in the Reformation, better known for his battles with the institution of the Catholic Church, was above all a shepherd of God’s people. Luther once said of pastors, “Unless your heart toward the sheep is like that of a mother toward her children—a mother, who walks through fire to save her children—you will not be fit to be a preacher. Labor, work, unthankfulness, hatred, envy, and all kinds of sufferings will meet you in this office. If, then, the mother heart, the great love, is not there to drive the preachers, the sheep will be poorly served.”[1] Luther did not merely write theological treatises, he was also concerned with helping people relate to God in all of life’s circumstances. He counseled many in person and through letters. For example, Luther wrote a treatise on prayer for his barber after revealing to Luther that he struggled with prayer.[2] In 2011, the late reformed theologian, R.C. Sproul, wrote an illustrated children’s book about it, attesting to its staying power.

In the same era John Calvin, though most famously known for his contributions in forming much of reformed theology, was also a physician of the soul. A sermon of Calvin’s on 1 Timothy 5:1-3 expressed his heart for pastoral ministry:

And therefore, if we want to do our duty toward God, and to those who are committed to our charge, it is not enough for us to offer them the doctrine generally but when we see any of them go astray we must labor to bring him to the right way. When we see another in grief and sorrow, we must go about to comfort him. When we see anyone who is dull of the Spirit, we must prick him and spur him, as his nature will bear.[3]

Theodore Beza, a disciple of Calvin and reformation theologian in his own right, embraced his mentor’s teaching on pastoral ministry and preached similarly on pastoral care:

It is not only necessary that [a pastor] have general knowledge of his flock, but he must also know and call each of his sheep by name, both in public and in their homes, both night and day. Pastors must run after lost sheep, bandaging up the one with a broken leg, strengthening the one that is sick …In sum, the pastor must consider his sheep more dear to him than his own life, following the example of the Good Shepherd.[4]

Jesus Christ took on humanity in part to identify with us in our struggles, so we too are to identify with the people to whom we minister. Jesus taught his disciples to go out into the world. Jesus came into our neighborhood, so we should go into those of others as well (John 1:14). Jesus went to weddings and funerals, and ate meals in homes with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10). Jesus’s ministry was inclusive in the sense that he never favored one class over another (Romans 2:11). Whether one was on the fringes of society, or a teacher of the law, Jesus ministered to them passionately. Likewise, the Apostle Paul’s personal commitment in ministry in this area of shepherding is powerfully stated by way of metaphor in 2 Corinthians 11. Here Paul likens his ministry to a father, preparing a bride for her husband. It is the goal, duty, and honor as ministers of God to take on this task. To prepare for Jesus a lovely, pure bride.

It is our duty to participate in Christ’s edifying work continuing the building up of his people and maturing them. This was what drove Paul’s ministry (1 Thessalonians 2:15; Romans 11-15; Colossians 1:28) and it is what should drive ours as well. This involves giving attention to the details of people’s lives, envisioning what the Spirit has designed for individuals to do and become, and the gifts with which the person has been endowed (Ephesians 4:8). We do this because it is Jesus’ essential ministry with each of us individually to build us up more into his image and equip us for ministry.

For some of us, pastoral care may be a strength, but for many of us it is not. Whether we fall into one camp or the other, we all need reminded, as these voices from church history show us, that our ministry does not make Christ present. We can only do ministry because Christ is alive and has called us to enter his ministry as a conduit from which his grace is poured out (John 15:5-6). It is his ministry that will heal, speak, bless, save, comfort, and guide. So may we as pastors step out in faithful obedience to care for the flocks entrusted to us.

[1] Martin Luther, “Ministers,” in What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, ed. Ewald M. Plass, 1959 repr. (Saint Louis: Concordia, 1991), 932.

[2] Martin Luther, “To Peter Beskendorf,” in Luther: Letters of Spiritual Council, ed. and trans. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1955), 124-30.

[3] John Calvin, “Measured Rebuke”, in Sermons on 1 Timothy, trans. Robert White (London: Banner of Truth, 2018), see 551-566.

[4] Scott M. Manetsch, Calvin’s Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609, Oxford Studies in Historical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 281.

Seminary Is Not For You

By Brett Fredenberg / Dec 28

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 2:4-5

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. – 1 John 5:21

This August, I began my third year of seminary. So many things about my life have changed since endeavoring to complete a theological master’s degree over two years ago. The last two years of my life pursuing seminary have been the most sanctifying yet. God has made me a weaker Christian, or at least I now recognize how weak I am more than I did two years ago; and gladly so. The Christian life is about increasing in weakness so that we might know that any strength we have is a gift from God.

In other ways, so many things about my life are still the same. In the classroom and the online discussion forum, I struggle to put to death my desire to prove myself over and above my male peers because of my gender, to remember that the Holy Scriptures are God’s gift to His people to be thoughtfully cherished, not a collection of texts to be academically conquered. Even now as I immerse myself in year three of my theological education as a weaker, more sober Christian, I find myself asking the questions I realize I should have been asking a long time ago. Why am I really here? Who am I even doing this for? Brothers and sisters in seminary, I invite you to consider these questions alongside me. Should our answer be anything except, “for the church of God, which he obtained with His own blood,” then we have missed everything (Acts 20:28).

Pursuing a theological education is no small task. It requires our time, demands our financial resources, consumes our mental and emotional energy, and commands a growing realization of how little we truly know. Yet, I know that I am guilty of relishing thoughts of my own perceived intellectual superiority, forgetting far too often that the theological education I am receiving is not mine by right, but as a gift. It is just as much about shaping my affections as it is about equipping my mind. Theological education should cause in us a desire to submit ourselves to God as those approved, workers who have no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Even still, we too often plaster 2 Timothy 2:15 on the walls of our classrooms and common spaces and fail to write it on our hearts, bind it as a sign on our hands, let it be as a frontlet between our eyes (Deuteronomy 6:6, 8).

Are we really submitting ourselves to God when we seek to conquer our brother or sister in the discussion post forum over a tertiary theological issue? Do we truly find ourselves as workers who have no need to be ashamed when we fail to be doers of the same divine word we hear each week in our Old and New Testament survey classes? Are we really rightly handling the word of truth when we treat the Bible as a collection of proof texts for the sake of winning the ever-evolving culture war arguments in the Twitter comment thread?

While claiming to fulfill Paul’s command in 2 Timothy 2:15, we have neglected all the other commands that come with it: to not quarrel about words, to avoid irreverent babble, to be vessels for honorable use, to flee youthful passions, to pursue righteousness, to not be quarrelsome, to be kind, to able to teach, to patiently endure evil, to correct our opponents with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:14, 16, 22-25). When did God’s people let the gift of theological education become such an idol? How have we become a people bereft of wisdom and gentleness, quick to speak and to anger while being so slow to hear? When we make theological education an idol – when we make it about ourselves and pursue it for our own interests – we become like the man who looks at himself in the mirror, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. The church does not need mere hearers of the word; she needs doers of the word (James 1:22-25).

Brothers and sisters, our theological education is not for us; it is for the local church. She needs our integrity just as much as she needs our theological aptitude. She needs men and women set on pursuing the deep things of God for her interests and the glory of the Triune God over and above their own interests (Philippians 2:4). Is this not what 2 Timothy 2 is really about? Is this not what it means to have the mind of Christ? (Philippians 2:5)

So as we engage in the deep work of theological education, let us remember the church. Lifelong service to her and for her is why you and I are really here. With the hearts and souls of God’s people on the line, the stakes are far too high for us to forget her.

What’s in a Name?

By gsutton / Dec 26

Ninety-nine years is a long time to wait for a new name. Most men make a name for themselves well before. Through their work, they conquer their field and make their contribution. Through their family, they establish their progeny and expand their influence.

But for Abram, it was a different story. We meet him in Genesis 12, where God calls him to go to a land he will show him (Genesis 12:1). He was a foreigner in a strange land, unknown by the world, childless, landless. In a world that depended so much on one’s family line, he was as nameless as they come.

The irony is the name Abram carried meant “Exalted Father.” Would he ever live into his name? That question constantly nagged. In his seventy-fifth year he heard a word from God and followed him into a new land, chasing promises from a God previously unknown but one whom he deemed trustworthy, Abram put all his chips on God’s square. What had become of the gamble? So far nothing.

But the promised remained. Not only did it remain, but it was also constantly reinforced. God kept coming to Abram, bolstering his word with covenants and signs and everything else. In Genesis 17, God did something new in Abram’s life. He changed his name. Abram had 99 problems, but a name wasn’t one. Exalted father ain’t too shabby, unless, of course, God says it’s not enough.

God changed Abram’s name by shoving two extra letters before the “m.” Abram became Abraham. “Exalted Father” became “Father of Multitudes.” A century-old childless man. Is that a joke?

The author of Hebrews said no. In Hebrews 6:17, he spoke of the promise God made to Abraham. “When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.” God oathed himself to Abraham. “Exalted Father” becomes “Father of Multitudes,” and what made the difference was the God who made the change.

Leon Kass comments, “The change of Abram’s name, offered in conjunction with God’s abundant promise, is in fact deeply significant. ‘Abraham’s very identity is now inextricable from God’s promise of abundant offspring. His being depends on God’s speech. If God breaks his promise, Abraham ceases to be Abraham.’”1 Abraham cannot be Abraham unless God is faithful. It all depends on the promise.

And what of Abraham’s part in this? Kass goes on. “As for Abraham (and his seed), the obligation of the new covenant is remarkably simple: keeping the covenant simply means remembering it, that is, marking its token or sign in the flesh of every male throughout the generations, by the act of circumcision.”[1]

You could argue circumcision isn’t nothing. That’s true, it’s not. But it isn’t something anyone earns. It is something that happens passively. It is a sign of the covenant, a reminder that God has made his claim on his people.

The only way Abram becomes Abraham is by the power of God through the never-failing word of God.

The only way we become who we must become is by the power of God through the never-failing word of God.

[1] Leon Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), 312.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at thingsofthesort.com.

Thoughts about Christmas Sermons

By gsutton / Dec 23

When missionaries arrive in a cross-cultural context, they look for cultural interests that may serve as points of contact for gospel proclamation. The preacher already has points of contact built in to his calendar through holidays and special cultural days. It seems to me special sermons connected to those days are strategic opportunities and a preacher would be wise to take full advantage. I agree with expository preaching legend, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who wrote in Preaching and Preachers, “I believe in using almost any special occasion as an opportunity for preaching the gospel.”[1]

I have often thought if Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day did not exist in American culture, I would set aside a time in the course of the preaching year to biblically focus on each topic. The fact each is on the cultural calendar provides an easy way to connect with a wide range of listeners as we biblically discuss each topic. Of all opportunities for special occasion sermons, I have found Christmas to be a uniquely powerful cultural opportunity. In our nation there are almost universally recognized sights, sounds, scenes, and foods associated with the time each year when we celebrate Christmas. What a pastoral gift.

Don’t Squander the Gospel Opportunity

With all I have said about the opportunity a holiday like Christmas affords the preacher I must also acknowledge it is an opportunity frequently squandered. Some of the worst sermons in a calendar year are Christmas-themed sermons. Below are some frequent mistakes to be avoided:

Do not preach the cultural Christmas story rather than the biblical one by adding details that are not in the biblical text.
Do not act as though celebrating the cultural aspects of Christmas are essential or a measure of anyone’s spirituality. A person can worship the incarnate Christ without the cultural trappings of a tree, Santa, presents, and ugly sweaters.
Do not preach Christmas sentimentality, preach biblical Christmas reality (leave the former to the never-ending loop of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies).
Do not get so clever in crafting Christmas sermons that you stretch biblical characters beyond their biblical proportion and act as though their unrecorded psychological state is the point of the biblical narrative. I once heard a Christmas sermon from the perspective of the innkeeper (Now, where is that biblical text about an innkeeper?).

Take Full Advantage of the Unique Gospel Opportunity

Some preachers talk as though the yearly repetition of Christmas sermons is a problem. To the contrary, I think repetition is strategic and necessary. There is a sense in which the entire Old Testament narrative funnels toward the incarnation of God the Son in Bethlehem and then expands out again toward the ends of the earth. The apostle Paul describes the incarnation like this: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4). If the birth of Christ is a significant redemptive-historical hinge point, then preachers must never get too far removed from its centrality in telling any part of the biblical narrative. Retelling the story of Christ, including his incarnation, is fundamental to what it means to be a Christian preacher.

Preach the Uniqueness of the Christmas Message

No other religion has a message like the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, took upon himself a human nature and body—fully God and fully man. Jesus is God, so he is to be trusted, obeyed and worshiped. Jesus is man, choosing to take on flesh and becoming subject to pain, hunger, sorrow, injustice, suffering, and even death. Thus, the salvation he offers is both of infinite value and a remarkable resource for believers in the midst of their pain and suffering. The Christmas message reminds us that our faith is not based upon what we do and offer to God but what God has done by coming to us and offers to us by grace.

Preach Christmas as Spiritual War

The initial promise of Christmas is found in the first proclamation of the gospel immediately after the fall into sin and the declaration of God’s judgement on sin: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The first gospel is a statement of victory through the birth of a child in the battle between God’s kingdom and Satan’s parasitic kingdom. The Old Testament storyline follows the battle to preserve that Messianic line in the face of Satan-inspired attacks.

When Jesus was born, Herod’s fear of the ancient gospel promise led to a bloodbath in Bethlehem. When Immanuel, God with us, was crucified and resurrected, he gave his disciples his Great Commission, reminding them his Immanuel promise would see them all the way to the end of the age (Matt 1, 28). The conflict of kingdoms ends when, “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth” (Revelation 12:9). Jesus was born as the warrior baby who would crush the head of the serpent and deliver his people through the triumph of his crucifixion, resurrection, and the consummation of his kingdom in the second coming.

Preach Christmas as a Call to Christian Courage

Do not skip the genealogies when preaching the Christmas message. The genealogies remind us that all biblical and human history points toward the one whose birth is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Matthew’s Gospel portrays the birth of Christ as the genesis of a new creation (Matthew 1:1, see also John 1). The genealogy that opens Matthew’s Gospel indicates that Jesus is the one who fulfills the gospel promise to Abraham by his grace in redemptive history (Matthew 1:1-17).

Matthew then explains the identity of the one whose identity should transform our lives. Jesus of Nazareth is the supernaturally virgin-born Messiah God, who saves his people from their sins, who is God with us. His presence makes unbelieving kings like Herod fear, and makes poor teens who trust him fearless. Angels, shepherds, Magi, Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans are transformed by his presence to boldly speak in his name. This is the courage of Christmas, our hope is found in the supernatural, incarnate savior, whose presence is always with us.

Biblically faithful Christmas sermons proceed with a desire to reach lost people who may be more likely to attend church services than at other times. Preachers tend to understand the need that Christmas sermons both edify believers and evangelize the lost with the gospel message. We also understand that the expectation is that Christmas sermons are about Christ no matter the text. Focusing on Christ’s first coming in the incarnation, naturally drives preachers to point out that he came to be crucified and raised for sinners and that his first coming leads to his second coming when he consummates his kingdom.

Come to think of it, we might be better off if we allowed our approach to Christmas sermons to shape all of our sermons.

[1] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 205.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at davidprince.com.

A Christ-Centered Christmas

By gsutton / Dec 22

Whether the holidays fill you with joy or dread, November has come and gone and December is here. Thanksgiving has passed and now it is time to reload before another round of family dinners, get-togethers, and events. One more month and we are on to a new year, but don’t consider this year over. There is still time to make an impact in 2022, whether it is in your own life or another’s. As you find yourself buying and wrapping presents, cutting down or putting together a tree, or squeezing in everything else you put off for this year, here are three simple things you can do to make your holiday season count.

Remember the Reason.

In a world that is quick to get wrapped up in their gifts and festivities we cannot go a Christmas season without hearing things like, “Jesus is the reason for the season!” What a beautiful truth we all need reminded of in such a busy time of our lives. We would do well to remember this sentiment in all seasons, not just this one. The truth is Jesus is the reason for every season, every day, every breath, and every heartbeat. Just as Colossians 1:15-17 tells us: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.” Christmas is a great time to reflect on Christ and what he means to us.

Sadly, for many this does not go beyond the scene of a manger. Many are quick to read the story of Christ’s birth and to sing songs of this glorious sight, but what about the rest? What about his life, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection? During this holiday season don’t just reflect on Christ’s birth, reflect on his cross. Reflect on his resurrection and how he has changed your life. If you are going to reflect on a birth, also reflect on your re-birth in salvation.

Enjoy the festivities and the glorious virgin birth, but don’t let it end there. Remember that Christ came into this world to rescue sinners from hell and to deliver them to eternal life. This isn’t about a baby in a manger; it is about the God of the universe coming to save his people from sin and death. So yes, remember the reason for the season! Remember why Christ came and what it means for the rest of our lives, not just our holidays.

Be Generous.

When we stop and remember the reason, we must be reminded of all that Christ did for us. Before we came to know Christ, we were lost and hopeless. We could never achieve a right standing before God, we were doomed to Hell, but once Christ came into the picture our story changed quite dramatically. We went from rebels to sons and daughters, from enemies to heirs, and none of it was based on our own achievements. It was a gift from Christ. As Romans 6:23 reminds us: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our sins earned us the wages of death, but Christ gives us the gift of eternal life. There is no better gift we can receive.

As Christians we have received the greatest gift anyone could hope for in this life. We have received something more valuable than the riches of the world or the cure to cancer; we have received a right relationship with God. Seeing as we have received the greatest gift we should be ready to give as well.

This year as you reflect on your blessings, the greatest of which is salvation, be sure to pass some blessings onto others. Donate some toys to kids without families, give the extra five dollars to donate a stuffed animal as you are buying gifts for family, send some money to a good cause, serve the needy in your community, do whatever you can to love and serve others in need this Christmas season. Be generous to others as you reflect on how generous the Lord has been to you.

Share the Gospel.

Give the gift of the gospel too. When else are we surrounded with as many lost loved ones for an event that is at its roots based on the Christian faith? Whether they say happy holiday’s or Merry Christmas, they gathered for an event that celebrates the birth of our savior. The good news of Christ is right in front of you ready to be unleashed on lost souls. Just as your personal reflection should not stop at the manger, neither should your outward proclamation stop there either.

Don’t be scared. Go on and share the message of Christ and him crucified, tell of mankind’s helplessness and of Christ’s mercies, call them to repent and believe. Be missional even in your family gatherings. Don’t be afraid to be shut down or to be made fun of, but fiercely proclaim the good news of the Gospel with the loved ones surrounding you. If you don’t share with your loved ones, who will? Remember Paul’s words in Romans 10:14-15:

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”

Now I am not telling you to jump up on the table right before Christmas dinner, but I am telling you not to let another holiday season go by without sharing the Gospel with a loved one who needs to hear it. Whether it is in light conversation by the fireplace or when you read the birth of Christ with your family. Find a time you are comfortable with, but by no means be silent. As a follower of Christ, we are commanded to share the good news of the Gospel and what better time than a holiday all about the one who came to save.

Enjoy this holiday season, but don’t waste it. Make it count for your life and in the life of a loved one. Never forget the reason for this season and every other season. Open your heart, open your life, and let God use you this Christmas!

Jesus, the Nietzschean Superman, and the Christmas Miracle

By gsutton / Dec 9

The Advent season is so packed with significance, both personal and historical, that we can’t even begin to scratch its surface. As the evangelist, John, writes at the end of his book—if all the things Jesus said and did were written in books, the whole world would not be able to contain them.

Each year, Isaiah’s famous prophesy in Isaiah 9:1-7 is read and lauded around the world. It is a customary Advent passage in which the then-future Messiah is described as a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Those with ears to hear can’t help but be struck by the way in which God so often chooses the weakest things to accomplish the greatest things. “To us a Child is born,” Isaiah writes.

NOT:

“To us a warrior is trained up,” or

“To us a politician is elected,” or

“To us a windfall of cash is bequeathed.”

BUT INSTEAD:

“To us a child is born.”

And the government shall be on his shoulders.

And of the increase of said government, there will be no end.

My friend Ray Ortlund unpacks the implications of this long-term prophesy in his masterful commentary on Isaiah:

“[Jesus] will not come back to tweak this problem and that. He will return with a massive correction of all systemic evil forever… ‘Of the increase’ … forever ascending, forever enlarging, forever accelerating, forever intensifying. There will never come one moment when we will say, “This is the limit. He can’t think of anything new. We’ve seen it all.” No. The finite will experience ever more wonderfully the infinite, and every new moment will be better than the last.”

That’s the future promised to us by the Child born at Christmas.

Everlasting increase.

Every tomorrow better than today.

Every day growing younger and stronger and smarter than we were the day before.

Every season better than the last. World without end.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Whereas Ray Ortlund speaks of the future and second Advent of Christ, what are we to make of the first Advent—that historical event in a manger that we now call Christmas—where a newborn, poor, Middle Eastern, soon-to-be refugee child is said to carry the hope of the universe on his shoulders?

What are we to make of the fact that a little child, versus some Nietzschean “Superman” (Ubermensch), is the one who will come to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found? What are we to make of the fact that a little child, and not some well-networked, well-endowed, well-pedigreed elite has come to rule the world with truth and grace, and make the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love?

To our earthbound eyes, this approach to world domination just doesn’t make sense.

As Tim Keller has rightly observed, if our goal was that 2,000 years from now 75% of the human race would know our name and 25% would center their entire lives around us, that our body of teaching will be the most influential in history, and that whole civilizations will be built on our vision for flourishing, then our strategy would not include being born among farm animal urine in a stable in a little town in the middle of nowhere. Our strategy would not include spending our entire life outside all the networks of economic, political, and academic power, get no credentials, then get executed early in our career as an absolute disgrace.

But this is how God chose to break into history and change things.

This is how God chose to demonstrate his rule over every person, place, and thing.

This is how God chose to assert his insurmountable government, the one that has been firmly placed on the shoulders of the Child, whose reign will ever be on the increase, from this time forth and forevermore.

God’s power, we might say, decidedly and often will manifest not through visible strength but through visible weakness. As Chesterton has said about the Child of Christmas, “God who had been only a circumference was seen as centre; and a centre is infinitely small…The faith becomes in more ways than one, a religion of little things.”

A religion not of big things, but of little things.

The Apostle Paul said the same:

“Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

Here’s one more insight for us to consider as Christmas draws near. It’s an insight that I hope will stick with me for the rest of my days. It’s about small things. It’s about inexplicable historic realities that have no explanation except that God shows his power, and verifies his reign, chiefly through the weak things.

This insight has to do with the way that Walker Percy, the southern writer and novelist, became a Christian.

Percy became a Christian because the Jews, from whom the Child of Isaiah’s prophecy descended, still exist.

From Percy’s “Why are You Catholic?”…

“The Jews are a stumbling block to theory. They cannot be subsumed under any social or political theory…The Jews are both a sign and a stumbling block. That is why they are hated by theorists like Hitler and Stalin. The Jews cannot be gotten around. The great paradox of the Western world is that even though it was in the Judeo-Christian West that modern science arose and flourished, it is Judeo-Christianity which the present-day scientific set of mind finds the most offensive among the world’s religions. Judaism is offensive because it claims that God entered into a covenant with a single tribe, with it and no other…But for the self that finds itself lost in the desert of theory and consumption, there is nothing to do but set out as a pilgrim in the desert in search of a sign. In this desert, that of theory and consumption, there remains only one sign, the Jews. By “the Jews” I mean not only Israel, the exclusive people of God, but the worldwide ecclesia instituted by one of them, God-become-man [Jesus], a Jew.”

From Percy’s “The Message in the Bottle…”

“Where are the Hittites? Why does no one find it remarkable that in most world cities today there are Jews but not one single Hittlte, even though the Hittites had a great flourishing civilization while the Jews nearby were a weak and obscure people? When one meets a Jew in New York or New Orleans or Paris or Melbourne, it is remarkable that no one considers the event remarkable. What are they doing here? But it is even more remarkable to wonder, if there are Jews here, why are there not Hittites here? Where are the Hittites? Show me one Hittite in New York City.”

May we all have a small, and merry, Christmas this year.

Because God prefers—no, he chooses—the small things.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at scottsauls.com.

10 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor Search Team

By Lucas Hahn / Dec 6

God is shepherding his people even in seasons of pastoral transition. Unexpected resignations or changes in leadership do not threaten His good purposes or plans. His promises pertaining to prayer remain in uncertain seasons. He continues to work through the prayers of his people.

In fact, God may use a season of pastoral transition to deepen trust in Him. He has worked in churches looking for their next pastor and through Pastor Search Teams. Here are ten ways you can pray for your church’s Pastor Search Team.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. (Psalm 29:2)

Begin in prayer by recognizing who God is. Acknowledge that He is God and you are not. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Praise Him for His attributes.

Give glory, honor, and praise to God for his work in salvation.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. (Psalm 13:5)

Thank God for your own salvation and the salvation of other search team members. Ask God for more conversions even during the season of pastoral transition.

Praise God for the various gifts he has given to this local church.

Now there are a variety of gifts but the same Spirit… (1 Cor. 12:4)

Thank God for the various gifts in the church and on this team. Ask God to empower those gifts for fruitful ministry and this process.

Plead with God to give unity to the Pastor Search Team

…eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace… (Eph 4:3)

Ask God for a spirit of eagerness to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Recognize the various ways that the devil might foster disunity amidst the team. Present yourselves to God and commit to pursuing and maintaining this unity.

Ask God to grant wisdom to the Pastor Search Team

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)

Recognize that wisdom comes from God. Confess your need for wisdom and the search team’s need for wisdom in this process. Plead with God to give wisdom.

Pray that God would bless and direct the candidates during this process

If anyone aspires to the office of overseer he desires a noble task… (1 Tim 3:1)

Pray that this process would be a blessing to the candidates. Pray for God to bless their families and current churches. Ask God for his direction in their lives just as he spoke to Samuel that he would speak to them.

Ask God for his leadership in identifying the top candidates

The LORD said to Samuel […] “I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons.” When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely, the Lord’s anointed is before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD look on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:1-7)

Ask God to give the team insight in identifying his candidate for this church. Ask God to help the team look past what they want and to see what God wants.

Intercede for the Pastor Search Team knowing that they will face spiritual warfare

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Thank God for his victory over the devil. Ask for God’s protection for the Pastor Search Team knowing that this season will bring spiritual warfare. Plead with God to give the team all that is needed in this warfare.

Ask God to give the church a spirit of support towards the Pastor Search Team

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Ask God for a spirit of support among the team. Ask God to prevent any spirit of unhealthy suspicion or malice. Pray that God would use the church to practically encourage the Pastor Search Team through the process

Praise God that the future of the church is in his hands

I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

Praise God for the finished work of Christ which established the church. Praise God for the ongoing work of Christ through the church.

Note: This prayer guide was originally developed for the SBC of Virginia state convention of churches.

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