toddcast

It’s two days after Christmas. The celebrations are over. The presents have been put up. Another Christmas in the books. Christmas 2024 will now take its place among all the Christmases passed. I wonder what Mary was thinking two days after the first Christmas. It’s been quite a ride. How could she possibly have imagined a year ago that she would be a new mother. Let’s recap the last nine months of Mary’s life. It all started with the appearance of the angel Gabriel who announces to her that even though she was an unmarried virgin she was going to have a child. And not just any child, but the promised Messiah who would save the world from their sins. I can imagine her saying to Gabriel, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” And then, some time later, Joseph tells pregnant Mary the distressing news that Rome has called for a census and they will have to take an impromptu trip from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem.  I can imagine her saying to Joseph, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” And t...

Smart phones are really smart. Even smarter than I know. I use my phone for so much more than calling and texting but it’s not uncommon for me to learn new features and abilities my phone has that I previously had never known. Over the years I’ve learned that my phone is a compass, can take video screen shots, can tell me my geographical location and altitude, can scan documents, is a flashlight, is a voice recorder, and so much more. If you only use your phone to call and text hand it over to a teenager and let them loose. They’ll show you things your smart phone can do that will blow your mind. For most of us, we barely tap into the capabilities of this technology. The same can be said of our smart televisions, our tablets, and even our automobiles. There is so much potential that is never realized. If this is true of our technology maybe it’s true of our spiritual lives as well.  I suspect it is. I hear Christians say that there are some things they simply cannot do. “I’m an ang...

You probably at some time today have looked in a mirror. They’re helpful little devices, aren’t they? I can think of two reasons why we use them. One is to admire ourselves. This may seem a little vain but haven’t we all stopped and caught a reflection of ourselves and felt pretty good. We go along our merry way ready to face the world. A second reason is to see if there are any adjustments we need to make. Our hair may be out of place. An article of clothing may need to be straightened out. We may have something in our teeth that needs to be removed. We more or less inspect ourselves prepared to make any changes to look the best we can. Mirrors can help us see things that we can’t see without them. I’m preaching through a little letter in the New Testament attributed to James, the brother of Jesus. One of his goals in writing this letter is to help followers of Jesus be the best they can be. And that entails being willing and even eager to see things about themselves that they are not...

I’m starting a series of sermons this week from the New Testament book of James. It’s a book I have always been drawn to. This short letter seems to speak to so many things I experience and struggle with day in and day out. Anger, wisdom, harsh language, prejudice, pride, and money are all topics James touches on as he leads believers into a faith that demonstrates itself through the everyday living of life. Our faith, if genuine, must make a difference in how we live and how we navigate all the complexities of being human. James begins his letter addressing one of life’s most pressing struggles - struggles itself. After a brief greeting, this is what James writes - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  (James 1:2–3, NIV) No doubt James had seen his fair share of troubles as had most followers of Christ living in a world that was not too accepting of this relativ...

In the last few years when our family travels instead of booking a hotel we have used an Airbnb or a Vrbo. If you’re not familiar with this concept it’s basically people renting out their homes to tourists. It’s especially convenient if we have a lot of family to house. We can all stay together, eat meals together, play games together, and generally make someone else’s home ours for a few days. They have normally served us well and even though they are generally decorated nicely I don’t always agree with their selection of furniture or their choices of paint colors. Sometimes I notice that something might be broken or not working quite right. It’s a little frustrating but one thing I have never done at one of these vacation rentals is redecorate, repaint, or make repairs.   I don’t get very upset if things don’t match or appliances don’t work. Since I’m only going to be there a few days I just live with it. No sense investing worry, money, effort, and time in a place that is s...

A couple of years ago I had the honor of serving on a jury. It was by no means a noteworthy trial but it was important to the people involved. I felt a great deal of responsibility as the jury deliberated and eventually arrived at a verdict. We all wanted to make the right, fair and just decision and I believe we did. To make that decision we relied on the evidence presented to us by the witnesses. That’s what witnesses do. They help people arrive at a decision. That word “witness” is used several times in the New Testament to describe the evangelistic work of the early believers. Jesus actually uses that very term as he commissions his disciples to spread the word about him. After his resurrection he flat out told the believers, “You are my witnesses.” It was their lives and their words that Jesus was counting on to convince other people that he is the Son of God and that eternal life is available through Him. As they were witnesses for Jesus, we too serve the same function. Every bel...

Luke 23:32, 39–43 (NIV) 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” What an interesting exchange we have here. Three men on a cross. All of them probably gasping for breath but still able to speak. One insults Jesus. One sees his innocence. One taunts him. One begs for mercy. That’s what the cross does – it either turns you into a cynical skeptic or a penitent believer. It’s just like Paul says:  1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) — 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to...

I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was my sixth-grade field day when all the elementary schools gathered for a series of track and field events at the town’s high school track. It was a sunny New England spring morning and I was representing Glen Forest Elementary School in the 50-yard dash. There were several preliminary heats before the final and only the top finishers would move on to the next round. In one of my proudest athletic accomplishments of my young life I went on to win that preliminary round. I can still remember breaking the tape at the finish line and being congratulated by my classmates. It was pure joy. I had advanced to the finals. After a short break, the qualifiers lined up for the finals. We waited for the gun to sound to start the race. Visions of glory swept through my mind when I heard the firing of the gun and the race began. But tragedy struck! As I began my acceleration, instead of my feet propelling me forward, my shoes kicked up gravel from the tr...

Do you ever find it hard to be happy for people when good things happen to them? I do. Someone gets a promotion and instead of being happy for them I’m envious. A friend’s child gets an award and jealousy is my first reaction instead of joy. Why can’t I just be happy when good things happen to people?  Why can’t I just “rejoice with those who rejoice?” Why do these feelings of resentment set in? It seems to happen a lot to me, and I don’t like it. I wish I could find an answer, and a recent experience may have provided one. I am a huge baseball fan. I grew up near Boston and, even though I’ve lived in Texas for over 30 years, my heart has always been with the Boston Red Sox. They didn’t do well this past year at all. In fact, they finished in last place. The Texas Rangers won the World Series this year for the very first time. I’m not a Rangers fan but I found myself rejoicing with my friends who are. On the night they won the Series I was texting my Ranger fan friends congratulati...