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Student Ministry - December 2020

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Dear Church Family,

Christmas time is here. It is the time of year when we are supposed to experience happiness and cheer. One of my favorite Christmas movies is A Charlie Brown Christmas. I grew up with this movie as a staple of the Christmas season. It seemed like Christmas had not been celebrated properly if we neglected to watch it together as a family. It is one of the few movies that perfectly captures the dilemma of Christmas time but then delivers the only answer that satisfies the problem.

The premise of the movie is that Christmas is the best time of the year, but for Charlie Brown, it often felt like the worst time of year. He knew he was supposed to feel something amazing, but none of the Christmas traditions were doing it for him. His exchange with his best pal Linus goes like this:

I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel. I just don't understand Christmas I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards... ...and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed. Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know... ...who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Browns in   the world, you're the Charlie Browniest.

But Linus is wrong. Many people feel exactly the way Charlie Brown felt at Christmas time. And while Linus was less than helpful in this conversation, he ends up having the answer all along. Here is another exchange between the two:

I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree. Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about. Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about? Sure, Charlie Brown. I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights, please. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field... ...keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them... ...and the glory of the Lord shone round about them... ...and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them: "Fear not, for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy... ...which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a savior... ...which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel... ...a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace, goodwill toward men." That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Linus knew that Christmas is about the King of Glory stepping down into His creation that was marred by sin, so He could bring peace and goodwill from God to man. And this little kids’ movie captures the need for that same message today. So, when you encounter people who are struggling to find joy, let us give them the same message that Linus gave Charlie Brown. That is that Jesus came to save us. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, we know that “everything sad is going to come untrue.” It is this message that truly brings great joy.

Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren

 

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in Students, Newsletter

Student Ministry - November

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Dear Church Family,

Have you ever experienced times in your life where God is obviously trying to teach you a lesson? Has there been a period where it seems like everything that happens to you or around you just keeps pointing back to that truth that He wants to get across? Lately (possibly this entire year so far) the Lord has been reiterating this one point to me that I am finally beginning to grasp. And that point is that there is a difference between “hard” and “bad.”

Have you ever considered why we are tempted to tell people we had a “bad” day when really it was just a “hard” day? What was actually bad about the hardship? The Lord has been teaching me that “hard” is not the same as “bad.” When I really sit and think about things that were hard, I find that usually hard things turn out to be “good.” When I have to work hard, think hard, serve hard, or have hard conversations, all of those things tend to end up being good or becoming good through God’s providence. So, what do we really mean when we say that things have been “bad.” What would God classify as “bad?”

The reason we tend to think that “hard” is the same thing as “bad,” is often nothing more than having misplaced expectations. We expect something to be a certain way, and when it is not the way we wanted it to be, it becomes hard. And because this new, hard reality has interfered with our expectations, we now consider it a bad reality. When we equate “hard” with “bad” in this way, we are actually guilty of a form of laziness. A lazy person is someone who is primarily dedicated to their own
comfort. Proverbs 19:24 shows that a lazy person is so committed to immediate comfort that he will not do what it takes to even satisfy his own desires. A lazy person is someone who sacrifices “good” for “easy.” This is essentially what we are doing when we say that “hard” realities are necessarily “bad” realities.

Of course, bad days are real. There are hard realities that are “bad.” There are also enjoyable realities that are “bad.” So, what is it that makes something truly “bad?” In answering this question, it is important to allow God to define what “bad” actually means and how we should use it. The Bible rarely (if ever) equates the word “hard” with the word “bad.” Instead, when God created man and woman, He placed them in the Garden of Eden and gave them the responsibility to work, and He said that everything was “very good.” So just because we have to put effort into something (even a lot of effort), that does not mean that it is bad. The Bible shows us in the same story in Genesis 3 that enjoyable things are “bad” when we put them before God, and hardships are “bad” when they are a result of our sin against God. This would suggest that we are only truly having a bad day when sin is ruling in our lives.

So, what is your priority? Is it comfort or is it God? If you are having a hard time because you are prioritizing comfort over God, then I would say you are having a truly bad time. You need to evaluate your heart and your priorities, because the “hard” in your life is not leading to “good,” it is actually a warning that you are embracing that which is “bad.” If, however, you are having hardships while prioritizing God and pursuing Him, then be encouraged! Do not sacrifice the “good” for the “easy.” Instead, look to see what “good” God is making from all of the “hard” you have been experiencing. Since I started doing this, God has consistently shown me His goodness in my life, and I hope He will show you the same in yours. 

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