Through the Heavens

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Christmas Eve

Hebrews 4:14-16 – Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The International Space Station passes through the skies over Glacier National Park, Montana on August 13^th, 2012.

Though this passage from Hebrews is not one typically associated with Christmas, I find it rather fitting on December 24^th to reflect on the two natures of Christ that these verses illustrate. First, there is his divine nature. He is the “great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.” And yet, despite his divinity he took on a second, human nature. He became a man, born into the humblest of circumstances. Because of his humanity, we have a “high priest” who is able “to sympathize with our weaknesses” and “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

We have in Christ a Savior who is both fully God and fully man, Creator of the universe, yet also the babe in a manger. By his divinity he was able to be a perfect sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, and yet, because of his humanity, he was able to be a substitute qualified to die in our place. He humbled himself to come down and dwell with us so that we could be reconciled to God through his life, death, and resurrection.

On this Christmas Eve we do well to remember Christ’s dual nature, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). – Matthew 1:23

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Reconciled

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Footbridge across the Little Miami River. John Bryan State Park, Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Depending on the parks and trails you hike, you may have the luxury of finding well-built footbridges that allow you to cross rivers and streams with ease. In more remote locations, however, where there are no bridges, fording fast-moving water can be a dangerous and potentially deadly task. If you have never forded difficult water and are unsure what to do, your wisest choice may be to go back the way you came. (See Safety Tips for Fording Streams and Rivers)

Fortunately in our Christian walk the bridge has already been built. The cost of constructing this particular bridge was very high, though, nothing less than the blood of God’s own Son shed on the cross. Christ, who was sinless, took on our sins “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” But, without Christ we are completely cut off from God; we have nothing to rely on but our own good works and righteousness, which, if examined honestly, we will find completely lacking. The good news is that it does not depend on our efforts because, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.”

The bridge is already standing, God calls us to the other side, and once there we have responsibilities that, as followers of Christ, we are expected to fulfill. He “gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” he “entrusted to us the message of reconciliation,” and now “we are ambassadors for Christ.” Again there is good news, it is not upon our own efforts that we must rely, because “in Christ” we are “a new creation.” And, as we read in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

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From the Rising of the Sun to Its Setting

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 113:1-4 – Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! ² Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! ³ From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! ⁴ The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!

Setting sun over the Appalachian Mountains, viewed from a scenic overlook on Skyline Drive. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

“Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?” – Psalm 113:5-6

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Splendor and Majesty Are Before Him

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 96:1-6 – Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
² Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. ³ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! ⁴ For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. ⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. ⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

God’s splendor and majesty on display in an alpine meadow filled with summer wildflowers along the trail to Iceberg Lake. Glacier National Park, Montana.

Many in our post-modern culture who hear the word idol immediately think of carved images of wood or stone, or statues cast in bronze, silver, or gold. They see idols as nothing more than quaint artifacts from ages past when superstition and ignorance kept mankind from truly understanding the world around him.

To the modern-minded individual, science has solved countless problems and provided so many answers to how the earth, its creatures, and even the universe, function that there is really no further need for gods or religion. “Maybe we don’t have all the answers,” they would say, “but we have already explained so much and are certainly on the road to discovering the rest if we can just have a little more time and money to do the research.”

Someone with a fairly basic science education seeing these alpine wildflowers could likely explain the general principles of photosynthesis and pollination. And, with a more advanced education one could even explain the minutest details of the cellular structures and even the genetic makeup of each of these plants.

But, for most people looking at this scene, I suspect, their mind does not immediately turn to such dry, academic ponderings. I believe that most people coming upon this scene would marvel at the splendor and majesty of the mountains, the vivid colors of the wildflowers, the green of the trees and grass, and the sheer magnificence of it all. You see, one thing science cannot explain is beauty, nor can it explain why we have such feelings of awe and wonder when we are blessed to gaze upon such beauty as this.

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” These words from Romans 1:22-23 capture well the essence of idolatry. Quite simply it is the elevation of anything to the level of God. Our modern idols may not be carved images of wood or stone, but they are idols just the same. We have made an idol out of science, foolishly believing that there is no need for God since science has now explained it all. We have even made an idol out of nature itself.

If you feel a sense of awe and wonder when you gaze upon the incredible world around you, it is a good thing. You see, creation was designed with that purpose in mind, to point us to the one true God, our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. He is calling out to you, if you would only pick up his Word and listen to his voice.

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