Putting away the Table

Hi guys.

On behalf of the the Table, I’m going to thank you all for the readership which you’ve given this website. Thank you for the support and the encouragement which you have given us on here. It has been truly appreciated.

When this blog began, it’s purpose was to collect the thoughts and writings from a group of friends which is why there were several contributors. However, as people have all gotten busy, there has been less and less contributions from the original collection and since I didn’t want to turn this into a personal blog when it wasn’t the intention of this site to do that, but I do want to get more serious about blogging so I’m going to open up a personal blog, end this group project because it’s been in its waning stages for awhile now, and invite you to follow the contributions of my friends elsewhere.

Once again, on behalf of all of us, thank you for your support, readership, and encouragement. May you continue to experience grace and worship in unexpected places. Here’s a list of sites from some of the contributors:

Jon Stefansson:  www.rufielroj.blogspot.com

Abner Campos:  https://aboutmisconceptions.wordpress.com/

Mine: http://bfrodriguez.wordpress.com/

Contributed by Bryant Rodriguez

A New Year

As I leave the main auditorium I take a copy of the free Great Controversies they are handing out at the end of the GYC, and silently pray that God will help me give it to someone.

Few hours later I’m sitting in the airplane from Seattle to Chicago. I have an aisle seat and next to me is an older couple. She is reading a book and he is reading the magazine that was in the seat pocket.

My default thoughts begin, He doesn’t want the book; I always hear these colporteur stories and I never have one; What should I say – and they are answered with, Just ask him if he likes to read. Then say you have an extra copy of this book and that you want to give it to someone. It sounds so reasonable that I like it.

So do you like to read? I ask the man. He looks from the paper to me and answers, Yes. A second or two pass as I blank out. And what do you mostly read or like to read? I ask again. The Bible, he answers.

He listens as I tell him of my extra copy and immediately reads the back cover. I explain a little bit about the book to him – that it’s highlights of church history from the first century to our time, and then the last chapters cover what the prophecies say will happen. After that I don’t know if I should continue talking anymore, since he is already reading chapter one. My heart is thrilled with joy of having actually followed the Spirit’s prompting, for I have had my first divine appointment of the year. But I’m still tired after the conference, so I fall asleep for the rest of the flight. When I wake up he’s still reading.

Contributed by Jón Hjörleifur Stefánsson

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With Songs of Ascent 2013

This morning I have realized I am very blessed.  I am touring with Songs of Ascent 2013 as a speaker across the Eastern part of the United States. I get to hang out with musicians and develop my craft of preaching? Can it get any better? (Well, actually, it could but may be more on that later.)

Photo by Caleb White, used with permission

In any case, I am so happy and delighted to be here. To be a part of this ministry and to help out the musicians and see the Spirit minister through wholesome music. So far, we have done seven concerts and not all have been our best performances, but all of them have resulted in people letting us know the ways in which they were blessed. At a few concerts, there have been specific stories and testimonies we have received from the attendants.

A young boy’s heart being moved to apologize and ask for forgiveness from his parents.

A father coming to me and letting me know he was going to take the message of the songs and narration to heart and seek to apply it in his family.

And even a few instances of folks driving out a couple hours, one father doing so when he was persuaded by his daughter whom he usually doesn’t have custody of during the week, just to come out to the concert and then none of them regretting having made the drive.

Photo by Bryant Rodriguez

So God is definitely blessing and His hand is with us. However, to be honest, the way in which I am really growing and being blessed is by the first thing I mentioned: being able to spend time with Christians musicians who see their music as a way to minister, not a way to entertain. Observing two married couples doing ministry and living off grace has begun to teach me a lot about what it means to be a godly partner, a godly teammate, and yet still keep your sanity. Watching Eric & Monique Johnson and Matt & Josie Minikus interact as couples and as fellow laborers is showing me what it looks like to be an honest and responsible worker, what priorities need to be maintained while performing, how it looks like to care about your craft while relying upon God to give the increase, what a Christian husband can look like, and how to love a woman. And these are just the more ‘spiritual’ things I am learning because there’s plenty more ‘everyday’ things I am beginning to learn. Things pertaining to car maintenance, equipment preservation, how to shop for food cheaply while on the road, stewardship, minting good PR with churches and well, the list could continue but I will spare you.

All I am trying to say is that what Songs of Ascent 2013 is for me does include the developing my preaching. But really, that’s the smallest part. What it really is about for me is serving four musicians whom I totally support in what they’re doing and being able to pick up from their mentorship lessons and habits which I can then apply to my career in ministry and this is really the most important part of it for me. You know, the all important character development because after all, God is looking to develop characters more than gifts.

And this morning when I realized God has placed wonderful counselors and mentors in my life to instruct me is when it struck me, Wow, I’m so blessed.

Contributed by Bryant Rodriguez

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Have you forgotten?

Most people know the true meaning of Christmas, lets be honest. And people know that Christ is the center of it.

But then as we dig deeper into what it is, we begin to ask more questions; and for many of those questions there are no answers.

Soon, we realize that we hate not knowing but fall in love with mystery. God becomes very mysterious this time of year…if you want Him to be. But if you want to find revelation this season, that exists too. God revealed Himself; leaving many questions in the footprints of history, but that’s okay. We can deal with not knowing.

Lets work with what we have. Nope. Just kidding. Lets just ponder on it. Don’t say anything. Just think about the incarnation of God for a while–in utter silence.

Beautiful isn’t it?

Photo from Internet

My thoughts come in poetic form:

Some call it the Incarnation, others
The birth of a prophet,
Some call it Christmas.

Is it another holiday?
Or do we make it Holy Day?
Because in reality, it is a big deal.

It wasn’t just God as a baby, God in cloth and
laying in an unworthy bed.
He wasn’t just John’s cousin, or of “the shoot
of Jesse.”
It was the beginning of the end; the beginning of the
end of darkness.
The beginning of the end of confusion.

Because life began to die; food began to hunger;
Streams of water began to thirst; wealth
began to impoverish; strength began to grow weak;
Royalty became enslaved; divinity became
human.

Son of God changed like the gears of
a manual car in the blink of an eye.
And eternity paused to bow to a baby named
Majesty.
In silence, the stars sang pianissimo: Holy, Holy, Holy.
While dark agencies cried, “How?”
Shepherds bent knee; reflecting
That one day, seven billion will bend knee
and bow.

Christ’s one-month club

Photo by Emily Franklin, used with permission.

What comes to your mind when I say the word Christmas? Perhaps the bright shining houses, the wonderful Christmas dinner or the prank-gift you got from your older brother or sister? I know what comes to my mind when someone says this word. I enter a state of peace. I get reminded of the hymns and songs we love to sing, bright shining homes, happy people and my wonderful family. Memories of opened gifts, the food we eat, the fellowship we share, and yes, I have experienced a prank gift. It seems that nearly everyone does love Christmas.

But there is something that’s a bit odd around this season. It is odd how everyone in this country seems to suddenly become “Christians” for a month. I am talking about Norway by the way, that’s where I live and come from. This country is very secular, and it has been so for a long time. You would be considered either brave or crazy if you dared mention you are Christian or believe in Jesus in a public setting. In some cases, you could lose your job if you are a professing Christian. But when the Christmas-month arrives, it seems that Jesus is let out of “His prison,” where He has been sentenced to be for eleven months. It’s a mental institution. He is considered safe this month. His name is on everyone’s lips.

And it doesn’t stop there. Norwegians love Christmas hymns and songs! There are several thousands of Norwegians, both Christian and non-Christian, visiting churches and joyfully singing about the little baby Jesus. You probably know the song “Fairest Lord Jesus.” We sing it as a Christmas song, and It’s called, deilig er jorden, in our language. In that song you will find it saying, oss er en evig frelser født, which means, an eternal Savior is born unto us. Wow, what an incredible statement to be sung by my secular Norwegian countrymen! They are singing about having a Savior! Amen! But is it the biggest crowd conversion ever witnessed?

I wish this were so. Sadly, the truth is my fellow countrymen treat Christmas as a cultural norm and a tradition. This is not only true about the average man and woman, but I think it is true about us Christians. What? Yes, I think we have bought into the idea that this holiday is just winter tradition. And then, to me, it seems we then try very hard to make this event something Christian. However, I feel like in the process of trying to put Jesus back into Christmas, I have seen failure in one crucial way. I admit I have also missed the target.

What target do we miss?

Let me explain what I see. I see us adore the surroundings, and lose sight of Jesus. You may be thinking to yourself, Don’t we already focus on Jesus a lot? We are talking about Joseph and Mary, the shepherds, the wise men and the manger! And everyone is always updating Facebook and Twitter about the #reasonfortheseason!

Exactly my point! Where is Jesus?

I catch myself glazing over the powerful content in the lyrics of our songs. I catch myself to talk Christmas and to be all about the things which are happing around Jesus, but not Jesus Himself. Who was He? Why did He come? And how does a cute story about a boy in a manger correlate with the actual story of our Savior? Don’t misunderstand me. The manger story is important, but if we don’t know what this little baby came to do for us, it becomes useless to talk about. Since childhood, I’ve been able to remember all the details surrounding some little boy in the manger, but who He was, I never knew. There is like a blank hole in my memory when it comes to the real, living, Jesus. He is born, and since He doesn’t talk, apparently there’s not much to say about Him.

Now, we know Jesus was not born in December, but the key event in this holiday called Christmas, should be to celebrate that the actual birth of Jesus happened at all! Why is His birth so important? I’ll let the Bible speak for itself.

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

This is the gospel, my friend. It’s not just the normal birth of a child. This is a special one, in fact, it’s God Himself, bringing Himself as a solution to a broken world. That’s why His birth is so important. The birth of Jesus is only a piece in the gospel puzzle leading us to Life, Death, and Resurrection.

So what can we do to hit the target?

There is more to the nativity of Jesus than we think. The first time He was promised to come to this world, it was as a baby. Then Jesus lived a beautiful life, where he selflessly died for us, because of His infinite love for humanity. Before His death he proclaimed that He would come back to this earth a second time to take us home, and this time as the King of kings. In the Nativity story it seems like Christ is a type of king that only gets served and cuddled with, but that wasn’t His purpose. It was actually quite the opposite. He came to be a servant. As Christians in Christmas, we have a great opportunity to bring the gospel of Jesus out to the world and share the love that He gave to us. I am not just speaking about sharing His love with our closest family, but also to strangers. I am also not just talking about posting a critical Facebook status, but spending actual time worshipping Jesus. To love God and to serve others like this is to let the character and mission of Jesus shine in front of everyone in this Christmas season. Moreover, there is still one greater message to bring forth in Christmas: If God promised Jesus to come, and He came the first time, it would be reasonable to expect His second coming as well!

If we begin to explore this path of celebration, what will we accomplish? What all Christians want, to make Christmas all about Jesus!

So please don’t just be a one-month fan of Jesus talking Christmas language, singing songs, and shallowly #reasonfortheseasoning everyone. I don’t want you to miss the mark like I did. I plead you to dig into the true meaning of Christmas, and get to know the Savior for who He really is. I plead with you to take time to share His love with others. If you don’t, you might end up rejecting Him in January which would be quite saddening and a huge contradiction after a month’s celebration of Christmas with Jesus in the “center.” Please don’t just ride the train of tradition and sing along without thinking about the real Messiah and your relationship with Him and what you’re doing to show His love to a cold world! I wish you an interesting and fruitful search for the Christmas gospel. I wish you, in fact, a merry Christmas.

Contributed by Øystein Sognefest

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