In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Field.

    John McCrae (1872-1918), Canadian lieutenant colonel, as the Company doctor, he was
inspired to write the poem on May 3, 1915 - over 100 years ago. In the absence of a chaplain, he conducted the burial service for his friend, an artillery officer, who had been killed in the conflict.

    To understand the poem, we need to realize that when artillery and bombs went off, they left the ground powdered with lime. Few plants could grow in that death-filled ground - but poppies could. The poem observes how poppies blow in the fields where the fallen soldiers are buried. The sound of the guns firing on the western front had almost drowned out the natural birds' songs in the skies above - almost, but not entirely, it is worth noting. This tells us there is still hope.

    But not for the men who have died, who until so recently had lived and loved. But the poem does not call war futile: the final stanza calls for those who are living to take the baton (the torch) and continue the fight for freedom.

        If the living do not finish the fight begun by those who gave their lives, the dead will not be able to rest in their graves. The poem begins with the three words that make its title and ends with the same three words: In Flanders fields. May we carry the torch.

Three Kings of the Orient

We sing the song: “We three kings . . .” Were they really kings? My Bible says, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.” I suppose we think they were kings because they brought expensive gifts. “And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Did you ever wonder why wise men didn’t bring more age appropriate items for this young Child? Maybe He would have enjoyed a toy camel or donkey. We know they didn’t have trucks. But they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

What were the wise men expecting? We can speculate why they followed a particular star because they were likely astrologers who had studied stars for years. In Psalm 19, David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Maybe they “read” the constellations and knew the Savior had been born.

They may have come from the land where Daniel had been captive and had heard his prophecies. The star led them to the Christ Child in Bethlehem, and they brought gifts fit for a king. Peculiar gifts for a Child – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The gold tells us they knew this Child was to be King. Royalty always expressed itself in gold, a precious metal associated with grandeur throughout the ages. What did the family do with that gold? Maybe they used it to flee to Egypt when Herod came to kill the Child, but that’s another story.

The frankincense was typically mixed with offerings and burned by the priests or burned as incense in ceremonial worship. We later learn in the book of Hebrews that Christ is our Great High Priest. It says, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” Frankincense symbolized the position of Priest that the Child would hold; it spoke of His Divinity.

Myrrh often puzzles us. Why bring embalming oil to the Child? Truly, as the wise men “read” the stars, they knew this Child would suffer and die. Did they realize His death would bring salvation to the world? Psalm 147:4 tells us God numbered the stars and called them by name. His plan of salvation was in the night sky for the wise men to see and respond, which they did.

We know the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Child who was prophesied to be King, Priest, and Savior. The gifts spoke of His Royalty, Divinity, and Humanity. Three kings or three wise men? Doesn’t matter. Sing the song; sing all verses and dwell on the beauty of the Word that can express the character of Christ and His work of salvation in simple gifts.

From the Manger to the Tomb

Such a festive time of year – the music, the lights, the decorations – all enhance our warm, fuzzy feelings for another Christmas season. We sing, we smile, we laugh, and we cheer. Out come the lights and tinsel while cookies and candy grace the kitchen countertops.

We unpack our ceramic stable and figurines – complete with sheep and donkey, camels and shepherds. Of course, we have Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus lying in a manger. Some churches present a living nativity scene for the community. Men, women, and children play the parts, and sometimes a real baby lies in the manger. Animals are brought to stand around the manger for authenticity. All appear to be worshiping the baby in the manger.

But it makes me wonder. Only three verses in the whole Bible speak of Jesus being in a manger. Luke 2:7 tells us “And she [Mary] brought forth her firstborn son [Jesus], and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Then we learn about the shepherds being guided to “the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” But only three verses.

Yes, Jesus was laid in a manger, so we pay close attention to that detail, but are we missing something here? Are we so focused on this minor detail that we miss the important one? First, this is a scene of humiliation because God the Son left His heavenly home to come to this earth for the salvation of mankind. Coming to earth was not a victorious feat in itself. This manger was the beginning of sorrows, for He was despised and rejected – but we focus on this detail.

How easy it is to major on a minor detail like the manger scene but miss the big picture. Is it wrong to enjoy these festivities? God says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” May we be thankful for our many blessings and thankful for God’s love as we feel the joy that is ours through peace with Him.

Enjoy the lights and smell the candles. Listen to the music and sing the carols. But as you look at all the beautiful Christmas trees in store windows and homes, remember the tree at Calvary where the humiliation of our Lord ended. The baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, but the crucified Lord Jesus was wrapped in linen and laid in the tomb of a rich man. And then He rose to conquer death. That is why we rejoice. With that glorious truth in mind, may we all sing “Joy to the World.”

Christ, the Cross, and the Crimson Worm

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the midst of the darkness, Jesus cried from the cross and then gave up His spirit. With these words, He was fulfilling the prophecy of Psalm 22, which was written a thousand years before the crucifixion.

The psalm refers to men who mocked and exclaimed that He should save Himself. It tells of His bones being out of joint, His hands and feet being pierced, and His tongue cleaving to the roof of His mouth from thirst. The psalm also tells about the soldiers who cast lots for His garments.

Jesus fulfilled all of this. But in verse 6 of this psalm, He cries out, “But I am a worm, and not a man.” Why did He call Himself a worm? How odd in the midst of this prophecy to say such a thing. Was it because a worm is a lowly creature that could only wiggle and crawl around. Was it to show His total humiliation?

That is probably so, but it is much more. The Hebrew word for this worm is tola, as opposed to rimmah, the word for maggot that is used in most other places in the Bible. A tola worm is the crimson or scarlet worm that lives in the Middle East.

The life cycle of the tola worm sheds even deeper meaning on this psalm. When the female is ready to give birth, she attaches herself to a specific tree so permanently that she can never leave, and she dies as she gives birth. Jesus told His disciples that no one could take His life from Him, but He would lay it down willingly (John 10:18).

This worm secretes a red dye as she deposits her eggs directly beneath her body. The dye covers her, the tree, and the eggs permanently. The young are stained for life. For three days, if the worm and eggs are scraped from the tree, the dye can be harvested and used to color fabrics. On the fourth day, however, the shell of the female has dried and turned white as snow. It falls to the ground as a wax, which can be harvested as a shellac or preservative.

I cannot help but equate this psalm to the torture of Christ on the cross, the mocking of the soldiers, and the three days that Jesus was in the tomb – only to rise as described in Matthew 27. These parallels are striking, but there are more not mentioned here. The study of God’s Word and His plan of salvation is an amazing one, but may we remember that He tells us:

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” – Isaiah 1:18

Ponder in Your Heart

Imagine. Ordinary, monotonous days. Did you ever wonder what it was like to be a shepherd on the night that Jesus was born? 

            You would have been out in the countryside somewhere;     

            the stars were probably out.
You were watching over your sheep, and the night was oh, so quiet.
            Imagine. Just an ordinary evening.

When all of a sudden an angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of the Lord shone round about. This had never happened before. So spectacular was this sight that you were frightened out of your skin. But the angel told you not to be afraid because he brought good news of a Savior being born. That ordinary day turned into a spectacular evening and a great multitude joined the angel praising God. Then they were gone.

You looked at your shepherd friends;
          maybe you scratched your head;
            you might have shrugged your shoulders,
            wondering what your friends thought. In an instant you knew.
You grabbed your shepherd’s hook and hurried off to Bethlehem to see this great event for yourself, and you found Mary and Joseph and the baby. You witnessed the birth of the Savior.

This night was so special, so unusual, you told everyone you saw of the sights and the message. Then, you went back to your sheep,

            back to the countryside, back to the quiet.
            Nothing more happened.
            Day after day, more ordinary days.

But that one ordinary day had turned into a night of fulfilled prophecy and spectacular heavenly sights – and then, nothing. Life went on, one day after another.

Was it the same for Mary and Joseph? In the midst of the census and birth of the Son, their lives were changed forever, but most days were just ordinary days. Life moved along – but Luke tells us in his gospel that Mary pondered these things in her heart.
            In fact, he mentions it twice in his gospel.
            Why did he repeat this?
            Do you suppose he wanted to be sure these Jewish people noticed it?
            Why would that be important?

These words may have meant more to the Jews at that time than we realize. Do you suppose they remembered Daniel 7:28 – “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale: but I kept the matter to myself” - in my heart.
            Why would Luke allude to this verse?

Daniel had just received a vision of four empires; then he told of one like the Son of Man coming and receiving an everlasting kingdom.
            The verse right before the one Luke alludes to says, “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.”

Daniel and the Israelites waited – one ordinary day after another, God was silent for more than 400 years. Then, Jesus was born;
            the shepherds saw the angel and heard the promise of a Savior.
            And then, they settled back into one ordinary day after another.

More years passed and that baby grew and emerged from that ordinary life and changed the world forever.
            Three short years He walked the countryside,
            taught the people,
            and worked His miracles.

These were not ordinary days. After 400 years, God was speaking to the people again; but they crucified this Jesus and He was gone.
             Life went on – but it was different this time. Life would never be the same. God had returned to His people and they were changed.

Jesus’ birth was a partial fulfilling of Daniel’s prophecy.
            Maybe Luke’s reference to Mary keeping those events in her heart was meant to remind us of Daniel keeping the matter in his heart and the prophecy of the kingdom that was to follow.
            

Maybe it was to assure us that all those prophecies will be fulfilled - in time.

Life seems to go on and on. Many ordinary days tied together, but God is still working His plan, marching through time in these ordinary days. How blessed the Jews must have been to understand the full meaning of Luke’s words. May we likewise understand His Word to as we ponder these things in our hearts.

What Did They Know?

           Why did the wise men bring Myrrh? Gold and frankincense were for a king, but Myrrh? What did they know?

           
           Myrrh was precious – more valuable than gold itself. But, this gift spoke of death. What did they know?

           Myrrh seeps from the cut in a small tree. The branch is wounded, and sap oozes out in tear-shaped droplets. The Myrrh is not sweet and fragrant, but bitter. It represents suffering and sorrow. It was used for embalming dead bodies. Why bring a bitter, embalming liquid to a newborn king? What did they know?

           These wise men watched the skies and followed His star to Jerusalem. Did they see the virgin holding a baby in the heavens? Could they read the stars and see the truth? Did they understand God’s salvation for mankind?

          “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

           They brought Myrrh. Do you know what the wise men knew?

             

Jamestown - An Experiment in Socialism

It’s October already! Then November! Harvest, Thanksgiving and Pilgrims. Reminds me of school days and lessons about our nation’s history.

Brave Englishmen sailed to the New World for a multitude of reasons – religious freedom, promise of gold, and expansion of the Empire. Some even came as indentured slaves, hoping to work for freedom.

Before the Pilgrims, King James I had granted a charter to the Virginia Company for land in the New World. Three ships set sail in 1607 – the Susan Constant, the God Speed, and the Discovery. They established the settlement of Jamestown in April. This community was not structured like the villages in England. All supplies and food were held in common and doled out as needed, but in spite of this, half of them had died by September.

When Captain John Smith recognized that some were not working, he determined that if a man did not work, he should not eat. That helped, but did not provide the enough motivation. Real encouragement came in June of 1609 when six hundred people arrived with supplies. However, due to a gun powder explosion, Captain Smith was injured and had to return to England in September of that year.

By winter, the food was gone, and houses were run down. Rampant rumors of cannibalism surfaced. At the end of this winter, 1609-1610, known as the Starving Time, only sixty settlers had survived. As a last resort, under the direction of Sir Thomas Gates, they boarded a ship for England.

As they rounded the bend in the river, however, they met a longboat with supplies and people. Much to the dismay of the settlers, Sir Thomas Gates turned around and returned to the devastation of Jamestown. But the problems still existed. No one possessed his own farm land. A settler could be moved out of his house at the whim of those in power. With no sense of community, the people had very little incentive to work.

Captain Smith’s rule had not provided the motivation they needed. Other negative incentives brought the same results. Whippings were to no avail. In addition to the idleness of some people, those who were thrifty with what they grew became indignant when the common property (food) was given to those who did not contribute.

Faced with another catastrophic situation in the first American commune, Sir Thomas Gates allotted a parcel of land for each family and allowed them to keep their own corn. Personal incentives succeeded where force had failed. This applied private enterprise paved the way for tobacco farming which eventually made Jamestown a prosperous colony.