Enoch

[Read Genesis 5:22, Hebrews 11:5 and Jude 1:14]

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews opens with a definition of faith. Jesus’ teaching allowed for no limits to the power of faith. The story of Enoch is an example of having such faith. I find the last words of verse 5 to be telling, “he had pleased God.”

One of the things I love about the Advent season is that it opens in darkness but ends in light. A world condemned to the mean state of hopelessness and death has been given hope through the Christ child.

Right now, everything from the pandemic to political strife can feel like darkness threatening to envelop our lives. Faith is not found in darkness but rather in the light of God.

After all these years I am still deeply moved when the lights go out on Christmas Eve and only candlelight remains. Each face lit by a single candle. Darkness recedes as the light spreads; it is the light of Christ shining in the darkness reflected in the face of the believer which no darkness can overcome. God was pleased to send light into the world through His Son.

During Advent search out the meaning of faith and what it can mean for you. Hold trust in God alone and the Word of God; as Enoch’s faith demonstrates this is pleasing to God. May God bless you and your family this season of Advent.

Pastor David Leistra
Sturgeon Bay United Methodist



Location: Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Noah

Image
[Read Genesis 6:8, 22; 1 Peter 3:20; Hebrews 11:7 ] By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. Here on the island, we know the importance of finding safe passage through the waters. And we’re pretty blessed to have the ferry providing year-round service across the “Door.” It truly is our lifeline. If you’ve been on one, you know their boats are unique. They’re not cruise ships or fishing boats. Each is specifically designed to safely take vehicles, humans, and cargo to and from the mainland. For Advent this year, as we look forward to Jesus’ Second Coming, we’re remembering Jesus’ ancestors. It turns out that one of his distant relatives also ran a ferry boat. His name was Noah and God told him to build a boat, or Ark. Its purpose? To carry people and animals to safety from a catastrophic flood (see Genesis 6:9-8:22). This must have seemed pretty random for Noah. Yet, with no evidence...
Read more

Josiah

Image
[Read 2 Chronicles 35:1-3 ]  Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. It was a scene that could have happened in Imperial Rome, a king assassinated by close advisors, his young son thrust onto the throne. Such was the story of Josiah, son of Amon, King of Judah, the last remaining lands of the once great Davidic Kingdom. The nation was a mess. Solomon's Temple was in a state of disrepair, and the people were divided, worshipping false gods. The king started small, directing that Temple funds be used to repair the building. It was in that process that a long-lost scroll of the Law was “discovered.” Today, scholars believe that scroll was Deuteronomy, and while this seems a minor incident in the scope of the Hebrew story, it set off a national and theological reform with consequences to this day, responsible for historical books that tell us the story of that people, influencing the Prophet Jeremiah. Josiah consulted the great proph...
Read more

Methuselah

Image
[Read Genesis 5:27 ] Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. Often people lament that life is too short. Even when blessed with a relatively long life, people feel it isn’t enough time. In Genesis we read of Methuselah. He bore a son at the age of 187 years, and he lived another 782 years; this is a total of 969 years. He died in the year of the flood. As noted in Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, even the “longest liver must die at last.” Methuselah’s life might remind us that such a passing has long been considered a relief from struggle. Methuselah’s grandson is named Noah to signify rest, and his father complained of the “calamitous state of human life… Our whole life is spent in labor, and our time is filled up with continual toil.” How true this is! We sometimes forget that no matter how good life is, it seems that it always includes struggles. They may be because of loved ones, or addictions, or poor choices, or politics of the day, but often it seems life...
Read more