The Fire
When I was in high school one of my favorite classes was Mr. Nelson’s modern American history class. He was a wonderfully quirky teacher that through pop culture, cinema, and music showed us the history of America from the end of the Depression to modern times….you know…. the 90’s…..anyway…. One of the things he did was show us the video of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire, and told us the final would be matching the lyrics to their historical definitions. The song has an interesting an interesting origin, to quote the linked article “The song was spawned out of a conversation that Joel had with Sean Lennon in the studio. Sean was with a friend who told Joel that it was a “terrible time” to be a young person. Joel was on the eve of his 40th birthday, and he told the despairing youth that things weren’t much brighter when he was 21 either.” For last decade or so, people have asked Billy Joel if he would do a part two, and he has always maintained that a second one would need to be done by a newer band with a younger perspective. This year Fall Out Boy took up the challenge and performed We Didn’t Start the Fire from their perspective. It covers events from 1989 to 2023, although without the chronological staccato of Billy Joel. Still, love it or hate it, you have a list of history from 1948 to 2023
Why do I bring this up? It is the end of the church calendar year. This is the last Friday devotion of the 2023 church year as advent starts this coming Sunday. As we live, I think it’s fair to say there are some common refrains that we hear….
“I had it so much harder than you do”
“Technology has made life easier”
“Things have only gotten worse”
“WE have more luxuries now than we have ever had”
“We are more free!” “We have lost our freedoms.”
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That is sin. Sin separates, it destroys.
So where is the hope? Our hope alone is in Jesus Christ alone. We are incapable of changing our status, or taking control of our sinful nature.
Our history is proof that we can not change.
But we can be changed. In fact, that is what Christ came into the world to do.
Redeem, Sanctify, Deliver, Transform
Just take a look at these verses:
2 Corinthians 5:17– Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ezekiel 36:26 – And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Philippians 1:6–And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
There are many many more verses about being changed through Christ. This Christmas season I encourage you to meditate on how God has changed you.
One of the ways you can do that is joining us Wednesday nights in Advent, we are going to be talking about how Jesus saved us.
I hope to see you there!
Saved by faith in Christ alone,
- Pastor Dan