The Glory of God in the Face of His Son

 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

(Luke 2:11 ESV)

As we celebrate this time of year commemorating the incarnation of Christ, I’ve been thinking about what Christ became for His people in His birth. Drawing from the verse above, here are a few of my thoughts on the matter:

Jesus is Savior- Jesus’ coming to earth was a tremendously essential part of God’s Sovereign plan of Salvation. He loved His people enough to suffer, to die, and to bear our sins in His body on the tree (1^st Peter 2:24). He ransomed us from our bondage to sin; something we could have never accomplished on our own. He is our redeemer and Sin-bearer!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place, condemned He stood,

He sealed my pardon with His blood,

Hallelujah! What a Savior!*

Jesus is Christ- Jesus is the anointed and chosen one; the only one worthy to accomplish His work. Jesus is fully God to bear our sins and fully man to be our great high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7). He is the God-man joined in the hypostatic union and appointed to save His people.

Jesus is Lord- Christians confess that Christ is Lord and Master over all aspects of life, but when the risen, glorified Lord returns every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God the father (Phil. 2:5-11)! Christ came into the world in the humblest of ways—born in a barn and placed in a cattle trough—but when Christ returns, he will come back on a white horse with a sword in His mouth, clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and He will tread the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God (Rev. 19:11-16)! Jesus may have been a little infant at His birth, but let us never forgot that this baby grew into a man, died on the Cross to atone for sin, rose again on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of His father.

Jesus is Master, Lord, King of Kings, the Exalted One, and the Son of God!

                                                                                                Soli Deo Gloria!

                                                                                 

 Merry Christmas,

                                                                                                 -Josh

*Excerpt from a hymn by Phillip Bliss. 

Deliver Us

I've posted the song "Deliver Us" off of Andrew Peterson's album Behold The Lamb of God. The song has been on my mind this Christmas season, and it is sung by Derek Webb. Please see the video below.

Merry Xmas from the Caldwells

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

The word Immanuel means “God with us” in the Hebrew—the language in which Isaiah’s prophecy was written. Isaiah prophesied this Word from the Lord 700 years prior to Christ’s coming to dwell on earth. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

(Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)

                

             What is significant about the birth of Christ? Christ came to earth to live a sinless life, to die a sin bearing death on the Cross to redeem a people to Himself. He asks those who desire to be a part of His family to repent of their sin and believe in His good news. Thank you Christ, our savior and master, for saving us from hell and punishment by your death! Thank you for giving us your righteousness and eternal life!

In another sense, Halley and I have felt “God with us” this year in the loss of our son, Josh Jr. We have felt the presence and guiding hand of the Lord throughout this entire ordeal; He is an ever present help in time of trouble! We are still reeling in pain over our little Josh, but we take comfort in the fact that God makes no mistakes. We take the greatest consolation in knowing God has used our loss for His Glory, and we pray He continues this work. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!

We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May you take time in all of the gatherings and gift-giving to remember why we celebrate this holiday. We hope you won’t just celebrate yourself because Christmas is not about decorated trees, or family, or gifts, or an enormous guy in a red suit. Christmas is about the Gospel.

Grace and Peace,

                                                  Josh and Halley

The Name of Jesus

Sunday Morning, I found an appropriate Christmas article on Kevin DeYoung's Gospel Coalition blog site. The following is an excerpt from that article:
          "For most of us, Jesus has a sacred ring to it; it sounds holy and divine.  But this wasn’t the case when Mary and Joseph followed the angel’s instructions and gave their baby his name."


           If you are interested, you can read the whole article here.

Merry Xmas!

          I have noticed a lot of Facebook friends posting negative comments about using the abbreviation “Xmas” to refer to Christmas.  I have written a few words explaining the abbreviation, and I hope it will be enlightening to some:

Are some people belittling the birth of Jesus by using the abbreviation “Xmas” to refer to Christmas?

Actually, the word Christmas is a compounding of the two words “Christ” and “Mass”.  Historically, Christians would shorten the Greek word for Christ-- Χριστός” (pronounced “Christos)-- to its first letter “X”—or “Chi”-- in the Greek.  Xmas literally means “Christ-mas” and that is how it should be pronounced, never as “ex-mass”.

            Shorthand like “Xmas” has been popular throughout history. For example, the phrase ΙΧΘΥΣ is transliterated "ichthus "; a phrase in which each letter (ΙΧΘΥΣ) represents the first letter of each of the following words: Jesus, Christ, God, Son, Savior. The “X” in the phrase represents the word for Christ.

The bottom line is whether or not you use the word “Christmas” or the abbreviation “Xmas”, both mean the same thing. Both refer to the celebration of the Incarnation of Christ Jesus! Thank you Lord for your plan of Salvation. Merry Xmas and Soli Deo Gloria! 

Power

             

                In the late 17^th century, Pope Innocent X made a decree that Protestants and Catholics all over Europe ignored. Both parties disobeyed the pope and stripped him of his power. This was one of the first instances in history where both Protestants and Catholics demonstrated that a king’s power comes from the obedience of his subjects.

             God doesn’t operate in this way. Even if every person in the world denied His deity, He would still be God over all. His power isn’t contingent on who submits to Him. His power isn’t contingent on anything! His source of power is forever who He is.  

Even when I pray, “God, your will be done in my life and not my own”, I’m really recognizing that God –who has been seated on the throne since before the world began—is my master. Even through all my sin and rebellion, God has been seated on the throne.

Maybe a better way to pray would be: “God, I know your will will be done regardless of what my desire might be, but I submit to your will for my life no matter what that means.” Are we willing to pray today that God’s will be done in our lives no matter what? What if that means the loss of a loved one, cancer, a call to long-term mission, hunger, disease, financial difficulty, the loss of a job, or denial of desire? I know this is a better way to pray because it is the way Christ prayed to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane (Mt. 26:39), and it is the way Christ taught His disciples to pray (Mt. 6:10).

             

            May we recognize that God alone is on the throne; that He does whatever pleases him (Ps. 155:3), and may we humble ourselves at His feet as we realize that His power has nothing to do with us. 

Though He Slay Me Part IV

Written on November 3rd, 2011. 

     It has been two weeks since October 20, 2011, the day that Halley and I found out we lost our child. I have been reliving the events of that day and my emotions have swelled and burst the wounds I thought were beginning to heal. I remember the medical workers not being able to find a heartbeat, and then driving Halley to Dr. Ghearing’s office. I remember what songs played on the radio on the car ride over. Most vividly, I remember the moment when the doctor told us he couldn’t find a heartbeat during the ultrasound. I was holding Halley’s hand tightly when I felt a dread like flames explode inside my body. I felt everything, but in a way I was numb. I suppose I was in shock. I remember calling my mother and mother-in-law and telling them the sad news we had just received.

    From that point, the next three days were a blur of sad, yet important events. Halley and I hugged and cried a lot and laughed a little. For the 30 hours we spent in the hospital, we were blessed with excellent care from our nurses and our doctor. I thank God we were also surrounded by the love and support of our family and friends. At last, Halley delivered our little boy. What a bittersweet experience! I was so happy to hold him and dote on him, but I was sad to know that he wasn’t alive for me to teach or play with. In a way, this made the short time I was graced to spend at his side all the sweeter.

            

     Since then, God has used the death of our son to manifest the glory of His name. How I hope God will use his death to touch more people!

Halley and I have been enveloped by the love and prayers of the people in our area. What a comfort it is to know there are people who care for us. Most of all, Halley and I are comforted by knowing that God is using the loss of our son to bring people closer to Him.

      Many people have asked how Halley and I are doing and at this time in our grief, the heights of joy are higher, the valleys of despair are lower, but overall the grief is becoming more manageable. As I reflect on the events of October 20th, I realize I had no idea how significant the occurrences of that day would be to the rest of my life. I am still laid low by thoughts of the person my son would have grown up to be. I would love to be able to sing with him and play toys with him! I miss him so. How is it possible to miss a person as much as I miss my son, though we never met?

     The greatest challenge Halley and I face now is knowing we must begin again the process of becoming parents. We were so close. Halley was due to deliver Sunday, November 6th. Though I am forever little Josh’s earthly father, I long to care for and parent a child in a conventional way.

    Amidst all of the pain, I humbly submit to the Sovereign plan of a Good and Almighty God. The Lord has given to us graciously, and at this time He has chosen to take our son away from us. I am not mad at Him; He knows best. I can only bow and say, “Blessed Be Your Name.” As the wounds of my grief fester I am renewed by the power of Christ and the hope of the resurrection. I have a peace in Him who is the fountain of salvation, Jesus Christ.

            I would encourage all who let their eye fall on this note to cling closely to Christ in the midst of suffering. Though you may not be suffering now, make no mistake that those who walk upon the earth for even a small amount of time will find themselves in pain. My wife and I would be without hope or peace if we didn’t have Christ from which to gain strength. I wouldn’t desire any of you to meet a manner of trials without the power of Christ to sustain you. In fact, I don’t know how anyone could endure without the power of Christ! 

     I encourage you to repent and believe the Gospel; If God has not already saved you by His grace. Through Christ you can have this peace—the peace that surpasses all understanding.

            Though Halley and I are still in a great deal of anguish over the loss of our child; the source of our strength is Christ. We see more clearly as days go by that God is using our affliction for His glory. God has also bestowed a good gift on little Josh and his parents! Little Josh has bypassed the sorrows of this world and is in in the arms of the Savior. God has brought this trial into our lives to teach us, make us steadfast, and make us more complete for Christian ministry. In this, we rejoice! (James 1:2-4)

Though He Slay Me: Part III

Written October 26th, 2011,

     It’s been three days since we buried little Josh and I felt compelled to write a few lines explaining what I am thankful for at this time. 

     First of all, I am thankful that my family is sharing in the suffering of Christ. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” 1st Peter 4: 12-13

     I am comforted that I have been brought through an event that helps me understand Christ’s sufferings in a more intimate way. What Christ did for us is infinitely more magnificent by comparison, but losing my son helps me to understand the love of God in sending His Son to earth to die for the church.

     Secondly, I am thankful that the loss of little Josh assures me that I am part of God’s family. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:16-17 

     For a while now, things with Halley and I have been going so well, I wondered how the scriptures that apply to believers going through suffering applied to us. I no longer wonder why we haven’t been “tried as through fire”. The Lord’s rod of affliction is at our backs now, and we hold our hands over our mouths and thank him for his proof that we are loved by Him, because “those whom He loves, He chastens.”

Thirdly, I am thankful that God has answered my prayers. Throughout the entire pregnancy, I prayed that God would bring our child into the world full-term and save its soul. Technically, little Josh emerged from the womb a full-term infant and the Lord has saved him. The Lord has saved him not only from bearing his sin debt in eternal punishment in Hell, but He has saved him from the sorrows and pains of life on earth. I am very thankful for this comfort and am certain my son doesn’t regret getting to spend time on earth. He is much more joyous in the hands of the Father.
     

    I have been praying that God would continually use little Josh’s death for His Glory and God has answered prayer. I have received many emails, texts, and Facebook wall posts commending my family for our faith and strength through this tragedy. To that I say: To God alone be the glory! We rely on Him for our next breath. We are nothing special, but Christ is all! However, it is encouraging to hear that God is using our faith and our loss for His glory. May He continue to do so.
     

     Though my prayers have been answered, I am thankful to know that there is always a prayer that supersedes mine. I will quote from C.H. Spurgeon:
“In our prayers for the lives of beloved children of God, we must not forget that there is one prayer that may be crossing ours: Jesus prays, ‘Father I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory’ (John 17:24). Though I may pray for this or that, I am always comforted to know that Christ is praying for me. Therefore, I must pray, “not my will, but yours be done”.

     Finally, I am thankful I will see my son in the resurrection (1st Cor. 15). When I am raised by the finished work of Christ, I am excited to know that though my future children might be elsewhere with their families, Halley and I will be raised with our son at our right hand! What a joyous thought! I think about this often.
This loss is bitter sweet. 

      I am thankful for all the above, but a pervasive sadness creeps in from time to time when I think of what might have been. I wish I would have gotten to sing with him. I won’t see him smile. I won’t hear his voice—oh, what I would give up to hear his little voice! I wonder if he would like sports. (I hope not) ;) I wonder if he would like to play music like his dad. I wonder what kind of personality traits he would have gotten from me or his mother. I wonder if he would have had mannerisms like mine. I wonder, but three things are certain: He had his father’s nose, his mother’s hair, and his ministry has far exceeded his father’s though he didn't even take a breath. For that, I am happy.

Though He Slay Me: Part II

I wrote this post the day before we buried little Josh:

“The labor moved really slowly last night until 1:30 when Halley’s delivery started to move at a break-neck speed. By 1:42, my strong, precious wife had delivered a little boy (this was a surprise to us)! We named our little boy Joshua Shane Caldwell Jr. He weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. I will never forget getting to hold my namesake in my arms. What a gift from God!

There is a distinct duality to the grief that my wife and I feel. On one hand, we are elated that our little boy is safe in the arms of the Savior. Little Josh is happier right now than the happiest person on earth because he is in the presence of the Fountain of living water; the Supplier of all joy. I praise God for this sweet comfort.  In this regard, I am happier that my son bypassed the strain and sorrow of life on earth to be directly in the presence of God for eternity—what more could his earthly father ask for?

On the other hand, I was so excited to meet my child, to hold him, to pray for him, to be patient with him, and to see him grow up into honorable manhood. I will just have to wait a little longer than expected to get to know my first born son.

Little Josh, you’re earthly dad loves you deeply and misses you, but he is so joyful that you are in the much superior care of your Heavenly Father for eternity.

Halley and I are struggling, but we will make it through. Thank you all for your support during this tragedy. We appreciate all your prayers and kind words as we endure. Please don’t worry about having the ‘right’ words to say to us; just your company is enough.

     God is still gracious. God is still good. God is always sovereign. It is well with my soul.”

Though He Slay Me: Part I

     

     Today I begin my “Though He Slay Me” blog series. This series exists in four parts, (I have added an additional part) each of which I have written over the past five weeks since the stillborn death of my infant son, Josh Jr. The parts are chronologically progressive and give the reader a glimpse into my thoughts during each period of grief. Even at present, the grief is still enormous; it is something I can’t shake—each day at intervals I will think to myself, “I should be getting up at 1:00 A.M. to feed my son!” Sometimes I will simply think to myself, “I wish I had him here with me...” All the while, God’s grace is sufficient for me. I can truly make that statement and mean it after what I’ve been through.

     I have done some editing to each part in this series, but the first part met the most changes because when I originally posted it on my Facebook page on Oct. 21^st , 2011,  my wife Halley and I were still in the hospital waiting to deliver the baby which we thought was going to be a girl! As you will read later in the series—Halley was to deliver a little boy. I have edited the article to read as if we knew we were having a boy to avoid any confusion. The following is what I wrote the day after we found out we lost the baby:

“It is with a heavy heart and tremendous grief that I tell you my little boy, Joshua Shane Caldwell Jr., did not survive the pregnancy. Yesterday morning I posted a lyric from a Hymn by Joseph Hart on Facebook:

                     ‘Lord, I believe thy grace is free. O magnify that grace in me.’

     …And the Lord has done it! He has magnified His grace in me many times; even in this tragedy His grace is sustaining me. I have so much for which to be grateful. I am thankful for the 37 weeks Halley and I had little Josh. I am devastated and sad right now, but I have hope. I will persevere by the Grace of my Lord Jesus Christ. My pastor wrote this in an email, ‘Josh Jr. rests in the Savior's arms. He knows more about grace than a thousand theologians!’
     
     I am thankful that my son knows more about grace than I ever will. He won’t return to me, but I will go to him! (2 Samuel 12:23) The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”