Ken Winter
Advent – We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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Introduction to this post:

This is the fourth of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

Week #3 – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

This week - December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Balthazar and I am a lifelong student of the science of the stars….

Advent – We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent – Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

Introduction to this post:

This is the third of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

This week – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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I am a shepherd named Moshe.

Advent – Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent – Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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Introduction to this post:

This is the second of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Last week - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

This week - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Achim. My family and I live here in Bethlehem, the town of our ancestor David, the shepherd king….

Advent – Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s ...

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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A preface to this post:

Dear family, friends and faithful readers of this blog,

This week is my 321st weekly blog post—not a huge number for many, but for me it has been a sharing of my heart with you. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly stories for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year, i am repeating four of the weekly Advent posts from 2019 for two reasons. First, i have made changes to the posts, and have a higher quality audio recording of the posts in the event you would like to listen to them on audio—feel free to click the link above to do so.

The second reason is that i will be bringing my season of posting to an end as of the end of December. As many of you know, i have been diagnosed with metastatic (stage 4) lung cancer and am now being placed on home hospice care. Thus, it has become more difficult for me to produce these post. I hope and pray you receive these as my gift and expression of love to you.

The remaining five posts are as follows:

November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

December 25th: A Christmas Celebration (My Story)

Advent - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)
Ken Winter
His Dwelling Place

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What does it mean to live in the shelter of the Most High and to find rest in His shadow? This is how Psalm 91 begins—a psalm many attribute to Moses. i believe that attribution is fitting. Moses is the one who carried Jehovah God’s instructions to His people for constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He witnessed the fabrication of each part and completed the last of the work.

The Tabernacle was completed exactly as the Lord specified and was erected on the first anniversary of Israel’s departure from Egypt. That day, the Lord’s glorious presence descended upon it, covering and filling it with His awesome glory. His presence, previously seen in the guiding pillar of cloud, now took residence within His dwelling place among the people. From that day on, as His Spirit led, the people moved forward; when His Spirit remained in the Tabernacle, the people encamped.

His Dwelling Place

The Wandering Years

The Staff That Blossoms

The Staff That Blossoms

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There is a powerful example in the Book of Numbers that illustrates how we should live as followers of Christ. Ironically, this example arose from a dispute among God's chosen people. They were arguing over who should hold the highest position. In some ways, this mirrors the debate among Jesus’ disciples about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. In both cases, selfish ambition reared its head, just as it often does in our own lives.

God decided to put an end to the controversy about who should serve as a priest on behalf of the people. Despite the judgments of death God had already rendered earlier in the passage, He now used a life-giving sign to settle the issue once and for all.

A Lesson in Unbelief

A Lesson in Unbelief

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They were God’s people. They were the people whom He had delivered from the bondage of Egypt so that through them, He might reveal His Name and glory to the nations. These were the people with whom God had made the covenant: “If you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests, My holy nation.”

Yet, time and again since leaving Egypt, the people had forgotten, doubted, or outright rejected God’s promise. Now, standing on the edge of the land God had promised them, they had heard the report that it was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey—everything God had said it would be.  He had led them all the way; the end of their journey was in sight.

When Strength Becomes a Stumbling Block

When Strength Becomes a Stumbling Block

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During my years as an associate pastor, i was blessed to serve alongside many gifted servants of God. i witnessed how the Lord uniquely prepared each individual for their respective assignments and called them to their positions of service at just the right time. i saw the remarkable way their complementary strengths and gifts came together under God’s leadership.

However, there is a potential weakness among even the most outstanding members that must be safeguarded against. An exceptionally talented group may be tempted to rely on their own strengths and abilities, attempting to do God’s work in their own way. This group might confidently advance based on human wisdom while neglecting to seek the Lord.

No Matter Where We Are

No Matter Where We Are

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Two Israelite men, Eldad and Medad, were part of a group of seventy elders that God had directed Moses to assemble.(1) We don’t know from which tribe these men originated. There is no further information about them other than this one reference in Scripture. For some unknown reason these two men, who were probably brothers, had not gone to the Tabernacle with the rest of the elders; they were still in the camp. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon the elders, He came upon all of the elders, including these two who weren’t in the tabernacle. Oh, and isn’t it interesting that theirs are the only names we know out of that group of seventy? Perhaps the Lord has a lesson for us to learn from these two men.

On To Our Paran

On To Our Paran

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After having camped at Mount Sinai for almost a year, the cloud lifted and the Israelites set out on their three-day journey to the wilderness of Paran.(1) (You may recall that the wilderness of Paran is where Hagar and Ishmael found refuge when Sarah had Abraham send them away.(2)) The wilderness of Paran was bounded to the north by southern Canaan, otherwise known as the Promised Land. They were in the fourteenth month of their exodus from Egypt and they were now closing in on the prize that was before them – the Promised Land!

Why Were We Chosen?

Why Were We Chosen?

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We live in a culture that believes life centers around us. It is about “my” dreams, “my” ambitions, and “my” goals. Our fulfillment most often comes from our needs being met, our dreams being achieved, and our achievements being recognized. We’re striving for the “trophy,” even though it has taken on different forms and shapes as we’ve gotten older. It’s the lie that our culture feeds – that “it’s all about me.”

In the Book of Exodus, we read that Aaron and his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, together with seventy of the elders of Israel, climbed partway up Mount Sinai with Moses.(1) There they saw the God of Israel and shared a meal together in His presence under His feet. By the way – if you can imagine being a part of that group – it was pretty heady stuff. Imagine being invited to sit at God’s table! Then, having seen God, Aaron and his sons were given an opportunity to serve Him as doorkeepers in His House.

Called to Stand Guard

Called to Stand Guard

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God called the Levites to be in charge of the Tabernacle, and all of its furnishings and equipment. He called them to stand guard and protect it. When the Israelites were camped in the wilderness, God’s Spirit dwelt in the Tabernacle in their midst, but the area immediately surrounding His dwelling place was the home of the Levites. Whenever the pillar of cloud moved from the Tabernacle to lead the people, the Levites took down the Tabernacle and carried it. Whenever the cloud stopped, the Levites would set up the Tabernacle and prepare it for the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit.

The Levites were chosen by God and called to this role because of their response after the people had rebelliously worshiped the image of the golden calf. You may recall that Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, “All of you who are on the LORD’s side, come over here and join me.” And all of the Levites came to him.

Two Trumpets

Two Trumpets

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i have always been partial to the trumpet. My grandfather gave me my first trumpet when i was nine years old. He got it used, and it had seen better days. The bell was bent and the brass finish was pitted, but there wasn’t anything more beautiful to me. i can remember, however, the dreadful sounds it initially made, due in no part to the instrument itself, when i first put it up to my lips.

Gratefully, perhaps out of self-preservation, my parents soon arranged for me to receive lessons from Mrs. Finkbinder. i thoroughly enjoyed those weekly lessons. i envisioned myself becoming a trumpet virtuoso like my instructor. But sadly, i must confess, during those early years, i was less enthusiastic about my daily practice times between lessons. So, though my knowledge of the basics soon improved, my playing was less melodious and more mechanical.

One day in the wilderness, the Lord said to Moses, “Make two trumpets of beaten silver.”

Every Assignment Has A Purpose

Every Assignment Has A Purpose

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The psalmist David records in the 37th Psalm: The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. That was true of His chosen people, the Israelites, and it is true of us today. His plans and the way He orders our steps are not haphazard. He has a purpose and a plan, even when we have no idea what it is. And the details surrounding our every assignment are very exact though we may not recognize them. We see that truth revealed throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

One of those places is in the Book of Numbers, as we see the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. Did you ever stop and think about all of the logistics involved in moving a group of people, numbering between one and two million, from Egypt to the Promised Land? i am mindful of all of the planning that went into a trip for my wife, two children and me, when our children were younger. i am also mindful of the occasional disagreement that arose over who sat where, who slept where, who got to go first, etc. Now imagine doing that with upwards to two million people! God was leading His people on a journey through the wilderness and He would leave no detail unresolved.

Too Little Too Late

Too Little Too Late

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When you were a kid, do you remember getting caught doing something your parents or someone else in authority over you had told you not to do – or for not doing something they had told you to do? You suddenly realized there were going to be consequences. You weren’t going to be able to do something you had really been looking forward to doing – like going to a party at a friend’s house, or going to a movie with friends, or the like.

You felt really bad! But, in truth, you didn’t feel bad about what you had done; rather, you felt bad about the consequence of your disobedience. And the truth is, that didn’t just happen back when we were kids. It also has happened to us as adults. As a matter of fact, it may have just happened yesterday.

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