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Christmas All Year Long

Christmas All Year Long

My wife will likely be unhappy with me for sharing this, but I’ve always liked living on the edge.  So here goes …

The truth is that we still have our Christmas tree and decorations up.  I imagine this is shocking and even unimaginable to some readers.  However, the fact is that if you keep them up long enough, you don’t have to dig them back out and put them back up again! 

Though this seems rather practical to me – rest assured, this is not our intention. 

The simple reality is that this past year has been one of massive transition for my wife and myself.  Really, for our entire family.  Suddenly, none of our children live with us anymore.  (Which is part of the issue: there’s no one to help take it all back down like the past 25 years or so!)

But the bigger issue is that my wife and I are both fully immersed in full-time service to the Lord.  So much so that while we’re kinda settled, we’re still a lot not-settled.  (I know that last sentence has some improper words and grammar, but I like it; it seems to sum up our situation well.)

In short, there is precious little spare time for extras like packing up the Christmas things.  And especially for her, who commutes to her school and is gone 12 hours a-day for 5 days of the week.  That leaves only the weekends for her to get all of her other personal stuff done.  And by the way, as a pastor, weekends are extremely busy for me.

Which is why the Christmas tree still commandeers a corner of our living room, the stockings are still hanging off the fireplace mantle, the wreath still occupies the front door, and the Christmas knick-knacks and do-dads still remain where they were originally placed.

With God’s blessing, they’ll be dealt with in the next few days.  (Which unfortunately means I’ll have to drag them all out again next winter and put them all back up again.)  Nevertheless, the visuals of Christmas will get tucked away.

Even though the tree and all the other Christmas sparklies will be returned to their proper storage boxes, and the boxes returned to their storage places, it is appropriate for us all to remember that Christmas is something we can and should celebrate all year long. 

I recognize that this next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday … the first day of the Lenten season when we spend six weeks remembering our Savior’s suffering and death.  Consequently, it may strike some as odd to mention Christmas now.  Yet, I stand by my statement: Christmas is something worthy of continued celebration, no matter the date. 

Had Jesus not be born, he could not have been crucified.  Had he not allowed himself to be killed, he could not have risen back to life.  In fact, the primary purpose for Jesus’ birth was so he could eventually take his holy life to the cross to make atonement for sin.  And his resurrection was the holy receipt that full payment had been made by the true God, whom death could not hold.

They all tie together in the most necessary and wonderful way!

Christmas is incredibly pertinent through the entire church year, and through the entire calendar of our lives as well.  And so is Good Friday (Jesus’ crucifixion day).  And so is Easter Sunday (Jesus’ resurrection day).

These cardinal events are not just highlights of the church year … but of every day of our lives!  They are, in fact, the most significant events in the history of the world!  Consequently, they are worthy of celebrating any day.  Every day! 

Christmas in February?  August even?  Certainly! 

Easter in December?  Definitely!

The Holy Spirit moved the writers of the Scriptures to combine these mind-boggling and eternity-altering activities a number of times in God’s Word.  Jesus’ miraculous birth, his holy life, his horrible death and his glorious resurrection are often listed as corresponding parallels on Jesus’ path to saving us.

Such as when Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures …”  (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Even more lengthy, detailed and remarkable summaries are included elsewhere in the Bible, such as Isaiah 53 and Philippians 2.  (See below!)

Which means Christmas décor is never out-of-date or out-of-place.  It’s always appropriate because for Christians it’s always Christmas.  And it’s always Easter too!

So merry Christmas, blessed Good Friday, and happy Easter to you all – today and every day!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Philippians 2:5-11
… Christ Jesus … being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 53:2-12
[Christ] grew up before [the Father] like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.

 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

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Time at the Manger

Time at the Manger

“Christmas time.”  They are common words and a common concept at the end of December.  Usually they are supposed to denote a super-special and extra wonderful time of year.  Technically, the word “Christmas” translates to “Christ-worship.”  In reality, “Christmas time” actually seems to equate with “crazy-busy time,” leaving very little time for anything else. 

Especially, it seems, for Christ.

There are so many things to do, see, hear, smell, taste and experience during the holiday!  So many attractions and distractions that demand our attention, and we invariably find ourselves distracted by the attractions, and attracted to the distractions.  Obliged by the obligations, consumed by consumerism, overrun by the running – the season of peace tends to be anything but! 

Family and work obligations, attending or hosting holiday parties, tree trimming and special decorations, gift-buying and wrapping, travel time, Christmas cooking and baking, and an assorted menagerie of expectations keep us hopping and not-always-so-happy during what is supposed to be a joyous season. 

It’s a time for exuberance!  Unfortunately, we’re exhausted.

This quantity of typical Christmas doings is not what Christmas is about!  Rather, if we want to do Christmas right, there is only one proper approach.  We must spend quality time at the manger.

Of God’s countless miracles and on-going actions of love, this was undoubtedly the greatest.  Or at least the most significant to sinners who recognize their need for a Savior! 

God himself sequestered himself in a womb for nine months, wrapped himself in flesh, and was born in common fashion.  And not even in top-notch accommodations, but in a smelly cattle stall!  And not to be exalted and honored as the Lord that he is, but to be ignored, rejected and ultimately killed by people he had created and to whom he had given life.

“Christ Jesus … being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”  (Philippians 2:5-8).

What god is like our God?  What god would be so great in power … and yet so good and so gracious and go to such extremes of love for undeserving people as our God did?  There is no other.  Our God is incomparable in every measure!

“This is what the Lord says — he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; … he says: ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other. … There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.’” (Isaiah 45:18 & 21)

With the multiple demands of the Christmas season, may we never forget the magnitude of the love of our God.  It brought him to the manger to rescue a world of people who rebelled against him – the only true God and their very Creator.  Thirty-three years later, he would also become their Savior.  Which is specifically why Jesus was born in the first place.

There is no God like our God; there is no love like the love he demonstrated.

So if we are going to properly observe Christmas, we must worship Christ.  We must spend some time at the manger.  Not out of obligation, but gladly!  Willingly!  Eagerly! 

We come in awe.  We approach in wonder.  We kneel in adoration.  We weep in joy.  Our hearts gush in thankfulness. 

Manger scenes on our mantles or under our trees are wonderful reminders – often precious and beautiful, but always somewhat sterile.  Rather look in the real manger in Bethlehem.  See the mold forming in the corners of the feeding trough and the slobber and spittle left behind from the livestock.  And see the Baby nestled there, wrapped in strips of cloth, sprinkled with bits of straw and hay, and making his tiny baby movements.  He’s real, and he’s really important to you and me.

Christmas is a time of bright adornments.  Ornaments and tinsel on trees; wrapping paper on presents; candy sprinkles on cookies and cakes.  Pass them by and kneel in the dirt, straw and dung beside the manger.  The Baby we see there doesn’t look all that special, but there has never been a more special Child or a more beautiful sight.

Holiday lights are eye-catching.  But go to the manger and look upon the Light of the World.

Most can’t imagine Christmas without a tree.  Cast your eyes on Jesus’ manger, and recognize the shadow of the cross … the “tree” … that hangs over it. 

Christmas music is beloved.  But sidle up to the manger and the shepherds gathered there and listen to their description of the angels’ praises to a God who sent his Son to rescue the lost.

Presents will be given by us and to us.  We’ll buy them, wrap them and open them.  But peer into the manger and see the first and greatest Christmas Gift of all. 

Many relationships are treasured and enhanced at this time of year.  But step into the stable and have your heart warmed by the gurgling of God’s Son, lying in love in the manger … born solely to save us. 

With all the busyness of the holiday season, certainly take time for worship at your church.  Greet God’s people there and glorify God.  Sing the hymns and hear God’s Word.  It is good for us to be there!  Important even!  But while there, may the worship take us to the manger, and God’s Son resting on the hay inside it.  Because it’s not being in churches that is most important at Christmas time.  It’s being beside Jesus’ “cradle;” it’s bowing at Jesus’ manger.

Christmas.  “Christ worship.”  There’s nothing like spending time at the manger to foster our adoration of our God who loves us so very much that he would be found there.

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Having Everything

Having Everything

Charles Dickens’ classic story, “A Christmas Carol,” was an ingenious concept that has touched millions of people through the years.  It can’t be improved upon.  However, I thought I would provide a bit of a different twist to the concept, and be a bit more direct in the three different “insights” provided.  Dickens was a devout Christian and hinted at these truths.  I trust he would approve of the content of the messages in this version. 

May this story be thought-provoking and ultimately bless all who read it!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Randy Thomas swung his leather-covered swivel chair slowly around, indulging himself in the sight of his luxuriously appointed office and his above-the-city view.  Nice.  All very nice.  And everything around him was the fruit of his own ingenuity and grit.  He had accomplished it all himself. 

It had been a grueling ascent, but it was behind him now.  He was fabulously wealthy and “on top of the world.”  And the best thing about wealth – he could now afford to hire the very best employees to keep his company prospering. 

Perhaps this would be a good time to check in with Simpson on that multi-million-dollar contract.  He stood, stretched, and sauntered out of his sanctuary. 

Drat!  Lousy timing!  That irritating Johnny Johnson was restocking the snack dispensing machine in the break area of the office.  Maybe Johnson wouldn’t notice him?

“Morning, Mr. Thomas!”  (Clearly he had noticed.)

“Hello, Jansen.”

“It’s Johnson.  But you know that, Mr. Thomas.”  Randy grunted, and Johnny smiled. 

They didn’t come any more gawky than Johnny Johnson.  Long and lean, he seemed all arms and legs; elbows and knees.  His ears stuck out perpendicular from his head, and a sharp, thin nose like a shark’s fin dominated his face.  He sported a small patch of hair centered on the front of his bald head … barely more follicles than protruded in obvious abundance from his nose and ears.

Randy didn’t even pretend to be kind; the man irritated him to no end.  “Why do I seem to run into you every time you are here, Jansen?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” the other man replied, with a grin.  (How could he be so frustratingly nice!)

“I can’t believe they haven’t replaced you yet.”

Johnny showed no response to the insult; he simply continued stocking the machine.  “Good workers are hard to find these days, Mr. Thomas.  You should know that.”  (Hard to rattle this guy!)

Johnny closed the vending machine door, locking it tight.  He stood and looked directly into Randy’s eyes.  “Mr. Thomas, I’d like to give you something.”

Again!  He offered the same thing again!  Every time they talked, Johnny made the same overture!  An exasperated Randy replied, “Why do you keep offering that?

“Because I have something you need.”

“What could you possibly have that I need?  What can you give to someone who has everything?”

“But you don’t have everything, Mr. Thomas.”

“Go away, Johnny.  Just go away!”  Randy wheeled around and stormed back to his office.  Only after he sat back down did he remember he had intended to chat with Simpson.  That stupid Johnson!

Later that evening, Randy nursed a drink while gazing out over the skyline from his penthouse.  Strangely, it wasn’t the business transactions of the day that engaged his mind, but the irritating repeated offer of that goofball Johnson.  To his great annoyance, Randy was intrigued.  What could Johnny’s gift be?  Undoubtedly something meaningless.  Certainly something he already owned, and probably three times over!  Yet Johnny claimed it was something he needed – something he didn’t have.

The man was beyond exasperating!  He was infuriating!

Randy’s thoughts tracked further down the rabbit-hole Johnny had dropped him in.  He was one of the wealthiest men in the world.  There was nothing he wanted that he lacked.  And if he happened to actually find something else he wanted, he wouldn’t lack it for long … no matter the price!  Few people in the world could claim that. 

He allowed himself a moment of honest reflection: “So why do I feel so empty when I have so much?”  There was no easy answer to that.

Randy shrugged and made his way to bed.  Unsettled, he tossed and turned for a while before the alcohol pulled him into a deep sleep.

Gradually it registered on his consciousness that he seemed to be falling face-first from his high-rise apartment.  While plummeting to the street below … faster and faster … the air rushing past him increased in intensity.  His pajamas were pinned to his body; his hair flopped and pulled against his scalp.  Randy was terrified! 

Suddenly, a man with golden hair, piercing blue eyes and a glowing white robe stood suspended in the air below him … his hand held upwards in a halt gesture.  Randy slammed to a stop above him.  Slowly his body rotated until his feet were below him and he was suspended beside the startling gleaming man.  And just that quickly, they were both standing on the ground in a fog-filled field.

“Greetings, Randy.  My name is Soniel.”  His voice was rich, deep and strong … like a ship’s horn melodiously forming words.  “I have been sent to show you things that most never get to see … at least not before their lives end.  You will see … and then you will see or not see.”

Randy swallowed hard.  “Who are you?” he sputtered.  “I mean, what are you?”

“I am a messenger of God bearing a three-fold message to you.  I urge you to watch and listen carefully.  Eternity rides in the balance.”  The angel stared intently at Randy.  Randy wanted to look away, but somehow couldn’t. 

The angel continued.  “Message one: you believe you have everything.  Here is what you really have.”

Soniel swept his arm to the right and pointed.  A casket materialized in the mist.  It was overflowing with his possessions.  Gold and silver bullion, his Rolexes and favorite jewelry from his jewelry chest, fancy clothes from his closets, precious paintings from his homes, titles of his properties and registrations of his vehicles.  Even his personalized and personally-fitted golf clubs. 

The angel spoke.  “Meaningless!  Meaningless.  Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.” (Ecc. 1:1)

As he looked on, Randy suddenly realized with horror that there was a body … his body! … in the casket.  He could see his pale face peeking out amidst his piles of possessions!

The shock hadn’t even settled in when riches began to cascade off the mounded up treasure and his naked corpse rose upward, levitating above the casket.  There was a huge void in his chest; a dark emptiness where his heart should be. 

Soniel’s voice resonated yet again.  “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mt. 16:26)

No sooner had the words been spoken when the casket burst into flames – the stockpiled riches incinerating in the conflagration.  The heat was all-consuming.  In short order, there was nothing left but smoldering ashes where just moments before had been a fortune. 

Randy’s dead body remained suspended in the air … seemingly untouched by the heat. 

“You brought nothing into the world, and you can take nothing out of it,” (1 Tim. 6:7) the angel said.  “Therefore do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world passes away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 Jn. 2:15-18)

The angel turned back toward Randy.  “Your everything is absolutely nothing.  Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions, (Lk. 12:15) so fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)

Randy felt himself shuddering.  He wrapped his arms around himself to try to stop the shaking.  It didn’t help.

“That is message number one.  Here is message number two.”  Soniel swept his other hand in the opposite direction from before, his top two fingers pointing at the vision manifesting there.  “This is where you are headed.”

Randy reluctantly turned his attention where the angel directed.  A small, gray shimmering oval appeared, expanded rapidly and then burst open.  The fabric of the physical was pierced and a view into another world was suddenly revealed.

Initially all he saw was the deepest blackness.  But his nose was immediately filled with the gagging smell of decay and vomit, and his ears were overwhelmed with agonized shrieking.  Women screamed shrilly and men bellowed; sobbing and wailing prevailed.  Meanwhile, the voices of clearly spiritual entities filled the darkness with cursing and manic demonic cackling.  “You’re all doomed!  Doomed! Doomed!” More disturbing and unsettling laughter.  “You’re all doomed to this place and this pain and this darkness with us!  Forever!  Forever!  For-ev-er!”

Randy shuddered involuntarily.  He was profoundly moved.

Gradually his eyes assimilated and he began to discern that the place was filled with black fire – the edges of each flame tinged with the faintest orange.  The flames were broken up by the outlines of writhing bodies, trying but failing to escape the licking reach of the fire.  And though the flames burned furiously, the bodies never burned up.

Randy was horrified!  “Hell is real!” he shouted.

“Yes.”

But then something even more horrifying became evident.  Above the blackness was a “sky-light” revealing a bright view of Jesus on a throne surrounded by countless people singing and laughing and rejoicing.  The light from that place didn’t stream downwards into the blackness below, but everyone below could clearly look through that “window” and see that bright and beautiful world.

“Heaven’s real too!  And they can see it!”

“Yes.”

“That’s cruel!”

“That’s just.  They made their decisions in life, and now they can see life, but have only death.”

Soniel flicked his fingers and the view disappeared.  “It is too much to bear for those still in the physical world.”  He paused.  “It is too much to bear for those in that world as well, but bear it they must and bear it they do.”

Randy didn’t even realize that he had begun sobbing uncontrollably until once again in the silence with Soniel.  “No!  No!  No!” he cried out.  “I have nothing!  Nothing now, and nothing after!”  Tears streamed down his cheeks.  “N O T H I N G!” he repeated in the shock of the revelations.

Randy tried to compose himself … to no avail.  He asked in a shuddering voice, “Can I bear your final message, Soniel?  I am terrified to hear it!  Is it that you are taking me to that horrible place now?  Please, not that!  Please!”

The angel actually smiled.  Not unkindly, but lovingly.  “You are now ready for my final message.  It is quite different from the first two.  It is to reveal what God has done.”  He spread both arms wide.  “Behold!”

The view of Jesus on his throne reappeared.  Beside his throne was another one, where a brilliantly gleaming essence resided.  Jesus stood and bowed to the other throne.  Then a golden whirlwind swirled around Jesus and he disappeared.  The glowing stream grew brighter, arced upwards and then swooped downwards.  Randy watched it rocket past stars and planets on its way to earth. 

Soniel began speaking again – but more quietly now.  Randy could actually hear the wonder in his voice.  “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  He paused, then continued.  “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned …”  (Jn. 3:16-18a)

A young dark-haired woman came into Randy’s view.  Her pregnant belly glowed with golden light.  Randy somehow realized that the aura wasn’t evident to anyone but him. 

The previous view faded and was replaced with the same woman resting on a blanket on a bed of straw.  Beside her a newborn baby boy, glowing golden, wiggled in a feeding trough, while a concerned man knelt between Baby and mother. 

Soniel again.  “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that they might receive adoption to sonship.” (Gal. 4:4-5)

Another scene took shape.  It was a bloodied and battered man hanging from a cross … again faintly glowing golden.  He lifted his head and in a hoarse voice cried out, “It is finished!”

Soniel explained.  “God shows his love for humans in this: while they were still sinners, Christ died for them (Rom. 5:8) … the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18).

Yet another view was revealed.  Angels like Soniel effortlessly rolled a huge stone away from a tomb.  The living Jesus stood just inside the cavity, waiting and smiling.  Then he stepped into the early morning light. 

The angel before Randy laughed joyfully.  “Praise be to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given believers new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you …” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Then it was only the two of them again.  Randy was sobbing again, but no longer in terror.  He choked out, “I loved the last message!”

“Without the first two messages, it would have meant nothing to you.  I will leave you now.  Do not dismiss my messages.  Do not forget them.  They are truth.”

“Never!  I never will!”  The angel nodded.  “One more thing, if I could,” Randy asked timidly.  Again the angel nodded.  “Why did you come to me?”

“This is certainly not the usual approach, but someone has been praying for you relentlessly, so the Lord sent me.”

“Who has been praying for me?”

“Let’s just say it’s someone who has wanted to give you a gift.”  Randy was stunned. 

The angel disappeared.  And there again was Randy’s body.  But the gaping cavity in his chest was filled with a glowing Baby in a manger.  He began crying again.  He finally truly had Everything, and everything else he had would be used for Him.

Wait until he saw Johnson again!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A few important comments:

I fully recognize that the concept of an angel sharing these in-depth messages with an unbeliever is NOT how the Lord typically works.  (At least there are no examples of anything similar in the Scriptures.)  God has entrusted the crucial task of sharing Him and His truths to you and me.  (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  However, I approached it this way simply to attempt to share crucial messages and provide insights in a hopefully impactful way.  That is the benefit of stories.

Hell is often described in the Bible as fiery, but often as darkness as well.  How does one reconcile the two?  I did my best to include both aspects.

Jesus’ account of the rich man in hell (Luke 16:19-31) is absolutely fascinating (and heart-breaking!).  Was Jesus simply sharing a powerful story to pass along powerful truths, or was he giving a glimpse of how things really are?  Or some of both?  I don’t pretend to know.  However, it is a story unlike any others he told.  Therefore I borrowed concepts from it, feeling that if Jesus used these pictures, then I can safely do so as well. 

One of the striking lessons Jesus was teaching in his story was summarized by Abraham to the rich man when he begged that Lazarus be sent back to warn his brothers.  Abraham stated, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets [i.e. God’s Word!], they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”  Taking this to heart, it is clear that even an angel and the remarkable things he could reveal wouldn’t be sufficient to turn a heart either.  Consequently, I had God’s angel share God’s living, heart-altering words with the rich man.  Finally, it is the Holy Spirit working through Scripture that brings faith and changes perspectives.

Despite the licenses I took, I pray that this story glorifies God and brings blessing to God’s people.  Perhaps especially to some who are losing sight of the most important things – their Savior and their soul.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  We have Everything in Jesus!

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title and start typing.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

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A Time for Peaceful Joy?

A Time for Peaceful Joy?

It seems like everyone urges taking time for reflection at Christmas … but hardly anyone takes it.  Even those who encourage it!

The Christmas “obligations” are many and seem daunting.

Putting up the Christmas tree and decking the halls and the house, inside and out, with decorations and brightly-colored lights.  Writing the “Christmas letter” and sending out the Christmas cards.  Assembling the shopping list, purchasing all the presents and then wrapping them.  Attending the special Christmas work and school parties, and arranging the family get-togethers.  (How many gatherings are there, and how many are gathering?  Who goes where?  And when?  And who brings what?)  Christmas baking and Christmas cooking.  Not to mention, the inevitable and formidable Christmas cleanups!  (Usually plural.)

It’s a wonderful time of the year … and a stressful one as well.  Typically busy and not necessarily peaceful.

Which leads me to this outrageous statement: while most of the traditional Christmas activities are certainly wholesome, they are not necessarily beneficial.  At least not spiritually beneficial.  And therefore one might wonder how God-pleasing those activities even are.

Despite what many in the world proclaim and believe, Christmas is a Christian holiday.  Christmas literally means “Christ-worship.”  It’s the time of year we worship Christ our Savior – born to die for us. 

At least, that’s what it is supposed to be.  But that is not what it often turns out to be … even for Christians.

Here’s another hard statement: the Lord takes no pleasure in our frantic Christmas busyness.  But the devil certainly does!  The more we focus on the externals of the season and the less we focus on worshiping Christ, the better our spiritual enemies like it and the more concerning it becomes to our God.

Undoubtedly there is joy to be found in the usual “obligations” of the season.  In the preparing and the decorating and the gathering and the opening.  But it is a superficial and temporary joy.  Anticipation is exciting and memories are precious, but in the end – the literal end when our life concludes – they are meaningless.

All that will matter at that time is whether we know our Savior Jesus … born to die for us, and risen victoriously back to life.  Is He the King of our heart?  Do we recognize he saved our soul?

Am I advocating for the tossing away of the Christmas usuals?  Not at all!  I’m simply urging that we don’t lose sight of the real reason for the season, and that we take time (make time!) for the most important aspect of Christmas – worshiping Christ. 

Decorating home and hearth?  Of course!  But even more importantly, being sure to adorn our hearts and minds with God’s Word!

Time with family and friends?  Definitely!  But a quantity of quality time with the Lord as well, our Father, our Brother and our Comforter!

Holiday parties?  Undoubtedly!  But also gathering together with God’s people in God’s House to celebrate the newborn Savior!

Feeding the body?  Sure!  But designating time for feeding the soul too!

Watching classic Christmas shows?  By all means!  But making sure there are also moments of rapt focus on the Baby in the manger.

You get the idea.  And realize that I am writing as much to myself as to anyone.  For a pastor, this is one of the busiest times of the year, so I of all people need to take this to heart. 

Christmas should be a time of peaceful joy.  Our Savior was born for us, and this is profound.  Something that demands reflection and appreciation.  And when we embrace the essence of Christmas, it actually becomes a time of peaceful joy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Philippians 4:4-7, 9
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. … And the God of peace will be with you.

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God with Us?

God with Us?

This is a post I wrote several Christmases ago.  It seemed to be enjoyed by many at that time, so I share it again as another Christmas approaches.  As always, I pray these words are a blessing to all who read them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

How constantly aware were Joseph and Mary that when they were with Jesus, they were in the very presence of God himself?  Not just spiritually, but physically? 

Angels from God informed both Mary and Joseph separately that this baby she would be bearing was no ordinary child.  Some elements of the two messages were similar.  Both were told that Mary’s conception would be a miraculous one brought about by the Holy Spirit.  Both heard it would be a boy and that he should be named Jesus, which means “The Lord Saves.” 

Mary was given the additional information that, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).

Immediately after recording the angel’s message to Joseph, Matthew adds the parenthetical statement, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:22-23).

Joseph and Mary were God-fearing Jews, well trained in the Scriptures.  They were very familiar with the prophecies about the Christ, the Messiah.  So, of course, they also knew of the Savior being born of a virgin, and that this baby would be “God With Us.”  It just never occurred to them that Mary would be that woman, or that they would have to raise the “Son of the Most High!” 

Nor did they anticipate becoming husband and wife quite so immediately, (albeit without consummating the marriage until after Jesus was born.)  Just that quickly their entire lives were turned inside out.  It was an incredible privilege; it was also a daunting responsibility!  How does one properly raise the Son of God?

One doesn’t forget the appearance of an angel or the message that angel brings.  Nor does a Jewish believer in their day forget the critical prophecies of the Christ.  But how constantly aware were Joseph and Mary that they were raising “God With Us?”

From our perspective, Baby Jesus is always acknowledged as the Son of God – the Savior of the world.  That truth is in our Christmas hymns.  It’s the centerpiece of Christmas sermons.  It’s addressed in every Christian Christmas card and alluded to in all the Christian Christmas traditions.  Consequently, it’s nearly impossible for us to separate Jesus’ divinity from the human baby he was.

But was Jesus’ God-hood always in Mary and Joseph’s consciousness as they cared for the little boy?

The famous Christmas lullaby, “Away in the Manger,” describes Baby Jesus with these words: “The baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”  Since crying is one of the only ways a baby can communicate discomfort, that’s a pretty significant leap of logic.  Was that really how it was?   Maybe.  But maybe not.  (We know Jesus cried as an adult.)

If Jesus had to share an important need to his parents, and if he did that by crying, did it register with Mary and Joseph as they stumbled to his side in the wee hours of the night that these tears were being shed by God himself?

As they washed the afterbirth off him and cut his umbilical cord, did they view this newborn infant as the eternal God?  As they changed his fouled “diapers” and wiped his bottom clean, were they always aware of his holy identity?  As they looked on the helpless baby and as they lifted his uncoordinated body out of the manger, did they marvel that this was somehow also the almighty God?  As they struggled to understand and address his infant needs, did it astound them that he was also the all-knowing Lord?  As they filled the basic physical demands for this infant boy, did it strike them that they were caring for the One who had created them … and all things?  As he nursed from Mary’s breast, did the stunning incongruity of it all ever strike her? 

When they snuggled with little Jesus, smelling his unique scent, did they realize this was the aroma of heaven?  When they kissed his cute little cheeks, did it register that they were kissing Jahweh himself … the one so sacred the Jews dare not even mention his actual name?  When they tussled his dark locks, did they consider that they were handling holy hair?  When they held his tiny hands, did they recognize him as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  When they hugged him, did they understand that they were embracing the one who referred to himself as “I Am Who I Am?” to Moses at the burning bush? 

Was it always on their minds that Jesus was so much more than just a baby boy?  Did they daily reflect that this little one wrapped in flesh and blood was quite literally “God With Us?”

How does one wrap their mind around these things?  How does one retain their cognizance of such heavenly truths while they handle the many mundane matters an infant demands?

And did they fully understand precisely what Jesus would have to endure to accomplish his mission of saving sinners?  It’s doubtful.  But they certainly understood his purpose in a general way; the angels had made it clear to both of them.

Yet almost certainly those future events didn’t dominate their thoughts.  Mary and Joseph were too preoccupied with caring for the infant.  Undoubtedly they often forgot that he was “God With Us” because Baby Jesus looked like a typical baby; he smelled and sounded like a typical baby; he acted like a typical baby.  Yet he was so much more!

It likely slipped Joseph and Mary’s minds, at least temporarily, that Jesus was “God With Us” because he was “with them” constantly.  We, on the other hand, forget that Jesus is still “God With Us” … because He isn’t always so visible in our lives.  At least not to our physical eyes.  But this doesn’t change the wonderful truth that he is indeed “With Us.”  He is still “God With Us.”

I find it interesting that when Jesus was born into this world, he was referred to as “God With Us.”  Then, just before he physically ascended back out of this world, he emphasized: “And surely I am with you always!”  (Matthew 28:20).

How incredibly comforting to know that Jesus was the “God With Us” at his birth, that he is still “God With Us” today, and that he will always be “God With Us” for all of eternity!

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The Earliest Christmas Songs

The Earliest Christmas Songs

I don’t doubt that you will listen to plenty of Christmas music in the next few weeks.  Good for you.  And especially if they are Christmas songs celebrating the Savior’s birth!

I hope you sing some of those songs too.

It’s interesting that in the first two chapters of Luke, Luke records no less than 4 accounts of people being moved to spontaneous praise of the Lord.  These are the earliest Christmas “songs” … even though they all were almost certainly spoken.

There is “Mary’s Song” – the words the pregnant Mary said after her relative, Elizabeth, greeted her (Luke 1:46-55).  Then we have “Zechariah’s Song” – the first words John the Baptist’s nine-month-mute father spoke after his son was born (Luke 1:67-79).  Of course, there is also the famous “song” of the angel host before the shepherds (Luke 2:13-14).  And the Gospel writer closes out the list with the “Song of Simeon,” when Joseph and Mary presented Jesus to the Lord in the temple (Luke 2:29-32).

What was the motivation, message and purpose behind these songs?  It’s actually quite clear; there’s a common refrain.  Let’s listen.

Mary proclaims:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior … His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; … He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

What did Zechariah have to say?

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.  He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago) …”

As for “the great company of the heavenly host,” the angels were praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

It was a similar story with Simeon.  Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”

What was the motivation, message and purpose behind these songs?

The motivation of both the sinful humans and the sinless angels was the same – profound joy in the goodness of God.  The message was “God has kept his promises and sent a Savior.”  The purpose was simply to praise God.

When God revealed that he had kept his promises and the Messiah, the Savior, had finally come … and they recognized the extent of his love and his absolute faithfulness … they simply couldn’t contain themselves.  They burst into inspired, highly emotional, incredibly moving, words of praise.

That is the same motivation for the Christmas songs we sing to our Lord: profound joy in the goodness of God.  That is the same message in our singing: God has kept his promises and sent a Savior.  We share the same purpose for our songs as well: to praise our gracious God.

We desperately needed a Savior, and in Baby Jesus God the Father gave us one!

So sing your praises to your God, this Christmas and always!

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A Telling Touch

A Telling Touch

Eli was back with the flock.  He was exhausted, but he wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.  Not just because his eyes needed to be on the sheep this morning as usual, but because the extremely unusual night he had experienced.

He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t personally lived it.  Fresh tears welled up in his eyes as he reflected on the events of the previous hours.

Once again at nightfall, despair had been overwhelming him.  In the quiet of the evening when the flock was bedded down, it often hit him hard.  Those were the moments he missed his tender wife and young children.  The shepherds had a rotation of sorts where one of them could occasionally enjoy some family time.  Those were precious, but the reality was that Eli still spent more time with the sheep than his loved ones.  He missed them so much!

And while in the fields, he was exposed to the elements and whatever they might bring.  He was well “weathered” after all these years.  But being able to handle the conditions and enjoying them were two completely different things.  Being drenched by the rain and then spending the night shivering from the chill never became easier or even a little bit enjoyable. 

Then there were the potential predators on the flock, both animal and human.  Shepherding had inherent dangers.  One never knew what the next day would bring.

Couple those challenges with the reality that as a shepherd he wallowed at the very bottom rung of Jewish society like the cursed swine made his situation even harder to endure.  Despite the fact that he was overseeing the sheep and lambs destined for the temple sacrifices, he was still a lowly shepherd –  despised, ridiculed and ignored.  He wasn’t sure which was worse: being pointedly ignored or being openly sneered at by the “higher citizens.”  The tax collectors and dung sweepers had nothing over him; they were all equally ostracized!

Eli was constantly battling discouragement.  It wasn’t the sheep; he loved the sheep and their quirky ways!  Nor was it the other shepherds.  Thankfully, they were devout men who loved to discuss the Scriptures and the promises of God, which certainly made the days more enjoyable.  Rather, it was the ramifications of the occupation. 

Granted, he had it better than the typical shepherds who were banned by Jewish law to the wilderness with their flocks.  All the drawbacks of the job were doubled for them.  Overseeing the temple flock had its perks.  But still, he struggled. 

Last night he had been spiraling downhill mentally and emotionally – sliding inexorably deeper into despair.  He didn’t know how to halt the descent, and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to.  Hope was a dying thing, flitting and fluttering like a moth flying toward the flames.

And then the angels had appeared!  And then they had shared the message that the Messiah was born in Bethlehem!  And then they had told the shepherds where to find him!  “Wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Even though the shepherds never abandoned the flock, there was no hesitation.  They had to find the Baby, the Messiah, the Christ – the Promised One the whole nation had been awaiting so very long.

The search began immediately.  Fortunately, Bethlehem was a little town, so it was only a matter of time until they located the Newborn.  And it was just as the angels said it would be!  The Baby was swaddled and settled into a feeding trough for livestock, resting amidst dried slobber and circled by flies.  What an unlikely cradle for the King!

His exhausted mother was covered with a blanket and resting on the straw; her emotionally spent husband alternating between tending to her and the Child.  Both were startled when the shepherds materialized out of the darkness; stunned when they explained why. 

The little Boy looked like just another newborn, but clearly he was so much more.  Cherubim don’t herald the birth of normal babies. 

The shepherds were enthralled by the Babe, joy overflowing from their hearts.  God had indeed kept his promise!  However, they were conscious that we were intruding on a very private moment.  Finally, Eli was compelled to speak.  “We’re sorry that we burst in on you.”

Joseph smiled and replied, “It seems clear you were meant to come.”  The herdsmen all nodded in agreement.  Joseph continued, “We are supposed to share this occasion.”

Mary spoke quietly, “You will always be remembered for your devotion.  You will always be honored.”  Tears poured from the sheep-keepers’ eyes.  They were the kindest words ever spoken to them by strangers.

Eli wondered if it were true.  And if it was true, would it be enough to pull him from the depths of his despair?

It was then that he noticed one of Jesus’ arms had broken free from the bundled clothes … his tiny fingers seemingly reaching for him.  Without considering the propriety of his request, Eli asked if he could touch the Babe.  “Of course,” replied Mary.

Baby Jesus was staring at him with unblinking eyes.  Eli stretched his calloused hand toward the tiny tender one.  The little fingers gripped his forefinger with surprising strength, and a gentle jolt rolled through his body.  Jesus kept eye contact with him and a youthful voice sounded in his mind, clear as could be.  “I love you.  I will save you and all who trust in me.  Have hope.  This life is temporary.  Heaven is forever.”  The fingers squeezed, and then released.

Eli’s eyes grew wide and he gasped.  Joseph and Mary asked together, “What just happened?”  He couldn’t answer for a moment as tears rolled freely down his cheeks.  He swallowed.  Swallowed again.  Finally, he managed a quiet but emotional reply, “He is a very special Boy.”

The shepherds left shortly afterwards; they didn’t want to intrude too long.  But they went through the town announcing the angels’ message excitedly to anyone they met in those early hours.  Didn’t matter to the shepherds that they were considered outcasts; they had news that must be shared.

Eventually they made it back to the flocks.  Of course, the Lord had watched over the sheep while they embarked on their mission.  As they restocked the fire and ate their breakfasts, the men couldn’t stop chattering about the events of the previous hours.  How blessed they were! 

One by one the others drifted off to sleep.  But not Eli.  Eli wouldn’t be sleeping for a while.

Eli had told everyone he possibly could about the angels’ message.  But he kept the Baby’s message to himself.  If no one believed what the glorious angels had proclaimed, they certainly wouldn’t believe what a lowly shepherd said.  But Eli knew what Jesus had told him was true, and he treasured his words.  O, how he treasured his words. 

He had been given hope by a little Baby.  No, by a great Lord … by his very Savior!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not ever desire to present our Savior in a mystical manner.  I certainly had no intention of doing so with this story.  

Do I believe that something like this actually happened?  No.  Probably not.  Do I believe that something like this could happen?  Yes!  After all, he was the Son of God, and I am extremely uncomfortable with limiting Him in any way.

While we know that Jesus willingly restricted himself in regard to the full use of his divine attributes while on earth, (Philippians 2:7), we don’t understand exactly how Jesus approached this.  We aren’t even able to comprehend the concept when he was an adult.  What did he understand as an infant in the manger?  What might he have chosen to do in special circumstances?  The truth is no one is able to truly know.

The point I am trying to make with this story is simply that it was love that brought our Savior to earth, love that drove him throughout his earthly life and ultimately to the cross, and love that still moves him.  Love for you and me.  Love that positively impacts our day-to-day lives.  Love that provides hope when there would seem to be no cause for it.  Love that has provided forgiveness and an incredible and eternal destiny for us.

How blessed were the shepherds.  How blessed are we!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Philippians 2:6-11
Christ Jesus … being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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When Red Makes White

When Red Makes White

As I type this, the snow is gently falling outside.  The light carpet of white over the green grass in the late hours of the day means that technically we experienced a rare white Christmas in Tacoma this year. 

While “gently falling” sounds innocuous enough, the expectation is that it will continue to “gently fall” through the night and into the morning.  Which means that everything will be thoroughly white in the morning … including the streets! 

Certainly beautiful!  But around the rolling topography of western Washington, also treacherous.  Especially since the temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing. 

Which means that our worship service in the morning will almost certainly be cancelled.  So I share this special post in place of the message I planned to share personally in church.

Contemplating the lovely white that is gradually accumulating overnight, I recalled the striking words of Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

If one pauses to consider the Lord’s words, they seem to offer a strange contrast.  Red sins becoming white?  Why those choice of colors?

The comments in the preceding verses offer some clarification.  Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is sharing some harsh but crucial criticisms to his people.  He informs his supposed followers that their many sacrifices to him hold “no pleasure” for him (1:11).  Their offerings to him are “meaningless,” their incense “detestable to me,” their assemblies “worthless” (1:13), and their religious festivals “I hate with all my being” (1:14).

If that wasn’t severe enough, the Lord goes on to state, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.  Your hands are full of blood!” (1:15).

Now the contrast between red and white becomes clearer.  God’s own were following God’s instructions on how to worship him, but “their hearts were far from him” (Isaiah 29:13).  Consequently, their hands were red with the blood of pointless sacrifices, and their hearts and lives full of iniquity … including the blood of fellow humans who suffered through their loveless actions.

To which the Lord in love offers an incredible offer: “Turn to me and I’ll settle this matter – I’ll make your scarlet sins as white as snow!”

Of course, many (most even) disregarded the Lord’s merciful proposal and continued to simply go through meaningless motions in their worship and their lives.  But some took God’s words to heart and rejoiced in his loving and graceful promise.

Yet the faithful couldn’t begin to understand how the Lord would bring it about.  They didn’t realize that all those countless lamb sacrifices God commanded pointed ahead to God’s own ultimate Sacrifice of his Son – Jesus, the Lamb of God.  Jesus would offer his holy life as the all-atoning Substitute for the sins of sinners on the altar of the cross.

Jesus bloody birth in a barn was his first step to the bloody cross.  His life on earth began in blood and ended in holy blood … so that he could remove the unholy blood from all of our hands and our lives. 

Thanks be to God for the red blood of the Savior which turns our hands and hearts and lives clean and white!

Yes, the snow is lovely.  But not nearly as lovely as pure souls.

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The ABCs of Christmas

The ABCs of Christmas

A number of years ago I compiled this list (below) to build a Christmas service around.  Through the years I’ve reused the service now and then.  Even if some subscribers remember it, hopefully the list will still be enjoyable to review.  I know I always appreciate it when I re-read it.

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A reminds us of … Adam, who brought the first sin into the world, and made it necessary for the “Second Adam” to come to make things right again … and Abraham and all the other Old Testament believers, who eagerly awaited the “Second Adam’s” arrival … and the Angels who brought the announcement to the astonished shepherds … and the Amazement that people felt when they heard the shepherds’ message after they had seen the baby Messiah … and the Alleluias that sinners sing when they realize they are all-the-way Absolved and absolutely saved by this “Second Adam” … and Amen, which means, “This is all most certainly true.”

B reminds us of … the Baby Boy who was Born in a Barn in Bethlehem.

C reminds us of … Caesar Augustus, who issued the Census that caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, where the Christ, the “Promised One,” was to be born … and the ragged Clothes in which this baby Christ was dressed … and the Cattle which surrounded him at his birth … and the Cross on which this Christ would be one day be Crucified … and his Compassion for us which caused him to come to earth in the first place … and Christmas, at which time Christians celebrate all of this.

D reminds us of … the Devil, who would delight in destroying us in hell … and the Determination of our God that the devil would be Defeated … and David, whose Divine Descendent was born from David’s line and in David’s city to destroy the devil’s power.

E reminds us of … Easter, when Jesus rose from the dead, and to which Christmas ultimately leads … and how Easter means that Jesus is the Savior of Everyone … and how Jesus wants everyone to be with him in Eternity, which is now possible because of Christmas and Easter … and the East, from where men traveled to worship him when he was young … and Egypt, to where his family had to flee to avoid Herod’s death sentence after the men from the East returned home.

F reminds us of … Father, both Jesus’ Heavenly Father and Joseph, his earthly one … and the Fields in which the Flocks fed when the angels appeared … and the Forgiveness this Savior won for all who look to him in Faith.

G reminds us of … the angel Gabrial, who told Mary that God in his Goodness and Grace was giving the Greatest Gift of all … God’s own Son to save the world … and the Glory that radiated from the angels who told the shepherds a message of Good News of Great Joy, the Gospel message of a Savior being born, which caused them to praise the Lord with the words, “Glory to God in the highest” … and the Gifts the Wisemen brought of Gold, incense and myrrh.

H reminds us of … how Jesus was born Holy, and remained holy all his life … and the Holy Spirit, who miraculously caused Mary to conceive, and who told us everything we need to know about Jesus in God’s Holy Word … and Heaven, from where the Heavenly Host came, and where we one day will go to live in perfect Happiness … and Hell and its horrors, where we would have certainly ended up if not for Jesus … and Herod, who tried to kill baby Jesus with a horrific crime.

I reminds us of … the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied that Immanuel, “God with us,” would one day come … and Israel, (both Old and New Testament Israel), whom Immanuel came to dwell among and to save … and the Inn which had no room for Joseph and Mary, and the Inn-keeper who offered the stable instead, where the Innocent Baby Jesus was born.

J reminds us of … Jesus … and Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather … and Jerusalem in Judah, where Jesus was crucified, and where he rose back to life on the third day.

K reminds us of … the believing Old Testament Kings who pictured Jesus the King … and how Jesus is the King of kings.

L reminds us of … how Jesus is the Lord of lords … and the Law from Caesar that demanded Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem, as well as the Law of God which demanded punishment for anyone who wasn’t perfect … and the Lamb of God, who in Love paid the penalty the law demanded.

M reminds us of … the prophet Micah, who prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem … and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who laid the baby Messiah down to rest in a Manger … and the angelic Messengers who brought the amazing Message to the shepherds that the Lord had kept his word; the Messiah was born.

N reminds us of … the Night that Jesus was born, which seemed like just another night, but was actually a night like no other … and how there was No Room in the inn that night for Joseph and Mary and that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was called a Nazarene … and that Jesus came to establish God’s New Covenant.

O reminds us of … the Oppression that Satan and sin kept us under, and how Jesus was born to Overcome that oppression for everyone … and that Jesus isn’t just the Savior of Others, but also of us.  He is Our Savior.

P reminds us of … the Prophets who Prophesied about God’s Present of the Promised One … and the Old Testament Priests who had to continually offer sacrifices for the sins of the people … and that Jesus was also a Prophet and Priest who would bring Peace to God’s People by sacrificing himself on the cross … and the Praise of God that the angels and the shepherds spoke because of the peace that God was providing … and how Mary Pondered all these things in her heart.

Q reminds us of … Quirinius, the governor of Syria when the Roman census took place.

R reminds us of … Rome, who controlled Judah when Jesus was born, and from whom most people thought the Messiah would Rescue them … and how Jesus was really born to Redeem people from sin, death and the devil.

S reminds us of … the Shepherds who were watching the Sheep in the fields when the angels appeared to them and told them that the Savior from Sin and Satan was born … and the Sign that the angels’ message was true was that this Savior could be found in the Straw of a manger in a Stable … and the Special Star that signaled that the Savior was born … and how Jesus was both the Son of God and the Son of Man.

T reminds us of … the Traditions of Christmas, which include a Christmas Tree … and the Tree of the Cross upon which Jesus died … and the Trinity, the Triune God who gave us the Treasure of our Savior … and the Truth of God’s Word which shows us this Treasure, and removes the Terror of being punished for our Transgressions.

U reminds us of … the Unimaginable and almost Unbelievable, yet Undeniable, Unforgettable and Ultimate truth that God was born to live and die for us to save us, and that he rose back to life and is waiting to bring us to heaven one day.

V reminds us of … how Jesus was born of a Virgin, as Isaiah prophesied he would be.

W reminds us of … the Wisemen who, in Wonder, traveled a huge distance to Worship the new-born Savior.

X reminds us of … the Greek letter X (“chi”), which is the first letter in Xristos (“Christ”).

Y reminds us of … the people of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, both Young and Old, and You and Me, for whom Jesus was born and died.

Z reminds us of … Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and how Jesus told us that he is our Alpha (1st letter) and our Omega, our everything … and Zion, the place where our God lives, and where he will bring us one day because Jesus was born for us.

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Can you think of any Christian Christmas words that should be included in this list?  If so, please share them in the comments feature of this blog!

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John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

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Lowly Positioned and Highly Honored

Lowly Positioned and Highly Honored

Have you ever experienced a surreal situation – a time when it seemed impossible that what was occurring was real?  The mind struggles to comprehend what the senses are relaying.

For the shepherds outside of Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born, surreal didn’t even begin to describe what they were experiencing.  One moment they were wrapped and resting in their goat-skin cloaks; the next they are seeing and hearing a heavenly being!

Luke describes the scenario with these famous words: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:8-9).

Humans don’t generally respond well when exposed to the “glory of the Lord.”  Where holy glory appears, whether God himself or his angelic messengers, sinful people cringe in abject terror.  And that’s what the shepherds did as well.

Understandably, the angel tried to reassure the stricken shepherds. ‘“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger”’ (Luke 2:10-12).

A gloriously-beaming angelic appearance was surreal enough.  The angel’s message even more so!  “The Messiah, the Promised Savior, the Lord himself is born.”  But there’s additional astounding information shared: “The Lord is wrapped in rags and resting in a grungy feeding trough for livestock,” as unlikely and seemingly inappropriate as that might be.

In short measure, the surreality is compounded.  The men were already cowering from the brilliance of the one angel; then that splendor is magnified and intensified, and their experience ratchets up yet another degree.  “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests”’ (Luke 2:13-14).

I’ve always been fascinated with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem.  There are so many questions regarding this account.  Not questions about whether it happened, but questions about how it happened and why it happened.

How many shepherds were there?  What were their ages?  Their names? 

And when the first angel appeared, did it approach them gradually from a distance, or appear suddenly in close proximity?  Was God’s messenger standing on the ground or hovering in the air above them? 

How did the angel look?  We know the traditional representation of angels in art, but the descriptions of angels in the Bible vary quite a bit.  In fact, sometimes their appearance was beyond extraordinary.  (Undoubtedly, angels can take on any appearance they want.)  What did the initial angel’s voice sound like, and how amplified was it? 

How large was the “great company of the heavenly host,” and how did they approach and appear?”  Were the shepherds even able to gaze at the glorious host at all, or did they just sense them and hear them?  What an overwhelming view the multitudes of angels must have presented, and what a chorus their united voices must have made!

After the angels’ departure, and while their eyes readjusted to the night, surely the shepherds must have wondered, “Why us?  Why did these marvelous creatures appear to us?  Why did they entrust this incredible message to us?”

At the time, shepherds were essentially outcasts.  They provided a necessary service, but were otherwise disregarded by most.  Sheep-herders were considered untrustworthy; they were generally despised and deprived of basic civil rights. 

“The Mishnah, Judaism’s written record of the oral law, also reflects this prejudice, referring to shepherds in belittling terms. One passage describes them as “incompetent”; another says no one should ever feel obligated to rescue a shepherd who has fallen into a pit.” (“Shepherd Status,” by Randy Alcorn, in Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, pp. 85-89.)

Which leads back to the shepherds’ introspection.  “Why us?”  The question would be natural for anyone who experienced a vision of an army of angels and was entrusted with the greatest message the world would ever hear.  But it was especially pertinent when the experience occurred to social outcasts like them.

Why didn’t the angels appear to the religious leaders in Bethlehem?  Why not to the town leaders?  Why not to more “acceptable” citizens?  Why not to the entire town all at once?  Of course, most people were sleeping.  But that wasn’t a hurdle an angel from heaven couldn’t overcome, much less a “great company of angels.”

Perhaps the answer was as simple as this; these societal outcasts had little to lean on outside of the Lord.  Maybe they were the most devoted to God and his promises to send the Savior in all of Bethlehem?  Or could it be that the Lord was showing already here that Jesus would associate with the lowly (because the haughty would generally disregard him)?

Alfred Edersheim, the highly regarded Jewish Christian scholar, shared this remarkable viewpoint about the shepherds: “Close by Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, was a tower, known as Migdal Eder, the ‘watch-tower of the flock.’  For here was the station where shepherds watched their flocks destined for sacrifices in the Temple. … It seems of deepest significance, almost like the fulfillment of type, that those shepherds who first heard tidings of the Savior’s birth, who first listened to angels’ praise, were watching flocks destined to be offered as sacrifices in the Temple.”  (Sketches of Jewish Social Life, pp.76&77).

In other words, if Edersheim is correct, these keepers of the sheep for the sin sacrifices in Jerusalem were the logical ones to be told that the ultimate, once-for-all Sacrifice was now born.  And they were the obvious ones to first lay eyes on “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

What an intriguing possibility!

But finally, God had his own reasons for sharing the news with the shepherds.  Regardless of those reasons, the fact remains that these lowly positioned shepherds were highly honored on that night.  And they have been highly honored ever since.

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To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

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