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"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! SEASON'S GREETINGS! HOLIDAY WISHES! You've heard it all before, beloved, and if anything it becomes more pronounced with each passing year. Those 'PC' blues! Trying our best not to offend or put anyone off because of their religious beliefs or lack thereof. As a result, Christmas has become a sterile, surface-only, secular celebration.
Would you like to really enjoy this year a not so 'PC' Christmas? Would you like to get back on track and genuinely celebrate CHRISTmas? If you would, then all you need to do is to reflect with me on the prophetic words of Isaiah spoken hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Note first here the manner of His coming. The promise that "a child will be born to us" emphasizes His incarnation and reminds us that God has given to us in Him the Son of Man. He laughs with us, cries with us, hurts with us, but most of all has died for us as He has taken our sins upon Himself.
But Isaiah also declared that "a son will be given to us." This promise emphasizes His divinity as surely as the word "born" emphasizes His humanity. Thus, the Son of God became the Son of Man by becoming "Immanuel" - God with us!
The prophet then went on to say that "the government shall rest upon His shoulders." Hear the word "government" and instantly an institution comes to mind. The Hebrew word here however actually means "a governing" and refers not to a national governmental structure but rather to His Lordship over the lives of men. Isaiah was promising to us that with His coming we would receive our own King of Kings. Every detail of our individual lives lies in His hands.
And what of the specific ministry of His coming? Isaiah told us that He would be called "Wonderful Counselor." He is the One to whom we can turn for direction for life's living. This Christmas child would have all the answers for all the questions that pluck at the strings of our hearts. He would be able to show us the direction in which our lives should go.
The prophet said also of Him that He will be "Mighty God." The Hebrew word here means "strong" in the sense of the One who gains the ultimate victory. So as the Wonderful Counselor He gives us the direction we are to go, as the Mighty God He gives us the power to go in that direction.
But Jesus is also to us the "Eternal Father." In that role He provides us with assurance about life's living. His kingdom within us is an unending one, so there is never a need for us to fear for our future. The Christmas child makes possible for us an eternal relationship with the Father.
Finally, He comes to us as "Prince of Peace." Because of Him we have first of all peace with God. And then we also are enabled to be at peace with ourselves. And when we are at peace with God and with ourselves, we should always be at peace with our circumstances no matter what they might be.
There you have it, beloved, the makings of a genuine not so 'PC' Christmas! It is after all the real Christmas message and it's about time we took it back from the Grinch that is stealing it from us. Merry CHRISTmas to each and every one of you!
Ron
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Yesterday I Met Santa Claus
"But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31)
Yesterday I met Santa Claus, beloved. It's true! I was walking down the hallway at church prior to the very special and inspiring morning worship service. I ducked into one of the classrooms and there he sat chilling out: Santa Claus! Or rather one of our fine young men dressed up in an enormous, pillow-stuffed Santa suit complete with snow-white wig and snowy beard with rimless glasses. That he took me by surprise is an understatement!
You see, yesterday morning we were all privileged to be led in worship by our young people as they presented their annual Christmas play, this one appropriately entitled: "That's What Christmas Is All About" and written by one of our fine young college-and-career men. Fantastic! As the play pointed out so well to all of those present, including the visiting parents and family members and friends who joined our regular members, we often miss the message concerning what Christmas is really all about. How unique that Santa should be present in our service of worship, not only to share in it but to try to explain that he is not the focal point of Christmas. By the way, one look at our Santa doing his best to stay in his enormous pillow-packed trousers as he made his way down the aisle and your day would have been made just by the sight.
At the end of this precious dramatic presentation I had the distinct privilege of stepping "on stage" to interact with the characters and to share with them and all others in attendance what God says that Christmas is really all about. I chose to focus upon the name "Immanuel" or God with us. That God would choose to come to us, beloved, and out of His limitless love and grace to die for us so that as we put our trust in Jesus Christ we will have Him with us is truly what Christmas is all about. Lose that truth and you lose Christmas, at least in any way that really matters.
So yesterday I met Santa Claus...at church! And the memory of that moment and of that entire gospel presentation will always be special to me. But far more important for me, and for each of you as well, is that one day long ago I met the babe of Bethlehem who became instantly my Savior and Lord. That meeting transformed my life just as it can transform yours if for whatever reason you do not yet know Him personally. Anyone can meet Santa, beloved. I am living proof of that. But to meet the Christ of Christmas, now that is what life is all about! Want to meet Him? I'd love to introduce Him to you.
Ron
Yesterday I met Santa Claus, beloved. It's true! I was walking down the hallway at church prior to the very special and inspiring morning worship service. I ducked into one of the classrooms and there he sat chilling out: Santa Claus! Or rather one of our fine young men dressed up in an enormous, pillow-stuffed Santa suit complete with snow-white wig and snowy beard with rimless glasses. That he took me by surprise is an understatement!
You see, yesterday morning we were all privileged to be led in worship by our young people as they presented their annual Christmas play, this one appropriately entitled: "That's What Christmas Is All About" and written by one of our fine young college-and-career men. Fantastic! As the play pointed out so well to all of those present, including the visiting parents and family members and friends who joined our regular members, we often miss the message concerning what Christmas is really all about. How unique that Santa should be present in our service of worship, not only to share in it but to try to explain that he is not the focal point of Christmas. By the way, one look at our Santa doing his best to stay in his enormous pillow-packed trousers as he made his way down the aisle and your day would have been made just by the sight.
At the end of this precious dramatic presentation I had the distinct privilege of stepping "on stage" to interact with the characters and to share with them and all others in attendance what God says that Christmas is really all about. I chose to focus upon the name "Immanuel" or God with us. That God would choose to come to us, beloved, and out of His limitless love and grace to die for us so that as we put our trust in Jesus Christ we will have Him with us is truly what Christmas is all about. Lose that truth and you lose Christmas, at least in any way that really matters.
So yesterday I met Santa Claus...at church! And the memory of that moment and of that entire gospel presentation will always be special to me. But far more important for me, and for each of you as well, is that one day long ago I met the babe of Bethlehem who became instantly my Savior and Lord. That meeting transformed my life just as it can transform yours if for whatever reason you do not yet know Him personally. Anyone can meet Santa, beloved. I am living proof of that. But to meet the Christ of Christmas, now that is what life is all about! Want to meet Him? I'd love to introduce Him to you.
Ron
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Going Back for My Teeth
"This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:58)
It was not my finest moment to be sure! I knew that something was wrong when as I backed slowly down the driveway my tongue informed me that something was missing. My teeth...I had forgotten my partial. Quickly I stopped the car there in the driveway and ran back into the house to retrieve a very necessary item in order to face my day. How embarrassing would that have been! Surely I would have realized my mistake later as soon as I bit into a sausage biscuit.
I am convinced, believe it or not, that there is a tremendous spiritual lesson to be learned in this seemingly trivial experience of going back for my teeth. You see, beloved, many professing Christians today treat God's Word as if it is something that is light and airy, an addendum to life, much like sprinkles on top of ice cream or flavoring on your favorite meat or vegetable or even, dare I use the analogy, "pixie dust" showered over us that is supposed to make us healthy and wealthy and satisfy every desire of our hearts. We go to church and we allow the message to fall lightly upon us and then we leave the place of worship, glistening with a dusting of spiritual truth. Maybe it will sink in and "flavor" us and maybe it won't.
I was fascinated to discover that Jesus spoke quite frankly about "eating" His body and His blood, of actually ingesting Him into our lives. In fact, in the verse displayed above the word "eats" is from the Greek verb trogo which means literally "wear away" by crunching and grinding with the teeth. Other forms of this Greek word, trogalia and trokta, refer to fruit and nuts that are used as dessert. You get it...things that have to be chewed thoroughly and ingested.
If you are going to be a Christian, then, and I mean a serious follower of Jesus Christ, you must have your spiritual "teeth" with you at all times. You've got to be able to "chew on" the truths of Scripture, to digest them thoroughly, to apply them vigorously to every situation that you face in life. In other words, they have to become a part of you if you are going to "eat the bread" that will cause you to live forever. Jesus is not an ice cream topping, beloved! He is the "main course" and He must become your life if you are ever to realize God's great plan and purpose for your existence. Go ahead! Go back for your teeth!
Ron
It was not my finest moment to be sure! I knew that something was wrong when as I backed slowly down the driveway my tongue informed me that something was missing. My teeth...I had forgotten my partial. Quickly I stopped the car there in the driveway and ran back into the house to retrieve a very necessary item in order to face my day. How embarrassing would that have been! Surely I would have realized my mistake later as soon as I bit into a sausage biscuit.
I am convinced, believe it or not, that there is a tremendous spiritual lesson to be learned in this seemingly trivial experience of going back for my teeth. You see, beloved, many professing Christians today treat God's Word as if it is something that is light and airy, an addendum to life, much like sprinkles on top of ice cream or flavoring on your favorite meat or vegetable or even, dare I use the analogy, "pixie dust" showered over us that is supposed to make us healthy and wealthy and satisfy every desire of our hearts. We go to church and we allow the message to fall lightly upon us and then we leave the place of worship, glistening with a dusting of spiritual truth. Maybe it will sink in and "flavor" us and maybe it won't.
I was fascinated to discover that Jesus spoke quite frankly about "eating" His body and His blood, of actually ingesting Him into our lives. In fact, in the verse displayed above the word "eats" is from the Greek verb trogo which means literally "wear away" by crunching and grinding with the teeth. Other forms of this Greek word, trogalia and trokta, refer to fruit and nuts that are used as dessert. You get it...things that have to be chewed thoroughly and ingested.
If you are going to be a Christian, then, and I mean a serious follower of Jesus Christ, you must have your spiritual "teeth" with you at all times. You've got to be able to "chew on" the truths of Scripture, to digest them thoroughly, to apply them vigorously to every situation that you face in life. In other words, they have to become a part of you if you are going to "eat the bread" that will cause you to live forever. Jesus is not an ice cream topping, beloved! He is the "main course" and He must become your life if you are ever to realize God's great plan and purpose for your existence. Go ahead! Go back for your teeth!
Ron
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