Gleefully past the Holidays

I don’t know about you but I always heave a self-conscious sigh of relief sometime after New Year’s Day. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the Holidays or that I’m not grateful that Christ was born so that we could celebrate it…. It just grates on my nerves after about two weeks or so. I’m not a humbug or anything, but I can at times sympathize with those who are.

Anyway, I actually got a lot of writing done over the last few weeks I just haven’t had time to post it up yet. It’s coming though, never fear.

Our Certainty

1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.–Luke 1:1 – 4 (ESV)

Christmas Eve, the beginning of the beginning. Mary and Joseph are coming up on Bethlehem, they know they are running our of time. They are trying to get there early enough to find some food, water, and shelter. Mary is going to need it soon. I am reminded of Luke’s Gospel where he begins with a note to his publisher. It may seem superfluous to us if, after reading the Gospel’s in order, we come to Luke after reading Mark who got right to the point. But important things happen just before the ‘beginning’ that need to be told. Otherwise, we would have missed this important piece what may seem like trivia. Luke writes to Theophilus so that he would have certainty concerning the things he was taught. And I think it’s a note to us as well. The Gospels are for our certainty too. They are letters to the whole church concerning the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke tells us they were eyewitnesses from the beginning. They followed Jesus and ate with him and watched him die on a cross…then saw him again, resurrected and glorious.

So here we sit not seeing yet believing because we’ve heard the Gospel and the Holy Spirit opened our eyes to see and our ears to hear. We have the Bible and the Spirits witness and that’s about it.

But that’s enough isn’t it? Our assurance, our hope, our Lord and Savior Jesus and all he did that we need to know written down in these few books. Our ‘certainty’ as Luke tells us ‘concerning the things we have been taught.’

The Word of God is not bound…

Are you?

Shoplifting Christmas

It’s December 10, 2007. There are a mere two weeks before Christmas and, face it, we’re flat running out of time to find a Nintendo Wii—or whatever it is.

It’s Macy’s Day all over again, a perversion of the season. The focus has shifted from giving to getting. Getting the perfect gift or getting the perfect gift for someone else so we will, in turn, receive that perfect reaction and perhaps something more. Our motives are tainted, our eyesight is dim. We are nearsighted and blind…but we press on toward the goal. What is our goal this season? Is it the perfect Christmas gift? Is it the preaching of the gospel?

I find it difficult, sometimes, to focus on Christ this time of year, don’t you? There is so much going on and so many distractions. Even at the church there is much ado about things about Him. Christmas cantata’s and candlelight services and Sunday School parties and you name it. Myriad events swirling around our heads like so many sugarplums.

I am going to try to shift some of that focus to the Gospel this year. At least I am going to try in my own life and family to do so. I resent the fact that Christmas has been shoplifted by the merchants and the retailers. I also acknowledge that it has always had a worldly taint to it simply because the church, though instituted by God, is run by man most of the time. It is the product of the Catholic church attempting to ‘contextualize’ by merging pagan holidays with its own Christian calendar. It is flawed, but it’s still Christmas and I can still try to reclaim some of it for recalling Jesus into our everyday lives.

I am going to do this by starting in Luke and wandering around the gospels a bit until we get to Jesus’ baptism. Then we’ll pick up with Mark 1 in earnest.

God bless and Merry Christmas.

A Digression

39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be£ a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”–Luke 1:39 – 45 (ESV)

I don’t usually have a lot to say about Mary. I think the Catholics get carried away enough with her as it is. She’s dead and in the dirt somewhere just like everyone else who knew Jesus, just like the rest of us are going to be someday. I knew some folks who were firm adherents to the ‘Cult of Mary’ which is what a good number of Catholics call it. I had some friends who were solid Christians who happened to be Catholic who were concerned about the effect it had on the church at large especially all the ‘Saint’ sightings. St. Doodad’s image was found on a hamburger bun and now it’s a relic. They’re selling it on eBay, I’m sure, and the current bid is around $5K. I don’t know, when I hear stuff like that I’m fairly certain I know what an atheist feels like whenever they get cornered by a bunch of Fundy’s during a revival week—but I digress.

In spite of what anyone else has said about Mary, I think this passage is important. Not because Mary is in it but because it’s in the Bible. It links John and Jesus early and makes me think of Aaron and Moses. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—Deuteronomy 18:15 (ESV)” But like most images it only goes so far. John and Jesus together here for the first time causes us to look forward to Jesus baptism. Aaron and Moses, think did the same thing but I’m not going down that road right now.

John is leaping at the sound of Mary’s voice because he knew who she was carrying as well. Mary was special in this: that she believed and obeyed. Something beyond her comprehension happened to her but she believed—in spite of the consequences. (Truly that is no more than is expected of us. We are to hear the Word and believe on Jesus. Woe to you if you do not.) It was an awful thing in those days to just ‘turn up pregnant’. She was engaged to Joseph which was as good as being married minus the consummation. It says a lot about his character that he married her anyway. I suppose the angels and the dreams had something to do with it too. God made sure they knew the score. But no one else did. The little old ladies in the square and the tut-tutting family members—now days, to our shame, it happens so often that it isn’t that big of a deal. We live in a small town though and you still hear the rumors and the whispers. I don’t know which is worse…Let’s just be thankful there weren’t any abortion clinics in those days…but I digress again.

One final thing: in v.45 we are reminded of something we often forget. When the Lord speaks, it happens. When we read something in his word, its true, and when we believe it? That’s the blessing.

Non-Christmas Posts in Mark

I’ve been working on my series I’m planning to do in Mark and I came up with some really good ideas for non-Christmas posts on the verses in Mark. Then I forgot them and it made me sad because those would have been some really good posts. Truly though, thats absurd because all of the verses in Mark are non-Christmas. The book starts with Jesus Baptism. So I’ve essentially torpedoed myself before I even began.

Not that I’m very concerned about this but the truth of the matter is that it means more Bible study. I am going to have to work up some things to do between Christmas and Jesus Baptism now. There was plenty. There was John’s “In the beginning…” passage which takes the eternity of Christ into account. There’s the part where Mary goes to visit her cousin and John the baby jumps in the presence of his Savior and Lord. Could it be that John even unborn was more mature than some Christians I know? There’s always the time Jesus stayed back to teach in the temple when he was 12. Or…well, you get the idea.

I’m open to suggestions at this point.

The First Day of December

The first day of December.

That’s twenty-four shopping days till Christmas Day where our Festival of the Free Market Economy will draw to a close. Tearfully shall we open those credit card bills. No wonder people drink so much at New Year’s parties.

Got your Wii yet? Good luck on that.

Honestly we did the same thing we usually do, presents and probably too many. We just watched the cost, shopped at sales, and fortunately got some pretty good deals on some of the things we were asked about by the kids. I think we’ve shown a lot of restraint this year, though.

“In the beginning was the Word” John tells us at the beginning of his Gospel “and the word was with God and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

Eternal God made man, born in a stable and bedded down in a manger for the single purpose of fulfilling his Fathers desire to redeem a people unto himself for His Glory. How is it possible that can move us to greater deeds of shopping?
Focus people. It’s not CHRISTmas for nothing.

Christmas Shopping Pointers

I read this article in the Washington Post online and thought it was a great reminder for us to be good stewards this time of year. It’s very tempting to shop till we drop but this article gives some solid advice.

Studies in Mark

I started looking over the Book of Mark last night and I think, if I can get it worked up, I can work up a post on it every day from Christmas until Easter. Mark just seems to fit right into that period this year ~three months or so. I’m looking forward to it.

In those days

1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
–Luke 2:1 – Luke 2:20 (NASB)

What are you doing reading this? It’s Christmas day you lame-o blogger! Since you’re here and if you’ve read this far let me give a little reminder. (You knew I’d have to say something) Lets try not to get so carried away with 1-19 in this new year that we miss out on 20. The “glorifying and praising God” part. Thats the best part of all, doing it for the glory of God. He deserves it. No one else does but HE does.

May God bless you and yours in this year. And if you didn’t go to church yesterday ask yourself why and try to do more about doing less next Christmas. And try THIS year to do more than worry about how many shopping days are left until NEXT Christmas.

Josh
“…the word of God is not bound.”
–2 Timothy 2:9

Santa Baby

“Santa baby” the refrain begins, “I want a yacht, that’s not a lot” it says in the middle and ends with a proposition to the Man in the Red Suit. The seductive tones of Earth Kitt’s “Santa Baby” go on to describe the American Holiday of Christmas better than any thing else. “One more thing” she sings “a ring”. I want it all for Christmas and when you get done maybe you and I can get together. A message that is, startlingly, not so different from Satan’s bargaining with Jesus at the tip of the Temple, I’ll give you all these things, all the kingdoms of the world if you give me yourself later.

Christmas as a holiday in America has become the great liberator of our free market economy. That’s fine as far as it goes, but its not free—Christmas is expensive. The merchants, we are told, count on Christmas sales to put them in the black for the year. So we trudge off to the mall and now the Internet to shop till we drop. There are people, I am told, that go far into debt every year just so that their family can have a good Christmas. (Good here is a relative term.)And that means a tree, possibly a real one, with presents piled high. Lights, decorations, and all the trimmings and probably a few parties scattered throughout the extended season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. The obligatory celebration that another year has come and gone is probably the biggest night of saturnalia in the world or at least everyone acts like it was the next day. See? Expensive.

The expense isn’t really the problem though. The major issue here is that we have reduced this celebration of the birth of Jesus down to something we can take on our own terms. This is the way we do it round here, you know, in the world. Let me give an example:

The Bible tells us that Jesus was baptized by John and “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17(NASB)”

Preaching was what he did from that time on and we can see from reading the gospels and Acts that even right up until the ascension He was preaching or teaching in some fashion. No one who got near Jesus had any doubt about what His claims were or who those who followed him thought he was. All the Jews had been expecting this Messiah and yet when he came, they rejected him. Judas is probably the most famous of these because his betrayal is so well documented but they were all guilty. They rejected Jesus each time they encountered Him but the word belief was never used until they had him on the cross. “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.” Matthew 27:42 (NASB) We will believe in you when we feel like it. We will believe in you if you entertain us and give us presents and show us tricks. We will believe in you Jesus—on our own terms.

When we try to meet Jesus on our own terms, chances are we will find something to worship. It won’t be Jesus or His Father who sent him, but we will find something. Probably from Best Buy or Circuit City—a plasma TV or a new DVD player or some computer-majig. “Hey Wal-Mart, tone down that Merry Christmas business, that’s waaaaay to religious for us.” But put big TV’s on sale there’s going to be a fight. A man will commit to mortal combat for a wide screen but decide to stay out of church because of “those hypocrites”. And still the world rails on at Christmas as if its not enough that it’s been twisted into a credit fest, a love feast of things. Something’s just not right when the world can’t even stand the flat watered down image of Christmas and Christ represented by Santa Clause and his yearly giving spree. Still they do with Christ what they have always done, approaching him on their own terms.

You have your traditions. That’s fine with me because I have mine too. Make sure, however, that they honor the One whom they are supposed to honor. The Christ, the Son of the Living God.