Luke 2:11-A Son Is Born

Luke 2:11-"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

The very heart of Christmas is summarized in this verse.  That on this day, Christmas day, we celebrate one simple, historical fact: a son was born in Bethlehem, who claimed, among many things, to be the Christ, God's very Som and foreordained Savior of mankind.  If there were an irreducible theological reality of Christmas it would be that we are commemorating and celebrating the birth of Jesus the Messiah whose exacting purpose was to save mankind from sin.  Let us place this at the centre of Christmas.  Amen!

A Note On Christmas before Christmas

Family, friends, feasts, gifts, and...worship?

Christmas brings with it so many seasonal delicacies.  Be it the awesome food that we wait all year to devourer, the time with family that doesn't seem like such an inconvenience, and the quest for gifts. And while each of these could be considered one of the treats of the season, each of them pales in comparison to the true, deeper meaning and worth of Christmas: the birth of the Messiah, the Savior, Christ Jesus.

The heart and essence of Christmas ultimately lies in the birth of Jesus, the prophesied Messiah.  The reality of His birth should render a sincere adoration and worship within us. But how easily we are drawn astray to those other staples of Christmas with little regard for the weightier, more divine narrative at work in the Christmas narrative.

So, as Christmas eve is upon us I simply ask that we would all keep our focus securely fixed upon the greatness of God!  Amen!

"Joy To The World."

This time of year is full of those seasonal songs that bring back memories of years past, family traditions, and the whole 'spirit' of Christmas thing.  But as this Christmas season ramps up to its eve, I suggest we take some time to consider the great theology of those old carols and hymns that have become such perennial staples in our lives.  Songs like, "Silent Night," "O Holy Night," and "Joy To The World" are just brimming with theology about the distinct and certain significance of Christmas and we would do well to, as we are singing these carols this year, to really think about the reality of the words and to ponder on the great gift of grace that was given to us in Christ!

Galatians 4:4-5–God Sent Forth His Son at the Right Time

Galatians 4:4-5–"But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."

In all facets of life, there is something to be said about the importance of planning.  But even the best laid plans can be for naught if they are attempted before the appropriate time.  Think of all the great plans that we ourselves have considered or contemplated that, for whatever reason, were too-poorly timed to come to effective fruitions.

That is one of the many remarkable things about the gospel.  Not only is it God's perfect plan, but the perfect timing of the divine plan is a masterful stroke of eternal genius.  God waited centuries, from the sin of Adam to the birth of Christ Jesus for His plan to be put into effect.  This is utterly marvelous, absolutely incredible.

We should not forget this important part of the Christmas story, that it was God's great timing and plan that Christ would be born to save sinners.

Praise be to God!

Christmas Day: the Return of the King

Christmas day is here.  A day of fine fare when the heirloom dinner ware sees its annual use.  When the exchange of gifts gives way to merriment and tradition.  As songs of old are song with enthusiasm, tying together generations past to generations present.  A day of festivity and of enjoyment, when people drop grudge or preference to join at the table of fellowship and food.

But let us not ever, no never forget why we meet, why we greet one another with the hug of fellowship and the kiss of family.  It is Christ.  For on this day, on Christ-mass, we celebrate Jesus, the Savior.  His birth is not simple a preface to His death.  It is the an integral part of the story of salvation that culminates in His resurrection.

It is fitting that Jesus' story begins and ends with miracles, indicating to all that He is God.  The power shown at His death is equal to the power shown at His conception. The miracle of His sinless life is paired with the miracle of His Church.  A birth by virgin is at least as beautifully phenomenal as rising from death.  There is a profound poeticism to Jesus, particularly in that the events of His life are not fictional but historical!

Therefore, as we gather together on this Christmas day, let us take a sincere moment for adoration, for exaltation, for praise, and for worship.  For it is Christ who brings us together on this wonderful Christmas day!

Christmas Eve Strikes Again

Another year.  Another Christmas.  Another retelling of that old story.  You know, the one with the virgin and the angels and the shepherds and a baby laid in a manger.  Depending upon how old one is, this could be just another hearing of that story, another one of the dozens.  And, depending upon your enthusiasm, this could be just another year hearing that lovely "fairy tale" of faith, just another "myth" of origins about some influential Jew that lived thousands of years ago.

But this year, this Christmas could be a year that we took the story a little more seriously.  Maybe this year we could really think about this story, really wrestle with some of the questions it poses, the biggest question, the elephant in the room: why?

Why?  Why does Christianity insist upon a virgin birth?  Why shepherds?  Why a full inn with no rooms?  Why an engaged virgin?  Why Israel?  Why at that time in history?  Why angels singing to sheep and shepherds in a field?  Why not a birth to kings or rulers?  Why not in Rome?  Why not wait until technology could air this event across the internet?  Why no pictures?  Why all this to start the life of an obscure rabbi in Judah?

This year, let us make a real effort to contemplate, to wrestle with this story.  Perhaps if we would, we might get a glimpse of its profundity and have it revealed to us in all its awesome wonder and beauty. Perhaps we could see past the poetry, past the history, past the Scripture to see God Himself taking the humble form of a man to save all men.  This year, this Christmas, let us not allow this story to be just another telling of that same old song.

The Testimony of Shepherds

Shepherds.  The first people to witness God incarnate were a group of lowly shepherds.  God could have sent His angels to anyone.  The angels could have spoken to kings; the choir could have sang their heavenly song at the court of Herod.  God could have sent His angels to the rich or to the most educated.  And we would assume that God should have sent His Son to the priests or the religious leaders.  But not; shepherds.

To be a shepherd would be akin to a line cook, or a janitor, or a garbage man, or a sewer surveyor: not a particular glamorous job, but totally necessary.  Shepherds were the commoners, the under-educated hard-workers that worked 24/7 to watch over flocks of sheep.  Add to this that most shepherds did not even own the sheep they watched over; they were the the utmost steward and servant.

Yet despite or more likely because of the shepherds' humble status, God spoke to them and, what's more, it was shepherds that were the first to witness Jesus and to proclaim the glory of the Almighty Lord.  This is profound.  But it speaks volumes to the nature of God; God who is not concerned with human concepts of status or of rank or of importance.  God wants worshipers, people who will listen to Him and will trust what He says.  Let us all strive to be as faithful as the shepherds of Christmas.

See Luke 2:8-20.

The Story of Christmas

The story of Christmas is about a betrothed virgin bearing a son by the Holy Spirit.  It is about an engaged man stepping out in faith to trust the Lord with his fiance.  It is about shepherds and innkeepers and a census.  And it is about a baby boy being born in a stable and laid in a manger in the back-water bucolic village of Bethlehem.  But in the end it is about the greatest act of humility in all creation as the Lord Almighty takes on the form of a servant so as to perform the greatest act of love in all creation at His death.

Christmas is about Christ; it is about Jesus.  As we rip through the wrapping of gifts, as we clang the glasses of fellowship, and as we gather around the tables of finest fare, let us not lose sight of Christ.  Let us never cut the story of Christ from Christmas, and thus amputate the story of grace and love that He brings to the world through faith.

It cannot be stressed enough for us to read the Scripture this year; to really engage with the Word of God this season.  Let us commit this Christmas to Christ in every moment, every meal, every gift, and every interaction this year.

Call to Scripture amidst Christmas

The content of this blog is not one of teaching, as it were.  Instead, this is a simple call to reading the Scripture.  This season, this Christ-mass season, the world unites in commemorating a single historical event.  Across the globe, there are many held holidays of the cultures and nations of the world, but there is a distinct uniqueness to the story of Jesus, the baby born in a manger stall who grows from His seemingly bucolic surroundings to be the most influential person to have ever lived.

It is in the Holy Scriptures that we come to know this Jesus.  When we come into contact with the Scripture, the Holy Spirit commits them to our hearts and it comes alive within our chests.  For this season, then, we should make an ample pursuit of the Word of God in reference to Jesus' birth.

Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-3 will certainly present enough to chew on...

So This is Christmas?

Again, just like the many previous years that have come and gone before, it is holiday season. From Thanksgiving through Black Friday, to Christmas and the expectations and hope of New Years, the season is chalked full of invites, parties, shopping, chatting, church going, seasonal fare, and even some family time.

Yet as this season saunters on to the next I wanted to take a moment to perhaps get some perspective, to see passed the sprinkling lights and 24-hour caroling on the radio, through the sales extravaganzas and the bell-ringing soldiers standing post outside the grocery, and take a much needed break from all the glitz and noise.

The point is this: do not lose sight of eternity amongst all this corporeal frivolity, do not be wholly distracted by the neon glam of consumerism.  In the quest to find the "right gift" do not be so taken away from the true joys and real pleasures of Scripture and of prayer and of worship.  To be sure, this is not intended as any sort of indictment but is purposed as a reminder to keep the focus fixed on He who is, and to be pleased, ultimately, with Him and no thing else.

For there is no substitute for a relationship with God through the broken body and shed blood of Christ Jesus.  There is no value of trinket that is worth more than knowing the Lord Almighty and having Him know us.  In the end, there are no gifts beyond the grace of God shown in the person and the passion of Christ.  It is this very grace that causes the stir of this Christmas season to begin with.  Let us never, not ever lose sight of that which matters most.  Let us strive to keep that focus and dedicated zeal for Him throughout this wonderful and joyous season, remembering the true and sure source of joy and wonder, who is God Himself.