Christmas Spirit

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2:1-6

This is a powerful story, with profound implications. Imagine what the coming season would be if our contemporary neo-Herodians  were actually successful in removing the Christ out of Christmas. What indeed? 

As one who has known Christmas both with and without Christ, trust me when I  tell you it would make all of the difference in the world. 

Remove The Christ and I contend that we remove the elements of the season that are most meaningful, including:

·         Anticipation

·         Foreshadowing

·         Drama

·         Compassion

·         Ritual

·         Transcendence

·         Meaning

·         Beauty

·         Redemption

Without His story, life, example and Spirit, we have just another empty winter festival… a corpse without a soul.  Indeed, one need not probe deeply to determine that it is because of His Spirit that we connect this season with generosity, compassion, altruism, caring, family and peace. It is because of His incorporation into the narrative of the season that we celebrate the very things that are most meaningful and compelling.

A friend of mine once commented that it seems that at Christmas the world actually reflects on “the way things ought to be”. People should not be lonely at Christmas. There should not be fighting/poverty/hunger/hatred at Christmas. There should be goodwill at Christmas. People should care at Christmas. Families should love each other at Christmas… etc. There is a juxtaposition between the is and the ought.

Where does this seasonal imperative, the sense of “oughtness”,  come from?  Where, indeed?

Be assured it did not come from the Roman feast of Saturn that once occurred on the same date. It did not come from the pagan rituals of northern Europe. And it does not arise from the culture of the office party, or of Christmas radio programming. It is ground into the biblical narrative of the generous, gracious God who has given this undeserving world the ultimate GIFT, at an unimaginable cost to Himself.

This Gift, and the generosity of The Father who gives it, changes everything.

Redeemer’s Cornerstone

Unless the Lord builds the house,

its builders labour in vain.

                     Psalm 127:1

 

Human beings are builders. From the early pages of scripture we learn about building. Cain built a city named Enoch. (Gen. 4:17). Houses, an ark, a tower, storehouses, wells, altars, walls, cities, and temples are the literal buildings mentioned in scripture. But there are figurative buildings as well: families and nations to name two.

 

Today we talk about building other things: a resume; a profile, or a community. It is a metaphor that speaks to creating something that is organic. These buildings become representative of who we are and are often used as identity markers.

 

Where does this desire to build come from? As image bearers of God we can trace our yearning for building to the Master Builder. He laid the earth’s foundations (Job 38:4). Not only is he the builder, but also architect of his city (Heb 11:10). Quite simply, God is the builder of everything (Heb 3:4).

 

This verse from Psalm 127 tells us that in order to build anything of value it requires both God and humans building together. That is how the tabernacle was constructed. God was the designer and architect: the blueprints are laid out in detail in the pages of Exodus. And when completed it was filled with God’s glory (Ex. 40:34-35).

 

Building is a metaphor used in Scripture to describe how we are to build. But how do we discover the blueprints? First, we start with the foundation, which Paul reminds us is Jesus Christ himself (1 Cor. 3:11). Jesus is the cornerstone of a foundation that is secure. As promised in Isaiah, those who trust in this precious cornerstone will never be dismayed, they have no need to panic (Isa 28:16).

 

The wise human builder is the one who both hears and puts into practice Jesus’ teachings (Matt. 7:24). As listening and obedient followers of Jesus we build with gold, silver and precious stones that will reveal the quality of a building in the Day of Jesus Christ and for which a reward is promised.

 

Psalm 127:1 is etched into the ceremonial cornerstone of Redeemer’s academic building. It serves as a reminder to us all that God’s glory is revealed when we build on Jesus the Cornerstone and we labour by hearing and obeying what He taught us.

 

 

“So, what are you going to do with your major?”

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place….And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this” (4:14)

 “So, what are you going to do with your major?” was one of the most popular questions I received at family gatherings while in my undergrad. This question can be tricky in a world with very few straight lines and many guaranteed surprises.

In dependence on Him we plan and act by taking steps in accordance with what we perceive to be his will, but when one comes to a point of decision how can one definitively know their “calling”?

The story of Esther is a fascinating example of a calling that seems to be stumbled upon. The Persian King Xerxes finds himself in need of a queen due to the surprising noncompliance of his former wife. Esther is discovered to be “lovely” and is chosen to be Queen (2:7). In the meantime, one of the men in King Xerxes court has it in his mind to exterminate all of the Jews and convinces the king to make this happen through an edict (Xerxes does not know that his Queen is a Jew).

Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, sends Esther a message, “if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place….And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this” (4:14)

In undergrad you are in a position where you get to choose your major, and, in some ways, your line of work, but the path is not entirely clear. “And who knows” where you will invest the working days of your life? In truth, nothing is certain and no one knows where God is taking them in his service.

What is comforting to me about this text is that there is both an invitation to humility and an empowering vision of stewardship. An invitation to sober-minded humility is given by Mordecai “relief for the Jews will arise from another place” – God doesn’t need Esther to change the world, he is capable of doing it (4:14). A vision of empowerment is also conveyed, “for such a time as this” many privileges have been given. Mordecai will not let Esther forget this.

Since Esther’s time, God’s kingdom has not stopped moving forward. He still determines the times and the places that each one of us shall live (Acts 17:26) and He still grants us the resources and relationships to steward (1 Peter 4:10, Gen 2:14; Matthew 25:20-21). Given that you are at a unique point in God’s story, where might he be pleased to use you?  When it comes to communicating the trustworthiness of our God perhaps your posture of dependence could communicate more than your plan ever could?