CHRISTMAS PRESENCE

Just some thoughts, questions and reflections...

I've wondered a lot about what the Incarnation was like on THAT side of who He was...in other words, what was it like in His head?

When did He realize who He was? Was it known to Him as a child or did Mary have to show Him who He was?

Did He have a memory of pre-Incarnation?

Which was more humbling...to be born in a barn or to simply become human?

How long did it take to use up the gold that was given to Him as a child by the wise men? He was poor through out His ministry, so was it used while they were in Egypt when He was a child?

What happened with the other gifts? Did Mary keep the myrrh and use it for His burial?

Why do we celebrate His birth by giving gifts to each other (not that there's anything wrong with that) but we negelct so often to do what He did...give of ourselves to those who are in need?

The real Christmas story really does involve a tree...one that would later be made into a cross - the whole reason for the Christmas story.

Commericalism can only take root if we let it.

There really is nothing wrong with Xmas...the "X" is historically symbolic of the cross. I prefer to see His title, "Christ" in the word, but let's not get too bent out of shape.

The cries of the Child in the manger were the first of many for Him.

We really don't know how many wise men there were.

More than likely, Mary (Miryam) was only about 15 years old...my oldest is 16...wow.

The children that were slaughtered by Herod the Great were the first martyrs for Jesus. Martyr means "witness" and their little lives bore witness to His greatness and the fear that the ungodly have about Him.

Bethlehem (Beit'lechaim) means "house of bread"...Jesus said He is the Bread of Life. He was also laid in a feeding trough that usually contained barley,which was the grain used to make the common bread...hmmmmm. Humility, humility, humility.

The wise men (Magi), more than likely knew about the Messiah's birth from the book of Daniel...considering Daniel was a "wise man" under the rule of the Persian king Darius.

The Bible never mentions the names of the wise men...their names could have been Tom, Dick & Harry for all we know.

I will be forever grateful (literally) for the Incarnation, for it led to (and made possible) the cross, which makes possible my salvation and eternal life. I really like to...

Think about it.

Who Were The Magi?

Just who were the Magi, the Wise Men who went in search of the King of the Jews?

We really don't know who they were, as far as names. The traditional names are not recorded in Scripture, so as far as we know, history has forgotten their names. The term "magician" is derived from Magi, but it is erroneous in meaning, in other words, they were not magicians. There is historically a connection to sorcery, but not in the way we think of it. These men were actually a clan or tribe of priests in the area known as Media and Persia. They can be traced as far back as Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham's home. This would be present day Turkey and Iraq.

Fast forward to the time of the Babylonian exile with the prophet Daniel. We find Daniel being promoted to the chief of the Wise men...these were the Magi. To see that the Magi of the Nativity story knew about this new King of the Jews, otherwise known as the Messiah, they must have had, as part of their education, the writings of Belteshazzar. This was Daniel's Babylonian name.

They were scientists, astronomers, astrologers and political consultants. They were known as the "King-makers". History tells us that they could make or break a man's ascension to the throne. What they said was law. This is referred to in the book of Daniel when the Magi who were against Daniel sought to make him look bad to King Darius. When the king was deceived into creating a law that forbade anyone to pray to any God or gods other than himself, this was called the "Law of the Medes & Persians".

The East was at odds with Rome at the time of the Census. It was an area that had not bowed the knee to Caesar. Rome feared these Magi and their followers. They fought all the time in the area known as Palestine. This is probably why Herod was so uneasy at their arrival in Jerusalem and they more than likely had a regiment of soldiers with them.
Being astronomers/astrologers, it is no wonder they followed a Star to find Him. All through history stars had been harbingers of new & great kings at their births. It is said that the Star that led them was found in the "eye" of the constellation known as the Lion or Leo. Isn't it interesting that the Lion is a symbol of Christ?

They came looking for The King that would be the salvation of all men. He would bring an end to all war and strife. He would deliver men from themselves.

As the saying goes, Wise Men still seek Him.

Think about it.

CHRISTMAS IS LIKE CAP’N CRUNCH CEREAL

So, my lovely wife Beth brought home some cereal from the grocery the other day. It was Capt. Crunch...the Christmas version. It has red & green pieces in it to commemorate the birth of Jesus...wait...red & green have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus do they?

So, I was on my way to work the other day and saw a Christmas themed billboard about some sort of alcoholic beverage, because nothing says "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" like killing a few brain cells and getting drunk...no, wait, that doesn't have anything to do with the birth of Jesus either.

So, I was watching the news the other day when I saw a story about people trampling a Wal-Mart employee to death because that represents the Virgin birth of Jesus... no, wait, that has nothing to do Jesus either...hmmmmmm.

So what does happen this time of year that has to do with the Greatest Birth to ever take place? Not much. You may see a Nativity set on someone's lawn or mantle, or maybe hear the radio station that plays Christmas Music 24/7 from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Day. You may even pull out the Christmas videos/dvds and start watching them, you know, uh, well, uh, there really aren't very many anymore that have to do with the Baby Jesus.

If you're lucky, you may catch "The Little Drummer Boy" on late one night. It's on late so as not to offend those who don't believe that Christmas has anything to do with Jesus...unfortunately they are becoming correct.

Most of us know that Jesus wasn't born in December...more than likely He was born in the spring to coincide with the birth of lambs, many of which would be raised in a good Jewish home for 1 year only to be slaughtered as the Passover sacrifice the next spring...coincidence? I think not.
Most of us also know that December 25th is a holiday date of pagan origin, as is the Christmas tree. Many of the "window dressings" of Christmas are of pagan origin.

So what do we do with this information? Do we harp on it and rag on the people who celebrate this time of the year? Do we stand on a street corner and try to dissuade people from buying the evergreen trees which are a symbol of the fertility gods & godesses of the eastern European countries?

What we can do is...we celebrate the wondrous, Virgin Birth of the One Child who was born with the sole purpose of living a sinless life and dying a death that was meant for you & me. We do not keep this holiday for pagan reasons...if we knew all the things that we do/participate in that have "pagan origins" we would probably never leave our homes!

Remember, in spite of the nonsense that goes on this time of year; in spite of the commercialism and the selfishness that runs rampant the month of December, we must celebrate the One who came to make forgiveness available for the above mentioned offenses.

Think about it.

Credentials, schmedentials!

This morning, as I was getting ready to go to work, I was listening to the TV in the background. It just happened to be on The Hour of Power...Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral program. I've never been a fan of Schuller...he always seemed to promote Christianized Humanism (is that really possible?).

Anyway, Dr. Schuller was actually present to introduce the guest speaker. It was someone I admire a great deal, who really seems to have a great grasp on leadership, spiritual or otherwise. Dr. Schuller, in his introduction, proceeded to list all the credentials of this man. He listed 3 or 4 degrees, having pastored several churches, written several books which have sold over 16 million copies, bestseller lists, etc. As I listened, I slowly felt my stomach turn. Nausea started to set in as this man was being lauded and Jesus had yet to even be mentioned.

Degrees are very fine accomplishments...I must admit, I have none. I have a very good friend, more like a brother, who has a couple of degrees. Very informed man, well read and a great communicator, but I happen to know that most of his talent and knowledge are found in the Holy Spirit being his source, rather than the halls of academia.

Am I saying that academic accomplishments are worthless? Far from it. I know that I would rather have a doctor of considerable education rather than one with only the requisite education. But let's be honest, in the arena of spirituality, a person who's knowledge, passion and giftedness are a direct result of being filled with the Holy Spirit...I'll take the Spirit-filled man over the academician any day!!!

When I think about the 1st Century church and it's shepherds and evangelists, I just wonder what university they attended? Oh, I forgot, they didn't attend a university. Yes, Paul had an education...he was a disciple of one of the most revered rabbi's within Judaism, Gamaliel. But, the majority of the apostles were men without reputation, other than they were "uneducated men". Their qualifying mark of distinction was recognized even by those who hated them..."they (the enemies of the apostles) took note that they (the apostles) had been with Jesus".

May that always be the mark of distinction for me; that if I impact anyone for Christ, that it be recognized as a Gift from Heaven rather than my own accomplishments.

Think about it.

All Over The Map

The subject line, "All Over the Map" is a phrase some may not be familiar with, but is probably pretty self-explanatory. It means to cover a lot area, to be rather broad. In light of today's theological climate within Christianity, I'm all over the map.

I am:
emergent - Open to change and God wanting to do a new thing. This doesn't mean that God no longer operates within "traditional church"...but, with that being said, the "traditional church" way has hindered Him to a great degree by putting Him in a box and making Him predictable. God is stable and the same yesterday, today and forever, but He is anything BUT predictable.

missional - The belief that all Christians (not just "professional missionaries & clergy") should be involved in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. For too long the "traditional church" has been the "pastor's church". This is a result of a mindset that comes from a person being paid to do something. This idea is that, if they get paid to do it, they must be better at doing it...this is not only logically wrong, but Scripturally wrong. I have a friend who is an incredible business man. Very successful and unafraid to try new ventures. He has no formal training or schooling whatsoever. Training is not a bad thing, but it is not the only thing.

evangelical - A rather broad definition is: a Christian theological view emphasizing personal faith and the authority of the Bible. This is by no means an exaustive definition because then you need to look at "what is personal faith?" and "how encompassing is the authority of the Bible?" My personal view on these two criterion is probably even MORE stringent than most who consider themselves evangelical.

As with any labels, they don't nearly say enough, yet at the same time, they can say too much. This depends on the knowledge of the person using or hearing these terms. For instance, there is a man who comes into our bookstore who seems to think that the "emergent church" will be the downfall of Christianity. I couldn't disagree more. Greater movements with armed soldiers have tried and failed miserably. There are those who label themselves "emergent", (who, quite honestly need to rethink why they even bother with Christianity anyway) who seek to change the Biblical model for being a follower of Jesus for what they "feel" to be right. This would be a Christianized Relativism...this is NOT a Jesus mindset...sorry if this offends you.

I give these perspectives and use the labels to give some of you an idea of where I am. I actually wear no nametag, no label other than I am a follower of Jesus. The apostle Paul warned about wearing a label. He mentions "Apollos-ism" and "Cephas-ites" and "Paul-ists" and points to Jesus as the eraser of these labels...Jesus Christ ALONE is our leader. No pope, prelate, priest or pastor other than Him...period.

So, in looking at how I am "all over the map", I find that I am in Christ's territory; I am well within the borders of His Kingdom, where all roads lead to Him. If I were outside His Country, there are roads that appear to lead to the same place, but they are detours and, sometimes outright wrong roads that lead to hell. The Bible tells us that there are ways that seem right to a person but they lead to destruction.

So...emergents, missional folks, evangelicals...measure what you believe and what you do by the only source we have...the Bible. As far as what you currently believe, I would encourage you to...

Think about it.

Black Holes in the Laboratory

This morning on the way to work, I was listening to the news on the radio. They were talking about a machine that scientists have come up with that can create a "black hole".

First of all, is this something we want to do? What little we know about the phenomenon, I'd say we need to avoid being near one.

Secondly, after what I heard about it...there is no need for any concern.
It was said that they are studying a "black hole" that has been created by this machine. It has all the characteristics of a "black hole" except...it has no graviational pull.

WHAAAAT THE.....???????

This gravitational pull is one of the main characteristics of a "black hole"...if not the PRIMARY ONE. This is like saying, "We are going to study sea turtles but we're going to use a cat instead."
This is yet one more incidence of science gone awry...actually, just further evidence that we cannot always trust science for answers. If they have used spurious research methods on this...what about the ones we don't know about? I would encourage you to...

Think about it.

What is Wealth For?

I recently read the new book by Rob Bell, Jesus Wants To Save Christians. Great book...really thought provoking. It came as a result of the front page of the Minneapolis Star stating that a certain church had just added onto their physical facility with the cost being 20.5 million dollars. On the same front page it was stated that 1 in 5 were living WAY below the poverty line. Rob asked the question..."What's wrong with this picture?" I ask the same question.

I think about the role of the church in meeting people's needs and ask...is this really being done? If you are a homeless person, the church may reach out to you, but if you are a member of a particular congregation, and have fallen on hard times, you can pretty much forget it. I have told the story of a friend who attended a LARGE and WEALTHY church who refused to help him and his family. This church's Youth Group account has $30,000.00 in it...this is just the account for the Youth! That's a buttload of pizza and soda!

The 1st Century church was truly a family. The book of Acts states that they had "all things in common...and no one lacked for anything". The church of today is quick to hoard for itself piles of "gold and silver" but this is to it's own destruction...ultimately.
Financial blessings are to be shared with those who have not...but this is the role of the church, not the government. Yes, the govt. needs to protect and serve the people, but the people are to sustain the people...and this is exactly what the church is supposed to do.

The Body of Christ has been relegated to a wheelchair. Impotent, weak and ineffective. Why? Because she hasn't functioned in the areas that her Lord had prescribed almost 2,000 years ago. Check out Matthew 25 to see His "checklist".

I grow tired and weary of seeing firsthand and hearing secondhand, the lack of compassion the churches have. The church has laid up for itself, treasure on earth, where "moth & rust corrupt"...to the point that it will soon be too late to apply the resources to people's needs. They will find that one day they will be able to dump their cash on the streets and no one will even notice, because it will no longer be worth anything. They will be begging to spend their wealth on someone and there will be no one who will want their help.

If we look at Biblical persons of wealth, they either used their wealth to benefit others and were blessed over again or they used it selfishly and were miserable. Abraham, David, Solomon, Barnabas on the one hand...Lot, Laban, Nabal and the very same Solomon on the other hand.

Money is meant to be a tool; a means of acquiring things to help others. Yes, it is OK to have things for yourself and to enjoy the blessings of wealth...but not at the expense of others having NOTHING. Our ultimate example is Jesus Himself. See Philippians 2...as a result of reading this SERIOUSLY, I have changed my perspective on wealth and giving, immensely.

Think about it.

Right, Left...Wrong!

I realized something a long time ago and am just know getting around to sharing this with you all...far left or far right is the same thing. They both have agendas that are not centered on Jesus Christ.


Specifically, those who are Christians (or "spiritual" people of every religious stripe) who lean a bit to the left, and seem to chafe at the "Moral Majority" (who is NOT really the Majority) wanting to impose their religious beliefs on government involvement, are guilty of the same.


I listen to people, whom I admire, such as Bono, Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne and a few others, and they want the government to spend more money on social programs, forgive debts, force employers to provide everything from a "living wage" to insurance benefits. They believe this a moral obligation for the U.S. Govt. Yet...


They hate it when those who are more to the "right" want prayer to be allowed in schools again, the 10 Commandments to be allowed to be displayed in halls of Justice, for Nativity scenes to be allowed on Public Property. Both sides seem to forget something, and that is...what Jesus said.


He said to give to Caesar (government) what belongs to him...nothing more, nothing less. This means taxes (as much as I hate taxes!), respect to "Caesar's" authority when it comes to those who protect and serve (police, fire fighters and the military).


I listen to people, whom I admire, such as David Jeremiah, John MacArthur and a few others, and they want the government to be a Theocracy, an entity with God as it's monarch. As much as this would be great...it is not possible. Mainly because, the "God" they want to be in control agrees with them...ON EVERYTHING! They believe America is in a moral decline because we, as a nation, have forgotten God. I believe America is in a moral decline because the Church has been and is lazy.


To those on the left: It is the Church's job to provide funding for the "least of these", not the government. Government providing the way we have known, is an invention of the 20th Century...therefore not part of the original plan by our Founding Fathers. Start holding the CHURCH accountable by:


1) Not building freakin' $100 million buildings to meet in - these buildings on average are used about 20 hours a week...what the heck is that all about anyway?!?
2) Be frugal with any and all expenditures, i.e., say NO to $30,000.00 Youth budgets and YES to brothers & sisters who are about to have their electricity turned off or have their car repossessed or their house is in foreclosure.


To those on the right: It is the government's job to provide freedom for the Church to worship, and not at the expense of people who do not believe the way we do. Our Founding Fathers were Christians, no question about that...but we live in different times. They had no idea the "American experiment" would succeed, so they had no way of providing a way to deal specifically with what we deal with today. Start holding the CHURCH accountable by:


1) see number one above.
2) Teaching your children (if they go to public schools) that NO ONE can really stop themfrom praying at school. I mean, really. Communist China hasn't been able to stop their people from praying. Just because the teacher cannot lead a prayer time...stop whining and teach your children to pray. Period.
3) Why all the fuss about the 10 Commandments? Let's be honest...most Christians are selective about which ones of the 10 they keep anyway.
4) Keep Jesus in your heart, not a plastic version with a light inside, lying in a cardboard manger. Besides, everyone (even those who are not followers of Jesus) knows that He wasn't born in December anyway!


When the Church stops being cry-babies and moves forward with the work her Lord commanded, then we can all get along and everyone will have everything they need and truly wait upon the Lord's return and everything will then be made new.


Think about it.