Thoughts on the Holiday in the Rear View Mirror

The birth of Jesus is an important, historic event which we should never forget. But one thing that has always puzzled me is why only two of the four gospel accounts depict this beautiful scene and why the epistles don't explicitly focus their attention at all on the virgin birth, the shepherds, or the star.

We could spend time on why Matthew and Luke decided this was necessary for their gospels but Mark and John didn't but I don't know how helpful that would be for the limited space of this post. Instead I want to call of us to remember as the new year approaches and the tinsel disappears exactly why we celebrated a birth that occurred thousands of years ago. That is, what were all four gospels in agreement about as to why this birth was important. As we approach a new year leave another Christmas behind we must ask, why did Christ come into the world? Here are a few answers to this question that are very important to remember.

Jesus was born to be the true representation of God on Earth.

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Jesus was born to save his people from their sins and the necessary judgment on their sin.

"...you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10)

Jesus was born to live a perfect, righteous life.

"Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." (Matthew 3:15)

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify." (Romans 3:21)

Jesus was born to die a sacrificial death.

"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42)

"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'—which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Matthew 27:46)

"God put forward [Christ] as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." (Romans 3:25)

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..." (1 Cor. 15:1,3-4)

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

The Show

The scene is set with all people in place. The Author has been waiting for this moment since the beginning of the play. This moment, the time when the plot thickens. The moment where all the pieces start to make sense. Where things that have happened already are showing up again in a way that the audience never saw coming.

A nervous unlikely girl was cast and given a chance for this huge supporting role. Her first scene is coming and her palms are shaking. She was told everything that was going to happen. She knows the next act is the one that changes the whole show. “People will remember this next scene”. She is fearful, of course, but knows that the great director taught her well and knows is standing in view.

The scene ends with a new character on set. A baby, and now a very confused audience. The whole show leads up to a grand charactor that will do great things. What happened?

It is hard to stun a crowd these days, they know all the tricks. Every one there just “knows” that this young boy will grow up and make some choices that place him as a great warrior king. “He’s gonna get the girl in the end right?”

As the story comes to a close nobody knew how the story was going to finish, how the play will end. “I think they are going to kill Him” “He rose from the dead!” “He will come back again? “What a show!”

I can’t wait to hear the applause of stunned, appreciative people in the audience, just before they go out to tell everyone what they saw. I know I’m going to.

God Has Visited His People

I love this time of year when we reflect upon the glory, the majesty, the wonder, and the mystery of God visiting His people. What grace and mercy was shown as the Son of God took on flesh and tabernacled among us! Who can fathom the reality of the eternal, self-existant God coming in flesh to walk among us and taste the struggles that we encounter? These thoughts never get old, yet they can definately make you dizzy!

And yet this is the truth that the children of God are hoping so desperately in! If we don't have Christ, then hope does not exist. Yet Jesus Christ most assuredly is the Savior of the world!
He came that we might have true life. He came that we might have forgiveness of sins. He came to fulfill the plan of the Father. He came that glory might arise out of suffering. He came so that death would be defeated.

Jesus Christ split history and conquered sin. He has declared: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). If we deny Him as the only Deliverer, then sadly we have denied the only way of deliverance.

I pray that anyone who does not love Christ; come to Him! In Christ there is redemption! You can be forgiven. God "is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). You can taste a joy and a hope that has been born out of Heaven.

I pray that anyone who does love Christ; rejoice in Him! Abide in Him. Though the life of a Christian has struggles, temptations, and failings; seek to kill sin in His name by His empowering Spirit...and preach His Good News to the entire world!

Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. The Gospel is something that never gets old! It is the power of God unto salvation. It is the lens through which we can view reality. May we worship our Savior with joy, hope, and love because of who He is and what He has done!

O Holy Night

If you're like me you need to ignore the voice of Josh Groban or Sandi Patty in order to truly appreciate the words of this song. It's one of my favorite Christmas songs now.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

-Placide Cappeau

Come See The King

Sarah and I wrote this song on the way back from St. Louis. The scripture that this came from is mostly 1 Timothy 1:15-17 and Colossians 1:15-23. My hope was to have the video that we made up today but it didn’t make it.

The Chorus says “the only King who has made” which is simply in reference to Colossians 1: 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He not only is THE King but He is the only king that can and does make things. Other Kings simply organize Christ’s already created things and then they call it “making something. When in fact they are also living because he made them. Others try "Make" things to makes themselves unforgettable. He Creates to bring more glory (Rightly so) to Himself.

Lying there before you, you see the Son
The glory fills around the Uncreated One
Image of the mighty King, Intertwined within the trinity
Angels boast in victory at this fully man, divinity

Come see the King, the baby King
Come see the King of the world
Come see the King,
the only King who has made

Adams loosened from the chains of sin
Rejoice in worship with freedoms hymn
He is worthy, our crimson debt paid
the word, the truth, the only way

Come see the King, the baby King
Come see the King of the world
Come see the King,
the only King who has made

Israels savior, my love. You are the King
Chain breaker, holy one. You are the King
Mountain shaker, the stable one. You are the King

Come see the King, the baby King
Come see the King of the world
Come see the King,
the only King who has made

The Sunrise shall visit us from on High

After John the Baptist was born, Zechariah (his father) "was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied". The words recorded in this passage in the gospel of Luke are filled with hope, faith, and eager expectation for the revelation of the Savior. While Zechariah speaks of John the Baptist as preparing the way for the Lord, he also shows the beauty of our Savior in that we can have the forgiveness of sins because of the tender mercy of our God! What a wonderful thought, that we who were sitting in darkness have been washed in the light of Jesus Christ! Truly the sunrise has visited us from on High!

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;


to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father
Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.


And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,


to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,


because of the tender mercy of our God,


whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,


to guide our feet into the way of peace"


-Luke 1:68-79

The Glory of Christ in Christmas

I've never been a big fan of most Christmas music. I get tired of the familiar tune of "Jingle Bells" or the mid-1900's style rock versions of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" and even "Silent Night." But as I get older (though I'm only 22) and see more and more of the beauty of the gospel I find that there are songs that I could sing any time of the year and find great joy.

So I thought it would be fun to write out some of the great less-remembered lines from Christmas songs/hymns. Like last week I would love additions to this short list.

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. (Hark the Herald Angel Sing)

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend! (O Holy Night)

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne. (Come Thou Long Expected Jesus)

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King. (Angels We have Heard on High)

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found. (Joy to the World)

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Dirty start, white as snow

My intent was not to start December with Christmas themes but it just so difficult to ignore when Starbucks peppermint mocha has already bloomed in full force. John MacAthur wrote an article entitled “The Truth of the Nativity” which is basically about the reality of the nativity scene and the way we currently tend to see it. This post is based from the article and personal experience.

When I was growing up christmas decorations with my grandmother was a highlight of the year for me.
I'm not really sure why that was. Regardless, the nativity scene was one thing that I loved putting up. It was a hand painted ceramic set that my grandmother had made. It had 3 camels, an angel, shepherds, a mule, Mary, Joseph, the 3 wise men, and baby Jesus. It was so clean and I loved organizing it into the perfect position to make it look as real as possible.

How realistic is our view of this clean cut image of a baby in a manger? The mighty King was born in a foul smelling stable! The thought of my wife being pregnant, us being in a strange town and even more so being told that there is no place to stay would be a very big deal to me. So the manger was a relief, I'm sure, to even have that. But the very fact that this was not a household room even. Giving birth to a baby without any mention of someone to aid in Luke 2: 6-8 had to have been a humbling miserable experience. And yet the glory still came to God.

My mind is so set on the happiness of the angels that I over look the fact that Christ came into the world with nothing. Yet thats easy to do with the angels rejoicing at His coming. The savior to the world was born in circumstances that by todays standards would be horrific, in those days it was still a barn. Nativity scenes have forever been changed for me as I now see a clean figurine that is but a taste of the hay on the ground, barn yard animals surrounding, and shepherds being the first visitors the night of the appearance of our Savior. What a glorious, messy, humbling, life giving night when the Word became flesh.

John 1:1-5, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Spurgeon Christmas

I've been trying to prepare my mindset for the coming month when stores will be crowded, traffic will be tough and money will be tighter for everyone. The last few years it seems tougher and tougher to be thrilled will the holiday activities due to my realizing that Christ is ever increasingly being taken out of the focus.
I began reading some Charles Spurgeon sermons on Christmas. It has started to shift my attention from the holiday, to the mindset of remembering Christ's birth as fully man/fully God, at the same time that all other christians are doing the same. Here is a taste of Spurgeon on Christmas.

“Observe, this morning, the sacred joy of Mary that you may imitate it. This is a season when all men expect us to be joyous. We compliment each other with the desire that we may have a "Merry Christmas." Some Christians who are a little squeamish, do not like the word "merry." It is a right good old Saxon word, having the joy of childhood and the mirth of manhood in it, it brings before one's mind the old song of the waits, and the midnight peal of bells, the holly and the blazing log. I love it for its place in that most tender of all parables, where it is written, that, when the long-lost prodigal returned to his father safe and sound, "They began to be merry." This is the season when we are expected to be happy; and my heart's desire is, that in the highest and best sense, you who are believers may be "merry." Mary's heart was merry within her; but here was the mark of her joy, it was all holy merriment, it was every drop of it sacred mirth. It was not such merriment as worldlings will revel in to-day and to-morrow, but such merriment as the angels have around the throne, where they sing, "Glory to God in the highest," while we sing "On earth peace, goodwill towards men." Such merry hearts have a continual feast. I want you, ye children of the bride-chamber, to possess to-day and to-morrow, yea, all your days, the high and consecrated bliss of Mary, that you may not only read her words, but use them for yourselves, ever experiencing their meaning: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."” - Charles Spurgeon