The Victory of ‘We’

When you read Isaiah 9:1-7, the prophecy of Christ's coming, you see that the winners are always a group of people. “Those”, “their”, “they”, etc., are examples of the personal pronouns used in the passage. Together is a real theme in Isaiah 9. Now we all know there are good guys and bad guys in the original Christmas story. The good guys would be Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the Magi. The bad guys would be the innkeeper and King Herod. There is one distinctive difference between the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys always seem to be making their appearance in the Christmas story as a group, together. But the bad guys always seem to be appearing as individuals, apart from a group, alone. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

There is power in numbers and weakness without them. Very little has ever happened by individuals…it has always been the teams that made a difference. Whatever you might do in life, it will go better with a team. We all want to be independent but life will go better if we decide to be independent together.

What are the benefits of being independent together? What good does having others with me do for me that being more alone can’t?

1. I am motivated to succeed by others.
2. I can see my strengths and flaws much better through others.
3. I can hang in there longer with others encouraging me.
4. I can be a complete person with the complimentary strengths of others.
5. I can see the situation better and act in a way better for all.
6. I can enjoy a victory or get over a loss better with others.

The innkeeper listened to his own voice shut out the maker of the universe, his savior and Lord. He could have at least been able to say that Jesus slept here! And Herod took only his own advice and became a monster.

God’s plan for the invasion was that his people would function as a team. Joseph, by himself, was about to make the wrong decision about Mary. But he listened to voices other than his own (specifically the Lord’s voice though an angel) and made the right decision. The shepherds talked among themselves and said “let us go see this thing that has happened.” The magi discussed the meaning of the stars together and traveled together to see Jesus. Mary and Joseph worked together. Together, good things happen!

Listening is a key element of functioning as a team. Listening isn’t easy but here are a few people who should listen to others. If you do you will probably have a better life.

1. Husbands should listen to their wives.
2. Teens should listen to their parents.
3. Older adults should listen to younger adults.
4. Leaders should listen to their followers.
5. Everyone should listen to God.

The Christmas Wars

Sine I am doing a series on The Invasion Of God I thought it would be good to take a moment to dive into the debate about traditional Christian Christmas displays on public land and all the things that people complain about at Christmas. That sounds like quite an undertaking but I have made it easy for myself. I am going to quote you a letter from Jesus about the Holidays that someone sent me that pretty much sums up my feelings on it.

Before you read it I just want you to know that I do not feel that these things are worth a big fight. Having Christian displays in the town square is not the mission of the church. So I am not much of a protester on this subject. There other things worth a fight...I don't believe this one is. Make sure and read my last article right below this one. Here we go...

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

6. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

7. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

8. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

9. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember,

I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

Native-ivity

I don't know if it has been created before me but I have made a new word: Native-ivity. This is the tendency to make the things that man has added to the original Nativity, the things that we really love about Christmas. For us who struggle with Native-ivity, Christmas is about the things native or natural to us that we love about Christmas: family traditions, holiday trimmings, buying presents, Christmas specials, etc. It is a personal picture of the perfect Christmas. Therefore the whole season can be frustrating for those of us with Native-ivity because we cannot make it like we would like to. How Mary and Joseph must have related. The Nativity scene depicted in little ceramic or wooden sets were certainly not the images they intended for the first Christmas. Talk about a rough Christmas...do you think Joseph envisioned a stable for the birth of God with 20 gawking Shepherds?

For me, Native-ivity sufferer that I am, I struggle with the fact that my kids are so much older now. The Christmas wish list is about clothes and money and no fun items. I have no toys to put together. I have no tents, model trains, or bicycles to create a visual impact for the Christmas morning palooza. Things are changing and Native-ivity is bringing me down a little during this most wonderful time of the year.

As some of the things that made Christmas special are slowly dissolving in the sands of time it is easy to feel a range of emotions from sadness to depression to outright anger. In fact some of us are trying to force Christmas to be what we want it to be. Family members are feeling pressure from us to conform to the perfect Christmas picture that Native-ivity has created in our minds. The success of the present Christmas in some ways is threatened by the success of the past ones.

But it is important to remember some things if Native-ivity with all of its symptoms has set in. First, the past is always remembered more fondly than what it really was. Secondly the present is often thought of less positively than what it really is. Thirdly, there is no guarantee that what you will experience in the future won't be better than what you have experienced before. And lastly, the point of the whole thing is The Nativity, something that a serious case of Native-ivity will often hide or at least obscure. Don't let what isn't this Christmas keep you from experiencing what is and will always be...today in the town of Bethlehem a savior has been born to you and he is Christ the King!

Battles and Babies?

I have been doing a Christmas series about the Invasion of God. As I have thought about the original Christmas story and the whole invasion thing I am struck by how Jesus came. All the talk about a military conquest in Isaiah 9 sandwiched around the story of a baby being born is really strange. I have seen a few shows blend their casts and stories but this combo in Isaish 9 is like blending The Military Channel's, Weaponology with TLC's, A Baby Story. Battles and babies...can they actually go together? They did then.

Jesus birth was actually a logical military tactic much like the Trojan horse (above), used by the Greeks to defeat the Trojans centuries ago. The horse appeared to be a large idol left to appease the gods of the Trojans and apologize for the war the Greeks had started. The Trojans’ strength was a massive wall that the Greeks could not breach and it appeared that they had abandoned their efforts to take Troy when they left the horse outside the city walls. But after the men of Troy brought the Trojan horse inside the city they discovered to their horror that several Greeks were hiding in the horse. They broke out and opened the massive gates, allowing the hiding Greek army to enter Troy and destroy it.

God came to earth not in the disguise of horse shaped idol but in the shape of a baby. He did not come as one would expect the ruler of the universe to come...with power, pomp, and coerciveness. Coming as a baby in a borrowed stable was about as below the radar as you could be. He chose not the route of power, though he had all the power one could have. He came not with cleverness to trick people into following him though he has all knowledge and could have easily done so. He laid down all he was and had and became the lowest and most humble thing he could be to reach us.

I think this is very instructive for all of us. Over whom do you hope and maybe even need to have influence? Your...spouse, neighbors, co-workers, customers, or kids? Aspire to wrap your efforts in the most humble, Christlike package you can muster. Forget who you are and what you have and humble yourself to those you really care about. And then watch how God uses that seemingly weak approach in a very powerful way! That was God's approach in sending Jesus to a broken world. Though having power through humility seems to go together like battles and babies somehow it works.

What Will Matter?

Check out this great poem that really sums up life. I do not have permission to print it so I am linking you to a website that has it.

http://www.charactercounts.org/pdf/whatwillmatter-1203.pdf