Twas the night before the night before...
Here is hoping that this blog update finds you all well and increasingly enjoying the Christmas holiday. We have managed to squeeze in a bout of the 24 hour stomach bug for Mel this week, but she seems to be much better today and we are hoping for a clean bill of health the rest of the way through the break.
As always, I very much enjoyed the discussion on Sunday. I wasn't sure I wanted to do a Christmas discussion, but as it turned out I am glad we did.
As always, again, there were a few things I think are worth mentioning that we did not get to.
I want to go back to the whole idea of the angels appearing to shepherds. We did talk on Sunday about how shepherds were held in very low standing at the time. They were not even allowed to offer testimony in a court of law because of their social standing. And God, who often does such things, chose those who could not testify in a human court to bear witness to the birth of His son. And they did so! Luke tells us that they went their way telling everyone what they had heard and seen. And so, these common shepherds were the first to tell others about the Good Shepherd. Coincidence? I think not.
It has also been speculated that these sheep in the care of the shepherds on the hill may well have been sheep that would later be sold to Jews who needed a sheep for their sacrifice. That is not recorded in the scripture, but t was common practice and is not outside the realm of possibility. It would be just like God to do that as well- to play with the details and have the shepherds leave their sheep to go and see the sacrificial lamb.
In thinking about the fact that this kind of account of Jesus' birth is only recorded in Luke, and even then not to a great extent, there is another interesting principle in play. It is know as the "Principle of Proportion". The principle of proportion simply states that the more important parts of the story get more coverage in the scriptures. Luke is the only one to give a birth account and in comparison, the amount of "ink"given to the birth does not nearly compare to the amount of attention given by Luke and all of the gospel writers to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord.
It is interesting how the world can get all cozy with the idea of a baby in a manger, but wants nothing to do with an innocent man, beaten and hanging on a cross, to save all mankind. The beginning of the story, as wonderful as it is, is nothing without the end.
But it is a remarkable thing- that the rescue plan set in motion by the God of the universe began with the birth of a baby.
Unto YOU is born THIS DAY in THE CITY OF DAVID, a SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A Plethora of Pasta...
Good stuff last Sunday! We discussed the portion of Luke 9 in which we find Peter's great confession and some of Jesus' teaching on the cross- the cross of Christ, and the cross of the believer / follower. (Luke 9:18-26)
I especially enjoyed the discussion we had about who you say Jesus is. Remember the questions Jesus posed to the disciples- "Who do the crowds say I am?" and "Who do you say I am?". Those are the questions he asked then. But it is interesting to ask those same questions now. It is interesting to sit back and take note of how the rest of the world reacts to Jesus, and it is good for us to verbalize our own thoughts on the subject every once in a while. I consider it an honor to have the chance to hear people like all of you express your heart and speak of who Jesus is. I don't know how it is for you, but sometimes when I read scriptures like that I can just see Jesus looking straight into my eyes and asking me the question- "Who do YOU say I am?"
Immediately following Peter's confession in the passage, Jesus began to talk of all that he would have to endure, and he began to talk about the cross of the believer- the cross we all must take up daily. On Sunday, we did not really get to talk about that part of it- taking up our cross. I would like to offer a few thoughts here and, as always, comments and discussion are welcome!
First I have to say that while we have to we have been directed to take up our cross daily, (Luke 9: 23), whatever we have to endure that is associated with our "cross" is nothing compared to what Christ endured. Try as we might, we cannot grasp what Jesus has suffered. I would never dare to compare anything I experience to what he did. But having said that, there is a cross for the believer, and I think that it is characterized by a handful of properties.
1. Although different, the believers cross is directly related to the Cross of Christ.
The cross Jesus bore came complete with a full compliment of shame, guilt, pain, anguish, hardship... the list goes on and on. I already said that nothing that we bear compares to Jesus' sacrifice, but because our cross is related to his cross, it will come with its share of hardship and pain as well. We need not think that taking up our cross daily ends with morning devotionals. If we truly follow, at one time or another, there will be pain. I don't think I am telling you anything you don't already know.
2. The cross of the believer is more than external
We sometimes see our cross as those external things that come our way- sickness, accident, family turmoil, etc. Sometimes we say, "well, that's just the cross I have been given to bear." I won't argue that external things are part of it, but I think if we stop there, then we do not understand the full meaning of the cross. The full meaning of the cross has to include the internal as well. Luke 9 says we must deny ourselves.
1 John 3:16 says:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Romans 12:1-2 says
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The cross is not the cross unless it includes an intentional setting aside of the self.
3. The cross of the believer is based on this principle: "to lose your life is to save it."
We all have thoughts and feelings about our security. We look out for the future and try to make wise decisions now so that we will be "OK" later. Nothing wrong with that. But the best way to be spiritually secure is to stop thinking about ourselves. It is an interesting thing to consider approaching each day by saying, "as long as I genuinely give myself to others for the sake of Jesus, I don't have to worry about anything."
I don't know about you, but I am not as good about that as I would like.
4. The cross is repulsive and will never be attractive to the world.
Let's face it. On the surface, from a strictly human view, this whole "deny self" thing sounds pretty bad. It is not something that will ever look attractive to the world. It is only through divine assistance that we come to any understanding of this cross. We can only accept this with God's help. On my own, I would size up this whole "Jesus" thing, and walk away. Which is exactly what many people have done- both then and now. Praise God that He has given me enough understanding to make the cross attractive to me.
There is a beauty to the cross, but I cannot see it with my own eyes. It is only because God breathes life into me each day that I can catch a glimpse of the glory of the cross, and make the decision, every day, to take it up, and walk.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
I especially enjoyed the discussion we had about who you say Jesus is. Remember the questions Jesus posed to the disciples- "Who do the crowds say I am?" and "Who do you say I am?". Those are the questions he asked then. But it is interesting to ask those same questions now. It is interesting to sit back and take note of how the rest of the world reacts to Jesus, and it is good for us to verbalize our own thoughts on the subject every once in a while. I consider it an honor to have the chance to hear people like all of you express your heart and speak of who Jesus is. I don't know how it is for you, but sometimes when I read scriptures like that I can just see Jesus looking straight into my eyes and asking me the question- "Who do YOU say I am?"
Immediately following Peter's confession in the passage, Jesus began to talk of all that he would have to endure, and he began to talk about the cross of the believer- the cross we all must take up daily. On Sunday, we did not really get to talk about that part of it- taking up our cross. I would like to offer a few thoughts here and, as always, comments and discussion are welcome!
First I have to say that while we have to we have been directed to take up our cross daily, (Luke 9: 23), whatever we have to endure that is associated with our "cross" is nothing compared to what Christ endured. Try as we might, we cannot grasp what Jesus has suffered. I would never dare to compare anything I experience to what he did. But having said that, there is a cross for the believer, and I think that it is characterized by a handful of properties.
1. Although different, the believers cross is directly related to the Cross of Christ.
The cross Jesus bore came complete with a full compliment of shame, guilt, pain, anguish, hardship... the list goes on and on. I already said that nothing that we bear compares to Jesus' sacrifice, but because our cross is related to his cross, it will come with its share of hardship and pain as well. We need not think that taking up our cross daily ends with morning devotionals. If we truly follow, at one time or another, there will be pain. I don't think I am telling you anything you don't already know.
2. The cross of the believer is more than external
We sometimes see our cross as those external things that come our way- sickness, accident, family turmoil, etc. Sometimes we say, "well, that's just the cross I have been given to bear." I won't argue that external things are part of it, but I think if we stop there, then we do not understand the full meaning of the cross. The full meaning of the cross has to include the internal as well. Luke 9 says we must deny ourselves.
1 John 3:16 says:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Romans 12:1-2 says
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The cross is not the cross unless it includes an intentional setting aside of the self.
3. The cross of the believer is based on this principle: "to lose your life is to save it."
We all have thoughts and feelings about our security. We look out for the future and try to make wise decisions now so that we will be "OK" later. Nothing wrong with that. But the best way to be spiritually secure is to stop thinking about ourselves. It is an interesting thing to consider approaching each day by saying, "as long as I genuinely give myself to others for the sake of Jesus, I don't have to worry about anything."
I don't know about you, but I am not as good about that as I would like.
4. The cross is repulsive and will never be attractive to the world.
Let's face it. On the surface, from a strictly human view, this whole "deny self" thing sounds pretty bad. It is not something that will ever look attractive to the world. It is only through divine assistance that we come to any understanding of this cross. We can only accept this with God's help. On my own, I would size up this whole "Jesus" thing, and walk away. Which is exactly what many people have done- both then and now. Praise God that He has given me enough understanding to make the cross attractive to me.
There is a beauty to the cross, but I cannot see it with my own eyes. It is only because God breathes life into me each day that I can catch a glimpse of the glory of the cross, and make the decision, every day, to take it up, and walk.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
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