Pondering: Thoughts on the Wonder of Christmas, #4

 Something amazing happened to me last night. 
I was just outside what I thought was my house, though it was very different than the house I have lived in for two-thirds of my life. A black bear was out in the yard. I don't know why I did this, but I let the bear into the house. Soon I found myself lying on the floor with the bear on top of me. Thankfully the bear seemed content to just lie there. I could feel it's weight and warmth. While lying on me the bear did what animals always do. It relieved itself, thankfully not on me. I heard the water hit the floor. Not long after that the lady of the house--it turns out it wasn't my house after all--approached. I recognized her. She is a woman from the other side of the world, where there are no bears. She simply grabbed the beast by the color--why does a wild bear have a collar?--called it "Queen," led it to the door, and sent it on its way.

Then I woke up.

If any of my readers are interpreters of dreams they should have a blast with this one. :)

Before I went to bed and met the bear, I was involved in another, this time, very real event. Our home church is presenting a public, outdoor event this weekend. It is centered around the marvelous story of Christ as told by the Gospel writer Luke. My part in the program is to portray a carpenter, Jaazaniah (Juh-az-an-i-uh), who now works in the carpenter shop in Nazareth, where Joseph and Jesus once built things that contributed to the lives of their neighbors.

You might make the case that this "Night to Remember" event is just another fantasy, a dream. Well, yes, there is no mention in the New Testament of a carpenter named Jaazaniah. But, it is also true that Luke investigated the story of Christ. He lived at a time when eye-witnesses of the words and acts of Christ were still alive. Reading the book of Acts--watch for the "we" sections--shows that Luke was in the areas where these eyewitnesses would have lived. Read Luke's plan here. If there was a carpenter who worked with Joseph and/or Jesus, Luke would have talked to him if he could.

Could it be that the reason Luke is the only one of the four Gospel writers who reports Jesus' words about the foolishness of starting a building project without counting the cost, goes back to a conversation Luke had with a builder who worked on a project that, to the chagrin of the patron, was never finished. Could it be that someone pointed out a half-finished tower, and told the story of a foolish real estate developer and that story led to Luke's further investigation, which led to an eyewitness who said, "Yeah, Jesus talked about that?

I don't know. I know it could be. I know that because, unlike my cuddly bear, Jesus really lived in the real world. If a real man investigated, he would find out real things that Jesus really did and said. The record is the Gospel of Luke, and the other gospels as well. Pure fantasy has a wonder to it. It can inspire, but how much more full-of-wonder is a story of a remarkable life, who did amazing things, and spoke words so profound that even unbelievers are forced to admit that he was a man of compassion, wisdom, and dedication to his mission--a person worthy of knowing better.

Such a man did live. His name is Jesus. If you read about Him, you will find that He is more than a man. He is God come in human flesh. You can join us for the Night to Remember event tonight or tomorrow. You can read the Book of Luke whenever you want to.

It's a wonder.

Pondering: Thoughts on the Wonder of Christmas #3

 Contemplating the wonder of the Christmas story, the indescribable gift of God's Son (John 3:16 & 2 Corinthians 9:15), is a wonderful exercise all by itself. However, considering a further reality takes the awe-inspiring narrative to a new level.

That reality is that all of us who follow Christ have a mandate to imitate what the Son of God did in His incarnation. Note the highlighted words below in this quotation from Philippians 2.

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:1–10)

Just a couple of brief comments:

• Verse 1 gives the basis of this mandate. It is based on these realities that all followers of Christ are privileged to enjoy.
• Verses 2-5 contain the Apostle Paul's command to the Christians in Philippi. There is nothing about the Philippian Christians that makes different than any other follower of Christ, wherever and whenever they life. It is legitimate to apply this command to all of us who follow Christ, today. Note the verbs that define this mandate. This series of commands flows from an attitude, or way of thinking. It is not merely outward, it is from the heart. One way--a big way--our attitudes are changed is through a consideration of the truth. Think of all that Christ has done for us (Romans 12:1-2). An old Gospel chorus sums it up well.
  
         After all He's done for me.
         After all He's done for me. 
        How can I do less,
        Than give Him my best,
        And live for Him completely?
        After all He's done for me.
  Not only does the reasoning make sense. It points to a wonderful privilege
•  The rest of the quotation is a summary of the work of Christ. Note that the first part of this is expressed as actions that Christ willingly took. Theologians call this the kenosis, Christ emptying Himself. The second part of this, Christ's exaltation, is expressed in actions that happened to Christ. These were done by His Father. Jesus' prayer in John 17, on the evening before His crucifixion, shows that Jesus depended on His Father to make this happen. He trusted.

The wonder of Christmas is not only that Christ came--God's gift to bring salvation to all who believe--but also that you and I, as followers of Christ, are privileged to participate in this marvelous, life and world-changing self-sacrifice and ultimate reward.

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas.

Pondering: Thoughts on the Wonder of Christmas, #2: "Gobsmacking" Truth

 If you didn't read the first part of my "pondering," I encourage you to do so, before you go on. Click here. More than two millennia after the birth of Christ, I fear that most of we Westerners--at least those of us who pay attention to the Christmas story, the real one--have succumbed to what I'll call the "Hallmark Syndrome." For us, the account of the coming of Christ in human form is all softly lit, airbrushed, and accompanied by a subdued version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." That Christmas Card, Sunday school play version of the Nativity has its place, but there is so much more.

As I read through the first two chapters of The Gospel of Matthew and chapters 1-2 of Luke--those passages contain the record of Jesus' birth and the accompanying events--I found over twenty times that the key people in the story were disturbed by what was going on.. Sometimes they questioned, wondered, or pondered. They were amazed. Some were frightened, "sore afraid," to quote the venerable King James Bible. While the angels that appeared to the shepherds spoke of "peace on earth," There was an awful lot of disturbance going on.

Gobsmacked!

I found that very un-Christmasy word to applies to what was happening to people as the story of the Savior coming to earth unfolded. And why should I be surprised? 

In Theological terms, the Apostles, John, and Paul describe what was going on.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . .. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being . . ..  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1)

[Christ] existed in the form of God, [but] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6–8)

 

This baby in the manger was, and is, God come in the flesh. The Creator had entered His creation in the form of a human being. No wonder it took the Theologians of the early church a couple of hundred years to wrestle this Gobsmaking truth to the ground. In all the history of God's work, this "incarnation" happened once. Joseph, Mary, the shepherds and the others we see pictured on Christmas cards were key players in a once in eternity happening. The gobsmacking truth continues. John 3:16 tells us that this incredible story applies to you and me.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

I encourage you to do some pondering on your own. Read the four chapters from the Gospels that I mentioned, and then stay tuned for more. The pondering and Gobsnacking is about to get personal.

Pondering: Thoughts on the Wonder of Christmas, #1

 I've been pondering about the word ponder recently. We don't ponder much anymore; at least we don't

call it by that name. I'm purposely not going to look the word up. The reason I'm not is because my pondering leads me to believe that ponder is a word that carries an emotional, as well as technical meaning. It's something that's felt as much, or more than it's "telt." It's a word that furrows one's brow, causes one to stare off into the distance, and not hear what's happening around them. Getting all definitional kind of robs the word of some of that.

My pondering is generated by a series of Christmas messages I'm working on, "The Wonder of Christmas." By the way, wonder and ponder rhyme. Don't worry, though, I won't compose any poetry. My thoughts go well beyond the incidental fact that these words sound alike. They are alike. We ponder on the wonderful--the vastness of the universe, the potential in the life of a baby in the womb, the future of a newly married couple, the meaning of life, or the glory of a sunrise. We ponder over things about which we know enough to know they are wonderful. We wonder about what is over the horizon, and that provides more fodder for pondering. Subjects most worthy of pondering concern matters that are like a diamond mine with an endless supply of gems. We know we'll never get to the bottom of it, but the deeper we dig the more wonders we find.

Nothing in the universe is more worthy of pondering than the wonderful truth that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .

Check back with me. We'll ponder this wonder together.

Vote, #2

 In the last post I used the concept of "stewardship" as a descriptor for our right to vote.
Perhaps if we compare our vote to a sum of money entrusted to us--a sum we are expected to invest to earn a profit--it might clarify what we should do with this valuable resource.
Investing for a profit involves research and critical thinking. One must go beyond merely sorting an opportunity as good or bad. One only has so much money. Choices must be measured on a good, better, and best scale. If things aren't going well and the investor has to cut his/her losses, the measurement involves, a "What will do the least harm?" analysis.
Getting back to voting, it's complicated, but we have a responsibility to do our best.

Vote

 I know I have brothers and sisters who conclude that the proper thing to do is to refuse to participate in government activities, at all. That includes abstaining from voting. I admire these folks' commitment to putting God and His kingdom first, but I disagree.

We have a system of government that is unique from a historical perspective. "We the people" have the privilege and responsibility to make certain decisions essential for our nation's welfare. 

The history of the Old Testament, Judges - Esther clearly show the benefit of righteous leaders and the disaster that wicked kings bring. Proverbs 14:34 sums it up.

Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

I can already hear the protests. "If you show me a righteous candidate, I'll vote for him or her. I share your frustration, but, again, I'd encourage you to look at the records of the Biblical kings. Some of wicked kings on occasion did something right, and none of the righteous leaders were perfect. Like all humans, leaders and candidates for leadership are a mixed bag. I join you in wishing it were otherwise, but we have to choose from what we have. Perhaps that will mean voting for a candidate who has no chance of winning. I have done that. I've concluded, this time around, that voting for someone who has no chance of winning is not the best stewardship of my vote.

As I recently heard another pastor put it. "If I don't vote for the least worst, I may be helping the worst worst to win." That may not impress you, but it did me.

I encourage you to look at a post I wrote a while back, "Vote Ontologically."

Lord willing, I'll follow up with some other thoughts between now and next Tuesday, but, for now. I'll just share this:
Vote.

Some information on the life of the unborn and current abortion law in the United States:

 There are many issues that are being raised in the current political season. These came out in last night's debate between the presidential candidates. I'm not a medical or legal expert, but I have tried to stay informed on this important matter over the course of 50-year pastoral ministry.

I will be upfront on this. Both for common-sense reasons, and as a believer in the Bible, I conclude that taking the life of an unborn child ought to be viewed the same as taking the life of an already born human being.
That being said, the rest of this post will not be my thoughts, but those of other groups and individuals who have written on this matter. I hope it helps clarify your thinking.

First a summary statement concerning the state of the law under Roe:

Is abortion legal through all nine months of pregnancy? Yes. On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court enacted Roe v. Wade making abortion a "constitutional" right. The court established a trimester system defining parameters within which states could limit abortion. States could not restrict abortion at all during the first three months of pregnancy. States were permitted to apply some restrictions (i.e., licensing of doctors and health facilities, health codes, etc.) from the end of the third month up to the point of viability. The Court permitted states to outlaw abortions from viability until birth, except when necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother. It sounds like Roe made it possible for a state to outlaw late-term abortions, but that's not the case. The same day as Roe, another case, Doe v. Bolton, defined "health of the mother" to include all factors-physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age. Because the court defined health so loosely, a woman can have an abortion for any reason and at any time during her pregnancy. Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton supersede all state laws, allowing a woman to legally obtain an abortion for any reason throughout all nine months. (https://fbaum.unc.edu/lobby/087_Late-term_Abortion/Organizational_Statements/ALL/ALL_Abortion_For_9months.htm)

The Unites States Converence of Catholic Bishops provide this summary of pertinent court cases. It is a pdf file, so you'll need to download it.

https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/upload/Summary-of-Roe-v-Wade-and-Other-Key-Abortion-Cases.pdf

Here is a chart published in July of this year concerning the state of abortion law in various states, since the SCOTUS struck down Roe:

   https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/state-indicator/gestational-limit-abortions/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D

See the previous post on this blog for some definitive thinking on IVF, from Al Mohler.

A key point of definition in this discussion is the way in which "The health of the mother" is understood and applied.

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/abortion-and-health-of-the-mother/

As we face important decisions that have far-reaching impact, let's be as well informed as we can.
I hope this helps.