The Lowly Manger

I’m country born and raised (as if it didn’t show!). I have many fond memories of barns in my childhood… jumping and playing, building hay forts, nice little baby cows and kittens … To this day, the mere smell of hay can make my day. But as nice as those memories are, they are not without some of the more, can we say - ‘earthy’ - elements, like ‘haying’ in the top of a dusty mow in July or shoveling cow poop.

I have been reminded again this Christmas season of how significant it is, the way Jesus came into this world. To the degree that the world has recognized the true story of Christmas, it has done so by adopting a rather slick version of it; one that is much more sentimental – a sanitized version.

The truth is that the manger (Luke 2:6) where God chose to personally and bodily enter our world was not a nice place. While some hay may have provided a little creaturely comfort, it would not have been free of bugs and rotted bits of feed and dung and worms. It would have been both cold and dark. The stable in that humble little Hebrew town would have been more like a cave than a barn.

Much has been made of the fact that there was ‘no room’ in the inn. And some have suggested that we have made the Inn Keeper a villain when it might not have been that way at all. That it may have been mercy on his part that sent them to the best he had left to offer. And that could all be true, but it doesn’t take away from the significance that God CHOSE to be born into this world in a manger of hay.

It is consistent with the nature of the incarnation. God humbled Himself (see Phil 2). If you look up the word ‘lowly’ in the dictionary you will see that it has to do with one’s position in life. It is the opposite of privilege (see again Phil 2).

Furthermore, Jesus’ reputation as an illegitimate child would have secured his ‘lowly’ position in Jewish society with all of the shame and stigma that such a reputation would ‘afford’ Him. We could go on to talk about Nazareth where Jesus grew up which itself had a reputation of its own (Jn 1:46).

The significance of all of this is a most wonderful thing. It means that in His incarnation, God didn’t choose to identify Himself with just the best of us but with the lowliest of us. And what began at His birth remained consistent throughout His life as He socialized with moral outcasts. And even in His death as he hung in shame between two thieves. He was numbered with the transgressors (Isa 53:12). Christ identified Himself with the most basic level of humanity. He relates to us in the most humblest conditions and realities that we might find ourselves in.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.”
Isa 53:3

Just how incredible is this really!!!?

The SON of GOD became the Son of Man so that you and I could become the children of God.

Christmas Hang-Ups

Our kids produced an amazing Christmas production this past weekend, complete with great costumes, fine acting, sweet songs and a clear message. Much thanks goes to the help and guidance of a tremendous team of adult leaders and workers who worked really hard to bring us two nights of faith and fun. Here are a few pictures from the evening which included a really nice dessert served by the children.

It was a great plot and story line. The whole musical took place in the attic of the Watson family’s home as the numerous and varied Christmas ornaments anticipated the Christmas celebrations that they would be included in on the tree. It seems that each of the ornaments (‘hang-ups’) had their hang-ups, but it all got sorted out in the end and everyone was caused to realize, not only what the real meaning of Christmas is, but that everyone can have a part in it because Jesus didn’t come for just a select few, but for all.

It has to be one of my favorite things about the gospel, that no one is excluded. How wonderful is that! Rich or poor, famous or infamous, good or bad… it isn’t a matter of personality or character, of education or perceived success in life; it isn’t a matter of anything about us or anything we do, have done or haven’t done. The gospel of Jesus Christ swings the door wide open to proclaim that whoever would come may come. (Rev 22:17)

While we tend to fixate on the things we feel make us different than (or better than!) someone else, or some other group of people, in offering Himself for all, Jesus breaks down all the walls that separate us, and more importantly the wall that separates us from God.

Because the truth is that all of us have our ‘hang-ups’, but that is precisely the point. Christ came to live and to die for us - the sufficiency of His life and character making up for all the deficiencies in our lives and characters. His death and new life holds the promise for our forgiveness and the gift of eternal life which is made available in Christ to each and every one of us.

Merry Christmas one and all!

The Christmas / Easter Connection

I’m not a big collector but I do some collecting. One of the things I collect (come to think of it, it could be the only thing I collect!) is quotes. And of course, I have my favorites. And one of my all-time, absolute favorite quotes about Christmas happens to also be a quote about Easter.

Now, I know that some people don’t appreciate us drawing a connection between the two. Some people like to think of Christmas as being all about sentiment and void of any real content. Others like to think of the content of the Christmas message as a nice story about a baby being born while Easter is a story of brutal torture and death on the one hand and the impossible legend of resurrection on the other.

Well, that is where my favorite Christmas/Easter quote comes in. It is a quote from James Packer found in his book ‘Knowing God’ and here it is:

“It is not strange that He, the author of life, should rise from the dead. If He was truly God the Son, it is much more startling that He should die than that He should rise again. ‘Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies’, wrote Wesley; but there is no comparable mystery in the Immortal’s resurrection. And if the immortal Son of God did really submit to taste death, it is not strange that such a death should have saving significance for a doomed race. Once we grant that Jesus was divine, it becomes unreasonable to find difficulty in any of this; it is all of a piece, and hangs together completely. The incarnation is an unfathomable mystery, but it makes sense of everything else the New Testament contains.” J I Packer in ‘Knowing God’

And there you have it. The incarnation (God becoming man in the birth of Jesus Christ) is an unfathomable mystery, but it makes sense of everything else the NT contains. That says it so well doesn’t it. So, if we really believe the biblical testimony of the virgin birth of Christ, then the atoning death and victorious resurrection of Christ (and His second coming I might add) present no difficulty at all.

This makes Christmas a pretty big celebration doesn’t it! I know that a lot of Christians say we shouldn’t be putting so much emphasis on Christmas (some say none) and that it’s Easter that we should really be focused on. But when we come to understand how the identity of Christ makes His death sufficient for all and His resurrection the only justifiable outcome, then we really begin to appreciate the real significance of His birth. It all hinges on the truth of who He is. And when you read through the gospels, that is in fact the central issue that keeps coming up. Remember Jesus asking the disciples … “Who do men say I am? … Who do you say I am?... And then of course, there are those immensely clear words from the lips of Jesus, “Unless you believe I am He, you will die in your sins.”

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him ‘Emmanuel’, which means ‘GOD WITH US’.” Matthew 1:23

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is CHRIST THE LORD.”
Luke 2:11

“THE WORD BECAME FLESH and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Charlie Brown's Christmas

There are a significant number of Christmas Holiday classic television programs for sure but ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ has got to be near the top doesn’t it!?

The show aired for the very first time back in 1965 (45 years ago now… does that make you feel old or what!) and it was an instant hit. But according to Jim Daly of Focus On The Family, this was a complete surprise to the network executives who had fought with the show’s creator Charles Schultz over a number of issues they believed to be show stoppers.

According to Daly, studio personnel thought it was too amateur. All the voices were done by children rather than by professional actors. They also believed the theme music was too contemporary for kids' tastes and that the lack of a laugh track left the production “feeling flat and too contemplative”.

And, of course, they thought it was too religious. After all, the show includes a full reading of Luke 2:8-14 as the climax of the story presenting the real meaning of and reason for Christmas.

One of the interesting things about all of this is that these are the very same things that have made the show so endearing to so many in the years since. And in those years since, Hollywood continues to pump out so much garbage that it makes our heads spin, all the while claiming it’s what the consumer wants. They consistently repeat the mantra that wholesome family values just don’t sell, and yet, the actual statistics on this prove they are not being honest about it. Why? The answer is quite simple - they have an agenda.

It’s not news to any of us that we live in a world that is hostile to Christ and the ones that don’t want to kill Him would just as soon He went away quietly. I am so thankful though that the Lord continues to provide us with those who would speak into the culture the life changing truth of the gospel in creative and compelling ways. May their tribe (our tribe) increase.

As for Charlie Brown’s Christmas – I still love it.