Advent - One Body (2)

 Advent - One Body? (2)

“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). 

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15–16).

It is important to know the nature of a person or of an animal. Consider the difference in nature between a lion and that of a kitten. If you were a stranger to both, and were to meet both, not knowing the difference in their nature might be to your detriment.  

When we don’t understand the change in nature of a Christian, when we don’t understand that we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:14 – 17), it leads to failing to affirm the glorious work of Jesus Christ, to a diminished understanding of the Gospel, and to faulty premises in our preaching, teaching, and self-understanding. 

Similarly, when we don’t recognize the Divine Nature of Christ which fills His Body, we fail to know the Body and live in the Body as functioning members of the Divine Body. 

Again, I’m pondering this because this is the season of Advent. I suppose I’m also pondering it because the professing church in the U.S.A. seems to have pretty much sold its birthright for a mess of pig’s food, we haven’t even obtained decent pottage in the transaction. Regarding the latter, we have abdicated (if we ever had it) our testimony as children of another world, as citizens of heaven. Regarding the former, because if we only knew the reality of the Incarnation, if we only knew that Christ has many members, then we would function as One People, as that City set on a hill, as the Light of the Word. 

We’ve sold ourselves in too many ways to count, and most of the things we’ve sold ourselves for look pretty good on the surface, and they usually look practical. However, it always comes down to Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. Are we loving Him? Are we devoted to Him? Is Jesus our testimony? Is Jesus the center of our lives? Are we offering ourselves to Him every day in every way? Are we in love with Jesus?

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Paul writes of a falling away from the faith that precedes the unveiling of the man of lawlessness. Now I don’t know when the ultimate fulfillment of that will be, but I imagine it has had many degrees of fulfillment and expression – and I think we are living through a fulfillment of such apostasy right now, for I think the professing church in the United States has prostituted itself in myriad ways – many of which look quite respectable. 

From our epistemology (how do we “know” things, and how do we know that we know?) to hermeneutics (interpretation and communication of the Bible) to philosophy (the idea of a “Christian worldview” has displaced Jesus and the Gospel, a bronze serpent) to politics and nationalism to our emphasis on more and more money (personal and church). Then we have the dominance of the social and marketing “sciences” in the professing church, our repudiation of holiness as evidenced by our choices in entertainment and recreation (pretty much just like the world) and the giving of our children as offerings to the educational and economic systems of the world (we don’t care what our schools teach as long as the sports teams win and we are more interested in the money our adult children make than in their character and whether they know Jesus).

This is all about the Incarnation, all of it. Jesus came to be as we are so that we might be as He is – as individuals and as His People. If the Incarnation were real to us, if it were the dominant reality of our lives, that is, if Christ were the dominant reality of our lives – then we would be a distinctive People on this planet. We would be distinctive members of a distinctive Body – the Body of Christ. 

“The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14) is not only about Jesus Christ and Bethlehem and thirty – three years, it is also about the Body of Jesus Christ, it is also pointing to the reality of the Bride, the Temple, the Church – the continuing reality of Jesus Christ being on the earth. 

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) ought to be our testimony as the Body of Christ just as it was Jesus’ testimony in the Upper Room. In fact, it truly continues to be the testimony of Jesus Christ in His People, in His Body – the question is whether it is true of us. Is it true of me, of you, of our congregations?

The answer to this question is the answer as to whether Advent and the Incarnation are living to us…or simply a piece of history wrapped in songs and music and dramas and candlelight services. 

Are we truly celebrating Advent? 

One Body? (1)

 

In John Chapter 17, Jesus prays, “That they may be one even as We are one…even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they may be in Us…that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one.” 

Paul writes, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4–6).

If we understood, in some measure, the Incarnation, we would see the truth, the beauty, and the tragedy of these passages. We would see the truth because this is the Word of God made Flesh, we would see the beauty because we would see Jesus Christ in His Body, and we would see the tragedy because we would recognize that we practice self-mutilation.

I have often told the story of two churches in my hometown of Rockville, Maryland who had revival services in the same week; one was Assembly of God, the other was Bible Baptist.  I had relationships with both pastors and churches, I had deep affection for both congregations. I was young, idealistic, believed the Bible, and naive. 

When I realized that they were having their special services in the same week, I went to both pastors and told them that the other church was also having revival services and suggested that it would be great if the churches would pray for each other. After all, wouldn't it be a wonderful testimony to the city, wouldn’t it be intercession, wouldn’t it be expanding our desire for revival from individual congregations to the greater Body of Christ? 

Of course it didn’t happen, and I’ve never forgotten that.

This is the way we practice church. Why does no one seem to care? Why do we put our ways ahead of the Way of Jesus Christ, as particularly expressed in John Chapter 17?

Lately I’ve pondered a fundamental contradiction that occurs when we primarily identify with a tradition, a movement, a denomination, or what we consider to be the true expression of the “Church.” (This includes so-called nondenominational groups and individual congregations).

The contradiction is that if we really think we have something that others don’t, something which is the true truth, or closer to the truth, or a better practice of the truth – then we ought to have a clearer vision of the Body Christ than others and we ought to serve our brethren. Rather than distinguish ourselves from others we ought to identify with others just as Jesus identifies with us. In other words, rather than build walls we ought to build bridges. 

Also, there is no better way to teach our congregations about the Body of Christ, as expressed in John 17 and Ephesians 4, than to model it - and that means having koinonia with pastors and congregations both within and without our traditions and movements and perspectives. Otherwise, aren’t we really hypocrites? 

Another way to put this, is that when Pentecostals stop thinking of themselves as Pentecostals, and the Reformed stop thinking of themselves as Reformed, and Wesleyans stop thinking of themselves as Wesleyan, and Baptists stop thinking of themselves as Baptists…and so forth…and start thinking of themselves as members of Christ’s Body (as opposed to their parochial groups), then perhaps we will be closer to growing up to “a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). 

It also seems to me that this is a measure of the validation of our particular perspectives of the Gospel – validation must rest on the prayer of Jesus that we all be one as the Trinity is one, and that we love one another as Jesus loves us; indeed, that we lay our lives down for one another. 

How can a movement, a denomination, a group, be Biblically validated if it is not laying itself down for the universal Body of Christ? 

Otherwise, we have a picture of Haggai Chapter One, in which our traditions and denominations and movements are self-centered groups building their own houses while the House of God lies desolate. What is the point of looking back to Luther or Calvin or Wesley or Azusa Street or Aquinas or Athanasius or Augustine if we have turned their contributions into a gated and walled community, while the House of God lies desolate? 

And here is another element of the tragedy, when we live in our walled-off houses, we fail to learn from the very people we venerate, such as Luther and Calvin and Augustine and Edwards. For these men (and women) were on pilgrimage, they were learning and growing in Christ until the day they left this earth, they never stopped learning and growing and exploring – and yet we insist on petrifying their teachings and freezing them, and thereby sucking the life of Christ from them.

I am thinking about this because I am thinking of Advent, of the Incarnation. The Bible teaches us that the Incarnation continues in the Body of Christ, the People of God. Yet, how can we possibly see this if we live insist on practicing fragmented Christianity? If our vision of the Body is not transcendent, how can we possibly live as Christ on this earth? How can we serve as Christ? How can we function as His Body?

I had a long and fruitful career in property management, which included the honor of serving as the president of the industry’s state trade association in Virginia. I experienced more unity in the property management industry, on a local, state, and national level, than I have within the professing church – it isn’t even close. 

My competitors and I joined together to establish industry standards and best practices, we worked together to establish educational offerings and certifications, we cooperated on providing better housing for folks of all economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds. If I needed advice on a problem, I could call on friends and colleagues in the industry for the benefit of their perspectives. One of my colleagues had a large property which suffered a fire one evening, before the night was over people who worked for competitors were showing up with supplies for the displaced residents and offers of temporary housing. 

Yes, there were companies that chose not to participate in working for the general welfare, they were happy to reap the benefits of our work, including the benefits of the annual dues we paid and they didn’t…that was their loss and a loss for their people who would have benefited from cross pollination. 

Our employees did not lose the identity they had in working for our respective companies, but they did grow in an appreciation for how our industry contributes to society and the importance of professionalism and constantly learning and improving. The synergy in such environments is encouraging and stimulating and challenging. 

Here is the thing dear friends, we can follow Jesus or we can follow the crowd. Do you not think it is better to follow Jesus, even if it is only you, or only your congregation, than to follow a religious way of life that glosses over the heart’s desire of our Lord Jesus Christ as expressed to His Father in John Chapter 17? Do we know better than Jesus?

Do we really understand the Incarnation? 

Are we living in the Incarnation and is the Incarnation living in us?

To be continued…

Finishing the Race – Strong! (20)

 

Conclusion:

Let’s remind ourselves about the Parable of the Two Sons which Jesus told in Matthew 21:28 – 32. Even though the immediate lesson in this parable has to do with self-righteous religious people and those whose lives on the surface look as if they have no hope, we can still draw from the underlying principle of the story, it is what we actually do that matters, not what we say we are going to do. 

We can also look to the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11 – 32. Though we may squander what our Father has given us, and though we may eat the food of swine, our Father is looking for us to come home, and when He sees us He does not wait for us to come to Him, He runs to us. We might say that Jesus Christ coming to us is, indeed, our Father running to us. The difference between the parable and our own story is, of course, that Jesus ran to the pig pen to redeem us, our Elder Brother offered Himself as a sacrifice for us!

My point is that if you have veered off course, it is never too late to run the race, it is never too late to fulfill your calling in Jesus Christ, it is never too late to join your brothers and sisters in the only race of life that matters. 

I have friends who I imagine have been on course ever since they first met Jesus. I’m not saying that they haven’t had missteps, I’m not saying they couldn’t have done things better, I assume we can all look back and learn. I am saying that they’ve stuck to the course, that they have not crashed through the guardrails. 

I am deeply thankful that these friends are in my life, they have been an example and inspiration for me, I have drawn strength from their lives in Christ, I have learned from them. If you have never crashed through the guardrails you have much to be thankful for, much indeed. 

On the other hand, if you have wrecked your life, I want you to know that your Father and Lord Jesus are waiting for you on the race course so that you can finish well and finish strong. Enough of eating pig’s food, your Father has a fattened calf and wonderful bread and wine at His Table with your name at a place setting. 

If not for yourself, then get back in the race for others, our obedience matters to others, no one else has been given your race instructions, no one else has quite the course laid out that you have – we matter to one another, we need each other, we are a Body, we are Christ’s Body and His Presence, and if one of us is diminished, then we are all diminished. 

Recall that Jesus is our Redeemer. He not only redeems us, but somehow, someway, He redeems the hell we’ve been through, the damage we’ve done, the wickedness we’ve propagated. He took all of this upon Himself on the Cross – who are we to deny the glorious and mysterious redemption of Jesus Christ on the Cross? 

I write as someone who has crashed through the guardrails after coming to know Jesus. The very fact that I am writing these words and you are reading them is a miracle, it is also a testimony to the redemption that we all have in Jesus Christ. 

Life is about Jesus Christ, it really isn’t about us. Life is about the story of Jesus, it isn’t first about our story. Yet, within the story of Jesus we can truly find our own stories. Within the life of Jesus we can find our own lives.

When I was 16 years old, my older friend George Will talked to me again and again about “Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Now I’m approaching 75 years old, and those words are truer today to me than they have ever been. 

When I was a teenager George used to quote 1 Corinthians 1:30 – 31, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that just as it is written, Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” When I was an older man George was still quoting it. Now that I am (so I’m told) an old man, with George gone to heaven, I still hear him quoting it.

My point is that it is all about Jesus Christ and His love for us. Jesus truly loves you so very very much and so deeply – nothing can separate you from the love of God! (Romans 8:31 – 39). Nothing!

Finish well my friend, finish well and finish strong! 

(And don’t hesitate to contact me).

robertlwithers@gmail.com

Finishing the Race – Strong! (19)

What do we do when we succumb to peer pressure, fear, or otherwise veer off the course which our Lord Jesus has set out for us? What do we do when we intentionally abandon the race? What do we do when we realize that we’ve bought into false teaching and evil practices? 

Our initial response to the realization of what has happened is critical, for the sooner we run to Jesus the better, the sooner we wrap our arms around the Cross the sooner we are cleansed and made whole. Conversely, the longer we persist in our sin the deeper spatial disorientation affects us and the greater the danger that our hearts will be hardened into a self-righteousness fortress. 

The promise to those who know Jesus is that if we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have the assurance that if we sin that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 1:9 – 2:2).

Abandoning the race often begins with little things, with things we don’t think matters. A little lie here or there. Putting ourselves ahead of others, just a little here or there. Rationalizing giving into the world’s way of doing things, of going along to get along. Playing religious games. Justifying ourselves when we push the Way of the Cross from us and embrace our own way. 

We don’t know the process that Demas went through, but we do know that it resulted in him abandoning Paul in Paul’s time of acute need and loving the world in place of loving God and His People. Demas abandoned his friends in Christ to embrace the false friends and enticements of the world. 

Our Lord Jesus is with us to restore us, we must never believe the lie that He wants to push us away; we are His brothers and sisters and He loves us and wants us to live in deep relationship with Him and our Family. He came to bring us back to our Father, He came to bring us into holy koinonia with the Trinity and with one another. We must never ever think otherwise of Him, who when we were enemies reconciled us to our Father (Romans 5:10). 

For those who remain on the racecourse, it is wise to recall Paul’s words, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1Cor. 10:12). We are to restore others “in a spirit of gentleness” and are to be careful of our attitudes lest we fall into self-righteousness (Gal. 6:1). Paul teaches that, “We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Rom. 15:1). 

There are times we need to be strong for others and help them along in the race, and there are times when we need others to be strong for us. We cannot run this race by ourselves, we need Jesus and we need others, we are members of His Body. 

We should be aware that there are different ways to abandon the race and perhaps the most subtle is to say nothing and to do nothing, to just blend in with our surroundings. We have all been given the Great Commission to make disciples, to share the Light and Life of Jesus Christ with those around us; this is a key element in running the race that Christ Jesus has set before us, to share Him with others. Let us not be so foolish to think that we can cross the finish line without witnessing to Jesus in both word and deed, such a finish line is of our own making. 

Do not allow yourself to think that you are running the race of a disciple if sharing Christ with others is not part of the fabric of your life – in your explicit speech and in your actions. We must insist on faithfulness to Jesus in this matter of witness, we are called to bring others to Him, to point others to Him. We are to be His Presence in word and deed to those around us. 

This is hard for many to read, and hard to write, for most of us do not share Jesus with others, most of our churches do not teach that this is our calling, that it is not an option but rather a matter of obedience, a matter of life and death for those around us. We will speak of politics and economics and even of worldviews, but we will not speak of Jesus. Why sometimes we will even talk about church, but we will not talk about Jesus. How can this be? 

Running the race means witnessing for Jesus Christ in word and deed. We must have both wings of the airplane, the Word of the Gospel and the works of the Gospel. 

Perhaps the beginning of a life of faithful witness begins with the confession to trusted brethren that we have been selfish and disobedient in this matter. As long as we hide this sin, this disobedience to the command of Jesus, the sin will continue to spread its roots in our soul. Let us confess our sin to God and to our brethren and begin to share Jesus with others in word and deed. 

We can even begin our witness to others with a confession. I once asked a coworker to forgive me for I had worked with her for about a year and had never shared the most important thing in my life with her, my relationship with Jesus Christ. O dear friends, once we bring our sin into the light it cannot hide and we can be set free. 

Sometimes we get witnessing right, and sometimes we get it wrong; sometimes we could have done better, but if we never go up to the plate with the bat and swing we will never make contact with the ball. God is greater than our fears and our limitations, He is the Great Redeemer. What matters is that we love others enough to share Jesus with them, to be sincere and concerned for them, to truly want them to know Jesus. Polished speech does not matter, but a tender heart does. 

It's never too late to get back on the racecourse. It’s never too late to begin to witness for Jesus. It’s never too late to begin living a life of love and courage. Mark got back on the course, so can we. 

Finishing the Race – Strong! (18)

Continuing to ponder Galatians 2:11 – 21: When Peter arrived in Antioch he ate with non-Jews and enjoyed fellowship with them. This was according to the revelation that Jesus Christ had given him that he should call no one unclean (Acts 10). This matter had been discussed in Jerusalem and seemingly everyone agreed that we are One People in Christ Jesus (Acts 11:1–18; 15:1–35; Galatians 2:1–10). But of course there were those who said in their hearts, “Yeah but…”

When the legalists appeared in Antioch (and this may well have been at least their second appearance), Peter was blindsided and caved into their pressure, separating himself from Christ’s non-Jewish brothers. The peer pressure was so strong that even Barnabas, whom Christ had sent to Gentiles in Antioch and beyond, followed Peter’s example. Paul writes, “The rest of the Jews joined him [Peter} in his hypocrisy.” 

What was Paul’s reaction? He says, “I opposed him [Peter] to his face…when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the Gospel.” 

How do you think the Gentile Christians were feeling through all of this? What were they thinking? They had been taught that they were One Body in Christ, now they were being taught that they were second-class Christians. Do we treat believers who are of different backgrounds and ethnic groups differently than we do those who look like us and talk like us and have the same cultural background that we have? 

What might Paul have been thinking and feeling as he remained the only Jew still associating with Gentiles? 

Why did Paul confront Peter? What was Paul’s motivation? 

How did Peter respond? 

I think that Paul saw that the Gospel was at stake and that he could not allow the legalistic cancer to remain in the Body of Christ. I think that Paul was also moved to protect his brethren, both Jew and Gentile, from the cancer. I think also that Paul loved Jesus so very much, and that Paul recalled his own legalism, and so who better to call the brethren back to the grace of Jesus than the rabbi who had consented to the murder of Stephen? 

Paul stood alone to proclaim the Gospel. 

Yet, have you considered that he didn’t really stand alone. I believe that, strange as it may seem, Peter stood with Paul. What I mean is that I believe that Paul had confidence in Peter’s response to Paul’s public rebuke, because Peter loved Jesus and Paul knew it. 

There could have been a split in the church at Antioch, and such a split would have had repercussions throughout the churches, including those that Paul and Barnabas had planted. The course of church history would have been profoundly affected by such a split, and the heresy of works righteousness and legalism would have obtained a beachhead beyond Jerusalem far sooner than it eventually did in the late first century and early second century and would have done so with Apostolic sanction in Peter’s acquiescence. 

What was Peter’s response? The evidence tells us that he acknowledged the truth of Paul’s rebuke because the church did not split. Paul had the courage to confront Peter, and Peter had the courage to acknowledge the truth of Paul’s rebuke. Their relationship was such, in Christ, that Paul could write about this to the Galatians so that the church in Galatia might learn from both Peter and Paul. Paul need not be concerned that Peter would be offended by sharing the story of Antioch with the Galatians. 

Also consider, this is the same Peter who repented of his denial of Jesus, and the same Peter who at first resisted the idea that he was to eat anything unclean, or associate with Gentiles, but who then went to the household of Cornelius. This is also the same Peter who received the rebuke from Jesus, “Get behind Me Satan.” Peter knew what it was to learn the hard way. O how Peter must have loved the truth in Jesus to have received such correction throughout his life. What an example for us all. 

We finish well when we are in honest relationships with others, we finish well when we both speak the truth and hear the truth. Paul had insight that Barnabas needed in Galatians 2:11 – 21, and Barnabas had something to teach Paul in Acts. 15:36 – 41. Mark was a witness to both events. What might he have learned? As we previously saw, Mark served with Barnabas, and with Paul, and with Peter. As Paul wrote concerning Mark, “He is useful to me for service” (2 Tim. 4:11). That is, Mark was a faithful partner in the Gospel with Paul…and with Barnabas…and with Peter. 

While Demas started well but apparently did not finish strong (let us hope he turned around, we can always hope!); Mark did not begin very well, turning back from his first mission with Paul and Barnabas, but how strong did he finish! How many others did he strengthen and encourage!

Dear friends, it is never too late to get back into the race. It is never too late to ask our Lord Jesus to help us finish strong. Our God is the God of redemption, and He loves to bring victory from defeat, He loves to forgive, He loves to run to meet us and kill the fattened calf, He loves to throw a party for us. In an instant, in a moment of time, our Father can bring us up to speed as we run the race set before us, as our eyes are fixed on Jesus, it is never too late to be faithful to Jesus and our brethren, it is never too late to be a blessing to others. It is never too late to fulfill our calling in Jesus Christ. 

A Witness At Christmas (3)

 Vickie and I used to work with graduate students from Muslim nations. These were the future leaders of their respective countries. (Sadly, few churches in our metropolitan area had any interest in befriending these men and women, even though the students had expressed a desire to meet and get to know Americans.)

Christmas was one of the holidays that was especially sweet in these relationships, the students were quite open to being with us and talking with us and observing us. One couple’s first child was born on Christmas Eve and they called her their “Christmas baby." What would these men and women have thought if we had said, “O sorry, we don’t celebrate Christmas. O sorry, we won’t bring a tree into our home, it is an idol and it might do bad things to us, maybe even attack us in the middle of the night”? (Sorry, I’m trying to make a point.)

Friends, if we are passionate about Jesus and the Gospel won’t we want to use every means at our disposal to share Jesus with others? Won’t we be overflowing with a desire to communicate His love and grace in every possible venue, in every possible way, becoming all things to all people so that by all means we might save some? (See 1 Cor. 9:19 – 23). 

Our neighbor Maureen came to know Jesus Christ, and it began with her coming to our Christmas open house with its many Christmas trees. I can’t begin to count the folks who have been in our home for open houses during Christmas – people from across the world. Nor do I have any idea how many people I and my faithful coworkers in the workplace have been able to witness to during Christmas over the years – a witness in the context of relationships, a respectful witness – respectful to Jesus and to others. 

Walking with congregations through Advent has been special, celebrating the Incarnation as God’s Family, humbly traveling to Bethlehem and beyond, rejoicing in God’s postcards of promise. 

I write as someone who loves Jesus and who wants to love Him more today than yesterday. I write as someone who believes that the Incarnation continues within the Body of Christ. Advent is a sacred time for Vickie and me. A sweet time. A time with memories and sharing and hope for the future. 

I also write as someone who has probably made all the mistakes anyone can make during Christmas, from going overboard in my immaturity to being a pompous self-righteous ass. Thankfully Christ is our Redeemer and He doesn’t give up on us. 

While I hope something I’ve written may help folks think about these things, it has not been my intention to dismiss serious concerns about the way we do things, for I think life ought to be lived in tension. Our witness ought to be thoughtful and credible – and joyful. 

I love the glory of Christmas, for it is the glory of Jesus…and without Jesus I just don’t know what I would do. 

A Witness At Christmas (2)

 We can be a distinctive people with a distinctive and gracious testimony of the Incarnation during Christmas. We can show others the Face of God during Advent. We can display peace and joy and thankfulness, and something greater than materialism and greed and drunkenness. We can teach our children a better Way. We can teach our children to give to others as Jesus has given to us. We can teach our children that they are not the center of the universe, that place must always belong to Jesus. 

When the People of Israel left Egypt, the Egyptians gave them [under duress!] “Articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing” (Exodus 12:35; Psalm 105:37). Now, dear friends, when the time came to build the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, just where do you think the gold and silver and fine linen came from that the Israelites dedicated for the construction of the Tabernacle and its service? 

Did God say, “Don’t dedicate anything you brought from Egypt”? Did God say, “Throw away the gold and silver and nice fabric you received from the Egyptians”? God Himself had said to Moses, “Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of sliver and articles of gold” (Ex. 11:2). 

Just as God used the materials of Egypt for the construction of the Tabernacle which would be filled with His glory, we can use the materials of the world for avenues of witness and celebration of His glory. We can take possession of the seasons of the calendar for the glory of God. We can even take possession of some of the customs of the world and dedicate them to the glory of God.

And this brings us to the nefarious tree of Jeremiah 10:1 – 5. I have never heard of a Christmas tree farm advertising trees for sale that would make great idols. No one has ever said to me, “Bob, my family and I are going to the Christmas tree farm this weekend to get an idol and bring it into our house.” No one has ever invited me to a worship service centered on their Christmas tree. I can think of many things and people who professing Christians worship, but I have yet to meet any who worship Christmas trees. 

As the Lord points out in Jeremiah 10:5, “Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.” We do not need to stand guard over these trees, lest at night they come to life and swallow us up. News flash! A tree is a tree is a tree. 

O dear friends, if we were to eliminate all of our practices that have cultural and pagan roots, that have syncretistic roots, we may have nothing left – for here is another news flash, we are human and we have human cultures, human ways of doing things, human liturgies, human rhythms. Some argue that much of what we do on Sunday mornings have non-Christian roots. We can either spend our lives fretting about that or we can ask our dear heavenly Father to transform us into the image of Christ and to use our practices for His glory. We all only have so much time on this earth, shouldn’t we focus on loving God and others and sharing Jesus?

I personally wonder at many things and systems within Christianity, I wonder how we can do some of the things we do on Sunday mornings, but I don’t want what I think to get in the way of my koinonia with my brothers and sisters, I don’t want things to get in the way of worshipping Jesus Christ and sharing Him with others. 

I think that our self-righteousness gets in our way at times, and maybe even our greed. Greed goes both ways, it is not only manifested in those who want more and more and more, but also in those who want to hold so tight to a penny that it eventually becomes copper wire. That is, if we don’t celebrate Christmas then we don’t have to spend money on others. If we don’t have a Christmas tree then we don’t have the expense or hassle of putting one up and decorating it or putting gifts under it. An added plus is that if we don’t do the tree thing, or the Christmas thing, then we are more righteous than others. 

Sometimes we can just be old poops, and we won’t admit it. Why be an old poop when we can celebrate Jesus?

O friends, so much in life can be either used for God’s glory or misused. Money. Power and position and influence. Recognition. Our houses. Our cars. Our jobs. Our education. Wine. Entertainment and recreation. Food. Our bodies. Our hearts and minds. Christmas, Advent, the Easter season; these are no different. We are children of our Abba Father (Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6), children born to the Jerusalem which is above (Galatians 4:26), children who are free in their Father to celebrate Jesus in more ways than we can imagine. 

Rather than look for reasons not to celebrate Jesus, shouldn’t we be constantly seeking ways to glorify Him and share His love with the people around us?

To be continued...