How Was Your Christmas?

I've been asking this question the past couple of days as I run into people I haven't seen in a bit. I don't even know what I mean by it if I'm honest.

Family dynamics.
Party schedule.
Gift reception.
Financial peace.
Experience the spirit of the season.
Overeating.
General enjoyment of the kids, wife and time together.

Deep in my gut I'm also wondering how the person is engaging Jesus in this season. How celebrating the incarnational birth of Immanuel has impacted their heart, soul, mind and body here and now.

It's the other side of the pre-Christmas question: Are you ready for Christmas? It depends, what are talking about?

If you had asked me that in regards to gifts? Yes.
In regards to scheduling? Yes.
In regards to enjoying the family? Yes.
In regards to decorations? Yes.
In regards to peace and low stress? Yes.
In regards to worshiping Jesus?

Yes.

Paul challenged the body of believers to examine their own hearts and minds before engaging in the bread and the cup. Catch that? Before a Christ-follower is to eat a hunk of bread and take a shot of wine we're challenged to spiritually engage Jesus on His terms (1 Cor 11:27-31).

A celebration festival in honor of Christ's birth isn't found in Scripture - but the amount of space dedicated to recalling His coming gives weight to such a worthy party. Communion honors His death and resurrection and our place in Him. Christmas honors His birth and His place over us.

So, were you ready for Christmas? How did your Christmas go?

Did you examine your heart and it's focus on Him and overflow of His love in this season?
Did you examine your mind and your understanding and awareness of His Messianic Nature as the God-man?
Did you examine your body, your actions and engage in a divine level of self-control and service in loving your family, friends and neighbors?
Did you examine your soul and it's intermingling with the Spirit of the Living God in and about you?

How was your Christmas? Whether it was good or not may not have to depend on your family dysfunction, gifts or lack thereof, favorite foods, smells, church services and feelings. This isn't a new concept but maybe the Christians Christmas experience ought to depend on how we honored Christ this season? If Isaiah the Prophet can find hope and peace in a coming Messiah he didn't know, how much more can the disciple of Jesus enjoy His birth in all we do know.

How was your Christmas attitude?

Read Philippians 2:1-13 and engage this God this Christmas 

The Naughty, Naughtier and Righteous

It's that time of year again where we reflect on relationships. We stroll through our mental Rolodex of family, friends, co-workers, neighbors - and we rearrange our Naughty or Nice list.

We lose sleep over who gets the awkward family holiday sweater Christmas card.

We justify the emotions we feel toward that brother or sister who ruins everything and base our holiday cheer on their existence. We meditate on how impressive a gift our spouse deserves either based on their awesomeness or our own screw-ups over the past year. Whatever the case - the more awesome they have been OR the greater the jerk you have been will equate to a larger gift in their favor.

Some of us wrestle with the needs of the rest of the world in this season - in particular the amount we'll spend on 'stuff' when others suffer, struggle and mourn. And again we attempt to discern the appropriate place of their needs vs our own, or their needs vs our children's desires...

Our holiday-relationship-meditative-discernings are often painful and wracked with tension, frustration and even guilt. Why is it so hard to enjoy this season of celebrating the First fruits of Salvation, that is, the Incarnation of Jesus?

'He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth...Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.'

We spend so much time wondering which list people will land on. We struggle, argue and lose sleep over these relationships when right before us we have an ancient Word describing the rule by which the Lord was going, did and does discern and judge the world.

Through Isaiah the Lord proclaimed this. While this passage isn't prescriptive of our own actions it does present a model of righteous thinking, of set-apart discernment, of just and pure action.

First we see that the Lord will not simply judge the world (people) by what he sees. He knows your heart and the overflow of it in your daily life. This is a key element in our decision making abilities. Dig deeper, look harder, forgive.

Next we see that he doesn't judge based solely on what he hears as we're imperfect people incapable of expressing ourselves appropriately - again He looks to the source of our being, that Spirit within us groaning for Truth and Justice and Holiness. Are you listening past the hurt and frustration?

Instead, with Righteousness He will judge the needy. With Justice He will decide fairly on behalf of the poor of the earth. Christ will discern with mercy and grace the nature of His relationship with all people and their standing before Him.

He will judge the world with the very same 'divine nature' He offers us, one that we are called to partake in.

We discern who gets a Christmas card, a text, an e-card, a gift, a smile, a hug, a visit, a phone call, a family video-update, a hand-written letter...modelled after and based upon Christs interaction with us and not our twisted-and-emotionally-flesh-driven response to their past actions, words, thoughts. No matter how long-standing the bitterness may be. No matter how true the hurt is. No matter how tempting the Naughty list is. No matter.

No matter how poor. No matter how angry. No matter how hurtful. No matter how broken and bruised and bitter. No matter how distant and cold and closed off...He made himself nothing to bring you and I into Everything...'and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers' as well (1 John 3:16).

Review your list. Revise it.
Reconcile it with Christs reconciling of you.
Redeem your actions, thoughts and words according to His standard.
Repent where you find yourself unable to forgive. Believe that He can bring about wholeness.

The Naughty list may not disappear but it can be handed over to the Lord for sifting and judging. Stroll through your Rolodex and seek an unburdened Merry Christmas.

Read Matthew 5:1-12 for a description of what criteria God judges us on. Read 2 Peter 1 to realize the call to a divine life - one based on Jesus' commands and commission.

The Day...

Why did it take The Wise Men so long to realize the fulfillment of such a game-changing prophecy. The prophecy about The Prophet. The Priest. The King?

What exactly were these pagan? seer's aware of regarding The Incarnate One?

Had these Eastern mystics studied the Hebrew Prophets?

Had they followed ancient stories of their own tribes? Tales that so happened to line up with Gods handiwork?

What if these Asian prophets had heard the same creation story as the Hebrews? What if the proto-evangelium - the pre-historic news of the One to come - was known throughout the entire Eastern world? Though it was clearly altered by the many nomadic peoples, tribes and nations that distanced themselves from the True God over time.

These magi, according to their study, were fully aware of this cataclysmic event. The coming not only of a divine kingdom to earth but of it's King as well. At least they were aware of something...supernatural.

Maybe it was the long, arduous journey from the East that took years to complete. Mountains and deserts. Warring nations and arrogant kings. Strange tongues and scarce supplies.

Either way, the Dayspring rose in the East and these men were fully aware. Clearly their eyes, minds, yes their guts were awakened to a new life, one worth embarking on such an incredible multi-year ordeal.

This Prophet. This Priest. This King. He is still worth whatever time it takes to realize His eternal significance.