By the age of twelve, both of my parents had died. Fortunately, I have two older sisters, both of whom were willing to take me in. I settled into life with one of them, Judy and her husband, Charles. I was not adopted, but to some degree that is what happened. There is a deep and abiding love when you adopt someone.
That had to be the way Joseph, the father of Jesus, felt. He knew the child was not his, yet he became the boy’s father. In the biblical account of Matthew 1:18-25, we find that Joseph is perplexed about how to handle his situation. At first he decides to divorce Mary. In those days, Jewish marriages had three stages. First, the families would have agreed to the marriage. Second, the marriage would have been made public (this is the stage Joseph and Mary are in at this point in the story). And finally, the marriage would have been completed with a ceremony. The text says, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” Had Joseph made a fuss, Mary might well have been accused of adultery and stoned to death. Even if he felt betrayed, he still cared enough for her to dismiss her quietly. It is likely that he would have continued through with the marriage and later gotten a divorce paper from a Pharisee or Sadducee as the Law required.
But God knew Joseph and wanted him to be Jesus’ earthly father. God sent an angel to tell Joseph about the miraculous birth and that Mary had been faithful to him. Would Joseph listen to his dream about the angel or would he do as he had planned. The Bible says, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Joseph did not hesitate. He listened to the angel and was obedient.
At our church, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday celebration. It was festive and joyful as we sang Christmas songs, watched kids dress in bathrobes and sheets to reenact the birth of Jesus, and filled the sanctuary with light as we lit each other’s Christmas Eve candle. But… now what???
Just like Joseph, we must move forward. As any parent knows… having the baby is only the beginning of the work. Now comes the dirty diapers, feedings at 3 a.m., and overall care of the child. So too, the church, the body of Christ, must be cared for. There is worship to plan, education events for kids and adults, fellowship dinners, maintenance to do and so many other things that are not glamorous or always fun… but needed. I think about those who only attend at Christmas and Easter and I guess they don’t really get it. Caring for the Christ child isn’t simply done at His birth or the event of His death. It is a year round, life-long, commitment. Not one of drudgery, but a commitment of thankfulness for the new life and the joy that Christ brings. Our love for Him is slight compared to His love for us. Will you take Jesus into your home after Christmas?Will you love Him and care for Him? I pray that you will.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Of Snakes, Locusts, Warts, and a Wild Man
Do you ever watch the television show “Dirty Jobs?” That’s the show where a guy travels around the country doing jobs that everyday people do for a living and all of these jobs are generally filled with grimy, stinky, dirty, filthy, disgusting, and sometimes downright gross things. The other week the star, Mike Rowe, was in an attic and he was helping a guy kill a huge infestation of bugs and he reached down and found a six foot skin that had been shed by a snake.
That reminds me of the story of John the Baptist. First let me say that John is not your typical preacher. He is a bit of a wild man with his furry outfit and his eating habits. In fact, I have never been in a church that had a preacher like John. If you want to win friends and influence people the last way to begin a sermon is with the words… “You brood of vipers.” I can’t imagine too many pulpit committees looking at each other and thinking “this has got to be our next preacher!” It’s more likely that had John been in a church that appointed its preachers to pulpits, the Bishop would have gotten a phone call before the service concluded. But that’s John…calling the Pharisees and Sadducees a bunch of snakes!
But John was more than just a name caller. Matthew 3:1 says that he preached about repentance. What does repentance mean? The Greek word is “metanoia” which means “to think differently after.” In other words, we are called to think about what we just did and examine that act in light of God’s will. Did I act as God would have wanted me too? Most of the time this isn’t much of reflection, but sometimes things happen in life that cause us to deeply address ourselves and our actions. When we reflect and think differently about the future and we know in our hearts that what we did was not how God would want us to act, then we are repentant. The Pharisees and Sadducees had no room for such reflection. They knew they were right. When you are convinced that you are always right, there is no room for true reflection, only a façade of false piety. That’s one of the faults that researcher George Barna speaks of in his book, Building Your Church from the Outside In. We Christians are perceived by non-churched people to be hypocritical in that we point out others faults, but never address our own. Let me echo Barna’s thoughts, unfortunately too often they are right. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God and we must be humble in our own faith. As Christians we are flawed, yet we endeavor to honestly reflect and when needed “think differently.” Thus if we do so, others will see our lives change and know that we are living out our faith.
Remember that snake skin? John might have thought about those who act as snakes, they don’t change… they simply shed one skin and move right on with another one in the exact same pattern. God loves you and knows you “warts and all” and in a Christian community there are none who are perfect, only sinners who cry out for grace. This Christmas season find a church home where you might find a family of faith and give thanks to God for the grace shown to each of us in a child born in a manger, Jesus.
That reminds me of the story of John the Baptist. First let me say that John is not your typical preacher. He is a bit of a wild man with his furry outfit and his eating habits. In fact, I have never been in a church that had a preacher like John. If you want to win friends and influence people the last way to begin a sermon is with the words… “You brood of vipers.” I can’t imagine too many pulpit committees looking at each other and thinking “this has got to be our next preacher!” It’s more likely that had John been in a church that appointed its preachers to pulpits, the Bishop would have gotten a phone call before the service concluded. But that’s John…calling the Pharisees and Sadducees a bunch of snakes!
But John was more than just a name caller. Matthew 3:1 says that he preached about repentance. What does repentance mean? The Greek word is “metanoia” which means “to think differently after.” In other words, we are called to think about what we just did and examine that act in light of God’s will. Did I act as God would have wanted me too? Most of the time this isn’t much of reflection, but sometimes things happen in life that cause us to deeply address ourselves and our actions. When we reflect and think differently about the future and we know in our hearts that what we did was not how God would want us to act, then we are repentant. The Pharisees and Sadducees had no room for such reflection. They knew they were right. When you are convinced that you are always right, there is no room for true reflection, only a façade of false piety. That’s one of the faults that researcher George Barna speaks of in his book, Building Your Church from the Outside In. We Christians are perceived by non-churched people to be hypocritical in that we point out others faults, but never address our own. Let me echo Barna’s thoughts, unfortunately too often they are right. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God and we must be humble in our own faith. As Christians we are flawed, yet we endeavor to honestly reflect and when needed “think differently.” Thus if we do so, others will see our lives change and know that we are living out our faith.
Remember that snake skin? John might have thought about those who act as snakes, they don’t change… they simply shed one skin and move right on with another one in the exact same pattern. God loves you and knows you “warts and all” and in a Christian community there are none who are perfect, only sinners who cry out for grace. This Christmas season find a church home where you might find a family of faith and give thanks to God for the grace shown to each of us in a child born in a manger, Jesus.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)