Take Them to Jesus - Part 2

The birth of Jesus is filled with handfuls of humble. From the virgin girl to the bed of straw, the appearance of deity on earth is underwhelming to be sure. And the amount of faith or superstition you have, or don't have, in such a story is irrelevant to the impact in its telling. The birth of a king occurs in history, not to proclaim His power, but remind us of His sacrifice.

Some are quick to dismiss the "magic" behind the story. How could a virgin give birth? What's with the star? And the wise men? Angels? We get so hung up in the characters that we lose sight of the focus of the story. Then we start to tear apart the prophecies of the Old Testament and accuse someone of making the words of Micah and Isaiah fit on one person and one place ever so conveniently. But again, we get off track and miss the point. Don't even get me started on Santa, and yule logs, and December 25th - the list is endless.

Even now, you may be nodding, thinking "preach on," or "Jesus is the reason for the season!" Yet again, we have missed it.

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I suggest the following. It may not sit well with your tradition, but hear me out for a minute.

We are the reason for Christmas.

Jesus - the Christ - came in humility, not in glory - in poverty, not in riches - in peace, not in war - for us. He sacrificed the wonders of His heavenly perfection, if only for a time, so that we might know Him. He looked down from His everlasting and chose just the right moment to join us in history, so that His plan for our redemption might work out for our benefit. He came to seek the unhealthy and the lost - is that not the very definition of who we are? 

He came to us, not because He needs to be glorified, but because we need to be saved. We are the reason He was born into history. It was His choice, and He chose us.

Let us celebrate that in our carols and in our family gatherings. Whether you go to mass on Christmas Eve or Santa and the elves leave presents on Christmas morning - remember always that Jesus Christ desired so much to know you that He sacrificed more than we can fathom to welcome you into His kingdom.

As we speak of Christmas conspiracy, speak of that.



Also check out Part 1

The Beginning of a Functional Faith

While faith is magical, mysterious, and hard to pin down it must be something tangible that we can hold on to.   It must be functional or it is fleeting.

If you truly long to walk alongside the king of the universe, at some point, or at many points, you will learn to lift your eyes from the pacing of your feet to the radiance of His presence. Yet, like any other practice, that tacit ability comes from repetitive focus on the habits that bring us closer to the throne. The life of faith is not one that falls easily into the laps of the noncommittal. Practice, failure, and application drive us much further than emotion ever could. When the feeling is lacking, the habits must keep us moving forward. That type of faith is the function we need, we long for us to prepare us for the revelations that only He can bring. During the storms, the explosions, the droughts - He speaks. Are you able to hear? Or are you waiting on the "feeling?"

The follower follows. He does not wait for the master to arrive, he goes out seeking the master. She does not wait for the lesson to find her, she searches for the lesson in the words and actions of the teacher. The follower is observant and ready, knowing that the master is possibly giving a gift of knowledge in every moment, in every interaction.

Step after step, we must keep pace with the leader. Over time, we know His heart, we move toward His leanings, we see with His eyes. All the while, it is the walking that makes us aware. It is in our nature to be moving. Life is moving us forward. Let us think of our faith in the same way. A movement. An expedition. Continually striving to walk in step with the Christ.

The beginning of a functional faith is that of any journey...one step and then another.