Carnal Knowledge

What does it mean that Jesus was born today? What is Christmas all about?

In the past several years I have grown more and more cynical about Christmas. I am not a militant "let's put Christ back in Christmas" type, those who feel compelled to object to any politcal correctness or perceived assaults on Christmas. No, for me it is simply the thought-- this isn't how it is supposed to be. Shopping, parties, obligatory gift giving, consumerism--it all leaves me feeling cold. Is Christmas in America what God had in mind? Or are we missing something?

If I were to reclaim Christmas, it would have nothing to do with a nativity scene at city hall. Christmas is fundamentally about the fact that God came to this world to live among us. "And the Word became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:14) This Word is the word that was present at creation,the Word was with God and was God, the Word that God spoke that brought creation into being, the Word that became a human being in order to free all of humanity from a world of darkness and despair. The Word is Jesus Christ and is God's best and only strategy to change the lives of individuals and the world. In order to reclaim christmas, we must reclaim the original story of Christmas, the story of God's love poured out for all of the world.

I find the fact that God's strategy for changing the world was to become like us, to take on flesh and live like we live, truly remarkable. Certainly God with the whole all-knowing, all-powerful thing could have simply spoken the word and fixed everything. But God doesn't want a world of perfection, but a world where people faithful serve and love one another. God does this by living life as we live, filled with the fullness of human existence. Jesus experienced joy, laughter, love, pleasure, pain, sorrow, and despair. He experienced the fullness of life to deepen a connection between us and God, to connect God and humanity in a life-giving and blessed way. Jesus also shows us how to live a life of faithfulness, humility, and peace. He teaches us to be passionate about God, life, justice, and one another. Jesus opens our eyes and our hearts to live the life God intends for us. The Christmas story is a story about God's unconditional love for us.

When we follow the example of Jesus' life and love one another with the love of God, we can change the world. Jesus shows us how to live and to love, and frees us from our bondage. When we celebrate Christmas we celebrate God's amazing love and grace, freely given to all, a love and grace which changes lives.

So let each of us celebrate with joy the awesome gift we have been given and know we are loved, and share that love with all we meet.

Christmas Surprise

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Luke 1:26-28

The Christmas season is now upon us, with all its promise and its trappings. It seems that Christmas begins earlier each and every year, with all of the advertisements, sales, lights, and music. But for some reason, and perhaps it is just me, Christmas really snuck up on me this year. There has been so much going in our community and in our world that I have been caught by surprise when it was time to really prepare for this season (by writing a Christmas newsletter). Perhaps it has been the historic times we are living in with an unprecedented election, and looming anxiety over our collective financial future, but I am not ready for Advent much less Christmas!

Imagine the great surprise Mary must have felt when the angel Gabriel visited her and shared the message that she would bear God’s son. Mary must have been caught slightly off-guard by the visit and shocked by the message. There are of course several surprising aspects to Mary’s story. She is young, poor, and a virgin. If God were to pick someone to bear the messiah, a person like Mary would be a most unlikely choice. So what is God up to? Why was Mary chosen? What does this tell us about Christmas? What does this tell us about God? What does this tell us about ourselves?

God is full of surprises and unexpected reversals. God is unpredictable and mysterious, and there are things about the ways of God we simply cannot know. The choice of Mary, however, is part of a larger pattern of God lifting up the lowly, elevating the downtrodden, and liberating the oppressed. As Jesus said to the disciples: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20:16) God’s loving and gracious ways often reverse the unjust and uncaring ways of the world. God is with the lowly, the suffering, and the oppressed. God’s love is amazing because it extends to those the world has forgotten.

Wherever you find yourself this Christmas season, no matter how difficult or challenging your situation might be, know that the love of Christ is with you. This time of year is a time to reflect on the miracles God has worked in our lives, a time to give thanks for our many blessings, a time to marvel at the mystery of God. We may not know what the future holds but we know the Lord will be with us, surprising us all.

Context Matters

"Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you... " Acts 17: 22-23

The Apostle Paul was the most effective and very best preacher and evangelist in the early church. He traveled extensively throughout the region of the Mediterranean Sea proclaiming the gospel to all whom he met, both Jewish and Gentile. Paul truly never let an opporunity to share the gospel pass, he looked for openings to share God's grace and took them.

After reading the book of Acts several times in recent days, and being familiar with Paul's own writing, it has become increasingly clear that Paul was a truly gifted and effective communicator. Paul understood how to deliver the message about Jesus so that it could be received and understood. Depending on who Paul was talking with he shaped his message and method accordingly. Paul was an expert in reading the culture and context of the places he visitied and sharing the good news in ways people responded to. Paul didn't change the message of the gospel, it is always God's grace, but he changed the methods he used to share the gospel depending on his audience. Paul was a contextual theologian, who took seriously the lives, values, and beliefs of those with whom he shared

In Acts 17 we see how Paul contextualizes the gospel for the Greeks in Athens. The Greeks worshipped many gods and were open-minded to new ideas or insights. In fact, the Greek philosophers were obssesed with discussing and debating ideas and would do so in public meetings all day. When Paul comes to Athens he comes across a group of philosophers and he decides to share the gospel with them (of course he doesn't miss the opportunity). But Paul shares the story of the gospel in a totally different way with the Greeks than he would with his fellow Jews. With a Jewish audience, Paul talks about the original convenant with Abraham, the law, and prophets and demonstrates how Jesus is the fulfillment of God's long promised messiah. This approach, while effective with a Jewish audience, would be meaningless to Greeks. Paul puts the gospel in terms that the Greeks would understand. He talks about the shrine to an "unknown God" and uses quotes from Greek poetry to share the gospel. The message is the same, but the method varied depending on who is was sharing with.

For me context is everything. If we want to share the message of who God is and what God has done in our lives with others, we must first understand where the other person is coming from. We must first seek to understand the other person, we must humbly listen, we must share openly. Context also means having a deep undestanding of culture. To share effectively we must understand the values and beliefs of the culture they belong to.

Perhaps an example is needed. Suppose you wanted to have a discussion with a teenager. Would it help to understand something about teenage culture? Do you know what kind of music teenagers listen to? Do you know what facebook is? Do you text? In order to effectively communicate with teenagers we have to understand teenage culture, appreciate teenage culture, and share our messages in terms that make sense within the teenage culture. This is not easy and requires us to be open and willing to move beyond ourselves and our own values and appreciate the values of others. It is difficult but it is also extremely effective when done well.

We are all called to share Christ with those God places in our path, through our actions and words. In order to do so we must, like Paul, be willing and able to understand context and communicate in ways that can be received.

What are the challenges to understanding context?
How would you share the gospel with someone of a different culture or background?

Sharing Christ with those who are Different

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

Acts 8:9-13

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation about faith with someone who believes something totallyldifferent than you? Perhaps you have casually stumbled upon faith as a topic of discussion (with someone you don't know particularly well) and someone shares how deeply they feel about being an atheist or muslim, or a buddhist, or a catholic. What do you do? Run? Avoid the discussion?Agree to disagree? Try to convince them they are wrong?

No doubt these kinds of conversations are a major reason for the age-old wisdom about not discussing faith or politics in mixed company. (by the way I have a surplus of lipstick if anyone is interested) Certainly keeping silent about these matters is often a prudent course of action if relational harmony is a primary goal. But what if we want to move past superficial discussions about the weather, sports, or our children's school activities? What if we want to truly engage in deep, meaningful, and personally relevant discussion on matters of faith, politics, love, and life? Is it possible to have a meaningful discussion about these issues with people we disagree with or must it be avoided for fear of jeopardizing a relationship? Is it possible to be an authentic witness for Christ, without resorting to relational violence?

I believe the story of Philip in Acts gives us great insight into these important questions. Philip is a disciple in the early church who is traveling throughout the region sharing the good news of Jesus. When Philip arrives in a Samarian town he realizes that a man named Simon, who practices magic, has dazzled the people with his powers. The people were convinced that Simon was a man from God and they had "followed him for a long time." Philip comes to town to share a different message, the gospel of Christ. Philip was able to share who Jesus was, what he did for us, and how it personally made a difference to him. Philip's simple, humble, and personal witness changed the hearts and minds of the people and Simon! Simon actually became a devoted follower of Jesus and stayed "with Philip constantly."

The story of Philip giving witness to a Samarian town and to Simon is a powerful example of how the gospel has the power to transform lives and overcome differences. Like Philip, we are called to share who Jesus is and what he has done for our lives. We are called to be witnesses when conditions are favorable and when they are unfavorable. When we give witness we honor the work that God has done in our lives. When we keep our story to ourselves out of fear or anxiety or lack of confidence we limit the transforming power of God.

Ultimately, when we give witness to what God has done for us we realize that it is not our words or actions which will touch the heart of another person, but it is God working through our words. When we have the courage to share our story with others, and even those who disagree with us, we make room for God to work within us. So be bold and brave, not for personal glory or with some mistaken and delusional sense of self-importance, but with the knowledge that God will speak through us and God will do the convincing. Conversions like we see in Acts are not human acts, but divine actions. We do however, play a vital role for it is through our actions and witnessing that the transforming power of Christ will be shared with the world. This is God's best plan for the transformation of the world, in fact it is the only plan. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, so get moving!

Actions and Inactions

Jesus said: " A man had two sons; he went to the first and said 'son' go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not';but later he changed his mind and went.The father went to the second son and said the same;and he answered,'I go sir' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of the father? "The first" they said. Jesus said: "truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are going to the kingdom ahead of you" Matthew 21: 28-31

Like many of the parables of Jesus, this passage is both surprising and disturbing. The story of two brothers, given identical commands to work in the vineyard appears relatively straightforward. The first brother initially says no, but then does the requested work. The second brother says yes and then does nothing.

Jesus' question to the crowds and to us is: "who did the will of the father?" Or put another way, who was most faithful? What one might expect Jesus to say is that the brother who actually did the work is most faithful. The crowds of onlookers and Pharisees certainly answered this way. But Jesus says no, it was the second brother who did nothing who was most faithful. What is this all about? What is Jesus up to?

This puzzling parable really made me question the reasons why I do the things I do. Jesus chastises those who would act only out of obligation or guilt. God does not want us to simply to do good deeds, God wants us to do things for the right reason.

Think about how easily we are drawn into doing things not because we want to or have a heart to help others, rather we do it because we feel we have to. If a friend asked you to help her move, how would you respond? Joyfully? Hesitantly? Would you make excuses?

It isn't so much that God praises the second brother's laziness and lack of action, but the willing heart and spirit which first said yes. More than anything, God wants our hearts. Are you open and willing to say yes to God or do you reluctantly do "the right thing" while motivated by guilt and obligation? The parable makes it clear, which is a challenge for each of us.

Knowledge or Spirit?

After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." Acts 1:3-8

The story of Acts is the story of the early church, how it came to be, and how the Spirit of God empowered the church to be witnesses to what Christ had done. In the beginning of Acts, Jesus is coming to the disciples one last time, offering instruction and guidance in order to carry on his ministry and participate in the unfolding Kingdom of God.
The disciples are confused, bewildered, and underprepared. Their first question to Jesus is: is now the time you will bring all of this to an end? Jesus gives the disciples an unsatisfying answer: it is not for you to know. Has God ever answered a prayer that way for you? Have your urgent concerns for knowledge and certainty been met with silence?
The disciples were fixated on KNOWING what God was up to. They wanted access to God's plan, they wanted to know how the story ended. Jesus tells the disciples, and us, that you do not get to know God's plan, you do not get to know God's timing. Instead Jesus promises the Holy Spirit which will empower them to be witnesses for God. The Spirit will give them, and us, what they need to share the story of Jesus with the world.
These humble and undereducated Galileans will share the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and through the power of the Spirit the world will be transformed. The story of Acts is not the story of the end of Jesus, it is the story of the beginning of the church. It is the beginning of God's people relying on the Spirit to change the world. We, like the disciples, are called to share the story of what Jesus has done for us. We are called to share this story, not because we have all the answers and all the knowledge, but because we trust that when we speak the Spirit will give us what we need.
Do you trust the Spirit? Are you able to be a witness to what God has done in your life?
Are you more inclined to rely upon your head or your heart when it comes to sharing about God? Why?