“They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.’ And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.” Ezra 3:11-13
New Year’s Eve is the time when we tend to evaluate the past
year and look to the new one with a hope of great things to come. Our best New Year’s Eve was December 31,
1981. That night our younger daughter was
born and there was literally a party atmosphere in the delivery room. In addition to my wife and me, there were two
doctors, three interns, a couple of nurses and an anesthesiologist. Rather than waiting for a ball to drop in New
York City, we were awaiting the arrival of a child. While it was mostly a joyful event, there was
also pain as my wife would have to recover from the surgery. While we like to label each year as good or
bad, the reality of this life is that most years are a mixture of joy and sorrow. That was the mood as the exiles from Babylon
viewed the foundation of the new temple.
Those that remembered the former glory of Jerusalem wept at over the
loss of what once was. However, there
was also the joy of Jerusalem being rebuilt.
It’s a good lesson in life…how to gracefully accept the joys and sorrows
of life understanding that God has orchestrated our lives with purpose so that in
the end we may be blessed with a joyful eternity.
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The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
In a few days, much of the world will celebrate Christmas. For many this holiday has no meaning as they are either unaware of or opposed to faith in Christ. For others who are vaguely aware of Christ’s incarnation, it is a time to focus on fellowship and gifts, but has no soul altering significance. However, for those of us who have encountered God, accepted His invitation, and understand the background of Christ’s incarnation, there is depth to the celebration that comes from understanding. We know and have experienced the love, joy, peace and hope that demands jubilation and worship. As we move from Advent to Christmas day, we transition from introspection and meditation to worship. Hopefully it is joyful unbridled worship of our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace for who He is and what He has accomplished for us.
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Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.
“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” Isaiah 53:2-3
Backstories can add significant depth to the words of a song. Similarly, factual biographies can help us understand historical figures. In order to facilitate some introspection as we approach Christmas, the last two posts have discussed The Encounter with God as well as The Invitation that Christ offers. To fully appreciate what it means to encounter God and invitation that Christ presents to us, we need to also consider the background of Christ’s incarnation and all that it entails. To get a complete grasp, one must read the entire Bible. However, one of the most concise summaries of Christ’s life was written before He was born. God gave this particular account through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 53. This depiction gives us insight into the Lord and Savior that: asks us to forfeit our entitlements to all that we hold dear in this life for the Glory of God; offers the promise of a reconciled and blessed eternity; and asks us to come to Him no matter how sordid our background so that we may enter into His rest. The goal is not to put a damper on the celebration, but rather to afford a focused understanding of Christ’s sacrifice,we can draw near and worship Him more fully during the Christmas season.
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God’s grace is not given to make us feel better, but to glorify Him… Good feelings may come, or they may not, but that is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we honor God by the way we respond to our circumstances.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
I was reading a devotional by John Piper recently that stressed how we should prepare our hearts during Advent in order to celebrate Christmas properly, i.e. Advent is to Christmas as Lent is to Easter. Too often, we get so caught up in the preparations and parties associated with Christmas that we fail to settle our souls and worship Christ for His priceless gift freely offered. That offer, or rather our Savior’s invitation, is the basis of our celebration for without it, there is no peace, joy or forgiveness. While Matthew 11:28 is not a passage normally associated with Advent, it does speak to the heart of Christ’s mission as He came to earth and dwelt among us so long ago.
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There is no one who is insignificant in the purpose of God.
