I want more out of Christmas

Christmas is coming. That wonderful time of year when we celebrate treasured movie classics, family get togethers, and the miracle of gift giving. Oh yeah, and the birth of Jesus.  

I was raised in a great Christian home and it was made abundantly clear that Christmas was about Jesus not Santa. Now there are some pictures floating around out there with me sitting on the mall Santa's lap and I remember the year my VERY Italian grandfather came out dressed as the "Godfather Santa" complete with cotton balls in his mouth for added effect. So it's not that I was sheltered and preached to about the sins of Santa and the downfall of a society that doesn't recognize what this time of year is all about. I just mean to say I was raised to recognize that this is the time of year we celebrate the birth of our Saviour. I've passed that down to my kids. We do live in a culture now where we have to fight for the right to say "Merry Christmas," so more than ever I feel like we need to establish the importance of this season in our kids. But please understand this is not some rant against political correctness. And I'm not an advocate for tradition that keep so many locked in actions that prove to be nothing more than meaningless ceremony. No, this is more of a challenge that was issued to me by God that I've now issued to the church I pastor and thought I'd pass on to other people who struggle to keep our expectations in perspective. 

Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV)
⁴  And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; ⁵  for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ²  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

What do these three verses have in common you might be asking. Each one holds a promise issued to believers. The first is a promise to the children of Israel that God was going to send a Saviour into the world. Their relationship with God was about to change. It was about to go from "God out there" to "God with us". He was going to be flesh and blood through the birth of Jesus. The second verse is Jesus speaking to His disciples telling them that after He leaves them, they are to wait for the "Promise of the Father" the Holy Spirit. This was the promise of "God in us". Finally, the third verse is Jesus telling them that He's leaving but He's going to return for those that believe in Him. This is the promise of "us with God".   Each one is meant to fill the believer with anticipation and expectation of things to come. 

My daughter Kyla recently had a birthday. She turned 6 years old. At this age, she still doesn't fully grasp the idea of a calendar or months or weeks or days. All she knew was that after mommy's birthday, her's was next. The next 3 weeks were filled with questions about whether or not it was her birthday when she woke up. She spent weeks planning the menu for her birthday dinner. Her trips to the store were focused on what gifts she wanted. She became consumed with anticipation for that day. She was expecting great things and she sucked us all into her world because she wanted everyone to be ready for the big event. 

What if we started to live our lives with that kind of anticipation and expecting God's promises in our lives?

Christmas is filled with anticipation...some good, some bad. If we are honest about it there is usually a mixture of excitement and dread for most people. It's exciting because we get to look forward to Christmas parties and spending time with family. Then there is that sense of dread as we realize we have to attend all these Christmas parties and spend time with family. Then there's the expense of Christmas. Who to buy for? What do you buy them? Will that person be offended if you don't get them something? We have to get everyone something.  It's no wonder that medical studies have proven that people who normally live very content lives can experience depression and a lack of fulfillment more during the holidays than at any other time of the year.

It's amazing that as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we experience such a lack of peace in our lives.

This is what's been on my heart for the last few years. So I've been praying about what I can do to refocus without losing the "wonder" of Christmas. I've had those chocolate Advent calendars before but just ate the chocolate without a second though. I guess that's where it started this year. My parents gave my kids Advent calendars a few weeks ago and I wanted to know once and for all what this "Advent" thing had to do with Christmas. I was raised in the Pentecostal church and it was never talked about. I've always chalked it up to a Catholic thing that just held roots in tradition and ceremony.  In fact it has been around a long time but it's roots actually have nothing to do with Christmas. Advent comes from a Latin word and it simply means "coming". It was first used to prepare people for "Epiphany", a time the church celebrated the visit of the wise men and in some traditions the baptism of Jesus. So people would take 40 days of prayer and fasting and they would baptize people into the faith. In the 6th century St. Gregory the Great was the first to associate this time of year with the "coming" or "advent" of Jesus'. But still it wasn't about His birth, it was about His second coming. Around the Middle Ages it became practice to use the time of Advent to remember the first coming of Jesus through the birth. The coming of the Holy Spirit to live in us and the second coming of Jesus at the rapture. "God with us", "God in us" and "us with God". Advent is meant to be a season of anticipation. The same way the Israelites were waiting for a Messiah to be born, we as believers today are waiting for our Saviour to come again. 

Now let me say this again. I'm not into tradition for traditions sake. Advent is totally a man made event with no observance of it in the bible at all. But as I started thinking about it the thought occurred to me that maybe this is the change I needed to refocus attention on God this year. To teach my family, not only about the birth of Jesus, but also the fact that He's promised to return. Because really what Christmas tells us should be more than just the fact that God gives good gifts. It's also a time when we see that God is faithful. When He makes a promise, He fulfills the promise. 

Christmas tells us that God's purpose and plan for our lives will prevail 

when we wait on Him with anticipated expectation. 

So here's what I'm doing this year and what I've challenged my church to do.  Sunday marked the beginning of Advent. I handed out those chocolate calendars to every kid in our church. Then I handed out a devotional book to every family or individual. I told the kids, the calendar is to remind you to tell your parents it's time to do the devotion. The devotion is meant to remind us every day that God fulfilled His promise of a Messiah. It's to remind us that God lives in us today as believers through the Holy Spirit. And all of that should create in us the expectation that He will fulfill the promise of Jesus returning for us. Last night I sat down with my kids and read the first day of a devotional the will lead us to Christmas Eve. We talked about Jesus, we talked about Christmas, we talked about Him coming again and we ate chocolate. 

I'm not saying this is for everyone. I'm not saying we as believers need to acknowledge Advent every year. Then it just becomes another meaningless tradition. I'm not even going to really talk about "Advent" anymore. What I'm saying is maybe it's a good way to build our anticipation up for something greater than Christmas parties, useless gifts and overeating. What if we started, right now, to live our lives with the anticipation that what God said is true and His promises will come to pass. This is what God is telling me this year.

God With Us - God In Us - Us With God

God wants to be close to us.

Merry Christmas!!

PS - If you are interested in starting an Advent Devotion with your family there are several to choose from in the reading plan section of the YouVersion Bible App or visit them online here.

What's it worth to you?

"I would give anything for that."

Have you ever made that statement before?  What were you talking about?  Was it really worth everything you had?  I mean come on...would you really give anything for an "ice cold coke" right now? Is everything you have really a fair exchange for "one more hour of sleep?"  Because if we tell the truth, these are some of the trivial things we long for when making that statement. I know it's just an expression but words are powerful. I was reading something this week and it made me think about the value that I put on certain things. 

In Psalm 119:72 it says "Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver." (NLT)

It made me stop and think for a minute. And here's what my thought process looked like:

I ask God for a direction in my life.

I mean, I try to stop and ask for God's direction in my life.

I know I need God's direction in my life.

God knows I want His direction in my life.

Doesn't He?

Honestly, I really do value God's instructions in my life but I don't know that I've ever vocalized it quite like that verse. There have been many times in my life that I have prayed and sought God's instructions and received them. But in an effort to be truthful here, I would have to say I'm not always diligent in seeking those instructions right away. So what does that say about the value I put on God's instructions?

I think when the situation or decision appears to be important we are diligent to seek God's instructions. Or maybe those times when the way doesn't seem logical we make the time to ask God what we should do first. But the bible (and at least my life) is overflowing with moments where people decided to make the decision on their own assuming they knew what God was going to say. After all, God's knows I want His instruction right? I don't actually have to wait for Him to show me anything, I can just move forward and assume if it works out then it must be God.

I can remember my first year of being a pastor. It was new to me. I had been in a traveling evangelistic ministry for several years but this was different. As an evangelist there is a saying that "you blow in, blow up and blow out." In other words, you come into a church, lead a really exciting crusade and get people really fired up and then you leave with everyone on that spiritual high. When I went on staff at a church it didn't take long to notice the difference. People were coming to me for prayer, advice, direction and leadership just like before but now I was staying around to see if what I said panned out or not. No longer was it about getting people excited and then leaving. It was about casting vision and then leading people to accomplish it. Suddenly I felt the weight to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry."  And I didn't know how to do it outside the context of what I had done before. In my previous ministry I could just tell people what to do and then leave. Now I had to show them "how" to accomplish the "what." I was lost. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I would get up every morning, go into the sanctuary and fall to my knees and cry out to God for instructions. I can remember kneeling at that altar and telling God I needed to know what to do. I would just repeat the words over and over again. "I don't know what to do, I need help." And that's what He did...He helped me. That first year of pastoring I don't think I made one decision without praying those words first. I was desperate.

That was seven years ago.

Something occurred to me the other day though and it came through a LEGO set of all things. My son Isaac is obsessed with LEGO right now. But it's not the same as when I was a kid and you bought a box of random LEGO pieces and then allowed creativity to take control. Now they come as sets depicting scenes from all his favorite movies. They come in large boxes with step by step instructions. They can take hours to assemble these works of art that move and shoot villains off their towers. Without fail Isaac and I (heavy emphasis on the "I") will work to assemble these puzzles only to see them destroyed by the younger siblings. Pieces go scattering across the floor and under the bed. Worse they fall into the bucket of other destroyed LEGO sets and pieces. And of course this happens just days after he has thrown away the instructions of how to build this project. He brings the broken pieces to me expecting me to rebuild the Avengers plane that is now in roughly 463 different pieces. Why does he throw away the instructions? Because it was already built. It was done. He was comfortable with the fact that He didn't need those instructions anymore.

Seven years after surviving my first year as a pastor I have found myself more comfortable. But "comfortable" is not always good. "Comfortable" can sometimes make you throw away the instructions that helped you put things together in the first place. I've watched so many people pursue God in an effort to put their lives together. Desperately seeking instruction for their lives. Only to watch those same people lose interest in the writer of the instructions because they feel "comfortable" that everything is now "put together." Soon, their lives look like Isaac's bucket of LEGO. Broken in pieces, scenes of a life lost because the instructions have been thrown away.  I think it happens to a lot of us. We get comfortable and we don't feel that same desperation for God that we once had.

I guess this verse was just an eye opener for me. One of those verses that makes you stop and ask yourself, "Do I really feel that way?"

When you need instruction, counsel, direction or whatever you want to call it, where do you turn? It's the not the counsel of others that was "more valuable...than millions in gold and silver." It was God's instructions. His words. What decision are you facing today? What circumstance do you find yourself in at this moment? What relationship is crumbling before you? What need has suddenly arose? What negative report did you just receive? What has you questioning your future? There is One that holds the instructions of what to do next.

James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Chasing Vultures

I played a lot of sports in my teen years. One of my favorites in high school was Rugby. I played for 3 years and went from not having a clue of what I was doing in the first game to growing a true appreciation for one of the toughest sports out there.  There were fifteen guys on the field for each team divided into forwards and backs.  The backs were the smaller, faster guys who scored most of the points. The backs were the bigger guys, who went in there and dug the ball out and got it to the backs so they could score.  I was a forward. The eight man to be exact.  If you have never watched a Rugby game, let me explain. It's sort of like football but it doesn't stop when someone gets tackled and we didn't wear any padding. There is one particular play called a scrum.  It's an opportunity for both teams to fight for possession of the ball.  You take the eight forwards on each team and they form a triangle. The bases of the triangle collide together and the ball is thrown at their feet.  The two sides push against each other while trying to corral the ball with their feet and push it to the back or "peak" of the triangle. At the peak of that triangle was me, number eight. My job was simple. Stop my team from being pushed backwards and protect the ball when it came out at my feet.  Once the ball came out, I would swing one leg to the side while still holding my team forward and one of my teammates would come in and grab the ball and throw it out to those speedy backs.  Sounds simple enough except there was one guy from the opposing team, called a scrum-half, that was allowed to come around the scrum and try to grab the ball before my teammate could get it.  That's why I had to protect it.

I remember one particular game where we were playing a team that had a really good scrum-half. He was quick, strong and had a reputation for having a short fuse.  My coach pulled me aside before the game, gave me the scouting report and told me this, "protect the ball....and make him mad."  So that's what I did. For the entire first half of the game whenever we would "scrum down" and that ball would come out at my feet I would protect it with everything I had.  That opposing player would come running around the side and try to reach around me but I would swing one leg back as hard as I could and hit him in the knees to stop him and hold him back until my player could pick up the ball.  After about 30 minutes of this, I was getting a knot in the back of my leg. I was getting tired. We were winning though.  Then it happened, he got mad. This scrum-half had been stopped all day and was getting frustrated. After one play where their team had the ball taken away from them, he took a swing at one of our players and was ejected from the game.

I don't tell you this story to relive the glory years of a high school athlete but because I was reading the bible this morning and was reminded of this snapshot in my life. Genesis 15:1-21 is a moment in the life of Abram. That's Abraham before the name change that is coming soon in his story.  He has been given a promise by God. He has been promised that his descendants will inherit this great mass of land and that his heirs will be too numerous to count. The only problem is that he's getting up there in years and he has yet to have a child. We all know Abraham as the "father of faith" talked about for generations but at this point in his journey, Abram was questioning the logic of what God was saying. As I read this passage today a couple of things jumped out at me. 

Abram was following God but still had some questions.  He had left home and journeyed to a land God directed him to but I don't think he was real sure why yet.  I know in my own life, I have felt God lead me in directions I didn't fully understand. I have found myself in a place I know has a purpose but I don't necessarily see the purpose.  To this day, I know God has promised and spoke things into my life that I don't feel like have come to pass yet.  I make an attempt to convince myself that they have so that I can feel fulfilled but eventually I realize that's not the fruition of the promise.  I get impatient at times. I question God at times. I go over the promises in my head to make sure I heard them right. I examine my life to see if I've missed it perhaps. But there it is, a promise that hasn't happened and me left trying to create scenarios in my head of how it could possibly come to pass.  This inevitably leads to frustration and some good old fashioned one on one talks with God. Every time, I walk away assured that the promise is real and God knows what He's doing in spite of my questioning.  This is where I found Abram today. In verse 1 God tells him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great."  Sounds like a good thing right? Who wouldn't want God to tell them that?  Well this is Abram's response in verse 2, "O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son?"  Abram's thinking is, what good is this great reward when I have no one to pass it down to?  God, you promised me a son. An heir. Someone to carry on my name and legacy.  Where is this promise?

God reassures Abram by having him walk outside and looking at the stars. He tells him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have."  Then verse nine tells us something important. 

Genesis 15:9 "And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith."

Why is this important? Because even though Abram was questioning God's timing, he was believing God's promise.  See I look at the promises in my life from time to time and question why they haven't come to pass but that doesn't mean I don't think they will.  I question when. I question if I missed the opportunity. I question if I have done something to delay God's provision. But I don't question the promise. I even question if the promise has already happened but not the way I thought it would.  I still believe the promise I received years ago is going to happen. 

God responds to Abram's faith and tells him the promise again but in verse 8 Abram can't help but ask a question I think we can all relate to; "O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?"  God responds, because He always does.  He tells Abram to gather up some animals. So he does and he presents each one to God, kills them and lays them on the ground.  Then this random verse pops up which is really what sparked my thoughts today.

Genesis 15:11 "Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away."  

Then the story continues.  There doesn't seem to be a significance except for the fact that it's there. It's in the bible.  I have to admit, I got stuck on that verse.  I searched study notes...nothing. I read and re-read the story looking for the tie-in...nothing. I finished the story and God gives Abram an insight into the future of his descendants. The slavery in Egypt. The Exodus and the great return to this land that God was promising. To seal the covenant He was making God waited for the sun to go down and Abram saw a smoking fire pot and flaming torch pass between the carcasses of the animals Abram had presented to God.  This symbolized God's holiness. He was illustrating the point that He is a Holy God and when He makes a promise you can depend on it.  

But what about those vultures?

After my sixth or seventh time reading this today I leaned back and just started praying and thinking. This is what came to me. God has made promises to me. Some of them have been fulfilled and some of them have not. I have faith that those that have not, will. But as I said, I question. Every time I question, God assures me and shows me how it's all tying together. This crazy, nonsensical life I live is actually headed somewhere. There  are sacrifices I've had to make. Things that I've had to lay before the Lord as directed that are to help me get to the promise. And as I thought about these crazy vultures, I realized how many times I've picked things back up that I've laid down.  I thought about all those times I prayed about the promises God had made me and in response to my questioning He impressed upon me to take a new step in my life. It's a preparation process to get me to the promise. Abram didn't become Abraham immediately. He didn't become the "father of many nations" over night. It was a process. God asked Abram to lay down some animals so that He could give him a sign of the promise He had made. Vultures came and tried to steal those animals before God could give the sign.

Epiphany

How many times in my life have I allowed the things God has asked for to be taken from Him? God has asked for time spent with Him and I allow "vultures" to steal it. God has asked for sacrificial giving and I allow "vultures" to steal it. God has asked me to pursue specific things that would push me toward the promise and I allow "vultures" to steal my ambition and determination.  I realize today, I put my body on the line to protect a ball while playing rugby. I stood there and waited for that promised ball to roll out to my feet. I put my body between it and the "vulture" coming in to steal it. I've got two weak knees, a bad shoulder and some memories to show for it.  But what God promises is worth so much more. Why am I not chasing the "vultures" in my life?  God's promises are real, I know that. What God has promised you is real. You know that. Start laying out the sacrifice in front of Him. Start giving Him what He's asking for and don't let anyone or anything take it back. 

Start Chasing Vultures.