Read: Job 38:2
When I first heard the song ‘Paper Jesus’ by Staind, I wasn’t sure whether to burn the album or listen to it again. Since album-burning has, thankfully, gone out of fashion I listened to the song more carefully another time. “A reason for your anger, it’s what I need, it’s what I need. To recognize the truth it’s what I need, it’s what I need. So burn your paper Jesus it’s what I need.” If the author of this song meant he needed his hearer to abandon religious pretense and unexamined dogma, I think Jesus might be adding the song to his iTunes playlist.
One of the scariest passages in Scripture is Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’” What is amazing about this verse is that these were people in ministry who claimed to know God and speak for Him, yet they didn’t know Jesus and had secret lives of disobedience.
Elihu is responsible for six chapters in the book of Job, and yet God Himself said he didn’t know Elihu in Job 38:2. He was also excluded from the forgiveness offered to Job’s friends in Chapter 42. Life is too short and eternity is too long to play games. Take a hard look at your Jesus and see if he’s made of paper.
Read: Job 38 & Job 42:1-3
The brother and sister’s daily television viewing time is always preceded by one yelling, “I call remote,” thereby securing control of channel changing. Now he can watch what he wants; she can flip channels as often as she likes. They push buttons, not realizing their viewing is dependent on other factors. If mom has an unexpected errand to run or Grandma calls with a last minute invitation, they will be pulled away. If satellite reception is interrupted, their television time ends.
Don’t we view our lives like these siblings sometimes? How often to we think we push the buttons, that our work and our decisions are setting our path? Don’t we love to feel we’re in control?
The truth is we are not in control and there is a much bigger picture than we can see. As Job finds his life spinning out of control, he and his friends share opinions about why things are happening and how Job should respond. In their minds, they have God figured out. In Job 38-41, God responds. He describes His creation and His control of it. Job doesn’t have control of the world and how it operates day to day. How many times have we fooled ourselves into thinking we have everything figured out when, although God will continually reveal Himself and His ways to us, He will always be beyond our understanding? In Job 42:3, Job says to the Lord, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”
Although not being in control can be scary, it is also a place of rest. The God who made the universe, which is so expansive we cannot comprehend it, is holding our lives in His hands.
Read: John 1:19-28
It’s easy to pass by the manger scene without giving it any thought. All we see is a small human baby lying in a manger. But this Baby is the mighty God who created all the heavens and the earth. His mother feeds Him and changes His diapers, but He provides food for all His creatures and holds all the stars in place. His foster-father Joseph guards His life, but He commands the wind and the waves.
As this small Baby grows to manhood this same wonder continues. He who formed the mountains and valleys learns to be a carpenter in Joseph’s shop. He, who spread out the galaxies in the universe, walks from place to place teaching and proclaiming God’s Kingdom to all. He, who commands all the forces of nature, surrenders Himself to be arrested, beaten, whipped and nailed to a cross. And it is through His bitter suffering and death He wins our pardon, forgiveness and peace.
Why did He do it all? Why did He set aside His majesty, glory and power and come to live in our world? He did it because of His intense dedication to His Father, who loved the world so much He gave His only-begotten Son to save us, and because of His own undying love for you and for all people.
Our Savior still comes to us in the same quiet, mysterious way today. He invites you to His Church this weekend where you will hear His ancient Word and learn more about Him who gave His all for you. There He will prepare you to celebrate His birth with a profound joy, peace and hope next weekend.
Read: John 1:6-8
Have you ever taken a close look at a manger scene? There are a bunch of figures all gathered together: Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men, perhaps even some sheep, camels and a donkey. Usually they aren’t placed in little groups talking among themselves. Instead, they’re focused on that Baby whose birth brought them all together in that place.
What if you were one of the characters in that manger scene this Christmas? Would you be focused on the Christ Child like the others, or would your attention be somewhere else? Would you be gazing out to the side, staring at the Christmas tree and all the presents lying under it? Would you be scanning the kitchen and dining room thinking about Christmas dinner? Would you be staring into the family room where friends are gathered for a Christmas party?
All those things are great parts of Christmas, but only one thing belongs in the center as the focus of our Christmas celebrations. That is God’s Son, born on Christmas day. The mighty God became one of us and came into our world to share our life, to suffer and die in our place, and to rise to life again to guarantee our eternal future.
His birth brings joy, hope, comfort and peace to all our Christmas celebrations. He is always with us to provide our needs and protect us from all harm until the Last Day when He will come in glory to bring us to our everlasting home.
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Are you getting tired of Christmas already? Stores put their Christmas displays up in September and they’ve been piping in Christmas music since Thanksgiving-maybe before! It’s tempting to think that in just ten more days you won’t have to hear the same old songs over and over. That’s too bad because an important theme pops up in a lot of Christmas songs-the virgin mother and her baby.
Did you ever stop and wonder why God’s Son would need to be born of a virgin? You could certainly say He already has a Father-God Almighty-so He doesn’t need a human father. But there’s another important reason.
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they changed completely. They became self-centered and evil and passed their poisonous nature to each of their children at conception. Each generation of mothers and fathers continues passing this sinful, selfish nature on to their children.
Since God’s Son had to be perfect and spotless to save us, the Son of God was conceived and born of the virgin Mary without a human father. Since He was a perfect, faultless human, that Son could take our place and suffer His Father’s punishment on the cross for all our sins.
So even if you’re getting tired of hearing the same old Christmas songs over and over, keep your ears open for the message of the virgin-and her Son-who came to save us from all our sins.
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Would you like to get to the end of Christmas Day at the end of the week and be able to honestly say you had a merry Christmas this year? What about if you stayed up all night Christmas Eve putting toys together? What about if you know you’ll have to wait in line on the 26th to exchange half the presents you got? What about if you know who ends up being a total pain at Christmas dinner? Would you still like to say you had a merry Christmas?
We will never have the merry Christmas God wants us to enjoy if we base our happiness on having perfect circumstances. He must raise us up above our circumstances and teach us to base our Christmas joy on His Son’s birth, no matter what circumstances surround us on December 25.
That’s why we have to take time to stop and go back to the first Christmas. God’s Son was born into this imperfect world to share our difficult and painful circumstances. Even the circumstances of His birth were pitiful, lying in a feeding trough in an animal shelter. Throughout His life He was misunderstood, mistreated, oppressed, mocked and ridiculed. He even ended up being nailed to a cross.
Terrible circumstances, indeed, but by His sacrifice and death He restored our broken relationship with God our Father and made it possible for us to share eternal life in a perfect world. When we base our Christmas joy on the Christ Child’s life, death and resurrection-along with His promise to return and take us to our eternal home-then we’ll find joy-not just this Christmas, but every day forever!
Read: Phillipans 2:1-11
I guess it’s about time to start my Christmas shopping. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to getting cut off from my parking spot at the last second or getting bumped aside by mobs of rude shoppers searching for the perfect gift!
It’s strange that people show such impatience and selfishness during the season we celebrate the humble birth of God’s Son. God didn’t force the innkeeper to throw guests out to make room for His Son to be born. He meekly accepted whatever shelter was left, even if that meant His Son had to share a space with animals. God the Father didn’t demand the nicest cradle for His Son, but was content for Him to be laid in a manger-a crude, feeding trough.
The sad fact is that often we have to be numbered with the rude and the selfish. We are impatient, aggressive and impulsive. We push and shove and trample anyone who stands in our way. We excuse ourselves by pointing at those who step on our toes, or we claim there will be nothing left for us unless we push and claw to get the things we want and need. But no matter what anyone else has done, we have to answer to God for every thought, word or deed we do.
Thankfully, God’s Son came to exchange His perfect life for our less-than-perfect life. He paid for our disobedient, self-centered life by laying down His own on the cross. For His sake our guilt is taken away and His perfection is given to us.