For a large number of Christians, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, God’s gift of salvation and the path to the restoration of his relationship with his people. The story is remarkable, a virgin gives birth to a boy in a stable who is in reality the Son of the Living God. A star marks the manger where he lay, Angles sing of his birth, shepherds follow the star to see this Child. It is not long thereafter that wise men seek him also, bringing gifts. This child will bring about the wholesale murder of all boys born that day and he will become the subject of a massive manhunt…he has yet to utter a word. We know little of his early life and in later years he appears before a rather strange man in animal skins who lives on bugs, nuts and berries and is at home in the desert wearing animal skins, pleading for people to renounce their sins because the Messiah is soon to come. A remarkable story whose reality is even more remarkable. From these humble beginnings the Greatest Story Ever Told is born. Consider this…there were from the beginning doubters and history has put forth many arguments and theories about this man who presented himself as the Messiah. There is the fact that the Jewish people had always expected a savior, the one who would restore Israel to her rightful place as the chosen people of God. 

From the early prophets to that very day of his baptism by John in the wilderness, the Jews had lived with this in-destructible faith and the raw belief that it would be so. The beginning of the ministry occurred with his baptism in the countryside of Roman Judea and Transjordan, near the River Jordan by John the Baptist. New Testament writings give as the principal locations for the ministry of Jesus as Galilee and Judea, with activities also taking place in surrounding areas such as Perea and Samaria. 

Now I need to be careful here but the enormity of the scope of his ministry is pivotal to the story. Three years a total estimated distance of 3,125 miles, Jesus WALKED during his ministry. Add to that his disciples, the 12 of his picking, walked with him…most likely the majority of those miles. Now there are records of large crowds following him through certain areas and there were others we find in the gospel writings that were with him at various times… I think of it sometimes as being a traveling caravan of Salvation…with the Cross going on before. I believe Jesus saw that Cross on the horizon when he took his very first step on those roads. He would sit among the mighty and the fallen, kneel in the dust of a town to speak to the stoning of a woman, speak to a Samaritan woman at a well, heal the blind and sick on the Sabbath…all these acts adding to his notoriety and adding fuel to those enemies that would have him put aside. His ministry would come to an end on the ragged outcrop of a hill…There he would be taunted, mocked and nailed to a wooden cross, his side pierced just as the heavens open up in fury and the cloth rent…. The world would never be the same. 

 I have thought of many ways to bring this blog to a close. I then realized the story is not finished yet, the end is yet to come. The brightness of the lights, the joy of the tree and the unexpected love we feel for people in general makes me wish everyday could be Christmas. God has blessed the world with the greatest gift ever given to man. It is argued every year to keep Christ in Christmas. I encourage you to not pack him away till next year….Keep him in your heart, mind and very being…. The story is not completed yet. 

Come Lord Jesus

Life is Good

jk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a repost from a few years ago…It has become a tradition to post it each year at at Christmas. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas…Praise God for his son Jesus Christ!

I am constantly searching the internet for little gems of knowledge and wisdom that will enrich and encourage us ordinary folks whose frantic pace in this life causes us to rush by without even taking the time to “smell the coffee” so to speak. Well over fifty years ago we were introduced to the world of Charlie Brown. Charles Schultz created a community of loveable misfits each with their own recognizable frailties’ of mind, body and spirit, in which many of us saw a part of ourselves in the characters and took this lovable bunch into our hearts. Unlike some of the modern animated cartoons of this day the brilliance of Charles Shultz shows us our faults in a gentle and endearing way. Charlie Brown also helps us see the real value of community, the need we have for others and the power of a simple love that transcends the norms of this day. Having said all this let me introduce you to a brilliant post of December 14, 2014, by Jason Soroski. I have edited his original post for space requirements and encourage you to go to the posted url to read it as posted. (jasonsoroski.wordpress.com)

Here are some excerpts from that post.

I was in the first grade back when they still performed Christmas pageants in schools (less than 50 years, but still a very long time ago), and our class performed a version of the Charlie Brown Christmas. Since I was kind of a bookworm and already had a blue blanket, I was chosen to play the part of Linus. As Linus, I memorized Luke 2:8-14, and that Scripture has been hidden in my heart ever since. But while working so diligently to learn those lines, there is one important thing I didn’t notice then, and didn’t notice until now. Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.

Throughout the story of Peanuts, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and others all work to no avail to separate Linus from his blanket. And even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to give it up. Until this moment. When he simply drops it. In that climactic scene when Linus shares “what Christmas is all about,” he drops his security blanket, and I am now convinced that this is intentional. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, “fear not”

 Looking at it now, it is pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it’s so simple it’s brilliant.

The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears.

The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves.

The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and take Jason Soroski’s advice and “drop the blanket” in the coming new year. Again I encourage you to go to the url posted above and read some more of this gentlemen’s writings and activities.

Life is Good

jk

 

 

This time of the year is always busy and is a time of celebration as we prepare for the birth of the Christ child. It is also a time in which the secular world is full of frustration, uncertainty and in need of divine intervention.   Thousands of years ago a divine intervention came about…God sent his Son…Jesus Christ as an instrument of salvation and restoration, an instrument of reconciliation between God and his people. What kind of world was he born into?

 When Jesus was born all of Jewish Palestine and some of the neighboring Gentile areas were ruled by Rome’s friend an ally Herod the Great. He was appointed By Rome to be the King of Judea. He built many fortresses, aqueducts, theaters, and other public buildings. He was known for having raised the prosperity of his land. In New Testament writings he is portrayed as a tyrant, into whose kingdom Jesus of Nazareth was born. Palestine lay between Syria and Egypt which were two of Romes most valuable possessions. Herod was allowed to remain King as long as he maintained the requirements of stability and loyalty demanded by Rome and granted him pretty much a free hand in his governing his kingdom. Herod died shortly after Jesus was born. The kingdom was divided into five parts. The Gentile areas were separated from the Jewish areas, which were spilt between two of Herod’s sons.  There is much more information concerning the politics of the day but we will simply focus on just those in the area of Jesus’ birth that affected his  future ministry. Over time and in the time of Christ’s ministry Augustus disposed of Archelaus and transformed Judaea, Idumaea, and Samaria from a client kingdom into an “imperial province.” A minor Roman aristocrat later referred to as a procurator was sent to govern and protect Rome’s interest. During Jesus’ public career, the Roman Prefect was Pontius Pilate (ruled 26–36 CE).

Now normally the area of Judaea, Samaria and Idumaea, was govern directly by the Prefect, but in this instance the Perfect relied on local leaders. He was supported by a small Roman army numbering about 3,000 men and they came from the mostly Gentile cities of Caesarea and Sebaste. Most of the officers for this force came from Italy and if needed in Jerusalem this force could be there in two days. I am going to passover a large part of the organization of the government and go straight to the way it was in the Lord’s Day.

At the time of Jesus’ public career, Galilee was governed by the tetrarch Antipas, Judaea (including Jerusalem) was nominally governed by Pilate, but the actual daily rule of Jerusalem was in the hands of Caiaphas and his council. 

( Caiaphas served as the Jewish high priest in the Jerusalem temple and president of the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus Christ’s death. Caiaphas accused Jesus of blasphemy, which led to his death sentence by crucifixion.)

It was a strange partnership the truth being that the Romans wanted to protect their investment and the Jews wished to protect the Temple and rule over their people. Just as the Romans would not tolerate disorder and non-compliance with Roman law, the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court of justice and the supreme council in ancient Jerusalem were protective of their power and the beliefs of the faith. The Jews had been waiting for the coming of their Messiah…he who would free them now from the harsh rule of the Romans. As the folks used to say “there ain’t no sense plowing old ground.” The world into which he came was a cruel and harsh one. There were those who had much and those who had little or nothing. There was no in-between. That’s about as simple as I can tell it.

It has been interesting taking time to consider some of the back stories of those bible stories that we read every year at this time. Two weeks ago as I wrote….

… That Star has lost some of its glow. The scripture in   2nd chapter of Luke is one we have read every year and behind those words lie the rest of the story. 

 Behind those words that came from a couple of weeks ago comes the realization that we are still struggling with greed, anger and hate for other people. But consider this…That Star is still there and so is our Lord and Savior.We must put aside those things that separate us from our God and let the STAR glow bright in our world today. Next week will be our annual Christmas post…Charlie Brown will be back.

Life is Good… May you find abundance, kindness and love…That Star is still with us and our Savior Christ is among us this very day.

jk

In the previous verses we read of Mary going out into the hill country to a city of Judah, where she went into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth who was aware that Mary was with child. In these next verses we meet Elizabeth’s child John, soon to be born and will become  known as John the Baptizer, this child was to do great things, a special child, already posing the question among all the neighbors …’What will this child turn out to be, for the hand of the Lord is with him?’ Here Jewish tradition and law enter the story…

In Palestine the birth of a boy was an occasion of great joy. Add to this the fact that Elizabeth, already considered to be past the age of conceiving has been delivered of a boy child, the musicians and all those gathered there broke into song, congratulations and rejoicing. Elizabeth now had the child she and Zacharias had prayed so long for…a boy, it was truly a double blessing and double joy. Jewish law required that a male child be circumcised on the eighth day and be given a name. In Palestine names were descriptive. Elizabeth surprised her neighbors and friends by insisting that her son must be called John, to which Zacharias  also agreed. This was the name God instructed be given the child, as it means Yahweh’s gift or God is gracious. It pointed to the parents gratitude and unexpected joy. For all those who had heard the amazing story of how God had blessed the parents and honored their prayers, there was the inevitable question…‘What will this child turn out to be?’ 

Zacharias had high hopes for his son. He envisioned him to be a prophet and the forerunner who would prepare the way of the Lord. The Messiah, God’s anointed king, a day and time every Jew hoped and longed for would come soon. Zacharias considered his son to be the one who would prepare the way for the coming of God’s king. He would the one who would baptize the people, preparing them for the coming of the Son of God, the Messiah.

Zacharias, speaking of his son gives us a picture of what this preparation will consist of.

 Luke 1:75-77

75 in holiness and righteousness

    before him all our days.

76 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 

to give knowledge of salvation to his people

    by the forgiveness of their sins.

-We should live our lives in preparation for the Lord’s coming.

-There will be a knowledge of what God is really like when the Messiah comes.

-There will be forgiveness and the restoration of our relationship with God.

-With Christ we are enabled to walk in the ways that lead to everything that means life, and no longer to all that means death. 

We often pass by John the gift that is hid behind the greatest gift, the coming of God’s son and the mending of the relationship between God and his people. The Greatest Story Ever Told…ushered in by angels on high and a strange man in animal skins… 

John The Baptist.

Life is Good

jk

 

 “From The Pew” 2018.  This Blog was posted three years ago…

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 The painting to the left is a work by the artist Sigismund Christian Hubert Goetze. It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words but if you look closely you will  realize the impossibility of giving even a faint idea of its power and awful significance with words from a people who refuse  to recognize their Savior. 

This is traditionally a time that we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is the time of the Angels singing on high and joy and goodwill to all mankind. Trees are going up and strings of colored lights decorate our homes and even our cities! Children’s faces are aglow with anticipation of Santa, gifts under the tree  and there seems so little time to get everything done. The shopping malls will soon be full of shoppers, pushing, rushing from one store to another and if you look carefully there are few smiles of joy. For many the pressures of the season overwhelm them. In the city where I live there are a number of homeless encampments within hearing distance of the canned Christmas music that is being played everywhere. There will be the usual laments about Christ being taken out of Christmas even though the facts are plain, Christmas is a Christian thing celebrating the birth of Christ. That being said it is worth noting  “Many popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of the commemoration of Jesus’ birth, with certain elements having origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated around the winter solstice by pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity.”  As we make our way back to the painting I must share with you this scripture from   Isaiah 53: 3-5….

 

He was despised and rejected by others;

    a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;

and as one from whom others hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him of no account

This chapter foretells the sufferings of the Messiah, the reason he did so and for which he died. The Jews were not impressed by this poorly dressed man and his humble appearance and manners. He would suffer for sins not his own, giving to us the gift of salvation. When you can, please read Isaiah 53: 1-11.    

According to an article on the painting in The Literary Digest, “‘At the exhibition of the Royal Academy in London, the great canvas by Sigismund Goetze … has created an artistic sensation.’ It is declared to be a ‘powerful and terribly realistic presentment of Christ’ in a modern setting.”

Overwhelmed by the season we are unable to see the real gift, the good news if you will, hidden amongst bright-colored ribbons and Christmas wrappings of red and green, mankind’s  only hope for redemption and salvation. The painting of course goes past that to the end result. Why in this time of celebration and great joy would I take us there? Simply put, we have the book, the word and yet we are the mirror image of the people in that painting. Going about our business, caught up in our importance, so rushed with life we can only spare a couple of hours out of this season to note the gift of our salvation coming among us. There among a heedless crowd, bound by ropes upon a pedestal stands the Christ. Do our actions say “it is nothing to me”?

To Christians Christmas is not a season, it is the presentation of the gift of the Father to his children in the person of the Christ child, a promise of hope, life and goodwill to all men.

Life is Good

jk