Jesus Is The Reason For What Season?

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

     It's natural for us to become a bit reflective when we reach this time of year.  One year begins to wind down as the new year beckons us with all sorts of possibility.  We look back at the good and the bad. Joy and regret.

  I guess that's why I am feeling a bit reflective as I look back over our Christmas season this year. I hope that Christmas brought you much joy and space as you celebrated the birth of Christ.   The joy of worship, family and friends, laughter and food reminded me of how blessed we all are.

  But I was also struck at just how polarizing Christmas is.   Oh not the day itself but the word Christmas.  Every year it seems we gather  into battle over wishing someone, or not, a Merry Christmas.  Those who are not of the Christian faith take expectation that they are wished a Meryl Christmas. Schools now have winter celebrations instead of Christmas parties.

  And of course we in the church are just as bad.  Heaven help the person who makes the mistake of wishing  the faithful "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas. And never, ever, ever use Xmas instead of Christmas.  We don't care how many cards you have to write or that you were running out of room. You don't take Christ out of Christmas. Why you might as well just sign the cards with 666!

  This debate has been going on for years.  I had a conversation with a dear saint twenty years ago and she was lamenting that she as having a hard time finding Christmas cards at the local store.  she found plenty of "holiday" cards but not Christmas. And she wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

   As I reflect on it, it occurs to me that we, at least in the church are missing the point. I'd have to say I don't car what  you say to me. Wish me a Merry Christmas. I'm a Christian and that's what I celebrate. Wish me Happy Holidays. Holiday comes from Holy Days. I'm OK if you hope I have happy Holy Days.  And you can write Xmas all you want on any card you send me.  the X originally stood for the Greek Letter CHI, used for the first two letters of the word  Christ.  I guess I just don't care what you say.

  Now please understand I'm all for keeping Christ in Christmas.  And I firmly believe  "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season" I even have a mug that says so.  But shouldn't keeping Christ in Christmas mean more than  what we write on a card? We keep Christ in Christmas by keeping Christ in our selves.

    What takes Christ out of Christmas is when we have an un-Christlike attitude. When we are caught up in the greed and avarice of the world, when we react with hate or bigotry, when we become self centered. When we allow our sinful natures to take over and indulge in every  whim and impulse. That's what takes Christ out of Christmas.  If we want to keep Christ in Christmas, maybe we should be more intentional about being more like Christ. 

  The way to keep Christ in Christmas is to make Jesus the reason for every season. We need to show the world the transformational power of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's shows the world the reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus has entered our lives and saved us, changed us.  Let's be as loving and caring of others mid summer as we are on Christmas Eve.  Let's endeavor to make Peace on Earth not what we put on a card, but how we live with our families, friends, neighbors and co-workers.  Maybe the rest of the world would sing Joy To The world if we were a little more joyful to be around.

  As we stand on the cusp of the new year, my prayer is that I will allow others to see Christ in me just as easily in the spring as hopefully they do at Christmas. That I will be just as concerned with keeping Jesus in front of others in the summer as I am  during Advent.  That I will live my life in a way that causes others to marvel at God's love in the fall as much as on Christmas day. Here's hoping that every day of your new year will be happy, Holy days.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones

A Little Christmas

 

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

   I  spent the morning having a tire checked for a leak with a local mechanic.  It wasn't going to take long so I sat down in the lobby to wait. My intent was to get any work done while waiting. However it became obvious this wasn't going to happen, given the cell phone conversations going on around me.  I am not, by nature, an eavesdropper, but  they made it difficult not to be drawn into their conversations.

  One lady, in particular, spent the entire time I was there talking to people about her flooded basement. It seems her sump pump chose this past weekend to go out. A heavy snow fall, followeed by unseasonably warm weather that melted all of the snow in a few hours, plus a long torrential down pour has caused a lot of flooding.  

  Apparently this woman owned a home with a beautiful finished basement.  Or at least she did.  Now that it was flooded the beauty was lost.  While I did my best not to listen to the details, it became obvious  just how much this had changed her plans. You try getting an insurance agent in to look at things two days before Christmas. She called family telling them she couldn't hold Christmas at her house, she called others trying to  make arrangements for people to stay elsewhere. She  called companies to come and clean up her basement. 

  Having lived in areas that received frequent flooding before,  was sympathetic to eh plight.  Floods are difficult to deal with the water goes everywhere. I damages flooring and walls, carpets it destroys memories as heirlooms and photographs are damaged.  If the oncoming water doesn't do enough damage, the left over moisture in the walls will cause rot, mold and mildew.  When a flood comes everything is affected by it.  

     It's not that water is a bad thing.  It's a very good thing. We need it to subversive. We like enough to drink water our lawns keeps our food growing. We like water, at least in small doses. We just don't want too much of it.

  I thought about that as I returned to my office and heard this Christmas song playing "For We Need A Little Christmas, Right this very Minute"  Do you know it?  It's a catchy tune. Nice little song. Not terribly religious or Christian. But certainly harmless.  It's also hard to get out of your head. For to those of you who will be humming the tune for the rest of the day, I apologize.

  But as I hummed the song in my office, it occurred to me just how right it is.  That's what we all want. A little Christmas.  Because a little Christmas is a good thing. We like a little break. We want enough Christmas so we can get a few days off work. We want just enough so we can have an excuse to get together with family and friends. Have a nice party.  Just enough Christmas  to get and give some presents.  Its a nice excuse to light up the home and feel a little festive. We even like a little Jesus. Cute baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. Peace on Earth because well, babies are peaceful (Unless of course you have babies in your house. Babies bring a lot of things into one's life incl ding  joy. Peace is rarely one of them).

  We want  a little bit of Christmas, but t not to much. I dont' want so much  Christmas it might cause me to really think about what it means to have God born in flesh.  I don't want so much Jesus and Christmas that I'm reminded the whole incarnation was part of the process to destroy my sins on the Cross. I don't' want so much Christmas that the ramifications of a real personal God  actually changes the way I think and live. Changes my framework of how I understand the world.  Change... well... me.

  In short I want a little bit of Christmas, I just don't want a flood of Jesus affecting everything in  my life.  Of course the problem is this. God doesn't want to give you just a little bit of Himself. he doesn't want you to have just a little bit of Jesus. He wants to flood  your life with Him.   There  is a reason why Jesus is called Immanuel, God with us.  Not a little bit of God near us for  a few days, or just 24 hours. But God Al that God is with us.  Jesus came to flood our souls with His love, with His presence. 

  What might happen his year if instead of just having a "little Christmas" you actually allowed Jesus to flood your life? If you allowed Him to flood your lifer with His love so that love we carried with you all year?  Peace on Earth would become more than just a nice sentiment on a Christmas  card. It could become a reality for you. And who doesn't need more peace?  God will to others? Who wouldn''t want to be able to look at others and love them  and not be soured on life? Joy to The World" It becomes less a song and more the foundation which you operate in the world.

  The more I think about it, what we need is not a little Christmas. We need a flood of Christmas a deluge of the Christ child in our lives.  This year may your life be flooded with the presence of the one we call Immanuel. 

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Is Jesus Ruining Christmas?

"but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" 1 Corinthians 1:23

   ESPN recently got themselves into hot water, again, for refusing to show a commercial from a Catholic Hospital that mentioned Jesus. You can imagine the shock of the ESPN sensors when they heard the name of Jesus mentioned at Christmas time. They refused to show the  commercial because they felt the mention of Jesus "might be problematic."

  While ESPN has since reversed that decision and are airing the commercial, it did flame the fires of the Christmas vs. Holiday feud. Evey year I heart people who are angry that the word Christmas issued, or not. They are upset their kids get a winter break or have holiday parties. And I've seen umpteen pleads from folk on my Facebook page to 'Keep Christ In Christmas" 

   While I'm all for "keeping Christ in Christmas" I can't help but wonder if ESPN isn't on to something.  When it comes to Christmas Jesus is problematic.  In fact there are times when I wonder if Jesus isn't in some ways ruining Christmas.

  Without Jesus, I am free to go on a Credit card melting spending spree with little regard for the homeless man who sits outside of Walmart asking for money so he can eat.  In fact without Jesus I can even be a bit put off by his behavior.   Without Jesus I dont' have to worry about  the consequences of unbridled avarice. Oh I might feel a bit nauseous when the credit card bill comes in January, but I don't' worry about what it might do to my soul.  And I certainly don't think about any affluence infection I might pass on to my children.

   Without Jesus I can wish for Peace on Earth, Odd Will to All People,without ever really experiencing it to happen.  And I never wonder at the hypocrisy of singing "God Rest Ye Merry gentlemen" while shaking my fist at the person who cut me off and took the last parking space at the mall. Peace is a wonderful idea, but as long as Jesus doesn't interfere I don't have to ask what ti has to do with me.

  Without Jesus Christmas becomes a time of  Good will and warm fuzzy thoughts that surround a man woman and child who couldn't find room in the Comfort Inn Bethlehem. Its a nice story of how a family births a baby amidst soulful looking animals and some shepherds. You even get an angel or two flying over. And really doesn't it all work out in the end? You can make a case that once is all said and done Mary and Joseph make out OK.  They end up with some Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh after all.  All expensive gifts.

  I don't have to think how Jesus asks me if in the midst of a busy Christmas season if I've made room for Him in my heart. I'm busy (I'm a pastor and it's Advent after all) I don't have the time, or the desire for a guilt trip. without Jesus I don't' have to worry about it. And I certainly don't have to think how those Expensive gifts were also a foreboding of the death and burial of Jesus. 

  No give me those warm and fuzzy feelings that only last a week or two.  I don't want to think about how how the Christmas story isn't necessarily supposed to make me feel god, but to be the beginning of a transforming relationship where I becoming more like Christ, a transformation by the way that is not always pleasant to experience.

  No the more I think about it. Maybe Jesus is problematic when it comes to thinking about Christmas.  Because the incarnation changes everything. That homeless person becomes my brother for whom, if Jesus is right, I will be questioned about his care when Jesus returns. That whole sheep and goats thing, where my eternity hinges on how I love others, is a bummer.

 When Jesus enters the picture I see that peace is possible, but that it will begin with me. I have to turn the other cheek. In fact Jesus' entire Sermon on the Mount tells me that being nice (we won't even get into who defines that!) for two weeks before a Holiday doesn't cut it. He demands I live a different life and makes it possible.

With Jesus, I don't' even get the warm and fuzzies. He reminds me that the love, compassion true joy of Christmas can be mine. But hey are only mine because of His sacrifice, death and resurrection. And if I am ever to experience that joy he expects me to be transformed, to sacrifice, die and be born again just like Him. After all He tells us to pick up our cross.  He didn't mean carry a burden or the Christian Life is heavy.  When you carry a cross there is only one logical conclusion. Death. The joy, peace, hope of Christmas aren't well wishes, they are a reality for us who live in Christ. But that transformation will only come as we die to ourselves and live toward Jesus.

So I'm not going to judge ESPN too harshly this year. They are right. Jesus is problematic. He is a problem. A wonderful ,powerful incarnational, incomparable problem! and I, for one, am glad.
  
Continue a Joyous Advent. The Problematic King of Kings is coming.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
 

World Changer

"This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth lying in a manger" (Luke2:12)


  The headline on Twitter read: " UFC Champion Ronda Rousey named as a person who will change the world" For those not in the know, UFC stands for the Ultimate Fighting Challenge". It is the premier organization that oversees Mixed Martial Art competitions.  For those further not in the know Mixed Martial Arts consists of striking and grappling techniques. One can win by being ahead on pints or a knockout just like boxing, or if ones opponent submits and taps out (either tapping their opponent or the ground several times).

   And Ronda Rousey is at the top of the heap. She is the first women's champion. She is undefeated in her fights.  Her mother was a champion competitor in Judo. Rousey herself is not only a national champion in Judo but also won a bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. She was one of, if not the first, US Woman to medal in the sport.

  When you are first in a sport, and can maintain a high level of success fame and fortune come your way.  That's just how it is. Ms. Rousey enjoys lucrative endorsement deals, appeared as a coach in a popular television show and will be in a movie this coming summer.

  And I certainly wish her all the best. She is an entertaining fighter.  I like to watch her fight. But world changer? I suppose you can make a case that she has opened a path way for other women in her sport. But world  changer?  I wondered how someone who fights for a living and bread and butter move is to bend other people's arms into unnatural positions can change the world. It makes me wonder if  we have either lifted the power of athletes and athletics to a too high position or if we have lowered the bar of what it would take to truly change the world.  Probably a little bit of both.

     We have a tendency to believe those who are famous have some sort of mysterious power to actually effect and change the world around us.  Many years ago it was fairly common to see movie stars address congress because they had played a certain role in a movie. If a move dealt with  an issue congress was debating you could rest assured that the star would be there to testify.  Of course it's absurd, but hardly anyone batted an eye Why? They are famous therefore they can change the world. And we certainly do this with athletes as well.

  I also think we have lowered the bar as to what it means to change the world.  Almost any technology that comes out is touted as something that will revolutionize and change the world (Segway anyone?).  I don't question that much technology has changed the way we do certain things in the world. But has it really changed the world?  We haven't even begun to look at if those changes are good or bad.

     The problem of course is that  while people and things can change a part of the world, people fall out of popularity and some day pass away. every technological advance becomes old and useless at some point. And yet we still seem to have a hope that the world can change.  We have a dream that eh world can be different. Where will we find someone who truly changes the world?

  We find Him, oddly enough in a manger over 200 years ago. There in that dirty stall the Incarnation was witnessed. God laid aside His heavenly glory and was born into the world. Jesus of Nazareth. The Messiah, the Christ, The Son of God. The Lamb who would take away the sin of the world.  He would receive no lucrative endorsement deal and would be abandoned by his friends a few short hours before His crucifixion.  His death destroyed the power of sin His resurrection that first Easter morning destroyed the power of death.  Anyone with a relationship with Jesus can live a life free from the power of sin and the fear and power of death.  That's world changing.

  But consider how small it began. Oh momentous to us as Christians. But the birth of Jesus went unnoticed by those who lived in Rome.  Why most of the good people of Bethlehem missed it as well. While we get caught up in what happens on Good Friday, I doubt many beyond Jerusalem and Judea took notice when Jesus was crucified.  The Romans crucified a lot of people.

  Its a good reminder that When God sets out to change the world, its not always noticeable by the powers that be.  Its not usually done by those in power or by the celebrities of the day.  And yet God sues them to change the world every day as he continues His work of redeeming our world. Who are the world changers today? Not the star athlete, but the volunteer who gave up four hours on a Saturday night to ring bells for the Salvation Army. Its eh child who buys an extra toy to give to a toy drive. Its the parent who read a Bible Story to their children last night.  It's that dear saint who has taught Sunday School for the past thirty years and never had a class of more than five kids. It's the wife who prays for her husband's salvation. Its the husband praying for his wife as she leaves for deployment over seas to serve her country.

  Every day you and I have the opportunity to change the world. Everyday we are given a chance to share the incarnation of Jesus with someone. Please don't pass them by because you think either the gesture is too small, or you are too small in the grand scheme of things.  If Christmas teaches us Scythian it teaches us that God often changes the world through the smallest moments.

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

A prayer for the beginning of Advent

This beautiful prayer comes to us from the Society of St. Andrew, an ecumenical organization dedicated to eradicating hunger, in the United States and worldwide. Lord, come to us.

Read Isaiah 9:1-7

We pray together: 

Loving and compassionate God, I pray today, anticipating your coming again into the world as a child in Bethlehem’s manger. I seek you. I need you in so many ways in my life. Lord, come to us.

I think of areas of strife in this world, and I look for your coming as Messiah, ushering in a new kingdom, where your love will reign supreme; a new kingdom, where there will be no war, fighting, or injustice; a new kingdom, where all people will know your love. Lord, come to us.

I think of people I know who feel far from you this day, and I look for your coming as Savior, rescuing them (and me) from worry, loneliness, desperation, sadness, sin, and fear; giving them (and me) faith, courage, and hope. Lord, come to us.

I think of those needing certainty and direction in their lives, and I look for your coming as King, establishing law, tempered with justice and love. I look for your coming as Lord, focusing their searching and bringing them under your care. Lord, come to us.

I remember the children of the world who so need role models, and I look for your coming as Son of God, showing them (and me) daily what you are like, and how they (and I) may live obediently and do your will. Lord, come to us.

I remember those dear to me, suffering this day in body or in spirit, and I look for your coming as Son of Man, suffering alongside and willingly giving your life for them. I look for your coming as Miracle Worker, touching broken lives and bodies, making them whole once again. Lord, come to us.

Gracious and glorious God of many names, I need you breaking into my life again, reminding me of promises made and promises fulfilled. Be born in and through me in this Advent season as I seek your will. Lord, come to us.

In the name of the Savior who was and is and is to come, I pray: Lord, come to us. Amen.

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 You may wish to feed your spiritual hunger during the weeks leading up to Christmas with these daily devotions from Society of St. Andrew. Subscribe here. May God’s light shine brightly through you in this holy season.

The Longest Season

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors" (Luke 2:13-14)


    The Christmas Season has become almost as long as the Hockey Season.  It seems like we just finished up last Christmas, (or at least got the Christmas bills paid) and it's on us again.  Now it may be that some of that is simply perceptual and  time just seems to fly by in life.  But as I look around I'm not so sure.

  Our retails stores begin celebrating Christmas mid summer with Christmas in July. Then the displays begin to crop up late September, to early October.  Macy's tells us the Christmas Season officially begins when Santa is sen in his sleigh during the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Which says something about our culture in the United States when we allow a department store to dictate to us when the Christmas season beings.

  And we buy into it. We've moved from Black Friday to Thanksgiving evening with the early Christmas sales.  Millions of people leaving their  families, shaking off the tryptophan stupor in order to get the good discounts. There were this year, as there are every year reports of peel tramping one another fist fights and this year the introduction of pepper spray. can you imagine trying to by a sweater and some sweet looking octogenarian pepper sprays you because she is planing on buying that sweater for her granddaughter/ It happens.

  The television stations get in on the act as well. First came the "25 Days Of Christmas", a  modern day prepacked Advent calendar of cartoon, movie and Christmas specials.  But apparently that's not enough.  This year they  had a 25 day countdown to the 25 days of Christmas.  It's only time before ted Turner has a 365 days of Christmas which will begin with a 24/7 showing of the Christmas Story every day for six months straight.

  If we were to look at the world we would have the impression Christmas is about buying and giving presents and the more we buy and give the better. It's about the Grinch, The Kranks skipping Christmas, the Griswold's incredible light display, and a hundred just awful Hallmark Christmas movies that tell us  Christmas is about snow , lost love found, happy children and curmudgeonly old men. All who somehow discover the "meaning of Christmas"

  If we were to believe the world the meaning of Christmas lies in presents, crowded malls, rude drivers in the parking lot. its about taking your lights outside while bringing a tree inside your house. its about a green monster who has tries to steal Christmas by taking stuff but realizes you just can't squelch that darn Who-ville Christmas spirit.

  Please don't get me wrong. I like presents, both receiving and giving.  I like Christmas lights and Christmas cookies, Charlie Brown's little tree and the Grinch's too small heart.  I'm just suggesting that these things alone are not the way I want to begin the Christmas season.

  Rather I prefer what happened in millions of churches across the globe this past Sunday.  Someone, a pastor, a child, a family, lit a candle for the first Sunday of Advent. Just that just one candle. Oh there may have been a devotion or a Scripture read. it may have been an object lesson in a Children's Message. But it was just one small candle.

   That candle reminds me of the birth of Jesus. So easy to miss in the hustle and bustle of Bethlehem. And really what's the big deal? Just one more poor young mother having a baby in less than ideal circumstances. But in that moment in the darkness of the world the small cry of a baby shouted to the world the light of the world had come. He who would free us form sin, shatter the power of death, and  break the gates of Hell had been born.

  It's that one light that gives me hope. Not the shopping, the crowds, the tinsel or wreath. But the light of Christ being born in my heart again in-this season.   I hope if you have been in a dark place lately you will allow the light of Jesus into your heart and world. Because that, indeed is something to celebrate all year round.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><