This time of year, many Christmas cards show a beautiful manger scene with Mary, Joseph, and the Baby. I like to go back to Luke and read the account of that fateful event nine months before this special baby was born.
Mary, or Miriam, was perhaps only 14 or 15, when she was betrothed to Joseph. An arranged marriage…… with the groom waiting for the proper length of time to be formally united with his bride. This was usually a year or slightly less. After all, the groom must be sure his bride was a virgin and that his seed would be the only one given to her.
You all know the story. Mary was a virgin….but the Holy Spirit sent by the Lord planted within her young womb this Baby, who would become our Savior.
Can you imagine the disgrace of this young woman? Joseph chose to keep his betrothal to her, due to God’s intervention….. although he could have had her stoned for adultery.
Why was so it important for Miriam to be a Virgin? Have you thought about that?
This baby was so special that He would not contain any genetic material from either his birth mother or earthly father.
With the advancement in modern medicine, Drs. are able to implant a fertilized human egg from outside of the womb into a woman. We call these women surrogate mothers. They will carry that baby to term even though none of the genetic material of that baby will be hers. Only her body will serve as the incubator for that child.
And so it was with Mary. Jesus came to earth as a human baby…….but planted the seed in Mary who served as his surrogate mother. Why the necessity of a virgin mother?
If she had given Him her genes …then He would carry the propensity for sin….just as the human race. Although we don’t inherit sin, we all carry the sinful nature within us due to our gift of choice. Our first parents chose to disobey.
Thanks Adam!!
If Jesus had carried her genes, then He would not be God. After all, He was with God from the beginning of time. He was part of God’s nature. He was sinless.
Mary was blessed among women…….she was a virgin who was given the privilege of being the birth mother of our Lord. She deserves to be called “blessed”.
Several months ago in Russia there was an all-female punk band that disrupted an Orthodox Church service and staged a mock “punk prayer”. They were arrested and tried and each of the girls was sentenced to two years in prison. The prime minister of Russia stated that he believed the punishment was greater than the crime. I disagree.
Many in the news media and press, both in our country and around the world, says that the girls were only giving vent to their feminist views as well as their right to free expression as champions of justice…perhaps in the Joan of Arc tradition, or even Martin Luther. After all, he was one of the first “radical” reformers of the Catholic Church.
But many others saw the groups protest as a sacrilege. To those Orthodox believers the sacredness of the church sanctuary and the altar become a place of a divine encounter. Most Protestants feel that we could worship in a barn or an auditorium…because it isn’t the place but the meaning of worship.
Yes, I believe that as well. After all, Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) This makes everyplace of worship a holy or sacred space.
However, this band showed disrespect to the sacred space of the believers in that Orthodox Church. Their performance was an act of religious aggression against believers who came to pray in their “sacred space.” Their feminist rant became a sacrilege.
Jesus drove out the money changers in the temple. He felt they were desecrating God’s divine space. It was meant for worship. Those merchants were assaulting the holiness of the temple.
Although we do not worship in a temple “made with hands”, there is sacredness when we come together as a church body to worship our Lord. We must never lose sight of that sacredness.
Equally, we must protest the sacrilege of taking God’s name lightly. We must protest works of “art” which defame the Lord. We must protect our Lord’s name and the holiness which surrounds us in our worship.
If sacrilege no longer has any meaning in our culture then neither will our worship.
Christians coming together to worship…….barn, auditorium, house or cathedral.
Don’t you enjoy the glow of Christmas lights at this time of the year? I am always fascinated by the various displays and how the lights seem to warm my heart. They remind me that there is still love and peace in this world of chaos and hate.
Although we view the decorations and lights as having a Christian origin, I am brought back to the lights of Hanukkah. Since our Lord, the greatest Jew who ever lived……celebrated the feast of Hanukkah, I had a few thoughts on the significance of this celebration in regards to our Christian celebration of Christmas.
Of course Christmas celebrates His birth, while Hanukkah celebrates deliverance. But then, the Lord’s birth is also deliverance. We who are born with the sinful nature can now be brought in communion with God through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.
So where does Hanukkah fit in? You can find the story of Hanukkah on the web so I won’t tell the story now, but basically it’s about light. The Lord used the analogy of lights in several of his stories and parables.
In John 10…most of our Bibles read “the Feast of Dedication”……Our Lord is attending this feast…it is Hanukkah. The people want Him to declare himself as the Messiah……He reminded them of his miracles. They still refused to believe that a mere human could be God…..especially since the Romans were the oppressors of their land. The Messiah was to bring peace and restoration to Israel. Yet this had not happened. But it will….in God’s own time.
Lamps, lights and Kingdom…….all teachings about how God works in the world. How He wants us “to be and to do”.
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5)
There is a sense of urgency in this passage. He knows there are only a few days left before His ministry will end at the cross. He urges the people gathered around Him in the temple to “put your trust in the Light. “
Those early listeners knew about light and the lighting of the Hanukkah candles. The Lord relates all of this to Hmself and to His disciples.
“Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good work and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” Can we do any less?
Whenever disaster strikes most of us want to blame God.
Does God send punishment on a disobedient people? Most assuredly.
God does and will punish people for disobedience, as we read in the Hebrew Scriptures. But not everything bad that happens is a punishment from God or even an indication of wrongdoing. Many people get the two confused.
In my last blog I discussed Job…..he also wanted answers to his torment but God chose not to reveal the mystery of suffering. Just as well. I don’t think we need to know.
Suffering is a part of the human condition. No one escapes. Am I being too morbid?
This is the time of year when many are celebrating the joy of Christmas. We need this same joy throughout the year, but this particular time has been set aside by many as the date marked for the Messiah’s birth.
Can we expect suffering and at the same time rejoice? Yes, most assuredly.
In fact Paul tells the Romans (12:12)”Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”
Jesus’ birth brought joy…..the angels sang His birth, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men of Good Will.”
The early Christians and the Christian martyrs today….men and women of good will are suffering……..but there is joy in their hearts.
” Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”( 1 Peter 3:8)
Yes, there will be suffering…perhaps among one of us at this moment…. but joy is within us. Those who know the Lord know suffering but also joy.
Here I go again. I must confess to getting upset when viewing the various educational channels on TV. Not one station has offered an alternative view to the “theory” of evolution. Therefore, most of us just accept what is being said.
The scientists all note the complexity of the cell. The majority of the scientific community is sold on the belief that life developed spontaneously and randomly. All admit not knowing just how the single cell developed from “nothing”. The complexity of the cell and the genetic material within the cell holds the key to our very existence.
God pays attention to details. He hasn’t missed a thing in relation to those cells and the millions of encoded messages that lie within the cell itself. Sometimes these cells go awry……that’s cancer. Sometimes they don’t protect us, or they mutate causing people to develop a variety of illness or humans born with deformities.
Is God capricious? Doesn’t He care about what humanity must suffer? After all, He is the great genetic engineer who designed all of this.
But then there’s us. You and me. If He knows and cares about the complexities of a single cell……certainly He knows the complexities of our life. And life is full of complexities. If not now……then later.
I tell myself that despite all…….all the meaningless and frightful times of life, that God is there.
The rabbis don’t insist on answers from God. They accept the complexity of God Himself. “The Lord gave and the Lord takes away….blessed be the name of the Lord.”(Job 1:21)
Yes, He is unknowable and yet we know Him, through Messiah, Jesus. We don’t understand the complexities of creation but we see the Creator through His workmanship.
The Devil was allowed to torment Job. His friends gave partial answers as if they could solve the problem of suffering. In the end of course, when Job questioned God, he was told only what God wanted him to know. Actually nothing!
“Although painful we must repent of our insistence for an answer, seeing the very demand as a form of idolatry.” (Randy Newman’s book, Questioning Evangelism)
No, God doesn’t owe us answers, but He knows us and hears us. Living without an answer can be liberating. Once we accept the unknowable complexities as part of life then we are free to seek God for comfort, hope, healing and peace.
If He knows the complexities of a tiny cell then He certainly knows us.
What’s the fuss? Haven’t we always had Charlie Brown and his poor pathetic Christmas tree shown on TV for many years? Along with the “The Grinch Stole Christmas” these two have become classic Christmas stories for all ages.
I hope I am wrong…. but I have doubts whether we will be seeing either of those classics on national TV this season. What’s the problem? The following story might affect us all……..read and see what you think.
“An atheist group is accusing an Arkansas grade school of violating students’ constitutional rights by inviting them to a performance of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at a local church.
Students at Terry Elementary School in Little Rock were invited to a performance of the show at Agape Church. Teachers informed parents in letters home that a school bus would shuttle children to and from the show, which would be performed on a school day.
According to their local TV station, the letter the teachers sent home indicates the play will be held on Friday, Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. at the church. Children attending will be taken on a school bus and will need to pay $2 to cover the expense of the bus rides, the letter states. Students are not required to attend the production, according to the school district.
One parent contacted the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers after receiving the letter.
“We’re not saying anything bad about Charlie Brown,” Anne Orsi, a Little Rock attorney and vice president of the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers, told KARK 4 News. “The problem is that it’s got religious content and it’s being performed in a religious venue and that doesn’t just blur the line between church and state, it oversteps it entirely.”
The parent, who did not want to be named, told KARK in a statement that although she could choose not to allow her child to attend, she’s letting her daughter go to the performance for fear the girl could be singled out.
A spokeswoman for the Little Rock School District says the district does not endorse any particular faith or encourage any specific religious activity.”
In case you forgot the story……the loveable cartoon character, Linus, tells Charlie Brown he knows the real reason for Christmas and goes on stage in front of the spotlight and quotes the classic scripture from Luke 2:8-14…..about the shepherds in the fields and baby lying in the manger.
I’m sorry that the unnamed mother felt compelled to let her child attend the play because of peer pressure. However, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will probably be the only Christmas story that little girl will hear this year.
Let’s watch and see what the networks decide to do……..
T’was the night before Thanksgiving. Bob and I had just returned from our mid week Bible study. We had left our dog (well, actually, my daughter’s dog) in the house alone. Forgetting that Maya (aka Puppy) loves to misbehave while we are gone, she somehow managed to reach the top of my kitchen counter and drag off the newly purchased dessert intended for our after dinner coffee. It was a lovely box of Baklava. You know, that wonderful flaky pastry, full of nuts and some sort of sticky syrup.
She didn’t just consume the box of goodies in the kitchen…….no!! She took each piece of the dessert to a different location….two pieces on my sofa in the living room; a couple of pieces downstairs on a chair; and even deposited several on a bed of freshly made sheets. The sticky, sweet, flaky pastry was now all over my house which I had just dutifully cleaned in anticipation for the feast the following day.
Needless to say, I was not a happy lady. I tried counting my blessings as I swept and scrubbed early the next morning. I thought to myself. There must be a lesson in this for me….I really was too angry at both the dog and myself (for the leaving the baklava on the counter) to imagine how this could apply to my faith.
Well, I could see something here. I am just like that dog. Wanting things I shouldn’t have or that aren’t even good for me. Just thinking I might get away with it… as if God wouldn’t find out. Being naughty when I think He isn’t looking. Desiring just one more of something I really don’t need but imagining how my life would be more complete if I just had it!
So now God comes in to clean me up. He can take the sticky, sweet syrup of those “desires” and teach me that what I really wanted wasn’t important after all. Sometimes he has to scrub me clean. Ouch!
Hebrews 12:6 (NLT)”For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.”
I can’t punish the poor dog. I still accept her wagging tail and happy woof when we come back home…….even after she has ruined my dessert!
How much more does God love me…….even with the syrup still on my face!!
Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”.
I often feel guilty for being so anxious about life. After all, if I really was a strong believer then I would simply do what Paul told the Philippians. I read that verse with misgivings. How can I tell anyone not to be anxious when I fail so miserably myself?
OK, Paul. Why were you telling those Philippians not to be anxious? Surely they didn’t face the difficulties we encounter today. Or did they? The problems themselves might have been different but the anxiety was still the same.
Paul wrote these new converts with love and compassion for the Lord that consumed him. Recently coming out of their pagan culture to become Christians, these poor people were besieged within their community and possibly faced imprisonment or even death for coming to faith. Slightly more threatening than my life!!
Paul speaks of “his chains” (Phil 1:16)…..supposedly from his Roman prison, yet he wasn’t anxious! What faith! He is encouraging this little flock to retain their faithfulness and not to be overwhelmed by anxious thoughts. He reassured them that God’s grace through the Spirit will sustain them.
Along with prayer he told them to always be thankful for what God gives them. In his rabbinic mindset, Paul, knew that whatever God gives or allows, is for our good. Therefore we can be assured of praying with thanksgiving!!
Now Paul tells them and us
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Phil 4:8)
Here’s my plan. Concentrate on God’s good gifts….replacing the “what if’s” with “He loves me and wants the best for me.” ….now repeat after me and slowly!
“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your (our) hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)
I have written several blogs on the Biblical account of creation vs. the humanistic or evolutionary theory. Without a proper understanding of Genesis and the true account as recorded in scripture we are left with a confusing array of information on origins. Since I am not a scientist……in fact I simply hated chemistry in High School… I feel free to quote more knowledgeable people than myself.
But I do know this. God thought enough of His creation to pass down to us in the simplest words…..His grand design for this world and the human kind that He created from the “ground up”!
The Gap theory might appeal to those Christians who want to believe that evolutionary science might not be all wrong while at the same time still using Genesis in their belief system of creation.
Basically the Gap theory is this: that millions of years passed between Genesis verse one and verse two.
“The earth was without form, and void”.(Gen 1:2) The Gap people translate the verse, “the earth became without form and void”. One little word…….big difference. In short the Gap theory teaches that Day One was not really Day One.!! (Acts and Facts, Creation Research Society, Oct 2012).
Gap theorists believe that the phrase “in the beginning” was a world that existed millions of years ago. Then God destroyed that world and began a new one and that the earth became without form and was void of any life.
The big picture concerns us…you and me. Are we part of God’s original creation plan or are we products of the evolutionary tree…is your uncle a monkey??
In other words……perhaps God had pre-Adamite races. He destroyed them and started again……..well they didn’t do any better the second time did they?
Why do Christian theologians try to compromise belief in the accuracy of scripture to accommodate the scientific community?
I for one do not want to “bridge the gap”. I read my Bible as reliable. God doesn’t need man’s ideas on His creative processes.
I am writing this blog, still in a daze over the elections. How can I be sincere in my thankfulness when I see nothing but calamity facing our country? Doesn’t God know that we are on the brink of collapse? Doesn’t He care?
Then my thoughts turn to ancient Israel. When I read in the Hebrew Scriptures that God’s very chosen people were defeated and conquered by evil empires I give pause to our own situation. He allowed this. The people were warned by prophets to repent. They had turned to idol worship and adopted the life styles of the nations around them. They were even sacrificing their children to Moloch, the pagan god. The priests and kings were leading the people away from the commands of the Lord and into a false belief system. Their children grew up not knowing the Torah of God that was given to Moses as a guide to the people.
So here we are. We too are sacrificing children…….although now it’s called abortion. We too have left our spiritual roots. Church membership is declining and we are accepting moral standards unknown or tolerated even 10 years ago. We have forgotten the guiding principles of our founding fathers who gave us the greatest system of government the world has known.
Be thankful? Yes. Because I know that God is still in control. I know He loves me and He loves you. I know that He hears and answers prayer. He just said “no” this time. Then we must continually beseech him on behalf of our great country.
I still don’t understand why He hears and answers favorably in some situations and why some prayers aren’t answered. But we can trust Him.
We can give thanks while we wait to gather with Him around the ultimate feast in Heaven.
AbideLines 