December 25 - The Other Christmas Story (Invading Enemy Territory)

Read: Revelations 12:1-17

She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne (Revelation 12:5 ESV)

Christmas is awesome. By far my favorite holiday. I love the festivities. I love the traditions, and the time with my family. But, more importantly, I love the reason for the season.

The story of Jesus' birth is amazing. Many miraculous events surrounded, and preceded it. But it is so much more than the cutesy candy coated Sunday School story we all know and love so much.

The Christmas Story is a story about invasion. It is the beachhead for the divine campaign to reclaim Creation, redeem humanity, and restore the Kingdom. God had set events in motion to become a man. He would walk the Earth. He would feel dirt beneath his feet and oxygen in his lungs. He would work, sweat, eat, love, and even die.

The Apostle John had a unique relationship with Jesus. He was almost like Jesus' kid brother. And he lived long after the rest of the disciples. Having been exiled after surviving several attempted executions, John was visited at his island prison by Jesus. The Holy Spirit worked in John and granted to him a supernatural vision full of wondrous things—many of which are nearly impossible for me to comprehend. He wrote them all down in a book that has come to be called The Revelation. It is the last book of the Holy Bible, and it includes a passage that always rings so incredibly for me at Christmas time.

Jesus was born into tumultuous human times, but it was happening alongside epic supernatural events. Jesus invaded enemy territory. He stepped into death and brought life. He stepped into defeat and brought victory.

I like the Christmas Carols. Silent Night and Joy to the World are beautiful songs. But I imagine that first Christmas to be something more like D-Day than the latest Christmas Special. And all these centuries later, Jesus is still invading enemy territory to restore families, mend hearts, and breathe hope into hopelessness.

Merry Christmas.

March 22 - Eyes That See

Read: Luke 10:21-24

Then turning to the disciples he said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!" (Luke 10:23 ESV)

I am a really fortunate guy. Unlike many people in my life I have never had to worry about wearing any kind of corrective lenses. I have perfect natural vision. The rarity of this does not escape me. I am really really grateful for it.

Spiritual awareness is another kind of sight. Jesus often spoke very candidly in terms of seeing and hearing truth. Those who perceived and accepted his truth he proclaimed as blessed. Those who did not were not only already cursed because of the hardness of their hearts, but he warned that they would eventually face the eternal consequences of their curse in Hell.

I have known many people who were blind to truth. Some of them were unbelievers who eventually came to faith in Christ by repenting and believing in him. I have also known many who professed to be followers of Jesus, but were in actuality blind to the truth of what he cares most about. They did not follow him through repentance or believing.

My wife and I make it a regular practice in our marriage to openly discuss the things we believe. My constant prayer is that this prayerful openness would always help us to keep our eyes open to the truths that Jesus leads us to. That we would continually look only to him. And that by putting our focus where it belongs we might resist the distractions around us that would blind us.

3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 The first time I memorized those words I was the lead in my church's Christmas play, and I was just a little kid. It was a fun play. I was really young, but I enjoyed my role. I never forgot those words, but it was only during my teenage years (when the infamous wrestler Steve Austin coined his trademark Austin 3:16) that I realized how well known this verse was. And then a couple of years ago Tim Tebow put the reference in his face paint during the NCAA National Football Championship game. Google reported 92 million searches for John 3:16 during and immeditely following the game.

My point is that this is an incredibly familiar passage. One that has made its way into our culture in a variety of ways over the years. For me, it's a verse that I have read, quoted, written, and heard probably thousands of time in my thirty-plus years, but it wasn't until recently that I actually understood it at all. I mean, people have been telling me for years what it is supposed to mean. I have even told others what it is supposed to mean. I've blogged about it, preached about it, designed t-shirts utilizing it, and broadcast it--but; even though I've been a Christian for over half of my life, it's never really been much more than some evangelical mantra we like to bandy about as we proselytize those around us. It is so much more than that.

I had a good family life growing up, and consider that actuality an incredible blessing knowing that to be more the exception than the rule these days. Because of my home life, grasping the notion of being a son of God, like the Bible teaches, was never much of a stretch for me. It was an easy part of the faith for me to comprehend, believe, and communicate. It's only within the last month, and to a lesser extent the previous nine, that I began to be able understand the Gospel from a Father's perspective.

And that brings me back to John 3:16. This verse we've probably all heard so much. As familiar as it is, it is incredibly challenging, confusing, and wonderful. God loved you and I so much that He gave away His only son. I can tell you right now, I could never do that. It doesn't matter who we are talking about: my best friend, my wife, my mom, brother, students, anyone...everyone. If given a choice to save them and yet condemn my child there is no real choice. My child gets first priority every time.

But God, being infinitely sovereign and immeasurably wise, contrived a means by which He could give up His own son to excruciating torture, so that He might open the way to redemption and restoration for all of His sons...and not only did the one die to save the rest, but the firstborn of all creation rose again through the power of the Father.

I'm going to do the best I can in this life to be the best father that I can be, but only God the Father can give and save at the same time. Incredible.