Affection for God

We love God...or at least we try to. CS Lewis noted, "God's love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him." If we're honest with ourselves, we'll have to admit we usually love a lot of other stuff more than God. We may be faithful to church, but do we have a passion for God?

Jonathan Edwards pointed out: "As there is no true religion where there is nothing else but affection, so there is no true religion where there is no religious affection." It's possible to have zeal yet lack true faith that transforms one's outlook and lifestyle.

Are we inclined toward God? Do we delight in God's glory and majesty? The affection we have for God now is a foretaste of our heavenly happiness.

Sci-Fi

Christianity Today has a cover article on Science Fiction. My take is that SF often tries to answer the question of origins by saying aliens seeded our planet, which only delays the question rather than answer it. If life on earth came from another planet, where then did that life come from? Also SF tends to portray aliens either as hostile invaders or benevolent messiahs (Close Encounters is basically a religious movie), or both (To Serve Man). SF can replace trust in Christ with the hope of an ET rescue and/or the godlike evolution of humankind, believing the serpent's lie. CT aptly says that "progress is not our redemption".

aOne positive note: Fox has decided to pick up the next Narnia Movie (the Dawn Treader)!

Defining "tolerance"

Christians are often accused of being intolerant. Being tolerant of people doesn’t mean we have to approve of their behavior. Tolerance means we disagree but accept others. Tolerance is not indifference or giving up one's moral convictions. Today many people seem to tolerate only whose who endorse their positions, and they're intolerant of any who disagre with them. I believe I can be tolerant while maintaining that I have moral issues with certain worldviews and lifestyles in today’s society. Tolerance is is valuing the right of another person to hold beliefs that we believe to be wrong. We’re not tolerant of something unless we object to it. We don’t have to tolerate views we accept or are indifferent to.

The Good Palestinian

I was preaching Sunday on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Most people know that the Samaritans and Jews didn't get along; in fact, if the Jewish victim of the story spotted a Samaritan, he'd have avoided any contact. They weren't friends. So Jesus tells a story to get us to expand our definition of neighbor to anyone whose need we see. Today if He were telling the story, I don't think He would mention the Samaritans--there are very few left. Jesus would likely tell about the "Good Palestinian". The problem with many people today is they have some group in mind where the name of the group and "good" would hardly be used in the same sentence. The point of our Lord's story isn't simply that we ought to be rendering "good deeds" to those in need, but to recognize that everyone we meet is our neighbor, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith or social status...they are people we need to "love as ourselves."

Why pray when you can worry?

4Paul counsels the Philippian believers to to be anxious about anything (4:6), but instead to channel their worries into prayer. We need to let our troubles be God's concerns...easier said than done. But if anyone ever had cause for worry, it was Paul, facing a Roman judge for treason, disloyalty to Caesar (for insisting that Christ alone was Lord).

Worry becomes a form of atheism because it tries to manage life apart from God. Or we could say that worry is praying to the wrong god. Regardless of what we claim to believe, when we worry we are practicing a subtle form of distrust in God. And it becomes a fear that can paralyze us. Anxiety ought to be a reminder for us to pray. God is handling our troubles and doesn't need our help. "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" says Isaiah (30:15). Worry is SIN in that it is questioning God's love and purpose. Prayer combats worry by building trust. By spending time with God we take a break from our cares and gradually gain peace and learn serenity.

A challenging peace

“Peace on earth, good-will toward men.”

These are difficult words to proclaim at Christmas, particularly when the world is filled with such hatred.

In his book, Evil and the Justice of God, Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright appraises the conflict in the Middle East, and offers a reason why it remains unresolved. He states that for many, forgiveness is neither a duty nor a virtue, but a kind of “moral weakness.” The main moral standard guiding those who perpetuate the conflict is justice, which demands vengeance. Wright states, “It’s not just that they don’t want to forgive or that they find it difficult. They believe passionately that it would be immoral, totally wrong.”

I’ve seen first-hand such unrelenting conflict. Matters will only be “resolved” when the opposing faction is wiped out--so many claim. I sometimes think it will have to involve an army of chaplains to change matters. If we can live at peace with God, we can learn to live at peace with others. Forgiveness takes sin seriously, but aims at reconciliation. It works to resolve conflict, not perpetuate it.

A favorite non-traditional Christmas song I enjoy singing is Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon, which tells the true story of Brits and Germans celebrating a Christmas Eve truce during World War I. They joined together in no-man’s land and sang carols, shared some food and drink, and played soccer…then the next day went on with the business of waging war. This is the sad evidence of living in a fallen world in need of redemption.

Jesus came to face evil and destroy its power on the cross. In self-sacrificing love, He took our place that we might have His peace. He did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. The cross was a symbol of Rome’s imperial might--where Caesar did his worst, but the Cross has become a symbol of God’s love. It is the place where, and the means by which, God demonstrated the power of love and pardon. Such power produces peace. “When will we ever learn?”

In his best-selling book, The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. Jacobs describes how he was challenged by the Apostle Paul’s command to not keep a “record of wrongs” in the Love Chapter, I Corinthians 13. Jacobs stated that in his compulsive manner he kept a log of wrongs in his Palm Treo, especially things his wife did…and when he showed it to his wife, she laughed at him. He admitted this was pathetic, but A.J. is like a lot of people. At least he saw that this practice was unhealthy and unhelpful. If we keep a record of wrongs and keep people under our wrath till each matter is dealt with, we will find that we’re not able to open our hearts to receive God’s forgiveness.

Forgiveness releases not only the person who is being forgiven but the person who is doing the forgiving. Forgiveness is giving up hope that the past could be different. When we forgive, we in no way change the past, but we sure do change the future. We release those who’ve hurt us and we release ourselves from crippling, self-inflicted bitterness. Wright says that forgiveness means that “we shall not allow this evil to determine the sort of people we shall then become.” Let’s pray this Christmas for peace in our troubled world, and ask God what we can do to be His instruments of peace.

A family Christmas Tree Blessing

Many families bless their Christmas trees before lighting them. The evergreen of our Christmas trees is a symbol of everlasting life. It stands as a shelter over the Child in the manger. Here is a blessing you can use in your home...

Reading:
Our Lord Jesus Christ died upon the tree of the Cross.
He overcame the sin caused by our first parents,
Who ate of the forbidden tree of Paradise in the garden.
We trust in the sacrifice of Jesus, Whose manger points to Calvary.
If there is no cross in the manger, there is no Christmas.

Prayer: Lord Our God,We praise You for the light of Creation:the sun, the moon, and the stars of the night.We praise You for the Light of Israel:the Law, and the prophets,and the wisdom of the Scriptures.We praise You for Jesus Christ, Your Son:He is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Prince of Peace, Who fills us with the wonder of Your love.Lord God, let Your blessing come upon usas we light this tree.May the light and cheer it givesbe a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.May all who delight in this treecome to the knowledge and joy of salvation.

Sing together:
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, a lesson you can teach us.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, a lesson you can teach us.
That hope and love and faithfulness, are precious things we can possess.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, a lesson you can teach us.

Scripture reading – John chapter one (excerpts):
In the very beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. He created everything there is. In Him was life, and this life He gives to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not extinguish it…The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize him when He came. Even in His own land and among his own people, He was not accepted. But to all who believed and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God…the Word became flesh and lived here on earth among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one-and-only Son, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Prayer:
God of glory, let our hearts’ door be ever open, ready to welcome the newborn King.
Let us offer the best we have, to Him who gives us everything…Amen!