The Prophesies of Christmas - Out of Egypt

Hosea 11:1-5 “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.  The more they called them, the more they went from them; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, and I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; and I bent down and fed them. They will not return to the land of Egypt; but Assyria--he will be their king because they refused to return to Me.”

Matthew 2:1-15 “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
        'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
         ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
         FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
         WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."
After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."

Hosea - Hosea is the first of the minor prophets, of which there are 12. They were often collected into one scroll as a unit, comparable to the major prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He was the only one of the 12 from the northern kingdom of Israel, and his prophecy is primarily directed to that country. In Chapter 11 we see a glimpse of God’s love for Israel in a reference to God bringing the nation out of bondage from Egypt. We read that passage earlier, and then the one where Matthew, under the inspiration of the Spirit, applies it to Jesus. Just as Israel, as an infant nation went down into Egypt, so the child Jesus went there. And as Israel was led by God out of Egypt, so also was Jesus. We don’t think Jesus was there long, but we know that they did not return until King Herod died, which was 4 BC. That is why scholars suggest that Jesus was born around 6 BC. There is a spiritual application here found in the fulfillment of this prophecy. I want to go on a slightly different track and suggest we focus on the journey itself. Mary and Josepph, with baby Jesus walking down to Egypt and back, carrying what they could. When Heather was a few weeks old we had to move. It was very hard, and the place we moved to was only temporary so much stayed packed. It was about having to leave a place more than going somewhere else. It was hard, and I imagine it was really hard for Mary and Joseph to make that trek.

Luggage - Whenever you see someone in a movie trying to rush with a suitcase you know it is going to fling open at a most inopportune moment. You hear stories of luggage coming down the ramp all taped up or in a sealed plastic bag because they got mangled in transport. We are off to Toronto for 4 days on the 28th and I hope our luggage stays with us rather than taking a scenic route. I remember dropping my brother off at the airport in Montreal in 2000 - he was headed with his family to Cameroon. He had shipped some stuff ahead, but he had these big tubs with straps wrapped around them, doing his best to make sure everything stayed in one piece on the long trip. On the journey of life we pick up luggage and baggage. Some of it is good, some of it not so good. Our attitudes and outlook are shaped by events and people in our lives, so that when we look at ourselves we are rather complex people. You see me as a simple, handsome pastor; but I am a twin, born last of 5 children, lived in 3 provinces with various experiences in post secondary education and relationships both deep and shallow that have come and gone. I have been on a journey with ups and downs for 46 years; and I have luggage with me. As I try to follow Jesus with all I got, sometimes I have to adjust it. A bag slips off my shoulder and interferes with something else I am doing. Sometimes our luggage is about how we perceive ourselves - our self esteem.  Sometimes it is about emotions we carry with us, like anger or compassion. Sometimes it drives us to be mean, or to be nice. And God calls us out of Egypt. He calls out of normal, complacent life, out of bondage to be on a journey with Him. We need to be cognizant of the luggage we carry with us. Maybe we have arrived, maybe not. Let us take a few moments today to consider some of the people in the Christmas story and the luggage they carried on their journey. Maybe we can relate to some of their luggage and be reminded of how we can lighten our load.

Joseph - In 2003 Bonnie and I moved from Ontario to Alberta. In early June of that year I was having a conversation with a guy I was doing some yard work for. I had been talking to him about my inability to find a job and the sense that maybe we would look out in Alberta where Bonnie’s parents lived. He said he was leaving in 4 days with an open flatbed trailer to pick up an antique car in Vancouver and that he could take some stuff out to Stettler for us. Ben was just over 2 and Heather was 4 months old. By the time we had made the decision we had 3 days to pack and load a trailer; and so we travelled to a distant land. We had little time, but the opportunity was there. Joseph had the burden of a baby and new wife from the get-go. He had to look after a family, when he had been thinking he had time to live a little with his new wife. And then when the baby is young, he is told in a dream to go to Egypt. The Bible says they left that night. They had no time to pack. Up, out the door with what you can grab, and on the road. In a very real sense he had very little luggage; but he had the care of his young family - a big responsibility. What did he do with his luggage? He left it before God, and when God said move, he did. He trusted that God knew his situation and left it all in God’s hands. When God spoke Joseph responded with obedience. This Christmas season, what is God speaking to you about? God already knows what is in your luggage, all the stuff that goes with you. He accepts you and calls you as you are. Don’t delay - follow Him in obedience. He’ll help you with your luggage.

Wise men - The Magi were burdened with stuff… a lot of it. I can’t relate to them. Much of life has been lived from pay check to pay check it seems. For most people, that is life, whether old or young. This economy has shaken things up even more. But the Magi had lots of resources. What did they spend it on? Bonnie is reading a book about the church in the Facebook age. The guy who founded it went from $0 to $3 Billion in 3 years. Can you get your head around it? What would you do?  The Magi didn’t just spend it on themselves, but put it towards pursuing God and ultimately, a new King. They were not in it for what they could get. It wasn’t about “investing” or reserving a place of honour with royalty. They travelled far, found the object of their search, left their gifts and went home. There’s the saying that “wise men still seek Jesus”. They had the baggage of stuff. Stuff is funny. We think we own possessions, but possessions tend to own us. The more we have, the more we have to lose. We hold on to it tighter and tighter. The Magi gave their luggage away. The secret to stuff is to not hang on to it to tightly. I am told when you hold the reins of a horse, you hold them loosely. The same is true with stuff. The Bible says we are just stewards of it anyways. What lasts? What goes into eternity? The only thing is people. Use your stuff then, to help people, to glorify God. In the Muslim community in Waterloo, Ontario, they wanted to build a community center. How did they do that? Half the people sold their homes and went to live with the other half. They gave the money for the church, for their community; and they will stay with the other family until they can get back on their feet financially. They understand that the stuff is just something to be used. Have you ever heard of Evangelicals doing that to build a new church? And how did God use the magi’s stuff? It came right when they had to leave for Egypt. God used it to provide the costs for the long trip and the stay in Egypt. God’s grace works in wondrous ways. Don’t hang onto stuff to hard this season. Enjoy the gifts, but see how God can use them in the New Year.

Mary - Even Mary had luggage? Think about it - raising the Son of God? The Messiah? Talk about walking down a road with a heavy load, a big responsibility! A young mother, probably 14 or so years of age, is told she has the Savior of the world in her arms. A couple days ago the Queen of England surprised travellers when she took a commuter train to the country for a holiday. She had no luggage and a single body guard. A little girl was ready and gave the queen some flowers. How would you be if royalty or deity were suddenly in your care? Some of the luggage we carry is about our self esteem. We think we could never be worthy enough, good enough for the queen let alone God Incarnate. God has reached down at Christmas and raised us up. We don’t have to do anything but respond to God’s unmerited favour, His relentless love. If you are caring that kind of luggage, let it go. It is not worth anything, because it simply is not true. God created you, and though this fallen world tries to mess you and your life up, don’t go down that road. Let the One who created you ignite that spark of wonder at God who does new things. He did a new thing through Mary and Joseph. He wants your life that He paid for in blood because He loves you so much. He wants to refine you so you may be ever more in relationship with Him.

Shepherds - burdened with a message. They had angelic illumination… what do you do with that? A message straight from God’s messengers, just for them! They went and saw what the angel said was true… then what? Back to the same old - same old? Have you ever had an event change your life? I imagine those shepherds were never the same. In their heart was the words that were for all people; Good News for all the people! A Savior has been born! How many years would it take for them to forget those words, that experience of seeing the little baby? How long before the need to tell others the Good News would pass? Each of us has a message about eternity in our hearts. We have had a visitation from God if we are His children and Jesus is the One we follow. When was the last time we shared the message that Jesus saves to someone who has not heard. Jesus gives us opportunities and courage and the words - we need to open our eyes and look for them. We all have a bit of the shepherds in us. Share the Good News that you have been given this season.

Baby Jesus - Luggage? Even Him? Remember where He was before He was born? In the incarnation Jesus took the form of a bondservant, giving up much that was rightly His. He became focused on His mission, so that the wood of the cradle rubs up against the timber of the cross. One of the reasons I believe in free will, that we have a choice, is because I believe Jesus had a choice. The mystery of salvation was that God Himself became the sacrificial Lamb. In the midst of all heaven He turned his back on right and privilege. He carried with Him what could be, maybe even should be, and subjected it to His Father’s will. He prayed, “Not My will but Yours be done.” There is a humility in what He did that He modelled for us.

It is time to let go of the luggage and baggage you have. Follow in the steps of Jesus and pursue Him and His will for your life. What better time than Christmas to renew your life and commitment to Jesus. As we close this service, take the time you need to put Him in His rightful place as Lord of your life.

The Prophecies of Christmas - Throne of David

Isaiah 9:1-7 “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore the zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."

There is a song by Wes King called Life Is Precious. A line in there stands out for me: “I can’t imagine not being able to see.” I knew a man legally blind that God used in wonderful ways even though his life was spent in darkness and blur. What a precious thing being able to see is. There are blind people all around us, and indeed, once we were blind but now we see.

Verse 2 “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” This verse talks about mystery being unveiled; about coming to understand something which was previously hidden. What is the true nature of salvation? What is God really doing in our midst? For the Jews in 700 BC the answer was coming. Everything will be made plain. The Messiah will bring about the culmination of their hopes and plans. He will fulfill their prophecies that God has been speaking to them. He would usher in a new age… It just wasn’t what they were expecting. They thought He was going to be a King, and free them from the oppression they were in. They thought that all the promises and blessings were about stuff, about this flesh and blood. How short sighted is that? It is so obvious to us today about what God was doing down through history. But what do we think today is about? Do we still think God’s blessing is about stuff? Even today we need the Light of the World to illuminate our understanding. We need Jesus just as much today as the nation Israel did 2700 years ago.

Verses 3-5 “You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.”
And today I still don’t have all the answers. I know enough to know that God is beyond me. I cannot hope to fully understand His thoughts and ways, even though He has revealed so much of Himself to me, to us. I don’t understand free will, and how it relates to people. There are people who use their choices to control, hurt and even kill others. Others who have no chance. What have I to offer the one who has grown up with an abusive and alcoholic parent? What chance in life do those orphaned by AIDS in Africa where an older brother of 8 years of age has to look after his brothers and sisters because both parents are gone? How do I offer hope to those who are suffering untold horror at the hands of others? The best I can do is talk of the grace of God who went through much of what we have gone through, to the point of dying on a cross. He knows our lives and He can relate; and some day we will be in a place when all the answers will be made clear. While it may not happen in this life, we know there is a day coming when we shall see Jesus face to face, and all will be known. In that day there will no more tears and pain. No more will people take advantage of one another because we will be in God’s presence and we will be all we can be in Jesus. Satan, sin, and death will never again be known. And the light of the glory of God will shine upon us forever. Stand firm in your faith today, and you answer will come in the end.

Verse 6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” And we know the story of Jesus. We know He was born to be a King like no other. But what of those names in Isaiah?

Wonderful Counsellor: Ever go to someone for help? Ever been disappointed by someone who thought could help you? My brother Dan was in Thailand at some meetings. His left knee swelled up and was quite painful, so he went to a doctor and they said you have gout. They gave him no help other than a diagnosis and that gout is from eating shellfish and too much red meat. He doesn’t like shell fish and all he had was a Big Mac. So he goes back to Cameroon, where there are no McDonalds, and goes to a doctor there. That doctor says, “You have gout.” Well, he was still in pain, so he goes to a third doctor, and they say, “You have gout. Oh, and all you have to do is take this medication.” Well, after a day and a half on the medication he is finally pain-free. The first 2 professionals gave him no real help, and just told him what he could have found out for himself on the internet. Isn’t it nice when you find someone who can help?
Jesus is our Wonderful Counsellor. Wonderful regularly means supernatural, so we understand the Messiah as a supernatural counsellor. But even if wonderful just meant wonderful, think of the extreme wonderfulness of what He did. At His first coming, Jesus brought words of eternal life. He not only showed us the way to live, He made it possible! In Christ we are free from being slaves to sin. How wonderful is that? A lot better than settling a painful knee problem - although it is wonderful to have our physical needs helped too. When Jesus comes again, He will rule with perfect wisdom and grace. He will gather us all to be with Him. It just doesn’t get better than that.

Mighty God: We are shopping one day and we see this package in the grocery store. It was two bumpy rubber balls and the packaging claimed it will keep your laundry fresh and static free. Just throw them in the dryer and you are good to go. I found they work better if you throw a fabric softener sheet in with them. So instead of just a fabric softener sheet, we have a fabric softener sheet and 2 bumpy rubber balls in the dryer. Have you ever had something that didn’t live up to its claim? The Messiah is our Mighty God - that’s a pretty big item on a resume!
This is a term applied to Yahweh and scholars suggest refers to the Messiah’s ultimate triumph over evil. That happened at Jesus’ resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that Jesus conquered Satan, sin and death! You want someone on your side? Look to Jesus who is the Mighty God, and sits at the right hand of the Father.  Revelation reveals that He will accomplish what He wills, and that the “good guys” win. Even today He can heal physically and emotionally and socially and mentally. He is a Mighty God, and He loves you and I.

Eternal Father: There are many bad fathers out there. There are fathers who have abused their spouse and kids. There are fathers who have abandoned their families. There are fathers who have wrecked lives all around them because of addictions and weaknesses. If you are one of those children who had a father like that, seek Jesus. He will always be there. He will always provide. Understand Him in the big picture. You may have had a lousy life, but God was there with you in that lousiness. In the grief He was there. In the celebration He was there. Sometimes He performs the miraculous; sometimes He lets the fallen nature of this world run its course. In the light of eternity, God is doing a wonderful work in you. 2 Corinthians 4 says “16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison”. God is in the business of refining your spiritual nature. You may think He owes you good stuff, but He doesn’t owe you anything. He died while you were selfish and doing your own thing. He died while you ignored Him and His creation so you could pursue your own selfish stuff. He died, so that if you turn to Him, He will grant you life eternal and life anew in the spirit. He is your Eternal Father. He really does have your back.

Prince of Peace:  Bonnie has a character in her new book that sits above a river on the bank, listening to the wind and watching the trees swaying; and he really is beside himself. As he reflects on the nature around him he is transported to a place peace, in spite of the circumstances he finds himself in. He knows that God is Sovereign. At the heart of that Sovereign God is love for His creation, and He longs to give you that peace that passes all understanding. He calls us to rest in Him. I don’t know your troubles, but I do know it is not God that has caused it. Man, in his sin, has really messed things up. The angels told the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth Peace among men…”

There is a day coming when Jesus will return in all His glory. He will not be coming as a baby, but as a King. He will not come to just dwell, but to rule. He will right all the wrongs, and straighten all the crooked. The Bible says to look up, for the day draws nigh. Reflect this season on the Messiah who is coming again. Celebrate His incarnation, but be encouraged, for He will come again to live with Him in a place He has been preparing for over 2,000 years.

The Prophecies of Christmas - Emmanuel

Isaiah 7:10-16 “Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven."
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!"
Then he said, "Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.”

Matthew 1:18-25 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

The History Lesson: 
Isaiah was born into an influential, upper class family. In his 60 years (from 740-680 BC) he rubbed shoulders with royalty and gave advice against foreign alliances, encouraging Judah to trust the Lord. He also says much about the redemptive work of the Messiah and says more about the person and work of Christ than any other book of the Old Testament. He attacked the social ills of the day as he say saw those abuses as symptoms of spiritual declension. Most of his life was lived in Jerusalem and tradition says he was martyred during the reign of Manasseh. He saw the northern kingdom carried off into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 BC.

Ahaz was king in Judah. The northern kingdom (Ephraim) and Syria (Aram) were rebelling against their overlord, Assyria. They were attempting to force Judah into their alliance, even if it meant disposing Ahaz and substituting a puppet king in his place. What was Ahaz to do? Isaiah was given a word from the Lord that Ahaz should just trust in the Lord and all would be well. Ahaz was inclined to trust in Assyria - again, an outside nation, rather than God. He said the right words, but God knew his heart; so when Ahaz wouldn’t ask for a sign, God gave him one. And the sign was this - “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” This prophecy referred to a young woman who was unmarried at the time, and within 12 years the people against Ahaz were indeed forsaken and taken over by Assyria.

How it was Applied:
That may have been the end of those words, but it wasn’t. Another person echoed those words, and said that passage from Isaiah was Messianic; that the Anointed One was foretold to have been born of a virgin, and that His name would be Emmanuel, or God With Us. In his book Matthew gives us the “Jewish” slant of the life of Jesus. He wrote this Gospel to Jews to answer their questions about Jesus of Nazareth who claimed to be their Messiah. So in Matthew 1:22-23 we find this: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

An old segment of the church get really caught up in the wrong part of this prophecy. They get stuck on the virgin birth, and begin to postulate that must mean something else for Mary and how she was born. They raise Mary to a place between us and God, when this verse really emphasizes God with us and that the Mediator has come - His name is Jesus for He shall save the people from their sins. The wonder of Jesus is not really how He was born, but that He was born. A little baby, in the middle of an oppressed, tiny country, in a manger because there was no room in the inn; yet it was God incarnate. John 1 says that He was in the world and that He came to His own. Would we have done any better? The Jews were caught up in the Law, in tradition, in their synagogues. How they did things were so important, because God had given them the Law. What they couldn’t understand was how a man could fulfill the Law, and in its fulfilling the Law was replaced with a New Covenant. They didn’t get the “God with us” part. We look back and see how plain and simple the Gospel is, that Jesus did what no man could, and in doing that left us the promise that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name”. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

And God is still among us. Revelation 3 says that He stands at the door of our heart and knocks, and if we open up to Him He will come in. God is with us…today; but is He in your heart? People in Israel of long ago were staying in an inn, snoring through the night without realizing what was happening in the shed out back. People passed Mary and Joseph as they made their way down to Egypt. They would travel through Nazareth, perhaps even picking up a yoke from Joseph the carpenter without realizing that one of the kids running around the place was the Son of God. They never noticed nor gave it another thought that they were in the presence of deity. People are out in this city shopping till they drop, planning Grey Cup parties, working and doing the stuff of life - all passing by the One who can answer their deepest longings and questions. They put it off because they are so busy, too important, they don’t feel the urgency of the hour. They missed the very presence of the Creator of the Ends of the Earth in their midst. So we go out, just as the disciples did, and tell people about what we have seen and experienced: indeed, the Son of God is with us. Don’t miss His presence in your life because you are too busy or too upset with Him. Understand that God can be in your life in all that you do.

Applying it Today:
Our culture has materialized so much of life. We have to find that balance between living in this world as salt and light and living an incarnational faith. Christians have always looked at the world and seen the Gospel wherever they find themselves. They early church used a fish, as in the Greek the acrostic Jesus, Christ, God’s  Son, Savior spelled “FISH” (Icthus). We have crosses on or inside our buildings. What if we came to North America today and it was totally secular? How would we talk about the Gospel? This holiday season let us remember that God is with us.

When you look at a Christmas tree, remember the wood of the manger that rubs up against the wood of the cross. Jesus was lifted up on a tree, and in being lifted up brought salvation near for us all.

When you see the lights, think of the stars in the night sky and how the Wisemen followed one star to Jesus. On top of the tree we often see an angel, not unlike one who came with the proclamation of the Good News and of peace toward men to the shepherds. When you see the gifts decorated with colourful paper and bows and ribbons, be reminded of the greatest gift, that God came among us and gave His life so that we would have relationship with Him restored anew. When you see the candy cane be reminded of the purity of the lamb dying on the cross, His blood shed so that like a Shepherd He could rescue His beloved sheep.

Let the dark nights remind us of what we were saved from, that God pulled us out of darkness, of being slaves to sin, and set us free. You see that jolly old Santa, a marketing icon given its final form by the Coca Cola company, know that Jesus died for him as much as the next person. When you see the colourful decorations, think of that celebration when we shall see Jesus face to face.

I am not saying that we “spiritualize” everything. I am saying we need to relate our faith to the culture today, because God is with us today. His presence is more than history, it is beyond history. His presence is more than building and hymns and choruses. It is more than stuff, it is beyond stuff. Live your life in the truth that God is with you, in your life, right now, and throughout your week. Open your life and your mind to that understanding, that truth. Surrender to Him and let Him do a miracle this holiday season in and through you.