Coffee With The Lord

I have been one of those who believe Christians, as a whole, tend to make a great deal out of Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth, and tend to neglect Easter. I’ve always felt we should make a great deal more out of Easter than we do.

This Christmas, however, I’ve re-thought that… Just let me say it this way: THE INCARNATION IS A BIG DEAL! In the incarnation our Creator, the Eternal God, revealed Himself in human flesh. He came down to us! Imagine it…. Almighty God in the womb of a virgin, a baby in diapers, learning to walk and speak, playing with friends in the neighborhood… “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)

Without the incarnation God would be an aloof Creator unable to identify with us – and us with Him. Without the incarnations John the Baptist’s declaration would be meaningless… “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 & 36) – There would be no redemptive significance in Jesus’ death. And what would be the ultimate significance of the resurrection if Jesus were merely a man? What power would it possess over our daily lives right now and our hope of eternal life? What about all the prophetic Scriptures that point to this one to come… the Messiah? I could go on…

Hey, THE INCARNATION IS A BIG DEAL! What happened in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth really matters! Consider what these Scriptures have to say about its significance!

“An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, BECAUSE WHAT IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and THEY WILL CALL HIM IMMANUEL’ (WHICH MEANS ‘GOD WITH US’).” (Matthew 1:20–23 NIV)

Then there is the story of the unusual phenomena in the heavens that served as a significant astrological sign of the birth of a remarkable world leader that drew “the wise men” to Judea to worship Jesus! (Read about it in Matthew 2:1–12) What happened in Bethlehem with the birth of Jesus was a big deal!

Mark’s gospel jumps right to the point. He begins like this: “The beginning of the good news about JESUS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD! ” (Mark 1:1 NIV)

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said… ‘YOU WILL CONCEIVE AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, AND YOU ARE TO CALL HIM JESUS. HE WILL BE GREAT AND WILL BE CALLED THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH… HIS KINGDOM WILL NEVER END.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME ON YOU, AND THE POWER OF THE MOST HIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU. SO THE HOLY ONE TO BE BORN WILL BE CALLED THE SON OF GOD!’” (Luke 1:26–35 NIV)

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS THAT WILL CAUSE GREAT JOY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. TODAY IN THE TOWN OF DAVID A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN TO YOU; HE IS THE MESSIAH, THE LORD.’” (Luke 2:8–11 NIV)

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. IT HAD BEEN REVEALED TO HIM BY THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT HE WOULD NOT DIE BEFORE HE HAD SEEN THE LORD’S MESSIAH. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOUR SALVATION, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.’” (Luke 2:25–32 NIV)

And then there is John’s commentary on the significance of the incarnation… “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. He was with God in the beginning. THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS WERE MADE; WITHOUT HIM NOTHING WAS MADE THAT HAS BEEN MADE. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome 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… THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND MADE HIS DWELLING 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… NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN GOD, BUT THE ONE AND ONLY SON, WHO IS HIMSELF GOD AND IS IN CLOSEST RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER, HAS MADE HIM KNOWN!” (John 1:1-5, 9-12, 14, 18 NIV)

Apostle Paul also speaks about the importance of the incarnation (and this great passage should all be in CAPS!

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the Church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him!” (Colossians 1:15–19 NIV)

Finally, we have the declaration of the writer of Hebrews in the Bible! “In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:1–3 NIV)

Hey… Easter is a big deal! But so is Christmas! It celebrates the “incarnation” – the coming of God in human flesh to be our Lord and Savior!

The end of 2017 is just a few days away… Those in business will be concerned about “the bottom line” in sales, in profits, and the health, or lack of it, in their business enterprise.

The writer of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (Solomon or “Qoheleth”) was on a similar quest regarding what made sense (or lack of it – “vanity”) “under the sun” (i.e. wisdom… “this side of heaven”). He tried everything… He thought long and hard… He examined everything…

This is the way he put it… “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man! For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV)

The entire holiday season… Thanksgiving, Christmas, through New Years… is a time when families often get together.  Idealistic images of times like this fill the media, its advertising and greeting cards.  The facts are, however, that these times often degenerate into times of conflict.  Old wounds, disagreements, and differences of opinion surface and unpleasant fracases surface.  You’ve seen it happen I’m sure!

Hey, it even happens among Christians… Those of whom our Savior said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)

What prompted this reflection and word of caution was my Bible reading this morning during “coffee with the Lord” – 1 John 4:19 – 5:3…

“We love each other because He loved us first.  If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?  And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too.  We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments.  Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome to us.”

In the passage it seems like Apostle John was speaking to a “spiritual family” (who sometimes are more like a “family” than they like to admit!)  In the passage he urged them not only love their “Heavenly Parent” (i.e. their “Heavenly Father”) and obey Him, but to show it by loving one another.  In other words, you can almost picture the Heavenly Father saying… “Com’on!  Listen to me!  Obey what I’m telling you!  Get along with each other!  No, more than that, love one another!  Lay aside petty differences that you have and the things that always cause conflict among yourselves, and love one another!”

So I guess the message for all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus during this holiday season is… Be careful!  And don’t do or say anything that will cause unnecessary conflict… In fact, go out of your way to demonstrate Christ-like love and be a “peacemaker” (Matthew 5:9; Hebrews 12:14)!  Seems like good advice to me – and the Christian thing to do – as we approach our “family gatherings” this Holiday season!