I am choosing to publish this post from several years ago in celebration of our Christ and the hope for love and peace in our world. For the Kingdom to come . . .

My wife calls me a grinch after the children’s story of the gremlin that tried to steal Christmas.  I’m not against Christmas.  I am against 1) the commercialization of Christmas and 2) the ongoing secular takeover of the Christmas holiday and subsequent separation of the “baby Jesus” from the beaten, scorned and betrayed Savior who arose triumphant from the grave.

Christmas does have it’s own joy and life as it embodies the hope of genuine reconciliation to God.  But this was kept secret until after His death and resurrection.  So much of the story was was kept hidden such that there may have been many thousand people who saw the young Jesus but had no idea that he was indeed the Christ [ the prophesied, anticipated and heralded Messiah].  The context of the story was that four hundred years had passed since a prophet had transmitted a word from God.  After such a long time, it would seem that God had forsaken us, that we were forlorn and lost.

But there were indeed “Good tidings of Great Joy” that the foretold Savior had come.  Isaiah declared “His name would be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  Of his Kingdom there would [will] be no end.”  [Isaiah 9:6-7a]

But only a few people actually celebrated the first Christmas.  The marvelous virgin-birth of the God-man, King of Kings was only REVEALED to a few as told by Luke the physician.  First were the shepherds watching their flocks.  Next the devout Simeon, who prayed for a chance to see God’s fulfillment of the promise.  Because he sought to see the Messiah and vigorously followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Anna the prophetess was at the temple also.  She saw the child and began an anthem of praise, declaring to everyone how the child would bring Jerusalem out of bondage.

The Magi were the last.  I wrote about them last year {http://www.phatonfruit.net/2015/12/25/the-faith-of-the-magi/}.  They traveled far to worship the coming King.  They arrived bearing gifts and were overwhelmed as they saw him.  They like those mentioned above, saw him for who he is.  He was not hidden in plain sight, He was revealed for who He is . . . and they beheld His glory.

The fourth chapter of Luke describes a scene infamously used by preachers everywhere.  Jesus came to the temple in Nazareth as was His habit.  He came to speak and was handed the scroll containing Isaiah 61:1-2:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

He said that the scripture was being fulfilled at that very moment.  The text announces the mission of the Messiah and by reading it in their hearing, he implied that he was Messiah.  They were not inclined to believe that was true.  He knew they were looking for miraculous signs like he performed in Capernaum.  Then they attempted to become familiar with Him.

Jesus quoted an old proverb: “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” He continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

This truth remains inviolate and I reflect on it often.  I sometimes wonder if my fortune would have been different if I had departed from my home town. 

Jesus went on to share historic truth declaring that though there were many widows in Israel, Elijah was sent to a gentile woman.  And though there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha but only Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.   The implication was that this crowd in Nazareth would miss a blessing because they are out-of-sync with the move of God. 

This infuriated the crowd.  They forced him out of town and soon reached a cliff where they would have thrown him to his death, but he slipped through the crowd and left.  They led him out of town, if they didn’t carry him, but he eluded them all and walked away.  I frequently re-tell this story to young people as a way of illustrating the sheer power and restraint [read mercy] of our Lord.

Dear reader, I have encountered many scrapes, fiery interactions and insults but, I’ve never been taken captive by a crowd for the purpose of being violently lynched.  If I had, I would be hard pressed to continue with my ministry under that kind of duress. 

This is not the worst, nor would it be the last time people would show extreme malice to our Savior. Yet, in spite of all of this, he continued steadfast to die for us.  He didn’t quit or return evil for evil. 

The last few years have been pivotal as we have seen extraordinary upheaval as a result of the COVID pandemic.  So many have experienced so much isolation creating so much desperation and chaos.  We must show the kind of resolve that Christ showed even as we plead with the Holy Spirit to assist us

No matter where you look, it seems that the civility, the finesse the restraint that used to characterize public interactions is gone missing.  Stuck with so much controversy and angst, I ran across Matthew 18:3

3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt+18%3A3-5&version=NIV>

As I look at people in 2022, I begin to wonder whether anyone is interested in humbling themselves.  We have arrived at a stage where the notion of people treating each other with grace and civility seems remote.  This is said in the backdrop of the pandemic when our bottled up and sequestered crazy birthed in us litters of new crazy, crying and squealing for soothing. 

One needs only to catch the news to see the seething anger and contempt across the world.  As foretold, nation against nation, brother against brother.  Nevertheless, we need not lose hope.

We, the kingdom citizens must again use the mantra that brought about the advent of the dispensation of grace: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  Repent means change your  thinking and we have been lulled into a conformist mindset with the world.  And we, Kingdom Citizens are as angry and resentful as anyone else.

We call ourselves Christian, but do we hold contempt in our hearts for abortionists and/or rights advocates?  For the LGBTQ+ community?  For the gun toters and militia men?  Repent!  Change your mind!  Our constitution forbids avarice & contempt (see I Cor. 13)

The spirit that allows puffed-up haughtiness and arrogance is not humbled.  The word humble derived from the Latin “humus” meaning the ground i.e. clear footing on the ground to understand one’s stature.  Jesus insists that we must be brought down to a child’s lowliness that is not pretentious or conformist with the world.

The church must rid itself of pride.  If we don’t do it, the next shaking, whether it be COVID or World War will drive carnal Christians out of hiding.  Narcissistic, superior, prideful people need not apply.   Declarations of people that cannot or will not forgive others who have offended them; your pride, ruthlessness and avarice will be your downfall.

I am learning to deny my flesh its satisfaction, its revenge, its bloodlust.  That becomes the price of admission to the Kingdom (Jesus paid it all).  Until I rid myself of all of it, I cannot even see the Kingdom.  We are called to love mercy in awe of the Divine love that granted us mercy, so undeserved.  We are to show mercy wherever in our power to do so.  This cannot be done in pride,  God gives grace to the humble.

The Word of God is alive, mystic and illustrative. The Holy Spirit inspired it all and through Saint Paul gave us these verses:

Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ² Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our ^[a]hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power]. ³ And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; ⁴ and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. ⁵ Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205&version=KJV,AMP>

We learn to rejoice in problems and trials and while we learn that it is a process  but it is not so enjoyable on its face.  We also know that these problems teach us how to wait [without complaint, to quiet our wants and selfish motives ⥤ focus on things outside ourselves]

This tedious patience ≳

this waiting on the Lord≳

This refusal to give up ⥤

This is the aim and goal of character building He employs for our benefit.  These tense periods are so difficult that He personally mediates how long they last. His good pleasure is to give us the Kingdom.

All of this brings about experience→ Nothing compares to experience↡                      as a change agent

Experience informs pain, tolerance

     depth;

     renders time meaningless

Experience is the difference between fathers, young men and children [I John 2:13]

This is the victory; not strength, nor stamina

Experience provides the ability for patience to flourish; patience begins to wane without reinforcement.

Experience always re-assures that “God is in control”

Experience takes us to the future where hope abides

We dare not lose hope or faith, two invaluable footholds as we make the climb . . . 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.   [2 Corinthians 4:8-10]