Keep Christ in Christmas III
Worst case scenario time. Imagine if our so-called opposition succeeded. Imagine if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was truly taken out of Christmas. What would happen?
What do I mean? Probably not what you automatically envision. I'm not merely talking about outlawing the mention of the Christ-child in favor of a "Happy Holidays" meet-n-greet. I don't just mean tossing people in the slammer for handing out candy canes because of what they actually stand for. Or taking sledgehammers to Nativity scenes. Those scenarios are pretty bleak, but trust me, there is something worse. Far worse.
By worst-case scenario, I mean: what if there was no controversy? What if we didn't have yearly death duels between Christians and retail stores? What if Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas wasn't even an issue?
How can that be? It's very simple. Take away the root of the controversy. Knock out the one who knocks over the apple cart, and what do you have? An upright cart loaded with apples, of course. And Jesus knocked over quite a few apple carts in His time.
The advent of the Most High was hardly pristine. He didn't arrive surrounded by the decorum of a palace and regal trappings. He entered our corrupt realm as one of us. The spotless Lamb in wolf's clothing. Everything about Jesus defied our expectation. Instead of building Israel's backbone to resist its oppressors, He taught people to love and pray for their enemies. Instead of supporting the authorities who ruled at the time, He spoke of a standard greater than theirs. Forgiveness and reconciliation over eye-for-an-eye, you-spit-in-mine-I'll-spit-in-both-of-yours.
Matthew's gospel specifically paints Jesus as the head-turner, the cart tipper, the living paradox to the way things were supposed to be. Not only for the law system in place, but for the people's predictions of the Messiah. The Sermon on the Mount rams this home. Nearly every passage follows this pattern. "You have heard it said ...but I tell you..." Who did this guy think he was? Claiming to be the only outlet to God? Not just performing miraculous signs, but bestowing forgiveness of sin? Isn't that a bit over the top? Why couldn't this Jesus play by the rules and be safe? Why did He have to constantly endanger himself and his followers by repeatedly tipping the cart?
But Jesus didn't enter the world with any intention of playing it safe. If He was, then He never would have picked the reign of the most heinous, conniving, and cold hearted ruler of Israel to show Himself. It was a sure bet Herod and Jesus were not going to be bosom buddies. The king ordered every male infant in the land to be put to death in a vain attempt to satisfy his paranoia and get this Jesus off his back.
Turns out King Herod's paranoia wasn't entirely unfounded. Jesus was a threat. The biggest. He didn't look like it. In all likelihood, he wouldn't have cracked a pre-ministry Top 25 poll, so unassuming and...non-military ruler he appeared. But that was part of the whole plan. To disturb hearts. To trouble people. To make them turn their heads incredulously. Mission accomplished. They killed him for what he taught, only to learn that not even death itself could hold him back. And his followers grew.
Two thousand years later (roughly), very little has changed. It's not yet unlawful to mention Jesus in public or to wish someone a Merry Christmas, but it's certain to turn a few heads or rub some people the wrong way. The controversy has entered our retail stores and local markets. It's a hot button on the talk-show circuit, sports interviews, and just about every media outlet you can think of. Dr. Samuel Lockridge was on to something when he proclaimed Jesus to be "the supreme problem in higher criticism." Jesus and everything (and everyone) about Him continues to tip the cart.
So what if Jesus was never born? You'll excuse me for borrowing the overused concept from "It's a Wonderful Life." But what if the prophecies went unfulfilled? What if a Savior never entered the world? How might things be different? Would the controversy simply dissipate, as if it never existed? What would be left of our world?
Well, I'm pretty sure I'd still be here. You too probably. And your family. Friends. Neighbors. But what's changed? A world without Christ is a dark, decrepit and sinful abode. A place without Yahweh in human flesh is Galatians 2:21 - we still try to be upholders of righteousness through the law. By removing Jesus Christ, we remove our Divine Intercessor, the one who goes before God for our favor, enduring the painful death of a religious zealot in doing so.
Without Christ, our whole defense dries up. We wouldn't last a second in a court of law. We may profess to be Christians, but upon what do we base our beliefs? More to the point, where's the evidence? To use a song by Steven Curtis Chapman, "what about the change? What about the difference?" Without a spotless intercessor, there is no change. All that remains is our basic sinful nature. That will never win over a jury no matter how smooth or convincing we sound.
No Salvation Army. No Red Cross. Women might still be property in the eyes of men. Mass infanticides like Bethlehem's wake. Cannibalism. Slavery. Removal of political influence by the people. Science losing its roots steeped in a Divine Creator Being. Again, we may profess to be Christians and argue that such things are wrong, but on what grounds? Who intercedes on our behalf? If all the proof that we can lay on the table is our own view, it's bankrupt. Because it's no different than anyone else's.
And perhaps most stark, death truly is the end. I'd hate to be a pastor and live in a world without Jesus. What do you say to the elderly, the infirm, the dying? What words of comfort can you possibly offer them without hope everlasting as embodied in Jesus' death and resurrection? Words are empty. Once they pass, they truly leave us.
I don't write this to encourage others to go burn down Wal-Mart or Target for saying Happy Holidays. I have friends who work there and hey, they sell things that I need. That's not my point. It is my hope this worst-case scenario fuels our determination. If we want people to see the living Christ in us, we must embody Him in all that we do. Take His words and hide them closely in our hearts, then live them out. Hold to His teachings of love, of mercy, of compassion and forgiveness. Before we rush ahead to condemn our fellow man, remember that Jesus Christ interceded for us in the most unexpected of ways. Before we try to claim the moral high ground, recall the One Who descended to the lowest of the low, in life & death, for the salvation of our souls.
In short, make an impact in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads. Even if that means tipping over a few apple carts along the way.
What do I mean? Probably not what you automatically envision. I'm not merely talking about outlawing the mention of the Christ-child in favor of a "Happy Holidays" meet-n-greet. I don't just mean tossing people in the slammer for handing out candy canes because of what they actually stand for. Or taking sledgehammers to Nativity scenes. Those scenarios are pretty bleak, but trust me, there is something worse. Far worse.
By worst-case scenario, I mean: what if there was no controversy? What if we didn't have yearly death duels between Christians and retail stores? What if Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas wasn't even an issue?
How can that be? It's very simple. Take away the root of the controversy. Knock out the one who knocks over the apple cart, and what do you have? An upright cart loaded with apples, of course. And Jesus knocked over quite a few apple carts in His time.
The advent of the Most High was hardly pristine. He didn't arrive surrounded by the decorum of a palace and regal trappings. He entered our corrupt realm as one of us. The spotless Lamb in wolf's clothing. Everything about Jesus defied our expectation. Instead of building Israel's backbone to resist its oppressors, He taught people to love and pray for their enemies. Instead of supporting the authorities who ruled at the time, He spoke of a standard greater than theirs. Forgiveness and reconciliation over eye-for-an-eye, you-spit-in-mine-I'll-spit-in-both-of-yours.
Matthew's gospel specifically paints Jesus as the head-turner, the cart tipper, the living paradox to the way things were supposed to be. Not only for the law system in place, but for the people's predictions of the Messiah. The Sermon on the Mount rams this home. Nearly every passage follows this pattern. "You have heard it said ...but I tell you..." Who did this guy think he was? Claiming to be the only outlet to God? Not just performing miraculous signs, but bestowing forgiveness of sin? Isn't that a bit over the top? Why couldn't this Jesus play by the rules and be safe? Why did He have to constantly endanger himself and his followers by repeatedly tipping the cart?
But Jesus didn't enter the world with any intention of playing it safe. If He was, then He never would have picked the reign of the most heinous, conniving, and cold hearted ruler of Israel to show Himself. It was a sure bet Herod and Jesus were not going to be bosom buddies. The king ordered every male infant in the land to be put to death in a vain attempt to satisfy his paranoia and get this Jesus off his back.
Turns out King Herod's paranoia wasn't entirely unfounded. Jesus was a threat. The biggest. He didn't look like it. In all likelihood, he wouldn't have cracked a pre-ministry Top 25 poll, so unassuming and...non-military ruler he appeared. But that was part of the whole plan. To disturb hearts. To trouble people. To make them turn their heads incredulously. Mission accomplished. They killed him for what he taught, only to learn that not even death itself could hold him back. And his followers grew.
Two thousand years later (roughly), very little has changed. It's not yet unlawful to mention Jesus in public or to wish someone a Merry Christmas, but it's certain to turn a few heads or rub some people the wrong way. The controversy has entered our retail stores and local markets. It's a hot button on the talk-show circuit, sports interviews, and just about every media outlet you can think of. Dr. Samuel Lockridge was on to something when he proclaimed Jesus to be "the supreme problem in higher criticism." Jesus and everything (and everyone) about Him continues to tip the cart.
So what if Jesus was never born? You'll excuse me for borrowing the overused concept from "It's a Wonderful Life." But what if the prophecies went unfulfilled? What if a Savior never entered the world? How might things be different? Would the controversy simply dissipate, as if it never existed? What would be left of our world?
Well, I'm pretty sure I'd still be here. You too probably. And your family. Friends. Neighbors. But what's changed? A world without Christ is a dark, decrepit and sinful abode. A place without Yahweh in human flesh is Galatians 2:21 - we still try to be upholders of righteousness through the law. By removing Jesus Christ, we remove our Divine Intercessor, the one who goes before God for our favor, enduring the painful death of a religious zealot in doing so.
Without Christ, our whole defense dries up. We wouldn't last a second in a court of law. We may profess to be Christians, but upon what do we base our beliefs? More to the point, where's the evidence? To use a song by Steven Curtis Chapman, "what about the change? What about the difference?" Without a spotless intercessor, there is no change. All that remains is our basic sinful nature. That will never win over a jury no matter how smooth or convincing we sound.
No Salvation Army. No Red Cross. Women might still be property in the eyes of men. Mass infanticides like Bethlehem's wake. Cannibalism. Slavery. Removal of political influence by the people. Science losing its roots steeped in a Divine Creator Being. Again, we may profess to be Christians and argue that such things are wrong, but on what grounds? Who intercedes on our behalf? If all the proof that we can lay on the table is our own view, it's bankrupt. Because it's no different than anyone else's.
And perhaps most stark, death truly is the end. I'd hate to be a pastor and live in a world without Jesus. What do you say to the elderly, the infirm, the dying? What words of comfort can you possibly offer them without hope everlasting as embodied in Jesus' death and resurrection? Words are empty. Once they pass, they truly leave us.
I don't write this to encourage others to go burn down Wal-Mart or Target for saying Happy Holidays. I have friends who work there and hey, they sell things that I need. That's not my point. It is my hope this worst-case scenario fuels our determination. If we want people to see the living Christ in us, we must embody Him in all that we do. Take His words and hide them closely in our hearts, then live them out. Hold to His teachings of love, of mercy, of compassion and forgiveness. Before we rush ahead to condemn our fellow man, remember that Jesus Christ interceded for us in the most unexpected of ways. Before we try to claim the moral high ground, recall the One Who descended to the lowest of the low, in life & death, for the salvation of our souls.
In short, make an impact in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads. Even if that means tipping over a few apple carts along the way.
posted by david @ 11:58 PM
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