Christmas is Upon Us!

The day has arrived, the eve of the Nativity of Our Lord. What a fabulous night. The dark clouds of Advent have burst forth in radiant light, brightening the nighttime sky. The Incarnation, Christ our Lord is with us! The prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled, for unto us this night, a Savior is born! He will be called Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.”

This is a night of great celebration and joy. God has come down in the form of a human being to take on sin and death and banish them forever. This is the night that a quiet hush lays over the land, despite all the ruckus in Bethlehem. Salvation Incarnate is upon us. Angels sing their magnificent song in the heavens. Mary and Joseph have faithfully served the Lord and accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Lift up your voice this night and praise God. For the most profound event in the history of the world has taken place. A light burns brightly in the little stable as shepherds abandon their flocks and rush to witness this magnificent event. Grace abounds as the baby Jesus stretches his self in great pleasure.

In the Far East Wise Men studying the nighttime skies see a new star, a star that beacons them to follow. Light is everywhere. The world will never know such a profound peace as this again in its history. The heir to David’s throne lies in swaddling clothes in the tiny manger. Yet this is no warrior Savior, Christ came into the world as a humble servant to the world. His ministry and mission are to the lost, the lame, the blind, the sick and the outcast.

Jesus is here, so lift up your voices with the angels and rejoice singing Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!  The Savior of the world has arrived and in him we will know true freedom and happiness. He will open the doors of salvation to all, both Gentile and Jew.

O come O come Emmanuel! The King of peace is sent as a ransom for our salvific hope. The world has been turned upside down in the wee hours of this first Christmas morn. A babe is born to rule over nations, not through earthly might and power, but through love. God has redeemed us unto himself.

I wish you all a most Merry Christmas and may the love of Christ abide with you always!

God's Gifts our Choice

During this time of Christmas we have much to celebrate. First and foremost we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, who was conceived as fully human, yet fully divine in order to set us free from the bondage of sin and death. But during Christmas it has become our tradition to exchange physical gifts or presents as well. It is a time of much anticipation of not only the coming of Christ, but also what kind of presents we will receive or give. Presents are fun, and receiving them as well as giving them is quite rewarding to our psyche. Yet God bestows upon us spiritual gifts that God expects us to not only receive with joy, but to share with joy as well.

What spiritual gifts do we have to offer our Lord Jesus? God bestows upon each of us special gifts that only we possess. Will we use them for God’s work and mission, or will we use them solely for our own benefit? Worse yet, will we bury them and not use them at all?

The Apostle Paul lists seven gifts of the Spirit, yet there are so many more that God blesses upon each one of us. Why? The answer is that we are each unique in the eyes of God. God loves all those who are faithful to God equally. God loves us unconditionally and asks us to do the same for one another. Thus we have spiritual gifts that we share with each other, making up the full Body of Christ.

No spiritual gift is less than another. They may be very different in nature, but it takes all of them together to make up the Body. We are like a symphony. We are made up of diverse instruments, which make different sounds, but together make harmonious and beautiful music. When we offer our spiritual gifts to Christ’s service they are used to make the world a more harmonious and beautiful place.

So as we enter this Christmas season, what spiritual gifts do you have that you can use to strengthen the Body of Christ? Remember, what we give to God we get back tenfold.

An Icon into God's Nature and a Glitch in our Own

Luke emphasizes the poor, the lame, the blind, the sick and the outcast in his Gospel. How fitting it is then that it is the shepherds who are the first people to behold the glorious announcement regarding the birth of Christ.

Shepherds were viewed as dirty outcasts by the Jewish religious authorities. Because of their job tending the flocks, the shepherds were unable to maintain the purity laws of the day; laws that the Pharisees held to be most important. Yet ironically these particular shepherds around Bethlehem maintained the temple flock. These were the sheep that were sacrificed on the altar for the atonement of sins. How sardonic, the sheep were considered clean but the men who cared for them were viewed as lowly outcasts and filthy misfits. Yet even out of this religious rule something amazing happened that only God could have planned.

The shepherds, who kept the temple flock, were the first to witness the birth of the Christ Child, the Lamb of God, who would ultimately be sacrificed for the atonement of all our sins. Luke used the lowliest outcasts to witness the birth of the Lamb of God. In many ways they were still doing their job by protecting the sheep, and the flawless Lamb.

Often it is the lowly and outcast who are icons to God. Through them we see the nature of our Creator; God as humble, loving, nurturing, reconciling and caring. Luke reminds us that God loves sick and broken people (all of us). On the other hand the Jewish religious authorities were icons or windows of rejection. Are we like them? How often have we rejected God for not answering our prayers quick enough, or intervening in a problem we desperately desired God to resolve? How often have we rejected the poor, the homeless and the marginalized? By rejecting them we are no better than the Jewish religious authorities. By caring for the least of these in the world we become closer in our relationship to God.

When it comes to the socially marginalized we prefer to keep at least an arms length away. They are the untouchables; the dregs of society. We conveniently forget that God says, “How you treat the least of these is how you treat me.” Wow! That is a strong window into the nature of God.

I remember doing my Clinical Pastoral Education in Annapolis, Maryland. Annapolis is not far from Baltimore, which has high crime and drug use. I served in a rehab facility for alcohol and drug addiction. One day a young African American man approached me in great distress. Without thinking I intuitively gave the man a hug and asked what was wrong. He explained his fears, the worst living with AIDS. Immediately (and I am not proud of this) I recoiled back, not wanting to touch the man for fear of contracting the disease myself. Unconsciously I rejected the man, one of God’s children who was simply seeking solace. In reality I was rejecting God.

I learned much about myself during my time in Annapolis, and since that day I have gone on to hold and embrace many people suffering from HIV/AIDS as well as other deadly diseases. It was a painful lesson that I will never forget. That young man taught me something about the nature of God and how we often unwittingly reject God. He also taught me something about myself that I was unaware. I was no better than the Pharisees. I unknowingly upheld a certain standard of narrow-mindedness that I didn’t realize existed. God revealed his nature to me. By rejecting the young man, I was actually rejecting God. Previously I always thought of myself as identifying with the outcast since I had experienced social marginalization myself at one time. Little did I know that over time and with some success in life I changed and lost that connection. God willing I won’t ever lose it again!

Mary and Joseph both were deeply steeped in Judaism. They were faithful to their religion. Yet they didn’t reject the shepherds. They allowed these social outcasts in to see the Christ Child. They welcomed them without fear for their own safety. They allowed the Lamb of God to radiate his abundant light to all people regardless of their social status. That light was transforming and healing, bringing hope to the hopeless, love to the unloved, comfort to the afflicted and peace to those who lacked solace. That light was an icon into God’s nature.

Addiction, a Terrible Illness

Addiction is a terrible illness. It not only affects the addict, but everyone they know, especially their family members. The people who care for the addict the most usually get hurt the worst. Often those same people out of love, guilt or a desire to help end up enabling the addict more than assisting them to get the help they truly need.

No one starts out to become an addict. No one ever sits down and says, “You know, today I think I will make a conscience decision to ruin my life by abusing alcohol and drugs. As a matter of fact I think I will cause as much wreckage to my family, friends and acquaintances as I possibly can.” Addiction simply occurs for a variety of reasons. For some people it is genetic, for others it is through pure usage and abuse. Nevertheless, no matter how one becomes an addict, it is a disease that leads to a variety of “bottoms,” of course the ultimate bottom being death. But in the course of the addict’s behavior and actions they endanger everybody around them, especially if they drive a car or operate machinery. The sad part is that the addict only thinks of themselves and also believes they are hurting no one but themselves. It is a vicious lie!

Addiction leads us down paths that we never would believe. It is a disease of desperation and constant worry over having enough substance to get high. In order to maintain our disease we will go to lengths that often are offensive to others as well as painful. We find ourselves hitting bottom after bottom in order to feed our disease. We lie, cheat and steal to get the necessary funds to maintain our addiction. Under the influence of alcohol and drugs we don’t care who we hurt. It is a nasty disease that leaves a destructive path a thousand miles long and a thousand miles wide. And of course the addict lives in a state of denial. They stay high in order to not have to deal with the reality of their life.

What should we do in dealing with the addict? Should we simply write them off as a lost cause and let the chips fall where they may? After all they make us so angry and hurt us so deeply it is only normal to desire to lash out at them. But we must remember the addict is not a bad person who wants to do good, rather they are a sick person who needs to get well. We should treat them as if they are sick, yet at the same time refuse to enable them. There is a term known as “tough love” and that should be our response to the addict. In our heart of hearts we know that they are children of God; and God doesn’t make junk! They are simply very sick human beings who need help.

Addiction is a sad situation to watch someone suffer through. But since the addict often spurns all our offers for assistance, most of the time all we can do is let them go and give them to God. We can pray for them and hope that they will come to the realization on their own that they need help. We pray that they reach that point of being sick and tired of being sick and tired. We can ask God to do for them what they can’t do for themselves and that’s to seek help for their illness.

Anticipation

The Christmas tree is up with all the decorations hung upon its branches. The poinsettias are beautiful with their combination of green and red leaves. There is an excitement in the house, a sense of anticipation and expectation. The season of Advent is drawing to a close and the Christ Child is about to be born. Lights are hung on houses and manger scenes are coming to life. Christmas is almost upon us! The joy and excitement are building with the passing of every day.

The trees are finally bare as the December days touch us with a hint of cold. Green wreaths with bright red ribbons hang on every door. There is a tension in the air, yet not a fearful tension but one that is anticipatory. We long to hear the angel make the proclamation of the birth of Jesus, while the heavenly host fills the bright midnight sky with their angelic voices. Perhaps we feel like the shepherds tending their flock by night. We are filled with curiosity and the desire to experience this new birth.

Church bells toll familiar hymns, as the spirit of Christmas grows deep in our hearts. This is the Feast Day of the Incarnation, when God became human through his only begotten Son. God is coming to experience all that we do as humans and more. Salvation and forgiveness is upon us. The renewal of life is a gift each of us is offered. How can we not be excited? How can we not feel the presence of the Holy? The very air speaks of the coming of the Christ Child.

John the Baptist is winding down his ministry and pointing towards Jesus. Christ is the one to come and liberate us from the bondage of sin and death. Where Adam failed and caused us to fall into sin and exile, Jesus’ mission will succeed bringing freedom, hope and reunion. This is a season to truly celebrate. Light has transformed the world, but not just any ordinary light. No this is not man made or even the light of the sun or moon. This is the warm light that radiates from Christ in the manger. This is the warm and life changing light that will save the world and bring joy and goodwill to all humanity.

Where the Romans kept the world at peace through military might, also known as the Pax Romana, Jesus brings peace that comes through love and freedom of choice. Rejoice, again I say rejoice are the words of the prophet Isaiah that echo from the past right into the present. Life is about to change, and blessings and healing are coming into the world, born of a virgin woman named Mary.

Christ the Incarnate, the Word made Flesh is about to come amongst us. Can we feel the joy? Can we feel the excitement? Can we feel the anticipation? The greatest gift of all is born to us in the Christ Child and that is salvation and unconditional love. Feel the joy! Let the excitement flow through us. Follow the words of Isaiah and Rejoice! Again I say rejoice!