Unwrapping Jesus

Unwrapping Jesus

There I stood amidst the presents

Sparkling gold and high as heaven

What a wondrous day to sing a song

And stack my gifts higher than Babylon

Money, money, stuff galore,

Oh I’m thankful I’m not poor!

Rip and tear and snarl and stare

For a moment…then

Over my shoulder in a pile

Onto the next gift with a devious smile

Like Peter walking on the water,

I walk on gifts and teeter totter

In the corner, a plain brown bag,

With no “to”, or “from”, or fancy tag

No shape, or color, or flashy sign

It’s not my gift, it’s just not mine

At night my eyes curl up my face

and blanket me to sleep

But all those presents hollow now

an emptiness so deep

A fading thought, that plain brown bag, perhaps worthy of a peep?

A storm of yawns capsize my thoughts

As I wonder, in eternity what I will reap

-Corey

For most kids and many adults Jesus is a simply a footnote to the story of Christmas. It’s fine that he’s there while the gifts are opened (as long as we don’t have to really talk about Him too much), but by the end of the day how many families unwrap Jesus as the center piece to their Christmas celebration?

Christmas Gift Giving, Not the Way it Always Was:

It’s interesting that we think that the way Christmas is today is the way it’s always been, or at least it’s been like this for a while. In fact, our celebrations date to around 1880. Earlier than that the symbols for a good English Christmas were the yule log, the boar’s head, and the wassail bowl (which occasionally turned violent). Interestingly, gratification did not come through fulfilling our children’s every desire. The early settlers of the south embraced this English tradition, but the New England Calvinists rejected it, even outlawing Christmas between 1659-1681 (it wasn't until the mid-1800s that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston region).

The Christians in the middle Atlantic colonies tried a middle route, in part disliking and discouraging the revelry in the south, but embracing the celebration as a whole. As New York rose in prominence and prestige in America (right after the Erie Canal opened, 1825) so Christmas became more grand and gratuitous. As the U.S. expanded (remember the Louisiana purchase?) new settlers brought a Latin burst with a Catholic flavor importing scenes of a manger, the magi, and bringing a strong focus on the family.

Before 1880 Christmas was miniscule compared to today’s standards and was not a major player on the national economic level. In part because gift giving was not as common a custom and in part because gifts were hand made, not manufactured. But the rise of the modern era, more people in cities, and of course mass production (thank you Ford) gave rise to a bottomless pit of giving (and receiving). Sure, commercialization is to blame, but urbanization (working class people mixed in with high ranking wealthy, so the urban class feels they have to compete with gift giving)) and industrialization (development of cities and technology) are equal culprits.

Before 1880 most gifts were handmade and simple: Needlework (typically women), wooden toys (typically men), and baked goods. With the rise of industrialization people worked more and had less time to devote to homemade gifts (farmers after all had more time to enjoy in the Fall after the harvest, as opposed to city workers).

Is Gift Giving even Biblical?

Most people would say yes with out any qualifications. Of course being generous is biblical as long as it is an attitude of the heart, not a one-time event (1 Cor. 8). But gift giving during Christmas has always seemed a little strange to me. In part I don’t have the same nostalgic moments of growing up with gifts piled under the tree. The local church would bring my gifts by on Sunday morning and they were always generically labeled, “boy” or “girl.” There was no family celebration, usually no tree, lights, or wreath. We were still thankful, however, and for us, my sister and I, it was still Christmas. In short, I’m not bound to the emotional appeal people make to justify doing Christmas the way their parents did it and the way they remember.

When I became a Christian in my teen years I began to think it a bit unusual that we celebrate the birth of our Savior by buying gifts for other people. Putting aside the idea that in most families gift giving ends up being a conduit for feeding children’s materialistic inclinations, and that the next generation is already the most unthankful I have ever seen in my short life (judging from the kids I have taught at Christian schools the last few years), we ought to ask, how does giving gifts to each other during the celebration of His Son honor God?

Using the wise men as an example of gift giving only works if in fact you are going to give your gifts to Jesus. Buying someone the video camera they always wanted is a generous gift for another person, but not Jesus himself. Since Christmas is somehow supposed to be about Jesus, where is He in all this?

The Real Issue is Not Gift Giving, it’s WHEN the gifts are Given

And maybe this is more to the point: The issue isn’t gift giving, it’s when that gift giving takes place. Have you ever shown up at someone’s birthday party, marched right up to them, given them a list of all the things you want, and then walked away? We would probably call someone like that selfish, self-centered, and rude. Yet, isn’t that what we are training our children to do every Christmas? For kids, is it really possible that Christmas can really be about Jesus when it’s also about all the things they get too? For Christian families, how could the focus remain on Jesus primarily and all other things secondarily? It doesn’t mean you can’t give gifts, it just means that you separate a time to specifically celebrate the birth of Jesus without allowing it to be overshadowed by gift giving.

If Christmas is Jesus’ birthday (simplistic I know) then couldn’t our celebrations reenact showing up at His birthday party, with gifts specifically for Him, looking forward to celebrating His life?

Celebrate Jesus’ Birthday, not Christmas

Christmas has too many connotations of gift giving; Santa, elves, and everything else that has nothing to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus (much like Easter egg hunts on Easter). What if we viewed it in a different light, as what it is, the birthday of Jesus. So, make a birthday cake and as a family sing happy birthday to Jesus (works for adults too). Ask the entire family to bring gifts for Jesus and separate a time to just celebrate the birth of Jesus. Some gift ideas that you might suggest people bring: make a donation to a charity in Jesus’ name, volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, find a need in your church and meet it (plenty of ministries there), share the gospel with your family members who do not know Christ (write a letter, buy them a Bible, take them out to lunch), sing hymns or praise songs as a family that morning, etc.

For example, I’m not a musician at all and could not carry a tune if it were stapled to me. In reflecting on gift giving’s history it became apparent that handmade gifts are so special because they take so much time. Time for me, is more valuable than money. So, Lord willing, I will try to learn one song on the guitar and play it as special music to the church at some point in the next year.

You may not like me shining the light on our traditional Christmas time but at the very least we can agree that Jesus is often left under the Christmas tree. How will you unwrap Him this season?

References

http://masstraveljournal.com/features/1101chrisban.html “Once Upon A Time When Christmas Was Banned.”

The Modern Christmas in America by William B. Waits

Sin and Sickness, What is the link?

Introduction:

First, some may find it dubious to even suggest such a thing. But bear in mind that James tells us in the context of sickness to “confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed” (James 5:13-18). Paul informs the Corinthians that because they came to the Lord's Table in an “unworthy manner" shall eat and drink judgment on himself. This is exactly why, so we are told, “that many among you are weak and sick, and a number have died” (1 Cor. 11:30). Jesus too attributed some (not all) sickness to sin rather than merely circumstance (John 5:14).

Though it is debatable whether James and Paul are saying in the above sections that sickness is a judgment from God because of sin or an actual direct result of sin itself (or even some providential occurrence of sickness for the purpose of repentance) the Scriptures do speak about psychosomatic illness (“psych” = soul/mind; “soma” = body; hence, mind-body illness). That is, any illness that has physical symptoms, but has the mind and emotions as its origin is called a psychosomatic illness.

The idea that sin, a spiritual action, could have effects on our body, a physical action, may seem absurd but doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists have long understood this (such an idea reaches back to antiquity though only recently have we come up with a name for it, “psychosomatic disorders.”). There is even an entire medical society and accompanying journal that is based on the link between mind and body (American Psychosomatic Society and Medical Journal at psychosomaticmedicine.org).

Listen to Psalm 32:

1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

What are the effects of unconfessed sin?

David's unconfused sin (“when I kept silent”) had real physical effects. The hand of the Lord was pressing down on him, causing, from the sounds of it, depression (my bones wasted away, groaning all day, my strength was sapped). Unconfused sin can cause anxiety which in turn boils in our insides looking for a place to release it's pressure. The effects of anxiety are well established and well known in the medical community:

Mild chronic headaches
Weakened immune system

When it becomes chronic:

depression
diabetes
hair loss
heart disease
hyperthyroidism
obesity
obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder
sexual dysfunction
tooth and gum disease
ulcers

When the Psalmist of Psalm 38 reflects on his sin and God's responding anger and discipline this becomes even more evident: “my bones have no soundness because of my sin...my back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body...my heart pounds, my strength fails me, even now the light has gone from my eyes...I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin....(see also Psalm 51 which parallels Psalm 38).

Sinful anxiety causing Cancer?

Though there is currently no evidence that anxiety is a direct cause of cancer it's influence and impact seem undeniable (http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/stress-a-cause-of-cancer/). One study found that chronic stress in mice can increase the rate that ovarian cancer grows (sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060724155652.htm).

What if I don't have unconfessed sin?

Even when there is no unconfessed sin, anxiety itself (caused by hopelessness, fear, doubt, guilt, shame, etc.) IS SIN:

Philippians 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it
into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The Promise and the Process:

The Lord will take care of us (“The Lord is near”) so we don't have to worry about anything. But when we are worried, stressed, anxious, we must petition the Lord in prayer with thankful heart (not a resentful, bitter, angry, self-consuming heart). We must not practice bumper sticker theology here, Paul's thought does not stop at verse 7 it continues on to verse 9 (and 10-23 give examples of how Paul has had the peace of God in trying times). The peace of God “will” guard our hearts. That's a promise and this is the process:

Prayer
+Petition
+Thankfulness
+Thinking (Scripture, God, Christ, etc., Prov. 3:1-2)
+Practice God's truth in your daily life
________________________________
= The peace of God

There is a reason Jesus instructs us to pray for our “daily bread” and instructs us “not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). We are meant to be people of peace.

What if I have unconfessed sin that is plaguing me?

Confess the sin to the LORD

• Acknowledge the sins that are burdening your soul

Repent of your sin

• A simple definition of “repent” means “to turn away from.” To stop engaging in the action.
  

Accept the LORD's forgiveness

• Many people fail to accept the forgiveness and grace the LORD extends and thus suffer unnecessary guilt. If the Lord has set you free you are free indeed. Cast guilt away from you in the name of Jesus. Holding onto and dwelling on false guilt may itself be a symptom of sin that may arise from pride (“God can't forgive me if I haven't forgiven myself” is an unbiblical philosophy that places the person at the center of forgiveness rather than God), lack of faith that God will do what he promises which is remove sin and remember it no more, etc.
  

Confess your sin to the victim of your sin (e.g. Emotional or physical adultery, murder, rape, emotional or physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, robbery, gossip, etc.).

• The Prodigal son eventually realizes his sinful actions and says, “I will go to my Father and say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.”
  

Seek forgiveness from the victim of your sin

• “I'm sorry,” and “I apologize” do not make the biblical cut. “I have sinned against you and I am asking you for your forgiveness” is the minimum that must be said (detailing for example, how a husband has failed his wife, or vice versa, is a helpful step in the reconciliation process).
  

Seek reconciliation against the victim of your sin

• Reconciliation is the healing of a wounded relationship. Paul says, “as far as it depends on you, be at peace with everyone.”
  

Make restitution if necessary

• When Jesus visited the tax collector (notorious for stealing from the people and dishonest gain) Zaccheaus responded humbly, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” We think of this as applicable to only people who robe or steal but a greater application can be made. Have you stolen hope from someone by committing adultery? Have you stolen dignity by devaluing another person with crude, racists, or sexist jokes? If so, maybe restitution needs to be part of your plan for reconciliation.
  

Declare War against your sin

Sin is like weeds and no matter how many times you pull them they just keep coming back. Our response to the Lord is a desire to be holy for Him. Seek to do away with the misdeeds of the body “by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:13). We are told that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God so we know that we must use the Scriptures and battle sin. Here is the equation:

Faith + Scripture = unleashing power of the Spirit of God

See the “Habits of Holiness Worksheet” for a detailed war strategy against sin. Be sure to read the description below. Keep in mind that when determining your major goal you must consider Ephesians 4:17-32 and put off bad patterns and put on righteous ones. One's goal, for example should not be, “to stop lying.” That only puts off. One's goal should be, “To stop lying and excel at telling the truth.” One would not want to set the goal “to stop gossip.” But “to stop gossip (put off), and to encourage and lift others up (put on).”

Conclusion:

All sicknesses and disease is not the result of sin (John 9:2-3) but where there is unconfessed, harbored, stewing sin there is surely psychosomatic effects. Anxious living is truly the all American past time (especially in the wake of September 11 attacks). But we must cling to peace and claim this promise as our own (John 14:28):

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

If total depravity is true then why isn't there MORE evil in the world?

Let's face it, this is not a popular question. When people inquire about evil the usual question is of course, "If God is good then why does evil exist at all?" The line of reasoning follows something like this: If God is all powerful then he could end evil. But since evil exists it proves that God is not all powerful. Who wants to worship that kind of God? This is seen as definite rational proof that God must not exist. It's not difficult to answer this objection, though one's response should be planted in tenderness and sensitivity. One way is to simply respond, "how would God prevent evil without effecting free will?" If he stopped a husband from killing his wife in a fit of jealousy then he is intervening to force the man to do something he doesn't want to do. And if he is going to interven to force the husband to do something against his will then why not interven to also force everyone on earth love him?"

But our concern here is different. If we are allowing our Biblical understanding to carve out our worldview, and if the Bible indicates that we are totally depraved, then our question really becomes, why isn't there more evil in the world? Why is it possible for me to go about my day without seemingly experiencing the depravity of my fellow man? Why do I see some sense of order when I look out my window instead, as my theology would seem to indicate, of a kind of apocalyptic killing field?

First, by way of clarification, the doctrine of total depravity does not mean that we are as bad as we can be. "Total" here indicates the extent to which sin has infiltrated every aspect of our being: body, soul, mind, emotions, intentions, and attitude (i.e. we are totally depraved not absolutely depraved).

With that in mind we may answer our question with two key ideas: (1) God's grace, (2) the image of God and the moral law.

First, God's grace demonstrates a general love for all of his creation. Listen to what Jesus says in the sermon on the Mount (NAS, key words highlighted): But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The context is prayer for one's enemies. But why pray for those wicked, evil sinners? Notice the "so that" which indicates a cause and effect action is taking place. We pray for those that persecute us (cause), so that we may be sons of our Father (effect). The following key word "for" (and the one following) support this first premise. The main point is at the end, "therefore be perfect." In other words, God's standards are higher than you would think. Notice that the first reason given for why we should pray for our enemies is "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." In other words, God has not forsaken the wicked so neither should you.

This doctrine is known as common grace (for objections click here. For it's full development, history, application and support by Louis Berkholf, click here). This concept is also seen in the great Job narrative. Satan was not so powerful that he could attack Job without God's permission. Clearly then, God does not allow Satan total unrestrained freedom to wreak as much havoc as possible. Common grace then indicates that God is in some sense holding back the full force of evil. Could he hold more back? Sure. But isn't that why we look forward to the kingdom of God?

Second, God has created every human in His image (Gen. 1:26) which means we have value and worth. It is even the basis for the prohibition not to kill (Gen. 9:6). With this image, this kind of spark of the divine, we also gain the capacity for right and wrong. More than that, we have a moral code written on our ontological DNA. There is something deep inside us that senses what fairness is. Something that moves like deep waters when we hear a story about a kidnaped child or a raped women. That 'something' is a reflection of the Divine that resides in humanity as a whole. Some might object that every culture does not have the same standard for morality. This is true. But it is also true of anyone that has invested the time and effort in a library that ancient cultures have far more in common in terms of their morality than they do that is different (cf. the appendix of C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man).

Consider just everyday experience. Somone will say there is no right or wrong, but if you break a promise or fail to hold up your end of a barragin you might hear, "that's not really fair." After discussing a number of cases where the moral law exists, C.S. Lewis summarizes his main points in his first chapter of Mere Christianity (Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe):

"These, then, are the two points that I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the
earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get
rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature;
they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the
universe we live in" (p. 8).

Scripture recognizes in Romans 2:12-17 that even Gentiles will act according to God's revealed law (which they have limited access to) when they "do by nature things required by the law." This means that they are "a law for themselves. Since they show that the requirments of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." In other words, God's judgment will be just and impartial. He will not hold the Gentiles accountable to his revealed law if they have not heard it, but he will hold them accountable to their own consience which testifies against them (and then tries to defend itself; a clear sign that it is unsure about it's actions).

So, why isn't there more evil in the world?

• Sin extends to all parts of our being, but it does not make us as bad as we can possibly be.
  Common grace is given to all humanity so that God restrains evil and blesses even the wicked in a general way.

• We are created in the image of God and His Moral Law is etched in the hearts of His creatures, giving them a sense of right and wrong.

Imagine putting this all into practice. You are sitting home at the end of a long normal day praying to Jesus and saying, "Lord, why did so many good things happen to me today? I got to work unharmed. I was not fired. My house was still here when I got home, not taken in a random fire. Why did so many good things happen to me, Lord, you know I don't deserve any of it?" And imagine our response when bad things do happen. We are not shocked. We are not surprised. We know it's part of living in this world, but we also know that pain and suffering make us long for the coming kingdom of God. Isn't there a sense that in those times of trial and tribulation that we can always ask, "Lord, I am a sinner, condemned unclean and not worthy to breathe before you. I deserve judgment and condemnation for my sins. I cannot stand before your throne and plead entitlement. Why then, oh Lord, do you persist in your mercy? Why haven't worse things happened to me?"

Praise the Lord for his forebarance, wisdom, providence, provision, and grace. May we live lives worthy of our calling.