The Mystery of Christmas

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the only one of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

When I stopped to put my dollar in the Salvation Army bucket outside of our local Walmart the bell ringer started to talk about Christmas. At first it was nice meeting someone who seemed to appreciate what Christmas is supposed to be about. But soon He was steering the conversation down the path of a somewhat bizarre interpretation of who and how the baby in the manger came to be. He kept pressing his point further and further with detail after detail that fit together until His conclusion somehow lost its way. Sadly I had to walk away, because what had begun as a celebration of God’s gift felt more like the dissection of a butterfly.

There is a beauty and a mystery in the incarnation that we can only see with eyes of faith. When each Christmas we pause and ponder on the astonishing reality of God coming as a baby we can only kneel in awe and worship. We ask again the question Mary asked, “How can these things be?” Again the answer comes. “The Spirit of God will overshadow you…”

If we try to get hold of every detail we end up like a drowning man grasping at straws. We can get our hands around straws, but only God’s Spirit and our faith that He has come can save us in the end. Then with John we can say, ” And we have seen His glory… Full of grace and truth!”

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Peace and Truth

Has anxiety kept you awake all night? Has fear stolen hours of sleep as you tossed and turned in what feels like a hopeless struggle to find peace? Don’t give up or give in because there is always hope that comes packaged in the form of truth. Think back to the endless peace talks that have failed again and again to bring peace in the middle east. They have failed because a true and lasting peace, whether among nations, friends or between people and God must be built on the foundation of truth.  Any falsehood is a roadblock to peace. The Apostle John gives us this startling vision of how God works the peace process between Him and each other.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Everything about God’s peace begins with being honest. We have to tell the truth to God; to others and to ourselves. Dishonesty in any area works like an infection in a wound. Operating from even little white lies it is like trying to  bandage things over without cleaning out the source of our infection. But there is always hope in Jesus Christ! No catastrophe, no bungling or sin is too great for God to overcome once we open our doors and invite Him into every area of darkness in our lives.

God is working to bring about our healing but our part is to  tell Him the truth. He already knows everything; but for us to have His peace, we must come clean and confess. Confession is a vital part and the first step of faith. Just as in a court of law, any confession obtained under duress is invalid because it is less than fully truthful. We must confess because we want to from the very bottom of our hearts. We need to tell God, others and ourselves; the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Only God can clean our hearts and only clean hearts can be filled and ruled by His peace. You may feel irreconcilably separated from God, other people or even from yourself, but healing and peace are just a few honest words away. No lie no matter how convincing has the power to calm even the slightest ripple on the ocean of life. But a truth, no matter how small can command the wind and waves and it invites God to rule over our hearts. When God rules on the inside then His peace is assured because He alone can make us lie down in peace and being with Him is the safest place of all!

 

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The Eye of the Artist

My stepfather was an artist and I often remember standing behind him watching in wonder as He worked. With just a few brush strokes He could create an astonishingly lifelike painting. When I asked him how he could be so precise Rudy explained that a realist paints neither what others think they see or what they hope to see but what truly stands before them.

In the same way the canvas of a life must be painted by the eyes of faith. A true faith is born not by our wishful thinking or someone else’s imagination, but in the moment we see Him who has seen us from the beginning. That is when His light can shine into our hearts and reveal to us the face of Jesus Christ.