Something to Sing About

Volume 1, Number 30
December 11, 2006

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”( Luke 2:13-14)[1]

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Rev 4:11)

I am a musician of sorts, which predisposes me to a certain affinity to most kinds of music. Being that I have a personal relationship with Christ, I am especially partial to Christian music whether it be traditional, contemporary, liturgical or gospel. But of all the music that I enjoy, I must admit that I like Christmas music best of all. I like the happy tunes of “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Santa Claus is coming to Town” and “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.” I delight in the schmaltzy, mushy, romantic tunes like “Let It Snow,” “White Christmas” and “Blue Christmas.” But the songs that really stir my heart strings are the Christian Christmas carols.
Christmas carols are so densely packed with solid theology that they make an excellent study in themselves. “What Child Is This” sings of God’s humiliation in coming into the world in the form of a helpless baby born in the “mean estate” of a stable and yet the line reads, “for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.” That is the Christmas message! And as that defenseless babe “on Mary’s lap is sleeping” another contemporary carol asks “Mary, did you know that this child that you delivered will soon deliver you? Did you know that your baby boy once walked where angels trod? Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation and that one day He will rule the nations?”[2] Still another contemporary carol sees Jesus through the eyes of Mary as she asks, “Do You wonder as You watch my face, if a wiser one should have had my place?”[3] Can you imagine the overwhelming responsibility of raising the Son of God – the God-Man? How can the human mind embrace the concept that the Almighty God transformed Himself into a soft little bundle of flabby flesh needing to be carried, nursed and have His diapers changed. That’s incredible! God did that for you and me! Does that humble you to think of what God has done for you? It does me.
One of my very favorite carols is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing;” translated into modern English: “Listen! The News Messengers Sing.” The first verse announces the Good News that the rift between God and Man has been repaired: “God and sinners reconciled.” If the nations could only get it, they would rise and “join the triumph of the skies.” Listen to the second verse:

Christ, by highest heav’n adored.
Christ, the everlasting Lord.
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the God-head see,
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Immanuel [“God with us”]

Before his condensation, Jesus was worshiped by the angels of heaven. He is the eternal, everlasting Lord.[4] Here was God, veiled, disguised in human flesh, happy to come to live with humanity as a human. He is truly Immanuel – God with us! Halleluiah! The third verse reminds us that He is the heaven-born (not of earth) Prince of Peace. He brings Light – Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”[5]—and life – Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life”[6] and He has risen[7] with healing in His wings. The Bible tells us that “Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:5-7) So, “Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.” If that does not just thrill your soul, you just need to get saved!
As you sing the wonderful carols of Christmas – not those cute or sentimental secular Christmas tunes – I mean the real carols that put the CHRIST into CHRISTmas, take time to pay attention to the lyrics and consider the incomparable Gift that God has so freely given. If you know Jesus as I do, we, more than anyone really have something to sing about.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.[8]

Notes:

--------------------------------------------
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are taken from THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE UPDATE. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation.
[2] Green, Buddy, Mark Lowry, “Mary Did You Know?”
[3] Grant, Amy, “Breath of Heaven”
[4] John 1:1
[5] John 8:12
[6] John 11:25
[7] Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6
[8] Watts, Isaac (1674-1748), “Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come,” Stanza 2 & 4, The Baptist Hymnal (Convention Press, Nashville, 1991), Hymn 87.

House of Bread

Vol. 1, No, 29

December 4, 2006

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity … This One will be our peace. (Mic 5:2, 5)[i][1]

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet …” (Matt 2:2-5)

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. (John 6:35)

Except for the singularly most significant event in all of history, this sleepy little lack-luster Palestinian town would hardly warrant mention in sacred Scripture. Isaac’s wife, Rachel, was buried near there.[ii][2] Ruth, the Moabitess, came to live there with her mother-in-law, Naomi. There she met and married Boaz and became the great-grandmother of the greatest king Israel ever had,[iii][3] and consequently she became an ancestor of the Messiah. King David was probably born there,[iv][4] and it is there where Samuel anointed him to become Israel’s king.[v][5] The fertile valleys around Bethlehem provided ideal pasture lands for raising the sheep that David tended for his father.[vi][6] Situated just 5 miles south of Jerusalem and in the shadow of the temple, sheep-raising later became profitable for the sale of the sacrificial lambs used in temple worship.

It was not to the grand palace of Alexandria that the Creator chose to come. It was not to the Roman courts of Augustus Caesar that He made Himself known. Nor did He identify with Herod the Great, the puppet king of Israel. No, instead He made His grand entry into the world at the little insignificant village of Bethlehem. Having left the unspeakable splendor of Glory, His welcome was offered not by a royal delegation, but by smelly stable animals. His first bed was not covered with the finest linen, but with rough, prickly straw; it was not a soft down canopy bed fit for a king, but an ordinary feeding trough intended only to keep the cattle’s feed away from the dung and urine on the sod floor. His bedchamber was not of polished marble draped in velvet and satin, but rather the walls of a dark limestone cave adorned with spider-spun silk. His arrival was announced not to kings, princes or potentates, but to a motley group of low-life sheep herders.

It was here to this nothing little town – Bethlehem, the “house of bread” – that the Bread of Life made His entry. It was to a small, lowly band of Bethlehem shepherds that the Lamb of God was proclaimed. It was in a single moment, in resounding silence and resplendent obscurity, that the insignificant became all-significant. Into a cold and darkened world the radiant Light of the world burst through. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) Surely, some out-of-towner that night asked the local inn keeper, “What’s new in Bethlehem?” to which the inn keeper answered, “Nothing. Nothing ever happens in Bethlehem.” Yet, in its dark streets shown the Everlasting Light!

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear can hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him,
Still the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Immanuel![vii][7]

Notes:

[i][1] Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are taken from THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE UPDATE. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation.
[ii][2] Genesis 35:19; 48:7
[iii][3] Ruth 4:17
[iv][4] 1 Samuel 17:12
[v][5] 1 Samuel 16:4
[vi][6] 1 Samuel 17:15
[vii][7] Brooks, Phillips (1835-1893), “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” Stanza 3 & 4, The Baptist Hymnal (Convention Press, Nashville, 1991), Hymn 86.

What Gift to Bring?

Volume 1, Number 28
November 26, 2006

If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, or what does He receive from your hand? (Job 35:7[1])
Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matt 2:11)
They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. (Mk 15:23)


The turkey has been sacrificed to be dissected, dismembered, divided and devoured, and Macy’s has officially christened the Christmas (or should I say “Holiday?”) season. I always enter this season with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is my least favorite time of the year and on the other hand, it is one of the most joyful times of the year.

The commercialism of Christmas saddens me especially when I see Christmas displays along side Halloween items at the store. It would be naïve to imagine that the merchants are just premature in fostering the “Christmas spirit.” The fact is that they want us to get into the Christmas spirit early for their profit. There is nothing noble in their cause. For the merchants to value Christmas in terms of dollars and cents is understandable since profit is the sole purpose of their existence. Their goal is not to help mankind or to make the world a better place; it is to increase revenue at our expense, and it makes no difference to them if we pay with cash or with money we do not have. No, that is not what saddens me because I understand their mindset.

What saddens me is how easily we fall prey to the devices of devious marketers. Earlier today I was fueling up at a neighborhood self-serve gas station when I was assaulted by an electronic salesman strategically placed on the gas pump trying to talk me into something for which I had no need. I have put myself on the National Do-Not-Call list to protect myself from telemarketers, I have installed a “pop-up” blocker on my computer to protect me from unwanted advertising on the internet and installed spam blockers for my E-mail, and yet they manage to worm their way in. I am sure that this is no revelation to you. We are inundated with messages urging us to purchase things we cannot afford and do not need with money we do not have. The message during this season changes only slightly from “you deserve this, you are worth it” or “you owe it to yourself,” to “she’ll really love you for this.” As far as targeting children the message remains, “it’s all about me.” I am tickled by the latest Burger King ™ commercial that reverses the roles of parent and child and portrays the dad and mom throwing a tantrum in order to get taken to Burger King ™. While that may be funny to watch, it is not so funny to think that we often treat God the same way – “But You promised.”

On the other hand, my joy returns when I consider that the God, the Creator, the Sovereign Lord of the universe humbled Himself[2] to the point of implanting Himself in the womb of a virgin peasant girl to grow as a human embryo and pass through the birth canal as a helpless baby boy. Incomprehensible! The thought that the creature gave birth to the Creator! What earthly king would give up his throne to help the refuse of his realm? The concept is inconceivable, and yet, that is exactly what Jesus did for us.

The Christmas lights are going up all over our neighborhood. Our yard decorations are quite simple compared to some. The central point of focus is a rough-built wooden cross. At the ends of the cross beam are large red bows representing the nail-pierced hands. At the top of the vertical beam hangs a dry wreath adorned with a red bow representing the crown of thorns. At the foot of the cross an unattractive little manger stands dressed with a red bow symbolizing the gift that was given. Next to the manger a gift tag attached with a red ribbon reads: “God so loved … that He gave.”[3] God’s incomprehensible, incalculable gift to us is a source of perpetual joy – no matter what the season.

In his Christmas sermons, my father often used an absurd illustration of someone giving a birthday party for their son and when the guests arrive, they all exchange gifts with each other and the birthday boy gets nothing. Christmas can get that way. We become so consumed in the exchanging of gifts that we forget whose birthday we are celebrating. Of course, we can make light of the whole thing by noting that, after all, the celebration is really based on pagan festivals and that it is really not Jesus’ birthday – no one (except for God alone) knows the real date of Jesus’ birth. Whereas that is all too true, the fact remains that Christianity sanctified (set apart) that date to celebrate the birth of Christ, and it is fitting that we do so, but let us celebrate His birth without the trappings of paganism.

Does that mean we should not exchange gifts? I cannot answer that for you. Just how important is that to you? As we celebrate His birth, who should be the recipient of the gifts? Elihu made a valid point, If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, or what does He receive from your hand? (Job 35:7) What can we possibly offer the titleholder of the universe? Like it or not, He even owns us. The wise men opened their treasures and offered their gifts to Him, but He went empty handed to the cross and the myrrh that was offered to Him, He rejected. The only gift we can give Him is only what He has first given us – our lives. That is all He desires. In exchange, He offers us eternal life to share with Him in heaven. Jesus said, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26) When you consider the alternative, you really can’t beat this deal! What gift can you bring? Why not give Him your life?

O come, desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace. [4]

Notes:
_____________________________
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are taken from THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE UPDATE. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation.
[2] Philippians 2: 5-11
[3] John 3:16
[4] “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” 4th stanza of a Latin hymn translated by Henry Sloane Coffin (1877-1954), The Baptist Hymnal (Convention Press, Nashville, 1991), hymn 76.