Month: December 2023

Matthew tells us that, “Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the One Who has been born King of the Jews?'” These wise men were ancient astrologers interpreting astronomical phenomena, all the while searching through the writings of others for interpretation. In the fourth book of the Pentateuch, Moses wrote about God’s revealed message, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17) So they knew that a future Ruler would come out of Jacob…and when this star arose (whether it was some planetary conjunction, supernova, or something purely supernatural) they tied everything together and set off to see this King for themselves.     “And nations shall come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of Your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3)

Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus tells us that, “There were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”… when suddenly a great company of heavenly host filled the night sky in brilliant light, announcing the birth of the Christ child, the Messiah. But why them? The Jews were sure that the Messiah would come as a great Political Leader & Warrior…destroying the Roman Empire in one fell swoop, along with His amassed army of mighty & valiant troops. But from the very beginning, God had portrayed Himself as a Shepherd of His people. When Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, He was fulfilling the prophecy first spoken from Ezekiel in Chapter 34:7-16,23. We even see this in the first verse of the well known Psalm 23 of David, “The Lord is my Shepherd…” So it’s beyond reason that the Messiah’s birth would first be announced to those closest to God’s heart of a Shepherd…those who cared for, looked out for, provided & protected the flock…even to the point of laying down their own lives for them.

Joseph, the husband of Mary, isn’t mentioned much in the Bible…but from what we do read, we have a picture of character & heart. A hardworking & humble carpenter…devout in his worship of God & in adherence of the Law. But still considerate and loving enough to want to spare his betrothed Mary the embarrassment & indignities when he discovered she was pregnant, but not with his child. But regardless, still Joseph raised Jesus as his own flesh & blood…leading a quiet life in Nazareth providing for his family as a village builder/repairman…all the while teaching his boy, Jesus, the trade. But Jesus learned so much more than carpentry from Joseph…He learned integrity, honesty, and a work ethic standing there beside His earthly father.

It was 700 years between Isaiah’s prophecy of, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) and the actual virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Isaiah used the strictest sense of the word for virgin in his prophecy, as did Mary herself when the angel announced to her this miraculous conception… she asked him, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (or in other words, emphatically stating, ” I have absolutely not known a man sexually)?” The virgin birth is one of the greatest mysteries, and those who do not believe it usually don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus was born of a woman to demonstrate that He was indeed human and one of us…minus one thing though… and that because He was also fully God, He was not born with a sin nature.

John is warning us of the power & alluring pull of Babylon…the siren song of seduction calling us to love the things of the world rather than loving Jesus. This world system opposed to God wants us to follow it…drawing us away from Christ with all its glitz & glamor, money & power, immorality & lust. In II Corinthians 6:17, Paul quotes portions from both Isaiah 52:11 & Ezekiel 20:34 concerning Babylon when he wrote, “Therefore go out from their midst and be separate from them, says the Lord.” He had just told the Church not to be yoked with unbelievers…to be in the world but not of it… and instead to separate themselves from anything that would cause them to love the world more than they loved God.

If you profess Jesus as your Lord & Savior, people are watching you. They want to know if your character, natural attitude, and prevailing tendencies are just for use on Sunday mornings only, or if they extend throughout the week. They’re watching you in difficult situations at work, school, and home…keenly observing if the talk you talk matches the walk you walk. That’s because it’s so easy to fall prey to our muddled inner nature…where we’re easily led astray when provoked. They’re watching you, not even realizing that they’re actually seek the Lord through you as you imitate Him.  

Paul is writing this letter from prison. The two groups of people he’s writing about here both preach Christ, but it’s their motives & attitudes that are starkly different. One group preaches Christ in a righteous & noble fashion. Their love for Paul is real, and they understand fully that he is “In chains for Christ.” The other group is envious of Paul’s stature and following, even from prison…and respond negatively to his success. Yes, they do preach Christ in a fashion, but it’s out of self-seeking duplicity…and a vying for power & prestige. To them, preaching Christ has become a competition… and a spreading of dissension among the brethren.

Faith is seeing His light with your heart… when all your eyes see is darkness. The Holiday Season is difficult for many to navigate through. There can be sadness from losing a loved one, contending with our own declining health, or stepping on eggshells around a ongoing family feud. All our eyes see is gloom, anxiety, and pain. But it tells us here to not fix our eyes on the darkness but rather on God’s light. I John 1:5 says that, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” And when we do seek His light with all our heart, it’s like a lamp shining brightly into the darkness around us…dispelling the somber murkiness.  Or as the great Faith Chapter in Hebrews begins, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Taking care of yourself is an important and essential part of taking care of others. Right now you may have a newborn in the house, a gaggle of toddlers, a elderly parent, or a infirmed spouse demanding all your time, energy, and attention. But if you do not attend to your our physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing…they could be potentially going it alone without you. The stats are eye opening…30% of caregivers die before the people they are caring for. Caregiving demands result in increased stress, which results in poor health because of neglect, which ultimately takes it toll. When it comes to caregiving of any type, it makes sense to “Put your own oxygen mask on before you assist others.” as well as looking to God for peace, comfort, strength, and wisdom. ”I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me.” (Psalm 40:17)

Think about this for a moment…both fear & faith demand that we believe in something we cannot see. Fear saturates our mind with the “what ifs”…(what if this happens, or that happens)…all the while making it difficult to think clearly as these unseen scenarios swirl around in our head. But it’s almost more difficult to believe by faith that God sovereignly controls all our circumstances, including this one. We are told to live by faith & not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7), which is so easy to say and yet so hard to do. So here we stand at the crossroads of fear & faith, with both demanding we make a choice.