Finitude We are limited creatures. By this I mean that we exist experientially in a state bound to limits of time and space. Everything began at some fixed point in space. Also, our lives span a particular period of human history and experience. While we have language for limitlessness, such as the mathematical concept of infinity, we struggle to truly comprehend space with no boundary or to understand past and future without beginning and ending. As we come to the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, we are probably more acutely aware of the passing of time. Maybe we have goals that we have yet to accomplish or experiences that we do not want to miss out on. As we evaluate our lives, the reality of the brevity of life (James 4:14) and the incomprehensibility of eternity, it is apparent that we are small, creaturely, and finite. Completion Because our nature is so defined by the limits around us, we also are people who seek for completion. When watching a movie or reading a story we expect a satisfactory resolution. Most people enjoy a “happily ever after” only after the conflict has been sufficiently resolved. This is not a flaw or defect coming from the fall but actually the image of God in us seeking for the resolution made necessary by the fall. We know that God has more in store for His people, as well as perfect justice and perfect peace. God is not going to leave His great story unfinished and unresolved. I get so much comfort out of knowing from the promises in God’s word that He is the just judge and He will do what is right (Genesis 18:25). On that day, all will know that He does what is right and no one will be able to say, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:35). Conclusion As God’s image bearers we were created to live forever. But, because of sin, death became the common experience and fate of the human race. However, the Lord Jesus Christ came to destroy death and release His people from this cruel bondage (Hebrew 2:14-15). This means that even though we were originally created for eternity we also long for this present state to find it’s necessary completion (Romans 8:18-25). We were not meant to live forever in sin! But God will deliver His people and bring us into a future full of hope and promise! Continuation So this means that we will experience the perfect resolution of God’s story but also the continuation of God’s goodness and glory forever. The Lord has promised us (His redeemed people) an everlasting home called the New Heavens and New Earth (2 Peter 3:13). And we are told by Him that this is the place where righteousness dwells, for this is where God dwells forever with His people. He will be our God and we will be His people (Jeremiah 32:38)!
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Holiday Theme Most of our homes are probably decked with Christmas adornments. There is just something intangible about sitting in a dark living room or den with only the soft glow of the Christmas lights illuminating the night. All the ribbons and bows and snowy globes contribute to the cozy Christmas feeling that surrounds us. These decorations seem to transform our common dwellings into special places ready for fellowship with family and celebration of Christ our King! Humbug However, not everyone enjoys all the frills and festivities. Many well meaning and serious believers consider Christmas a downgrade of theological convictions and compromise with the secular worldly culture. The approach of the puritans was that Christmas was not a Christian holiday at all, but rather a bold example of the blending of compromised, apostate Catholicism with pagan nature cults. The Puritans understood Christmas to be a blatant example of papist excess and frivolity. In many ways that was true. Even the name Christmas does come from Catholic origins referring to the 'Christ mass' that was probably done in the winter to coincide with the winter solstice celebrations of the pagans. There are also many people who are deeply disturbed over the materialism and commercialization of the holiday. Clearly Jesus isn't being honored by the family racking up huge credit card balances to make sure that they are keeping up with the other families on their street or even in their church. So, if there is so much that was historically troubling about Christmas and so much that could be currently concerning, why should Christians bother with it at all? Christmas Tree Lights Among the things that get attacked as pagan and even sinful among most Christmas celebrations is the sinister Christmas tree. This pagan symbol of fertility amongst the death of the dark winter season is considered to be such a clear example of pagan appropriation. However, even if all these historic and cultural assertions are true (which I'm not sure that they are) as Christians we must remember that Jesus is the reigning King. The Lord Jesus came to establish His eternal kingdom for the glory of the one true triune God! So if Jesus is the rightful recipient of all Glory, then that includes the glory of Christmas! So what does this have to do with the Christmas tree? Well the Bible is full of important trees. You will surely remember the forbidden tree (knowledge of good & evil) and the protected tree (life) that we find in the opening chapters of Genesis. The tree of life shows up other times as well in Proverbs but most conspicuously at the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation. But when we look at the Christmas tree maybe as genuine believers we should be reminded of the most important tree, the cross. On this tree Jesus bore the curse for us so that we could enjoy the blessing of His life! So let us rejoice this Christmas because Christ is our King and when we look at that illuminated tree we may be reminded it's about the cross. Sentimental Season Christmas is probably one of the most sentimental seasons. This time of year is filled with holiday traditions and family customs. These things build pathways in our brains and leave imprints on our hearts so that most folks are a little more emotional than usual. This can be both good and bad. Every one of us has, to some degree, a mix of positive and negative experiences and emotional triggers attached to the holidays. For this reason we sometimes do not understand why other people, even in the body of Christ, are more or less joyful than we are. But, our joy and hope are really not in the season. Rather, they are in the Son! Suppressed Sorrow Often, our sentimental feelings cause us to focus on external perfections to the point where we do not actually enjoy the fun, family, and festivities of the season. We can become burdened with holiday stress and expectations to the point that our heightened holiday sensitivity is a liability. This is probably the motivation behind the many exhortations that we receive to remember “the reason for the season” and other cliche, albeit true, encouragements. We know that for many this time of year is fraught with despair and depression. I believe that this portion of our year is so polarized because of the reality that the prince of peace has come. This means that those who have experienced that peace are reminded and celebratory. But those who have not experienced that peace are struggling to continue to suppress the reality of their sin and guilt before the one and only holy and righteous God (Romans 1:18). Joyful Hope However, it is also true that this time of year can bring out the joy in us. Even the pressure of our busy schedules can reveal the great joy that resides within us. Jesus told us that out of the abundance of the heart our mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). As we reflect on the incarnation, we should be filled with present peace because of the salvation and forgiveness that Jesus has secured for us (Romans 5:1-11). Also, we should be filled with hope and anticipation because of the promises of completed sanctification and final glorification which awaits every born again believer (Romans 8:12-30). Holiday Spirit As Christians the Apostle Peter says that we are to live with joy that is inexpressible and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8-9). I believe that the Lord would have us with jovial exuberance to enjoy all the bounty of our holiday traditions to the praise of His glorious grace. We are to do everything to His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). So we should see that our celebration and participation in the holiday trappings is a tangible way that we are experiencing the redemption of the world and the creation. Christ is King and so we are free to celebrate our King! The underlying motivation for our feast and festivities shouldn’t be holiday sentiment, but rather the Holy Spirit! Veneer The holiday season is truly one of my favorite times of the year. Obviously, this is because of the primary reason for the focus and prominence of the incarnation. Jesus came to save us from our sin! And the reminders are all around us. But I also enjoy all the trappings that come with the Christmas festivities. I like cold weather, Christmas lights, holiday foods, and Christmas music both old and new. However, in the midst of enjoying all of these fun and familiar things we can also be tempted to turn a blind eye to real needs going on around us. The reality is that we do live in a fallen and cursed world. While the message and hope of Christmas is that Jesus has come to rid the world of this curse, we still deal with the lingering reality of the curse all around us. We must allow ourselves to preserve a false feeling of nostalgia or naivete when the reality of suffering and sin are just outside our doors. Unfortunately, often we are able to put these problems out of sight and so keep them out of mind. We may be tempted to construct a narrative where the people who are suffering are simply reaping the fruit of their own choices and so we think they do not deserve help. It may be true that they are suffering the consequences of sin but if we are people who have received grace from God then we ought also to be people eager to extend grace to others who like us are undeserving. In these cases what we are often doing is looking for a way of excusing ourselves from the mess and misery of the hardship caused by sin. Why? Why would we not be more quickly and readily inclined to help? I do not think it is a lack of compassion or desire that keeps Christians from heping in these cases. Rather, the problem is often a lack of a sense of adequacy or competency. What I mean is that we do not know how to help. We genuinely do not know how to actually help them or we don’t think that they would be receptive to what genuine help would look like. Sometimes the problem is that we are overwhelmed by the need. We understand that helping is going to be hard and uncomfortable and messy. On top of all of this is the lack of assurance that we can make lasting change. None of these will serve as sufficient excuses before God, but they do serve as practical excuses that keep us sidelined and ineffective all too often. Sympathy I do not mean that we should leap off into the problems and poverty with people in such a way that we are simply suffering with them. If we do this they are still miserable and we are now miserable with them. Instead, we must be seeking to apply the good news of hope through Christ to their lives as Christ has worked in our lives so that they are the better for the interaction. Instead of jumping in and drowning with them, we must maintain our sure footing so that we can help them! The point is that we must be aware of the need and ready to help. We are on duty! I imagine our role as those who have been saved by God’s grace like that of a person saved by a lifeguard. Since I have been saved I want others who are drowning in the same pool of sin that I was in to also be saved! Shine In Isaiah chapter 9 where we read about the son who is to be given to us, we also read that the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2). The point of the passage is that the Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) would however come from Galilee. Now Galilee was the backwaters of Israel, not the place of prominence. But that is the point: the light of Christ was not just for those in Jerusalem but for the nations as well. This applies to us in that we must realize that the good news of Christ is not just for us but for others who are now suffering. They are in great darkness but light has come. Tragedy and trial have struck but hope and salvation are real and available in Christ! But we must be willing to get outside our comfort zone and shine the light that we have been given. This hope is not just a story or a belief, this hope is a person and His name is Jesus! If you are struggling, please reach out to us. We want to help! If you are enjoying the benefits of Christ and His kingdom, I would encourage you to seek to show others the light. This week I am going to include a link to a Christmas song that could also be helpful! (Glory in the Darkiest Place) Out of Touch I must admit when it comes to news and politics I am probably more than a little out of touch. I don’t watch or listen to much news. I pick up most of my news from social media and podcasts. With that being said, in this post I am going to refer to a couple of current events. However, I have not researched the events and I am not really dealing with the outcomes. I am dealing with what, I think, should be a uniquely and universally Christian sentiment on these issues. By uniquely I mean that these are not the views that would concern someone with an utterly secular worldview. Issues of conscience concerning the death of image bearers of God (because that is who they are) is unique to the Christian worldview. By using the term universal I mean that these points will be sufficiently broad and biblical so that any dissenting opinion would be unorthodox and unchristian. Rittenhouse Even for someone who is out of touch it would be hard to have missed the controversy surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse trial and verdict. I, of course, have my opinion about these matters, but for this post I want to focus on something that every Christian should be able to agree on, regardless of your estimation of the individuals involved or of what happened in Kenosha. That central point is this: two image bearers are dead! Regardless of the nature of their crimes and behavior or of Kyle’s guilt or innocence they are dead. Nothing that can be done now can change that fact. Nothing that the court or state or law or an individual can do will change that fact. Because this is the case Christians ought to pray for the family and friends and all those affected by the death of these two individuals. I know nothing at all about them but they were humans and we must pray. Pray is not just the only thing we can do but it is the most powerful and meaningful thing that we can do. But we must not only pray for them but also Kyle Rittenhouse. Once again regardless of your estimation of his innocence or guilt the reality is that he must live with having taken the lives of two people. Even when justified this is not a small thing. Those honorable soldiers and law enforcement officers who have had to take lives to save lives would no doubt relate to us the trauma of being involved in taking, even a guilty, human life. Dobbs V. Jackson I am writing this on December 1, 2021. This the day that our Supreme Court is hearing the oral arguments in a major case dealing with the legality of access to abortion. I want to state clearly that the intentional ending of an unborn human life is murder. The very word “abort” means to stop something that has already begun. From the moment of fertilization the zygote or embryo or fetus or baby (whichever term you want) is a person with its own body and soul and personhood. When we think about justice issues in the realms of race or court proceedings like those involving Kyle Rittenhouse we must take into account the factors of the sinful decisions of human beings to come to a just verdict. But in the case of these precious infants, justice is clear. There is no justice of any kind if those most vulnerable are not valued and protected. As we enter this season when we celebrate Jesus' first advent, remember that Jesus came and lived for us. We often (rightly) emphasize Jesus coming to die in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for sin freeing us from guilt and shame. However, Jesus also came and lived the holy righteous life that we should have lived. The demands of the Law were met with the humble obedience of Christ. Jesus did this so that He would transport that righteousness to our account so that we stand before God with all the merit of Jesus to our credit. Jesus came to live for us. Yet Jesus did die. So Jesus also came to live again for us. The only reason for us to have any hope of a future resurrection is because resurrection life is real. We know this and can experience it because Jesus has been raised from the dead and lives forevermore (Romans 5:6-11). If you have been born again you have experienced a spiritual resurrection (Ephesians 2:1) and you will one day experience a physical resurrection never to die again. The hope of this life is for all those who believe. So Jesus also came to live again for us. Justice for all? Even better, hope and life for all who are in Christ! |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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