Mary’s Song Here we are at the end of the year. During this week between Christmas and the New Year, I always feel like I am still lingering over the joy of the celebration and looking forward to the coming year with eager anticipation. Of course, as we age, each year becomes a decreasing portion of our life experience which causes a genuine experience of the increase of the passing of time. In the account of Mary’s response of praise after finding out that God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus and that God had given her relative Elizabeth a miraculous conception as well, Mary sings that the Lord has done great things for me (Luke 1:49). In this text, she recognizes the great blessing that she has received, as well as the abundant power, holiness, and mercy that our God has shown to her. But, it is not only for Mary that the Lord has done great things. It is for all of His people. Last Psalm Just as Mary sang of all that God had done for her, the very last Psalm chronologically in the Old Testament also overflows with the accomplishment of God for His people. This final Psalm is Psalm 126. This Psalm was written and sung when the Babylonian captives had returned and rebuilt the city of Jerusalem and the temple of Yahweh. In this passage the returning people sang out beginning with the words, “Yahweh has done great things for them.” We might ask who they are? In the context of the Psalm, the captives are recognizing that God has providentially blessed the nations even through their captivity. This would be especially true of the blessing on those rulers and peoples who had been kind to the Lord’s people. One way that the nations had been blessed is through the spread of the knowledge of Yahweh through His people. Remember that what they are talking about is the events of books like Daniel and Esther. In these texts, Yahweh is exalted among the nations. Their Song But the next line in the sonnet of praise by God’s joyous people is, “Yahweh has done great things for us!” These returning captives are emphasizing the reality that what they are receiving and experiencing is the providential outpouring of God’s grace and not anything that they have earned or deserved. God has kept every promise and every need and they are rejoicing in His kindness. They cry out to God, “We are glad!” This is not a simple statement, but rather a profound profession of their joy that the Lord has restored to them (Psalm 51:12). Our Song But this is also the kind of joy that God has for us! Their joy and gladness was the result of their salvation. The Apostle Peter reminds us as believers that we also rejoice with “joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). But possibly you don’t feel like rejoicing? Maybe you find yourself in a season of struggle and hardship? Then let me encourage you to meditate on the words of Psalm 126. For the captives also sang of the pattern of sowing in tears to then reap in joy. You may not be looking forward to the coming year because you know of some hurdles and hardships that await you in the new year. But let me encourage you to trust in the Lord that while we as His people may weep as we scatter the seed we know that someday we will shout for joy on the day of harvest.
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Family Affair As I have stated in the previous posts, I love the Christmas holiday and season when so much attention is given to Christ and the glory of God revealed in the incarnation. The possible ways to consider the many facets of the coming of God in the flesh is astounding. But I am especially excited about this blog post because the following content is by a guest author, my son, Brady Ragsdale. Please read and be blessed by Brady’s meditations on the birth and accomplishment of Christ. A Wonderful Time I believe this is one of the most wonderful times of the year, full of love, giving, and family. Although all of these are great, none of them are the greatest and none of them are the reason we celebrate. We might love to travel around and spend time with family. Whether we see them every day or once a year, it’s amazing to spend time with them. The Holiday Season We might like the presents under the tree, whether we are the one giving the gift or the one receiving the gift. We might enjoy the crisp cool air. It causes your breath to become visible and your cheeks to turn red. We might enjoy driving through the town, to see the intricate lights hanging from all the houses with their grand decorations. All of these are great and should be enjoyed, but they are not why we celebrate. The Greatest Gift We celebrate in remembrance of the greatest Christmas gift of all! The greatest Christmas gift came down from heaven as a small baby. The greatest gift lived as a man for many years dealing with all of the same problems and temptations as we deal with even though he was not a man like us. The greatest Christmas gift was treated with such reproach and scorn; it was as if he had brought very grave news even though he was bringing them good news of his coming. The greatest Christmas gift was covertly taken in the night. The greatest Christmas gift of all was beaten and dragged down the streets to the mountain called Golgotha. The most important Christmas gift was nailed to a cross and gave up his life for you and me as the most important gift of all – salvation. This grand amazing gift had the name Jesus. Jesus was the infallible son of God who came down to earth and gave up his life willingly so that we would be saved. Three days after he gave up his life, he returned from the tomb he had been laid in and proclaimed once more that He was the son of God and all who believe in him would be saved. Carols I love Christmas! I love everything about it. I even love the cold weather! But one of the things that I really enjoy is the Christmas music. I don’t tend to listen to much music throughout the year, but when this season rolls around my playlist gets red hot with the sounds of Christmas. Even as I write this post, I have instrumental Christmas music playing softly in the background. It may be that the music triggers the sentimental and nostalgic parts of our hearts that endears these classic songs to us so much. However, in one sense, Christmas has always been marked by music as the King of Glory entered into His creation to save His people from their sin (Matt. 1:21). And this was no somber dirge, but the joyful celebration of glad tidings for all the people (Luke 2:10)! After all, it makes sense because birthdays are generally celebrated with glad and grateful singing. If this is true for our birthdays then how much more appropriate is it to see the birth of Christ our glorious king. Dark days We must remember that before Christ came the covenant people of God had experienced centuries of discipline because of their disobedience and now silence. The word of God had not been heard for 400 years and they were weary under the oppression of Roman rule and the seeming absence of their God. All the way back when they were in exile in Babylon they were asked to sing the songs of Zion and they could not because of the depression and despairPsalm 137:4). The point is that they had been so long under darkness and without reason to sing or to hope. But then… But then the angel visits Zechariah(Luke 1:8-17) and announced that he would have a miracle child that would be a great prophet sent from God. After this the angel visits Mary and announces that sh e(vs. 26-33), a young virgin, would have a child who would be more than a prophet, he would actually be the very son of God! When Mary gets this news she goes to see her cousin Elizebeth who is pregnant with Zechariah’s baby, and Mary sings the first Christmas song. Luke 1:46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Notice that in this song Mary is bursting with praise, humility, and faith because she has believed what God has revealed to her and she rejoices in His goodness and grace not only on her but for all His people. Even Better… But the song doesn’t end with a young mothers lullaby, because on the night of Jesus' birth the great heavenly choir of angels came to announce His majestic birth to the humble shepherds watching their flocks that first Christmas night. Their song was one of praise to God who is always and eternally worthy to be worshiped. But it was also a hymn of hope for the peace that would come with the triumphal reign of this newborn King. He has come and accomplished the salvation of His people. He is now reigning while He puts all His enemies under His feet. And He will return to bring peace to those with whom He is pleased, or to put it another way, “peace on earth, goodwill toward men (Luke 2:8-14).” Hope This is the Christmas season, a time when the words”‘hope” and “joy” get used alot. I’m not sure that people are as purposeful and intentional as they should be when using these terms. Many times we use the word “joy” when what we really mean is a happy nostalgic emotion that gives us temporary escape from our pain and problems. Even worse, we use the term “hope” to imply a rosy or idyllic picture of the future that is highly unlikely to take place. Because of this, we can end up far more discouraged when the effects of our self inflicted, psychological manipulation eventually wears off. Instead, we need a dose of the enduring hope that the Bible gives us. No doubt, the Scriptures do teach us to look forward to an idyllic hope of dwelling with God and enjoying the beauty and grandeur of His glory, but in His word God also prepares us for the long road of walking with God by faith through this present evil world (Ephesians 6:12). Our hope is not only found in looking forward, but also in looking back. First and foremost, we ought to be looking to Christ and all that Jesus has done for us! Looking Back Remember, as we celebrate the glorious occasion of Jesus’ birth, we are not just thinking of a cute story about a baby being born. But instead, we are basking in the glorious reality of God Himself taking on human flesh. As we think about this amazing condescension, we can marvel in the glorious humility that Jesus displayed in becoming like us in our human flesh for the sake of saving our eternal souls. Jesus did not come to give us a holiday, but to give us His holy life. We, as believers in Christ, receive Him and in Him we receive the righteous credit for His perfect life. Jesus came to die in our place on the cross taking the guilt and shame for our sin and destroying the power of the curse of sin earned by Adam and transmitted to us. And Jesus rose again to claim His victory and reign forever over His kingdom (Philippians 2:1-11). Looking Around We also ought to be looking at our current life of faith. Have we, even as believers, been drawn away by the enticements of the world from participating in the grace we have received from Jesus Christ? The Lord calls us to put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13) and take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Ironically, this path of self denial is the way of experiencing true joy, which is far superior to the enticements and entertainments promised by the fleeting pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25). When I speak about participating in the grace we have in Christ, I am referring to the things that God has not only commanded us to do in worship but allowed us the privilege of experiencing together in the church. We are given the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We are given the public and private reading and studying of His scripture. We are given an audience before His mighty throne both corporately and individually. We are given access to the shared fellowship of His covenant meal at the Lord’s table. We are given the witnessing of baptisms of new members of the household of God. We are given the proclamation and instruction of the word of God. And in all these ways we are participating and experiencing the grace of God for us in Christ. Looking Forward Finally, we can look forward to the promises that will be fulfilled in our future. We haven’t yet reached the eternal state and so we have the sure promises of God to strengthen and encourage us. As believers, we have seen God show Himself steadfast and faithful and so we can rest in the full accomplishment of all His precious promises. Small World I’m sure we have all seen the film bearing the same name as this blog post. The protagonist George Bailey is broken and discouraged by the hard realities of life as he is experiencing it and contemplates if his life really matters at all. In this fanciful tale a bumbling cherub guides George to discover just how impactful and beautiful his life truly has been. The story is heartwarming as it helps us to realize that our perception of reality is only partial. This means that so much more is happening than what we perceive. Of course, this film is no place to look for gaining a biblical understanding of theology, sovereignty, or angels; but it does push us to seek out blessings that we may not have already noticed. I will not go into details, but in our church just today I believe we have the full range of human experiences happening all at the same time. From beginnings to endings and from joy to grief even in our small church God is bringing about His providential will. This should encourage us that there is real hope available for us even when we are overwhelmed with circumstances or feel like we are drowning in stress. Season’s Sorrows I love this time of year! I am not a Grinch when it comes to Christmas time, but we also must admit that most of us live pretty hectic, even stress-filled lives all the time and this season can add to those pressures. The point I am making is that we are not immune to the time or the taxing demands that fill every 24 hours that we have been allotted. I know that we have all seen the statistics that this is a time when people struggle mentally and emotionally. People are genuinely struggling during this season with more than just budgets and calendars, but also with expectations of what life and relationship should or could have been. Sometimes these hardships and hurts are magnified by the sense that we might have that everything is going so well for everyone else. Because this is the case each one of us is in danger of being deceived by the lights and decorations. There is a veneer of perfection that people even unconsciously will try to display. This is not just during the holiday season but it can be especially relevant during a time when the cultural expectation of glad tidings and good cheer are at the highest. Because this is the case we must as believers labor to look to Christ and cultivate a true sense of awe and wonder at the greatest gift provided for us in the coming of the Lord Jesus that first Christmas day. Surpassing Splendor The Apostle Paul knows this kind of struggle. However, this man of God, while completely appreciating the hardship and pain, also found the sufficient grace, new mercies, and steadfast love of Christ enough to encourage his soul and strengthen his heart. Paul says that even though they are afflicted they are not crushed. He also says that even though they are perplexed they are not driven to despair (2 Corinthians 4:7-18). How can this be? How can Paul, who suffered so greatly for his witness and testimony for the Lord, not be crushed and destroyed? The answer is that Paul had the right perspective! First, Paul had the perspective of faith. He says that he and the other believers believed and so they spoke. Without this perspective of faith they would have been overcome by just what they could see with their eyes and understand from their circumstances but by faith he believed and so he was able to speak and bear witness for Jesus. Second Paul also had the perspective of grace and gratitude. He wants the grace of Christ to extend to more and more people so that thanksgiving will abound to the one who is worthy to receive them. Finally, Paul has his perspective set on eternal glory. Because of this, Paul can see beyond the present temporal pain to the eternal weight of glory that is available in Christ Jesus! As we approach Christmas, let us look to the glory of the day. It points beyond the manger to the cross, beyond the cross to the empty tomb, and beyond the empty to Christ’s glorious eternal throne! |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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