Living with a Holiday Spirit

Here they come all lined up in a row, one after the other. Halloween followed by Veteran’s Day, and soon our path runs into Thanksgiving. The season of Advent begins on the last Sunday of November. Then the Christian, Jew, and the secular world celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah, and one way or another we find the means to celebrate the passing of one year and the beginning of another. All this occurs in less than ten weeks.

There will be parties and family gatherings. Travel miles will reach into the millions. Businesses will make more money in these ten weeks than in any other four to six month period of the year. On January 2^nd we will go back to work, collapse in exhaustion, or watch another round of college football games. It is the American way.

Where in all this chaos do we find time to celebrate the reasons behind each season? There would be no Halloween (All Hallows Eve) if there were no All Hallows Day or All Saints Day. There would be no Veteran’s Day if we did not honor those who have given of time and life to defend the freedoms of our country. There would be no Thanksgiving if we did not remember the price paid by those who first settled our country. There would be no Advent and Christmas if followers of Jesus had not seen his coming as a divine interruption in history along with a promise he would return some day. And as for New Year’s Eve and Day? We don’t need much of an excuse to celebrate. If a reason is not handy, we’ll make up one.

In I Thessalonians 5:18, the Apostle Paul said,

1Th 5:18  Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. (Contemporary English Version)

Holidays can bring a mess of emotions. Anticipation can fill your thoughts as you prepare for the seasonal activities. There is the joy of being with friends and family in an atmosphere of caring and sharing. There can be a sense of longing about wonderful occasions now relegated to the past. Our hearts can miss the joy of the season altogether if there is an empty chair where a departed loved one used to sit.

Paul calls us to remember regardless of what is happening we have reason to thank God. Things may look dark. Grief may dominate. Still, Paul says, we can find joy in what God has given us and will never take away.

Don’t celebrate the demonic and evil at Halloween. Celebrate the lives of all the saints who have kept a faithful witness for Christ through the centuries. Celebrate the Resurrection of Christ when he overcame death, the greatest weapon of Satan.

Don’t be conquered by grief at the terrible cost in lives and families by war. Thank God there were and are men and women who are willing to give “the last, full measure” for the freedom of their country. Thank God for their memory. Thank God for their service today. Remember them in your prayers and acts of kindness.

Don’t let Thanksgiving get lost between the decorations of Halloween and Christmas. Slow down long enough to recognize that as James said,

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. (Good News Bible)

Use the time of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, to thank God for sending his Son Jesus Christ to die in place of us for the consequences of our sins. Take time to thank God that this same Jesus is coming back one day to carry us to our eternal home in the presence of our heavenly Father.

On New Year’s Eve, thank God you have what you have at the end of this old year. On New Year’s Day thank God you have to possibilities of a new year awaiting you.

This will help you live with a holiday spirit.

Would You Eat That?

Our Christian faith began as a reformation effort in the midst of Judaism. Later when common ground became smaller and smaller, the Christians found they were no longer welcome in the community synagogues. They developed their own fellowship among mutual believers.

This did not happen overnight, nor was it done without some serious rethinking about what it meant to be the Kingdom of God active here on earth while waiting for the second coming of Christ. One of those significant breakthroughs was the realization God loved Gentiles as much as Jews. Judaism and Christianity should already have learned this from the prophet Jonah in the Old Testament.

So the Apostle Peter had to face his prejudice and learn by direct confrontation, the Gospel was for everyone. God wanted all men to come to salvation. Many might choose not to come, but it would not be because they had not received an invitation.

Act 10:9  The next day, as they were on their way and coming near Joppa, Peter went up on the roof of the house about noon in order to pray.

Act 10:10  He became hungry and wanted something to eat; while the food was being prepared, he had a vision.

Act 10:11  He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners to the earth.

Act 10:12  In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and wild birds.

Act 10:13  A voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat!"

Act 10:14  But Peter said, "Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything ritually unclean or defiled."

Act 10:15  The voice spoke to him again, "Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean."

Peter took the lesson he had learned and shared it with other leaders of the Jerusalem church. The door was thrown open to accept anyone who would acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and claim his saving act for themselves. The Apostle Paul became the apostle to the Gentiles and people everywhere heard the good news salvation was available for them.

After 2000 years we still need to have that sheet lowered in front of us and hear the voice say, “All that I have created is worthy of receiving the gospel. Go make sure they have a chance to respond.”

Perhaps like me you have heard the horror stories of individuals coming through the doors of a church building only to find their kind was not welcome. We thought that all disappeared with growth of the civil rights movement, but it has never gone away. Even if color is not the cause for division, we still find reasons to say our church is not for everyone.

Economics can be a real door lock. Look at all the Lexis, Acuras, and Audis in the parking lot. Scattered among them are a few Volvos, Lincolns, and Chryslers. Where do you park your Ford Focus? Will there be a seat inside where your twill pants will be acceptable?

We shouldn’t point our fingers at the wealthy, uptown churches. We need to take a closer look at our own lives. Where do we shop for clothes? What brand of shoes graces our feet? What size house is acceptable?

To whom will we speak while standing in line at the drugstore? Whom do we want cutting our hair? Who is acceptable as a dentist or a doctor?

To whom will we share the love of God?

The presence of prejudice doesn’t have to take the form of crossing to the other side of the road to keep from meeting someone. It doesn’t have to take the form of refusing to give service or even acknowledge their presence. Perhaps most often prejudice is that gut level feeling that makes us hesitate to act, or leads us to make up an excuse about a lack of time or material resources, or even to think that person doesn’t deserve our help.

The Apostle Simon Peter registered his protests and then was told what he was to do. I for one am glad he overcame his prejudice.

Learn from the Past – Celebrate the Future

Family reunions are a lot of fun. There is always lots of food. The matriarchs and patriarchs receive a lot of love and attention. New spouses are recognized and praised. New babies are passed around and spoiled by aunts and uncles. Old stories are told and retold. New stories are added and future plans shared. The past is rehearsed for the new generations, and future plans are shared by the next for the joy of the previous.

Family reunions, though always honoring and respecting the individuals and their legacies, focus just as much if not more on the future of the family as on its past. They are a time of sharing and learning what others had to face in earlier generations and from those lessons prepare for a more successful future by rising generations.

Church reunions are often called homecomings. They celebrate the founding of the local family of faith. They note great milestones in the history of the church. Eldest members and those holding the longest membership are often feted. And, yes, there is always lots of food.

During the worship service there may be a reading of a summary of the church history. Individual members may give testimonies of how the church family was there for them during particular crises. There may be a recounting of the sacrifices made by those earlier generations to insure a church would remain for future generations.

How is the future celebrated in these church family homecomings? One church of which I have read uses their annual homecoming to recommit themselves to the future by reading as a church body the original mission statement of their congregation. They remind themselves of what the founding members declared as their vision and then commit themselves to work to remain faithful to that mission statement in the future.

To make such a commitment to the future, however, demands honest evaluation of how things have progressed up to the present. How has the context changed? How have the needs changed? It may be the activity of the congregation must change because the setting has changed. The mission may remain the same, but the process of fulfilling the mission may need to look a lot different. As in the family reunion, the younger generations can learn from the older, but they cannot be restricted to the decisions made by their elders.

This takes wisdom, divine wisdom, and a lot of bold courage. A church homecoming service may need to be an annual time for the congregation to look at itself and ask some hard questions. Are we focused more on preserving the past or preparing for the future? Are we striving to be faithful to the vision of our ancestors or striving to be faithful to God’s call to be salt and light in our community?

Jesus offered a short parable to illustrate the need to use wisdom as we prepare for the future.

Mat 13:52 So he replied, "This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room."

Homecomings for a family of faith are ideal times for the membership to “take new and old things” out of their cabinets of preservation and decide if these items support the vision of their church in its effort to fulfill its divine calling. The Church is in the business of storming the gates of hell and calling sinners to repentance. It is not in the business of preserving the dreams of other people, the trophies of other generations, or making idols out of ancient saints dead and gone. Respect is one thing. We must learn and use what we have learned. We cannot, however, allow respect to become idolatry or a set of chains that would hold us back from the future to which God calls us.

.Christians, the Holy Spirit, and the Laws of the Land

  

When faced with the trials and tribulations of our world, it is difficult for us as Christians to sit back, wait, and watch to see what God will do to remedy the situation. This puts us in the same emotional camp as King Saul as he waited for the prophet Samuel to show up and be in charge.

1Sa 13:7b “Saul was still at Gilgal, and the people with him were trembling with fear.

1Sa 13:8  He waited seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel still had not come to Gilgal. The people began to desert Saul,

1Sa 13:9  so he said to them, "Bring me the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices." He offered a burnt sacrifice,

1Sa 13:10  and just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him,

1Sa 13:11  but Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul answered, "The people were deserting me, and you had not come when you said you would; besides that, the Philistines are gathering at Michmash.

1Sa 13:12  So I thought, 'The Philistines are going to attack me here in Gilgal, and I have not tried to win the LORD's favor.' So I felt I had to offer a sacrifice."

1Sa 13:13  "That was a foolish thing to do," Samuel answered. "You have not obeyed the command the LORD your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you and your descendants rule over Israel forever.”

This was the first time Saul got in hot water with God and Samuel. In the fifteenth chapter, Samuel responds to Saul’s disobedience with these words,

1Sa 15:22  Samuel said, "Which does the LORD prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him.

1Sa 15:23  Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you as king."

The example of Saul in the Old Testament is clear about what God values most. He wants faithfulness to his will. Ultimately it is the choice of the Christian to follow the ways of the world or the will of God. Obedience to the will of God can come at a cost, and always it must come from the heart.

The leadership of the Holy Spirit must be paramount as Christians confront and live in the world. He will lead us into an understanding of our responsibilities before God and in the midst of the world. Only his wisdom can lead us to see what is right. Only his strength will allow us to serve God in a society that rejects the idea of God’s rule.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he was writing to believers who lived in the heart of Roman law. They understood the rule and power of law. Paul’s goal was to make sure they understood no matter how powerful the law or the institutions that created it, law could not bring salvation. Only obedience to God could bring man salvation. This was not in the power of a nation, but only in the power of the Holy Spirit dealing in the heart of each individual.

Rom 3:19  Now we know that everything in the Law applies to those who live under the Law, in order to stop all human excuses and bring the whole world under God's judgment.

Rom 3:20  For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned.

Rom 3:21  But now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it.

Rom 3:22  God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all:

Rom 3:23  everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.

All of this to say our relationship with God on a daily basis is the most important thing we have. It is a relationship based on faith and obedience to Him. We may pass all the laws we want, but those laws will not change the hearts of people. They will not create a Christian society. Those laws will not lead men to the path of salvation. Only the working of the Holy Spirit in each life can change that life.

Can laws help us live at peace and in a safer society? Yes, they can. Will sufficient laws lead us to a point of safety that denies all freedom to witness to the saving power of God through Jesus Christ his Son? Yes, that is true also.

The risk of living as a Christian can involve a free society or living in a tyranny. Either way, the freedom in which a Christian lives is independent of his material or legal circumstances. He is free in Christ.

A Basic People Skill

Group dynamics and interrelationship studies will give all kinds of examples for people skills. These are skills and techniques that help us understand people, deal with people, cooperate with people, and coexist with people. Some we learn in the context of family. Others we learn in the greater context of community whatever the setting might be. Some skills help us tolerate the presence of other people. Some allow us the opportunity to move into deeper relationships with people. Some work for the best of all involved. Some have a darker side that appears more as a means of manipulation than of peaceful coexistence.

One particular people skill has been around for thousands of years. In its earliest history it was usually couched in negative terms. Approaching the time of Jesus of Nazareth, the more positive statement of the “Golden Rule” became accepted. The formulation by Jesus has become the best known.

Mat 7:12 "Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets.”

If we are to see this simple statement as a basic skill for getting along with people, then we need to be sensitive to all the areas of life in which we need to apply it. People are everywhere. People everywhere have feelings. They all have goals, priorities, and agendas. At one time we might have been able to live without them, but not anymore. If we are to have any hope of peace, satisfaction, and a sense of personal accomplishment, we need this basic people skill.

A major difference between the negative form of this statement so common in world religions and its positive statement is the role of initiative. The negative form says to avoid actions that harm others. The positive form says take the initiative and relate to the other person or persons in the way you would want to be treated if they so chose to do so. You act the way you desire from others even if they don’t respond at all! This is at the heart of what Jesus taught.

In my family I had better follow the Golden Rule with my wife. If I want consideration, I need to offer consideration. If I want compassion, I need to give compassion. If I want forgiveness, then forgiveness needs to come quickly from my heart. If I want to be loved, then I must be ready to love unconditionally.

The critical component for this skill in the teachings of Jesus, however, is the lack of need for reciprocity. You love even if they don’t love. You are considerate even if they are not considerate. You show compassion when others don’t. You forgive even when others are not sorry.

The second of the two Great Commandments is often used as a form of the Golden Rule, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Love for yourself as you would want to express it becomes the standard by which you love those around you regardless of their circumstances or the category by which we may identify them. Your neighbor is one who shares your world, and we live in a big world. Anyone who crosses our path is our neighbor. Anyone who needs our assistance in moving toward the abundant life in the plan of Jesus is our neighbor. Recognizing who is our neighbor is as simple as recognizing anyone who needs the love of God.

Living out the Golden Rule is to “live at peace with all men insofar as it depends upon you”. (Romans 12:18) It means being generous when people don’t expect it. It means being kind when people don’t deserve it. It means forgiving when people aren’t sorry. It means taking that first step to show the desire for reconciliation when there is no reciprocal response forthcoming.

Such an attitude should dominate family relations. It should dictate our work ethic and marketplace relationships. It should mold our reaction to people we meet each day whether we know them or not. It reflects the heart of God.