A Seasonal Word and a Grand Exchange!

It's an old word, one that comes down to us from the 14th Century but which has its meaning in an event that happened about 2000 years ago. If you are unfamiliar with the word "Nativity" as used by Christians, I hope that you will kindly read on. Take just a moment to read a very simple explanation of what Christians believe at Christmas. If nothing else, you will obtain a closer understanding of what it is that we are celebrating.

From the online Miriam-Webster dictionary we find this definition of "Nativity":

1: the process or circumstances of being born: birth; especially capitalized: the birth of Jesus
(emphasize mine)

And, then, as dictionaries do, we read the origin of the word.
Middle English nativite, from Anglo-French nativité, from Medieval Latin nativitat-, nativitas, from Late Latin, birth, from Latin nativus

Over the years (my years, that is) my Christmas decorating has varied. But regardless of what other decorations I put up, I always love setting out a Nativity scene. One set is pictured at the top of my blog. The other is a small music box that I hope little visitors will pick up, turn the handle, and listen to the simple tune as they contemplate the figures that represent Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.

For us the word "Christmas" comes from Middle English Christemasse, and from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass.

I suppose that is partly why non-believers sometimes prefer "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Be that as it may...Christmas is a celebration of Christ.

I want to emphasize that the celebration is not simply the birth of a new baby for this is no ordinary baby. What we are celebrating is the arrival of the promised Savior, Emmanuel (God with us). The long-awaited Promised Messiah arrived on that not-so-quiet night in Bethlehem.

Why was it a not-so-quiet night? Luke 2:13-14 tells us that after the birth there was a host, a huge number, a large crowd, a Sky Full of Holy Angels shouting the good news and proclaiming, ""Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

God Himself (John 1:1-3) had come down into mankind to take on flesh to become one of us (John 1:14) and to live the righteous and perfectly sin-free life than we cannot.

And then! At the Cross, He carried out what I call the Grand Exchange. Our sins placed on Him. All of them. Imputed to Him as if they were His own! He died our penalty as if He had committed every one of those rotten, filthy, foul sins! (2 Corinthians 5:21) (Another useful word here is "propitiation" or "sacrifice". See 1 John 4:10)

But this is only half the exchange! The other half is that His Righteousness is put on (imputed) to those who are His. His Righteousness covers us! It covers us so thoroughly that when we stand before God on Judgment Day our Heavenly Father sees us Clean! Because we are clothed with Christ's Righteousness! (Even though we still live out our natural lifetime struggling against our old sin nature.)

Therefore, if you belong to Christ, consider yourself a New Creature. Our old "self" is done away with. We are new! (2 Cor 5:17).

This Christmas, when you see a Nativity set, stop and take a look. That little baby in a manger came purposely, with a plan from Eternity Past to reconcile God's people to Himself. (2 Cor 5:18)

And That's why Christmas is Merry! We have received Life! (John 5:24 and I John 5:20)
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Freedom Still Calls Pilgrims to Our Shores

Editorialist Melanie Kirkpatrick writes today about some modern "pilgrims". These "pilgrims" are students at Newcomers High School in Queens. The school boasts 850 students from 60 countries who speak 40 different languages.

The students report that they or their parents came '"seeking better lives" or "to make a better life for her children" or "pursuiting the happiness" (his spelling/grammar).

To quote from Kirkpatrick's article:
"Newcomers High School also has students who, like the Pilgrims, came to the U.S. seeking freedom of worship. A boy who says he's from Tibet notes that his family "couldn't practice the religion of the Dalai Lama" in China. An Indonesian girl, who is Christian, tells of being persecuted by Muslims in her neighborhood and fearing for her safety. An Egyptian, also a Christian, says she feared being kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. "We wanted to close all the bad pages of memory . . . and start a new page."

Many of the students mentioned in the editorial are celebrating Thanksgiving for only the first or second time. They're newcomers to America's shores. Kirkpatrick concludes by stating that these students, so new to freedom, understand well the struggles of those who first celebrated Thanksgiving. And they, too, give thanks.

Let us not forget Freedom. And let us always give thanks.

We Should Fall Flat on Our Face

The news of the roller coaster ride on Wall Street is everywhere. Since I'm not in the market I won't begin to suggest I have advice for those who have money invested in stocks and bonds.
However, in terms of how we should live, I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned word "frugality".

We live in a time of consumption. (A century ago 'consumption' was a deadly illness...today, over-consumption is still deadly in terms of your wallet.) Sadly, we have taught our children well the illusion that their little special "Self" deserves "More". We have not given them the picture of "spend less than you earn" nor how to serve others. Instead, we've catered to their every whim and have done so at a high cost in terms of dollars. We want them to have "what we didn't have" as if somehow we deserved more and so do they. What a false idea of how to provide for family.

I'm going to step on some toes here, but if I do, it's not personal. If there were one thing that I could change in my family it would be how we celebrate Christmas. Perhaps I'm an old woman who has lost the "fun" of Christmas and who has become an old fuddy-duddy, wanting to take away the "spirit" of Christmas by eliminating the excess. (Notice I did not spell "spirit" with a capital "S").

Let's get real here. Let's stop playing the game. How many paper-wrapped packages does a little kid need under the tree? Does every aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent have to provide the obligatory gift...a gift that the kid grabs, rips, discards in less time than I can say "Merry Christmas"? Aren't we a bit foolish to spend countless hours (not to mention the dollars) getting "just the right gift" for each one...gifts that moments later are tossed aside or broken.

If one has cash to buy the above, okay, go for it if that is your wish. But, oh, how foolish, in terms of your family's economic well-being, if you are using your credit cards or the last dime you have in savings! How Foolish!

I prefer to celebrate the Christmas that is about the Christ, the Messiah, who came to rescue us from our sinful condition (Colossians 1:13). Christians too often limply state that "God is Love", leaving that to be the extent of their understanding of the Bible, making God this little wimpy god spelled with a small "g" who just loves us as we are and who somehow quite fruitlessly hopes that we will try to be good at least once in awhile. What a wimpy idea of the theology of the Bible. It may be a Santa Claus idea, but it is not a God idea.

The real message of the Bible is much, much deeper. Our condition of sin much deeper. And our rescue from a much deeper pit than some might suppose. Romans 8:28-39 is one of my favorite passages. The words therein are grand. Follow that with Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!"

The message of the Bible is deep. But we Americans love living on the surface of everything, never going deep, even in our faith, and seldom deep into our relationship with the Creator. If we did (go deep, that is) we might each have to face the depth of our sinful heart and have to fall flat on our face as Isaiah (Isaiah 6) did before a holy and just God.

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Marching in the July 4th Parade

While I love the 4th of July and love the celebration of the Declaration of Independence, today's 4th was a rather quiet day at our house. No parades. No day spent at the beach. No huge celebration. Just a quiet day.

That wasn't the case fifty years ago. (Oh, My! I am OLD!)

Our small town band spent every July 4th marching in the local parade and providing the music for two days of rodeo. Except for one exceptionally hot 4th, we always wore our red wool uniforms, our ties, plumed hats and white shoes. We stepped smartly, too, for our instructor didn't put up with any sloppy laziness in the ranks. She stepped pretty smart herself, always marching just to the right of the lead baton twirler. If she could keep marching regardless of rain, snow or sleet, who were we to slack off!

Today's small towns seldom have the musical programs that we did. It's a pity. We gained so much. I still hold this instructor in high esteem. She taught both band and vocal to the entire school from first grade through high school. She pushed us, she encouraged us, she insisted we do our best! What a lady! What a dedicated teacher! How she did love us! Thank you, Mrs. Jane Matthews. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Easter 2008

It's Easter morning. There are no dyed eggs at our house. It takes grandkids to develop in me a desire to dye eggs and today they are not here. Nothing wrong with dyed eggs. It's simply that they are so "fluff" in regards to Easter.

The "real" Easter is in the Bible and My favorite Bible verses this morning are in Romans, Chapter 8.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become con-formed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Apostle Paul said it so well. How can I say it any better!

Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!