Advent 2018: Humble Service and Christmas Love

In the spirit of Hebrews 10:24, I offer the following words to incite others to love and good works. May we in this Christmas season find ourselves like our Lord wrapping a towel of humility around our collective waists as we pursue the greatest job ever—loving those God has loved in a way that they do not expect.

Remember, Jesus came as a child—a seemingly defenseless, helpless babe. He lived among us as a “normal” person—he worked with his hands, he talked to people, and he showed them love. He was human (in the “flesh” as John and Paul tell us), and in community with us he revealed to us the character of God: selfless love, humble service, and unmerited grace. Jesus also encouraged and admonished his followers to serve one another, to outdo one another in being kind and in service. "The one who serves is the greatest" says Jesus.

Do we really believe it? Often I don’t think so.

I am reminded of my call as a Christ-follower--I am to offer debt-free love and service to others with no expectation of reward. I am to love as Christ loves. I am to lay down myself so that someone else may live. I am to live simply so that others may simply live. That isn't the American dream, now is it. What person in our community has gone days without a hot meal? Who are the "little ones" in our neighborhoods who are wounded, hurt, dispossessed? Will we love Jesus enough to love them?

Steve Camp used to sing a song that said something like "Can we taste the tears that they cried?" The song deals with loving the unlovable, embracing those others avoid, touching the untouchable. Jesus did that. He walked right up to people with leprosy. He put his clean hands on their decaying flesh. He touched them. He loved them.

Remember when Jesus took a child and set the child in the midst of his disciples? He encouraged his disciples to develop a child-like tendency to trust God (see Matthew 18:1-6). He says to them "Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble . . ." Well, you probably remember the rest.

Earlier Jesus had told his disciples that to offer others even a "cup of cold water" in the name of Christ was considered a good thing to do.

Jesus also encouraged and admonished his followers to serve one another, to outdo one another in being kind and in service.

"The one who serves is the greatest" says Jesus.

Do we really believe it?

Who are the "little ones" in our areas who are wounded, hurt, dispossessed?

Will we love Jesus enough to love them?

Who are our modern day lepers? Are they the drug addicts? The alcoholics? The divorcees? The liberal democrats? The conservative republicans? The victim of cancer, aids, etc.? Are they the orphans of war? The ones left behind by our refusal to care?

Finding them isn't hard--they are out there.

Loving them is harder. They may even share a home with us.

May we learn today to offer debt-free love and service. Like Jesus may we learn to take joy in the smiles and laughter we receive. May we (like Jesus) even be willing to be killed by those we love and yet love them anyway. May we learn that humble service is greater than power, prestige, or position. May we love as Jesus loves us. May we humble ourselves to serve others in his love. Merry Christmas! 

Thanks for reading!

Advent 2016: The Hope of Christmas

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the time when Christians the world over begin the celebration of the Incarnation, when God became human and made his dwelling among us in the form of Jesus, the Messiah. The first Sunday of Advent is typically dedicated to the idea of "hope", and the focus is on the expectation of the completion of the rescue of humanity from sin and death. Jesus' sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection are the means by which this rescue is effected for us, but it all began with the expectation and hope of a Redeemer, a Messiah who would come to the aid of God's people.

Some of the passages associated with this first Sunday of Advent include Isaiah 2:1-5 and Romans 13:11-14. Here they are from the HCSB translation:

Isaiah 2:1-5 "The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the LORD's house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so that we may walk in His paths.' For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will turn their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will never again train for war. House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the LORD's light." 

 Romans 13:11-14 "Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires."

Both of these passages remind us that God's invasion into his creation in the form of his Incarnation not only began the rescue so desperately needed and expected, it also provided the means by which humanity could live in the manner God intended them. Some might call that the "magic" of Christmas or "the Christmas Spirit". The idea is that this season of remembrance of that Child who was born to die and to rise and to redeem creates a kind of opportunity for humanity to imitate the humble service and sacrifice of Jesus in everyday life. The very atmosphere seems charged with the energy of Christ; an energy that helps humans act in ways that God intended. 

As we embrace the idea of God becoming human, as we recognize the humility of Jesus (who being God chose to humble himself to serve us all to the point of death), we find in these actions a pattern for life. We find that humility and service is our proper end, and we also find that as we serve others we introduce the possibility of "hope" for all humanity. In fact, sometimes the very spirit of Christmas can cause people to act better and with more grace. It reminds me of a poem by Edgar A. Guest. 

In the poem below Guest elaborates on how a person responds to the "Christmas spirit" and how it can cause a change in a person's life.  The poem puts into my mind the image of a reformed Scrooge, fresh off his encounters with the ghost of Christmas, now engaging faithfully to live a less self-focused life.

I know that times have changed, and I realize that people do not always have "Christmas cheer" at this time of year.  Nonetheless, my prayer for all of us is that we become the people God intended us to be, especially now as we celebrate the Advent of our Lord Jesus.  May we live in such a way as to create "hope" in others. May our humble service lead to changed lives and a more hopeful future. May the Hope of Advent cause you to emulate the life of Jesus. I hope this poem blesses you!

Thanks for reading!

At Christmas by Edgar Albert Guest

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season is here;
Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.

When it’s Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part;
He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart.
All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for awhile
And the true reward he’s seeking is the glory of a smile.
Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I’d wait
Till he’d fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate.
I’d not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of pelf,
On the long days and the dreary when he’s striving for himself.
I’d not take him when he’s sneering, when he’s scornful or depressed,
But I’d look for him at Christmas when he’s shining at his best.

Man is ever in a struggle and he’s oft misunderstood;
There are days the worst that’s in him is the master of the good,
But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside
And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.
Oh, I don’t know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.

"At Christmas," by Edgar Albert Guest

As as child I remember whenever I was required to visit the doctor's office (Dr. King's office, to be precise), I'd have the opportunity to peruse several pictures that included some pretty fascinating poetry.  My mother over the years has given me books of some of that poetry, and I have to admit reading them brings back some fond feelings of my childhood in Millington, TN.  One of the poets that I remember discovering in that quaint little office was a man named Edgar Albert Guest. 

I remember seeing a couple of his poems on the walls of that office, and I've since come to appreciate a number of his works.  The one below is a personal favorite about Christmas.  In it Guest elaborates on how a person responds to the "Christmas spirit" and how it can cause a change in a person's life.  The poem puts into my mind the image of a reformed Scrooge, fresh off his encounters with the ghost of Christmas, now engaging faithfully to live a less self-focused life. 

I know that times have changed, and I realize that people do not always have "Christmas cheer" at this time of year.  Nonetheless, my prayer for all of us is that we become the people God intended us to be, especially now as we celebrate the Advent of our Lord Jesus.  I hope this poem blesses you!

Thanks for reading!

At Christmas by Edgar Albert Guest

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year; 
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season is here; 
Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before, 
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for. 
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time; 
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime. 

When it’s Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part; 
He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart. 
All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for awhile 
And the true reward he’s seeking is the glory of a smile. 
Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me 
That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be. 

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I’d wait 
Till he’d fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate. 
I’d not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of pelf, 
On the long days and the dreary when he’s striving for himself. 
I’d not take him when he’s sneering, when he’s scornful or depressed, 
But I’d look for him at Christmas when he’s shining at his best. 

Man is ever in a struggle and he’s oft misunderstood; 
There are days the worst that’s in him is the master of the good, 
But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside 
And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide. 
Oh, I don’t know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me 
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.