Christmas - the word means "Christ worship"

Christmas - Old English Crīstes mæsses – the worship of Christ.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

It’s not about the need for gimmicky churches to dress their nativity scenes in Star Wars figures in order to boost interest in their messages.

It’s not about being politically correct and cancelling out any reference to the gospel in children’s pantomines.

It’s not “Happy Holidays”

It’s not Frosty and Rudolph.

It was and always is, Christmas.

Emmanuel, Christ with us.

For God so loved this world, that He sent His only Son, that whoever would believe in Him would have eternal life with God.

The most wonderful message.

The most precious gift.

The best Giver of good things.

The real reason to celebrate.

Merry Christmas. May God bless You with His wonderful presence this Christmas.

What about Santa?

What do we tell our kids about Santa? When my children were little, my husband and I had to decide what to do about Santa. In western culture Christmas is inescapably tied to the image of a rotund man in red and white.

Sadly, in mainstream western culture, children are bombarded with images of Santa everywhere you go. It’s difficult to find a nativity set displayed anywhere. Christian cards are almost non-existent in the stores, replaced by images of cute teddy bears or holly leaves and, of course, Santa. Instead of singing praises to God for the wonderful gift He gave this world, His Son, Jesus Christ, we sing “Frosty the Snowman” and “All I want for Christmas is you.” In the end, when all the pretty trappings are taken away, there is an empty box inside.

As a Christian, I always wanted to be truthful with my children about the real meaning of Christmas – that we were celebrating the birth of Christ. In a subtle way, the focus on Santa is another avenue for discrediting Christianity, for if children are told an enormous fabrication from an early age and at some stage get to the point where they realise it is not true (with great trauma in some cases) then if they have been told the truth of the gospel, why should they believe that?

So, I chose to tell my children the truth about Santa, the truth of which is quite enjoyable in itself. The truth is, when Jesus was young, wise men came from the East, carrying gifts to honour Him. That is why we give gifts at Christmas, because we honour Christ by giving (rather than getting).

Throughout the ages there have been men who have sought to honour Jesus by their kind deeds, especially by blessing the poor.  Saint Nicholas was the Christian bishop of Myra in the Byzantine Empire in the fourth century. A derivation of his name may have become part of Belgian folklore in the form of Sinterklaas, from which name, carried across the seas to America, became Santa Claus. Good King Wenceslas, immortalised in the carol, was a Duke of Bohemia in the tenth century, who was known for his Christian acts of charity to the poor.

Santa Claus then is based on a long heritage of Christian men, who did good things to bless others. When we saw Santa in the stores, I had no problem with telling my children that Santa is a man dressed up, but he is based on real men, like Saint Nicholas and Good King Wenceslas. When we see him it reminds us that there are good men everywhere who want to be kind to others in many ways. We too can celebrate the birth of Christ by being kind to others – little children, the poor and needy, animals, refugees, those in other countries who have so little, the elderly and disabled, and many others.

“In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.”

“Good King Wenceslas” lyrics by John Mason Neale 1853

Principles of Leviticus

I’ve always approached the study of the book of Leviticus with a certain amount of trepidation. All those sacrifices, and I’m a vegetarian! It’s not the first book of the Bible I turn to for inspiration. However, my studies have been greatly enhanced of late by watching some Youtube presentations by the late Pastor Chuck Smith, who has a study series on every book of the Bible online. I don’t agree with all his views, particularly in the area of capital punishment, but the series has provided some solid theological background and is a useful resource.

The following are some of my own insights from reading and studying Leviticus from a Christian perspective.

God is magnificent in His holiness. He alone, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is worthy of honour and praise for who He is.

The ultimate purpose of our lives should be to bring honour and glory to Him because He is worthy of it. We do this by offering our lives to Him. The whole principle of offerings should be because we want to honour God. So often the Christian life and wishy-washy preaching centres around what God can do for us, when the reverse should be the case.

God created mankind for fellowship and relationship with Him. He created the first humans, Adam and Eve, to live in close fellowship with Him, but created them with free choice, to be obedient to Him or to disobey Him. They were tempted by Satan and chose to disobey, invoking God’s punishment which would be to all mankind- separation from God, sin and death.

By the time we reach the book of Leviticus in Biblical history, Adam and Eve’s descendents are still struggling with this separation from God. They are aware of their sinfulness and want to get right with Him. This awareness of sinfulness and sorrow and regret for it  is called repentance.

God has already given Moses the Ten Commandments, the ten great principles of godly living. Now through Moses, the Israelites are given further instructions on living in a way pleasing to God. They are to make distinctions between what is clean and unclean, or acceptable or unacceptable. God’s instructions cover a range of areas including what to eat and drink, hygiene practices, sexual relations, not consulting mediums or spiritualists, and hospitality to strangers. The treatment of the poor is covered, including the institution of the principle of Jubilee, the forgiving of debts. The principle of tithing is instituted.

Sacrificing animals or foodstuffs was, therefore a way of honouring God by giving Him a gift and a way of making atonement to God for sin – paying a price. It was a way of saying, “I deserve to die for my sins, but instead, You, God, will accept the death of an animal in my stead as payment.  Leviticus contains instructions for a number of different sacrifices, some to atone for personal sins and some for sins of the whole community. As well as personal offerings, at specific times throughout the year the Israelites were to observe festivals where sacrifices were made, God honoured and celebrated and the need for atonement reflected upon.

What was given to God? The first. The best. The result of hard work and effort.

We already see obvious parallels to what was to come. Throughout the ensuing books of the Old Testament, the Israelites were unable to stop sinning and keep God’s laws. Despite the call back to faith and holiness by God’s prophets, the people of God disobeyed and neglected Him, bringing destruction upon themselves.

Finally, God’s love and mercy was so great that he sent Jesus, who honoured and obeyed His Father as none of us ever could. Jesus became the offering to atone for the sins of mankind once and for all time. There can be no other.

Today we still struggle with the awareness of sin and the need for a Saviour. Whether acknowledged or not, each person is sinful,  mortal and needs hope for a future beyond this life, a relationship with God who created them. Without God individuals and communities face breakdown and despair, death and God's judgement.

In the book of Leviticus the priest was to be the intermediary between man and God. Now Jesus completely fills that role. We can come to God directly through Christ. There is still a role for a priest/pastor/ vicar or similar personage to teach and minister to the body of Christ, but we have a high priest in Jesus Christ and can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16). A prayer of repentance and faith in God sets one’s feet on a completely different journey through life.

In Christ we receive God’s forgiveness, love and grace. We are to honour God by acknowledging his Holiness and His love in sending Jesus to be our redeeming Saviour.  We are to live lives worthy of His calling, by reflecting His holiness, by living as best we are able in accordance with his principles. In Christ this is not an onerous burden or an arduous ritual, but a life-enhancing joy.

As Christmas approaches, the reading of the book of Leviticus reminds us of why God sent His Son into this world. During this Christmas season, maybe we can honour God by adopting some of the principles. Can we :

 Honour God and serve Him this Christmas?

Take time out for prayer and worship?

Offer something to the poor?

Extend hospitality to a stranger?

Cancel a debt?

Forgive?

Create something with our hands for someone?

Reading the book may provide other ideas.

Grace and Peace

All of New Testament epistles of Paul begin with greetings to the particular church being addressed and the bestowing of “grace and peace” to the reader. In the case of his letters to Timothy, Paul sends “grace, mercy and peace”.

These two blessings are coupled together for a reason. We can’t know the real peace of God without knowing His grace- the favour that He gives to the undeserving. The Bible tells us we’re born sinners, unable to save ourselves. The only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. We receive the mercy of God because Christ has already paid the price. Without Christ, the human heart is restlessly searching for what will bring peace of mind, comfort and love.

Only through Christ’s atoning death and resurrection do we have hope and the “peace of God that surpasses all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)

...........

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

So wrote the author William Faulkner. The past can steal your peace like nothing else. Memories can keep you reliving situations and events that can destroy today and all of your tomorrows.

But then there’s grace.

The unwarranted bestowing of forgiveness, whether sought for or not, can set the hurting heart free. When we decide to forgive, we kill the past. We free ourselves to live in the present without pain. In essence, we give what we cannot reclaim, control or fix to God, for Him to handle for us. By bestowing grace, we receive abundant grace from God.

Grace and peace.

Grace and peace to you.

View from the Bluff, Victor Harbour, South Australia.

Seeds

Somewhere the prettiness left

And a pool of dark grey-brown determined sludge

Enveloped my mind

Contaminating all with its heaviness

Strangling my feet

Marooned, I foundered

Yet

Before my hands were drowned, I reached

For seeds of hope

Knowing

That in the depths of mud and slime

Seeds grow

Struggling to reach the sun but still

Determined seeds

Nurtured with tenderness

Tenacious shoots

Clinging to life

Persisted

Until

They formed a mat of verdant green

For me to set my feet upon.

Sexual Purity

“Some Pharisees came to him to test him [Jesus]. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ ? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

(Matthew 19:3-12)

From these words of Jesus we gain an understanding God created man and woman to be in partnership and that sex is to be between a man and his wife, therefore following marriage. In addition, it allows for divorce only in the case of sexual immorality, which we take to be adultery – engaging in sexual relations with another person outside of the marriage.

For Christians sexual relations outside of marriage are therefore forbidden, according to the words of Jesus. The word “fornication” is one which is not in common use these days, but basically it refers to sexual relations outside of marriage. In the Bible we are told to

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

Those who honour God’s precepts will be blessed.

We live in a time where many different kinds of relationships are sanctioned, even by people who attend churches, yet those who ignore God’s rules can’t expect to be in right relationship with Him.

Sadly, I’ve seen Christian friends who know God’s principles turn away from them for the sake of human relationships. There’s often a falling away from church life that follows because we cannot walk with God and follow popular culture at the same time when it encourages us to shift from His principles. We’re here to serve and obey Him and we’re fooling ourselves if we think He sanctions sin.

We live in a culture which has turned sex into an idol of enormous proportions, and the internet has made pornography available on an unprecedented scale. Sexual “freedom” has resulted in a rocketing divorce rate, broken lives and scarred children.  It’s also a great stumbling block in witnessing to non-Christians if conversion to Christianity is going to challenge their living arrangements with partners outside of marriage.

Chastity and celibacy are two more words which are seldom used these days, but maybe it’s time to remind our young people, and older singles too, that they are viable options. Jesus affirms this in the above passage from Matthew. Whenever we make a choice of sacrifice for the sake of obedience to His word, we are blessed in our walk with Him and often blessed in the area of our lives that we have been willing to give up.

May God bless those to whom these words have given a new direction in thought.

Life: A Precious Gift, part II

I've already looked at the abortion issue in August, under the heading of Life a Precious Gift and Serious Responsibility, however, I thought it was worth further comment after viewing an article about a group of "clergy" ( I use the term in its loosest sense) "blessing" (loosest sense again) an abortion clinic.
“Why a group of clergy are blessing an abortion clinic” by Alex Zielinski Think Progress 8^th October 2015 http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/10/08/3710251/clinic-blessing-ohio/

It takes a lot to shock me. If you involve yourself in Christianity over a period of decades, you’ll be aware of the charlatans, false teachers and manipulators who use Christianity to further their own ends. Never have I been so shocked and appalled, however, as when I read of a group of “ministers” blessing an abortion clinic and its activities in Cleveland Ohio. As seems to be the current trend, Christians who were protesting against abortion, who have the guts to stand up and declare the truths of the Bible, are attacked and maligned as “the radical religious right.”

Hang your heads in shame, you false “ministers”.

Read your Bible.

Psalm 139 proclaims “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

The sanctity of human life is protected in the sixth commandment “You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:6. The Hebrew word used refers to the deliberate taking of human life. When God specifically states “Thou shall not murder” in the Ten Commandments, he means just that. This applies as much to the unborn, or the elderly, or the disabled child as it does to any other person.

Therefore the Bible clearly condemns abortion. To those who like to throw up the smoke screen and say “the Bible doesn’t say anything about abortion” I would ask, what is abortion other than the taking of life in the womb? Some aborted babies are actually alive following the abortion. Jesus Himself, when sent by God to earth in human form began His earthly ministry as a baby in the womb, identifying as being fully human from conception to birth and beyond.

In addition throughout the Old Testament there are references to the condemnation God has for the practice of child sacrifice, as was practised in pagan rituals eg. worship of Molech by the Ammonites. Jeremiah 32:35 states clearly God’s attitude to the killing of children “ They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” We no longer have altars to Molech, instead we sacrifice babies in the womb to idols of materialism, ego, selfishness and the oxymoron of “women’s health”.

As Christians we are also told to defend the most defenceless in our society: “Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” (Proverbs 31:9)

And now we have a “minister” saying “There is a reverence for life that happens in this clinic”. This ludicrous, ironic statement would be laughable, if it wasn’t so tragic.

We are warned in the Bible that those who are called to preach and teach the gospel will be called to account for what they teach and that those who are ordained to be shepherds will be accountable to God for the way in which they shepherd their flock. (See James 3, Ezekiel 34 as just two examples).  I pray and hope that when I am called to stand before God at the end of my life and give an account of what I have attempted to teach or tell others about Him and His word, the Bible, that I will be able to say that I have always tried to teach according to the given word and the spirit of all that He has given, to the best of my understanding, with His leading, gifting and the guidance of His Holy Spirit, to His honour and glory.

To those people who sanctioned the activities of the abortion clinic, I would say, If you want to support abortion, do so, but don’t do it in God’s name, wearing His cross. You are deliberately misrepresenting Him and all the values and commandments that He has given in the Bible. Your actions may make you popular in some circles and politically correct in others, but Jesus never promised that, far from it.  

How small these misguided people have made God. They've reduced Him to someone who's there to sanction their actions and fulfill their need for love and acceptance. The God of the Bible is huge, omnipotent, One who is to be served in word and deed, worthy of all honour. He is God of justice and power and wrath. We should fear His righteous anger as well as honour His love and mercy. We are to serve Him, not the reverse. We are told throughout the Bible that if we love God, we are to keep His commandments. 

Beware of anyone who talks about being able to do things without shame or regret. Shame and regret are useful emotions because they indicate conscience and moral values. They can bring us to repentance, a close walk with God and a much better life. 

I reiterate what I wrote a few weeks ago: Whilst we rail against the practice of abortion, Christians believe that like every other sin, God can and does forgive. Jesus Christ died on the cross, paying the penalty for every human sin. Those who are suffering from the regret of abortion or any other sin need only to turn to God in repentance and faith, pray a prayer asking for forgiveness and asking Christ to become Lord of their lives, and they will be forgiven and will start their lives on a new path of healing and restoration. Connecting with Bible believing Christian counsellors can assist women to heal from the trauma and pain of abortion. Studying the Bible, prayer and fellowship in a Bible believing, mainstream church is also part of growing in relationship with God.

Those who are involved at all levels in providing abortions and promoting them need our prayers that God will open their eyes to the truth regarding what they are doing and will bring them to a place where they will completely reverse their opinion of it.

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

2 Peter 2:1

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.