God with shoes on

I’ll never forget the day the great Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama, spoke to us at the college in Glasgow. He said many things that I will never forget, but one of the most profound things he said was the following:

“Christianity is the only religion that is allowed to worship a God with shoes on.”

What did he mean by that? Well, basically all he meant was this: Jesus left his throne in the heavens to become one of us.

I remember a popular song back in the mid-nineties that asked, “What if God was one of us?” A lot of Christians were scandalized by the song, but it’s actually a very relevant question.

And here’s the thing. That’s what the message we are encouraged to remember at Christmas is all about. GOD DID BECOME ONE OF US!

John 1:14, referring to Jesus as “the Word,” says:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He was born as a baby, grew up to become a man, put on a pair of sandals, got his feet dirty, worked in a carpenter shop, and experienced life in this broken world. That’s what the Christmas message is all about. And that’s why its message is an intensely personal one. It means that Jesus Christ is not some distant entity but a very real personal one who has made a way that God in heaven can touch you and me on earth.

Several very practical thoughts come to mind when we consider how the reality of God becoming “one of us” can affect our daily lives. This reality can affect us in very specific ways and I’d like to offer four of the most significant:

1. BECAUSE GOD BECAME ONE OF US, HE UNDERSTAND US.

   There are two basic kinds of knowing.

   The first is the kind that deals with data. We can know all sorts of things about something or someone.

   The second kind of knowing is the kind that comes from experiencing something. We can’t really know what it feels like to do or be something unless we’ve experienced it ourselves.

   God always had the first kind of knowledge because he knows everything, but He didn’t have the second kind of knowing until He became one of us in Christ.

   What would happen if, for some reason, I decided that I wanted to learn everything there is to know about ants? If I devoted my whole life to it, I could learn a lot. I could amass all kinds of knowledge about their behavior and what they’re made up of. In fact, if I were dedicated enough, I could probably learn to know them so well that I could predict their behavior and do lectures around the world about the benefits of the ant population to humankind.

   However, I could never know what it was like to be an ant unless somehow I could lower myself and become one of those tiny little creatures crawling around and disturbing your picnic. Then I could tell you what it feels like to be an ant, and I would finally be able to understand the intricacies of the ant’s personal struggles, needs and concerns.

   Of course, that’s never going to happen for two reasons. First, I don’t love them enough to go that far for them. Second, I don’t have the power to do it even if I wanted to!

   Yet, God loved us enough to do it for us, and He had the power to make it happen.

   Because He came down to the anthill and became one of us, He knows by experience what it’s like to be a human being walking in a broken world. When we’re tempted to say, “God, you can’t possibly understand what I’m going through! You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to be rejected, scorned and betrayed by the people I love. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to live in poverty. You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to suffer in the midst of all this world’s demands, assumptions, bigotries and fears. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to suffer loss. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to be me.” He can say, “Yes, I do know. I understand because I’ve been there.”

   

   Because of the Christmas message, we can know that we have a God who understands us in a very personal way.

2. HE BECAME FULLY HUMAN SO THAT WE CAN BECOME FULLY HUMAN.

   How many times have you heard people apologize for their failures and imperfections by saying, “I’m only human?” It’s unfortunate that we have such a view of humanity when God actually has a very high view of humanity indeed!

   Under the influence of Plato, many ancient philosophers believed that human life was separated into two spheres: the material and the spiritual. They believed that the body was part of the physical world, which was imperfect, and the soul was part of the spiritual realm. Salvation, to them, meant being released from the prison of our bodies so that the real us, our “soul,” could be set free to live unencumbered for all eternity.

   Then, when Jesus came in bodily form, He demonstrated forcefully that God does not see things in this way. Whereas many believed that the material world was too dirty for God to touch, Jesus became the very thing they thought was beneath Him. He became flesh and, by doing so, He showed the world that there is nothing wrong with being human.

   The problem was never about being human. The problem was that humanity was broken and Jesus came as a perfect, unbroken human because His purpose was to restore humanity to its original purpose. Far from seeing the body as a mere shell while the soul lives as the real us, Jesus showed that bodily existence is something so holy that even God can choose it for Himself.

   Far from teaching an eventual release from bodily existence, the Bible teaches “the resurrection of the body.” It’s true that our bodies are less than perfect right now. In fact, they can be downright bothersome! God’s goal, however, is not to do away with bodily existence but to restore it to its original intention. The Bible teaches that our bodies will be remade at the resurrection in such a way that all sickness and imperfections will be done away with but, in so doing, we will not stop being wholly and completely us.

   In eternity, you will still be you, but you will be a redeemed and perfected you. Jesus didn’t come to demolish humanity. He came to restore it to its original beauty.

   Ever since the fall of humankind, we have been like broken mirrors. We are still the image of God, but the image is cracked. Rather than throw away the mirror, His plan is to restore it so it will reflect its Maker perfectly again.

   God doesn’t want us to stop being human. He became fully human himself so we too can become fully human.

3. HE WAS BROKEN SO THAT OUR BROKENNESS COULD BE HEALED.

   As I said, the problem is not that we are human. The only problem is that we are broken.

   When God made man and woman, He made them perfect. The first people on this earth lived in a perfect world, and they lived in perfect relationship. In fact, every relationship they were made for was perfect: their relationship with God, their relationship with one another, their relationship with Creation and even their relationship with self. This, after all, was a key part to their being made in the image of God, the fact that they were capable of reflecting God’s love in relationships.

   Yet, when they rebelled against their God, the image became shattered and grotesque. Have you ever looked at yourself in a severely cracked mirror? The result is usually less than pleasing!

   Every relationship they were made for was then broken. Whereas they had walked in the garden with God, now they were separated from Him. Whereas they had lived in perfect relationship with each other, now their own sons were killing each other. Whereas they had named the animals and lived in a world where nature never fought back, now all of Creation seemed to fight back in the form of disease, destructive weather, dangerous wildlife, etc. And, whereas they lived in perfect relationship within themselves with no inward struggles, now they were torn apart on the inside.

   But Jesus came to fix what was broken. He would eventually allow Himself to be broken on the cross. His body would be pierced and He would experience the brokenness of relationship even with His Father as heaven fell silent and He cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

   It was our sin, our selfishness, our rebellion that caused the mirror to break. So he took our sin, our selfishness, our rebellion, every one of our failures and regrets upon Himself and allowed Himself to die in our place so that death could be defeated.

   As a little baby lay in a manger, nobody suspected it yet, but all this was part of the plan. God became a little baby, vulnerable in the arms of his mother, and — the moment he entered into this world — he entered into our brokenness so that one day we could enter into His perfect healing.



4. NOW HE WANTS TO WEAR OUR SHOES.

   The most amazing part of this Christmas message is that, after Jesus died for us and then rose again on the third day, the enfleshment of God didn’t stop there.

   When Jesus walked this earth as a man, God walked in human flesh in one pair of shoes. After He died and rose again, however, He sent His Spirit to live within all who believe in Him. Now God is in us. Now He wants to wear our shoes.

   Have you ever thought about that? If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you carry Him wherever you go. He has chosen to visit our workplaces, our homes, our shopping centers, our movie theaters, our restaurants and streets… and He’s chosen to do it not by sending angels blowing trumpets but by sending us.

   Wherever you go, God goes with you.

   Are you allowing Him to demonstrate His love through you? You do that every time you give to the needy, every time you stand up for justice, every time you reach out in an act of love. In some mysterious way, the Bible teaches us that when we reflect God’s values in our lives and actions, God lives through us.

   Your hands are no longer just your hands. Your mouth is no longer just your mouth. Your feet are no longer just your feet.

   That’s part of the mystery of the Christmas message. We’re the only ones who worship a God with shoes on and, no matter how smelly your Nikes may be today, it’s your shoes He’s wearing.

Long after Christmas, may we remember that the birth of Jesus is not just some abstract idea or nice story. It’s a historical event, and it’s also a deeply personal one.

The One Who became human understands us humans better than anyone else in all of history. He became fully human so that we too can become fully human. He was broken so that our brokenness can be healed. And now He wants to wear our shoes.

In what ways will we let the Jesus who lives within us demonstrate His love to the world around us in the year to come? May the gifts we give, the words we say, the acts of service we offer, and the love we share reflect the life of the One Who lives within us today and forever.

What makes Christmas “Christmas”?

It’s been hard to imagine this past week that Christmas is really near. Karen and I have been in Panama City for a week now, and the heat has been intense. Temperatures have only been about 90 degrees, but humidity has been so high that one feels constantly as if a sauna would be a good place to go to cool off. We’re enjoying it immensely, but it definitely doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Or, at least it doesn’t feel like what we think of as Christmas.

However, it has me thinking about the fact that what Americans and Europeans think of as Christmas is really just one of many expressions of the holiday. “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” is a funny concept in a country where snow is just an abstract concept and Christmas dinner can easily be enjoyed outside at midnight in the relief of a slight breeze. In some countries, “I’m dreaming of a slight breeze” would be more appropriate.

So what makes Christmas “Christmas”? It’s not snow because millions celebrate it without ever seeing a snowflake. It’s also not mince pies, though I enjoy sharing them with my Scottish family as much as anyone. It’s not even turkey and stuffing.

In fact, Jesus himself is not likely ever to have seen a snowflake in Judea or to have eaten a turkey to celebrate his birthday. And he definitely never met Santa Claus or Father Christmas…

In the “Christian” world, Christmas is a holiday we’ve adopted to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. But it’s not Jesus’ birthday. He was more likely born closer to the end of September, though some would argue for April or October (but that’s another discussion for another time).

What is Christmas then? It’s a holiday that has many faces but which has been adapted as a Christian holiday on the church calendar. A “church calendar” was adopted by many in the Church many years ago, with days throughout the year set apart to remember various aspects of the life of Christ and the Christians. Easter Sunday is one of the days on the church calendar, as are Pentecost Sunday, Trinity Sunday, and a number of others that people in some church traditions have forgotten about in more recent times. On the Church Calendar, the four weeks before Christmas are called Advent, the Christmas season begins on December 25th and it lasts for 12 days.

Of course, none of these things are designed to coincide with the actual dates these events happened, but are used to help Christ-followers remember significant moments in the history of the Christian Church and to take times throughout the year to focus on the different aspects of their faith. So Christ-followers need to remember that Christmas is not actually Jesus’ birthday, but it is a time set aside to remember Jesus’ birth.

Christ wasn’t always a part of this holiday. Christians actually adopted a holiday that already existed in their culture and made the time their own. That’s one reason it’s kind of funny to me when people get upset about non-Christians celebrating the holiday without reference to Christ.

The reality is that we have no reason to be offended when people who don’t believe in Jesus don’t include Jesus in their celebration of the holiday. If they don’t believe in Him, we don’t do ourselves any favors by trying to force Him upon them. When Christians boycott non-Christian businesses for saying “happy holidays,” they do themselves and the cause of Christ a great disservice. They make Christians look insecure and make Christianity out to be some kind of political cause motivated by force rather than a lifestyle motivated by love.

Christmas has many faces but, for those of us who follow Christ, it should be a time to stop and remember God’s love for us. He sent His only Son to the world because He loved us all and, as we celebrate Christmas, we have an opportunity to focus on the greatest gift that anyone has ever given… the gift of Jesus. Instead of condemning people for not recognizing Him, we could use our time and energy a lot better by recognizing Him ourselves and sharing His love with others. Rather than fighting AGAINST others, we should be doing things like giving the gift of love to the poor and needy, exercising grace toward those who don’t know Him yet, and expressing His love in every way we possibly can — in other words, acting the way we should all year long if we are truly followers of Christ.

For non-Christians, the holiday may be more about giving presents and Santa Claus but that’s okay. They don’t know Jesus yet, so it’s really kind of silly for us to demand that they give him lip-service before they know Him. At least they’re taking a moment in their year to think about such things as the giving of gifts and the value of family and love. Maybe if we will stop condemning non-Christians for not thinking like Christians and just love each and every one, some will come to see for themselves that such values have their basis in the One who gave the ultimate Gift… the One who invites us all into His family and loves us with the Ultimate Love.

So what’s Christmas really about? It may seem like I’m just muddying the waters by saying it has many faces but, for those of us who know Christ, it really IS all about Christ. It’s just that being all about Christ should NEVER be about forcing others to do it our way. Being all about Christ should ALWAYS be about loving Him ourselves and then displaying His love by living it out in our relationships with the world around us.

On Sunday afternoon, we sat in a restaurant in Panama where an electronic Santa Claus was dancing in the corner. He was dressed in a big red coat with his well-known white beard flowing down to his chest. In the extreme heat, some of us were wondering why he didn’t change to Bermuda shorts before coming to Panama. I guess it just goes to show that certain symbols have found their way around the world.

What I pray, however, is that God’s love would also find its way around the world through us. Unlike Santa Claus, who sometimes doesn’t think to change his clothes before he dives into the heat, this love may change its clothes and change its expression in different circumstances and cultures. Yet, it always displays the love of Jesus. He left his throne in the heavens to put on our clothes and to live as one of us, and he eventually gave His very life as the Ultimate Gift of love.

May we remember this Christmas season that we, too, are called to give of ourselves for others. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say Christmas is really about for the Christ-follower. It’s a time to to be reminded that Jesus gave himself for us and that we are called by Him to pass the gift on as we give of ourselves to others.

Putting the X back in Xmas

It’s funny how many times I have heard people state their assumption that the abbreviation, “Xmas,” exists as an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas when nothing could be further from the truth. The belief that many hold about the use of “Xmas” is that it is part of a modern conspiracy to secularize the celebration of Christ’s birth. The reality, however, is that it is an ancient abbreviation that was originated by Christians.

The last part of Christmas, “mas,” is from the Latin-derived old English word for “mass.” The “X” represents the Greek letter Chi, from the first letter of Χριστός, which is “Christ” in Greek. As is seen in the following quote from Wikipedia, the use of “X” as an abbreviation for Christ in English has been accepted for centuries:

The Oxford English Dictionary and OED Supplement have cited usages of “X-” or “Xp-” for “Christ-” in 1485 (“Xpian”), 1598 (“Xpian”), and “Xtian” in 1845, 1915 and 1940. It cites “Xtianity” usage in 1634, 1811 and 1966. “Most of the evidence for these words comes from educated Englishmen who knew their Greek,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, referring to the OED citations.

The reality is that nobody will ever be able to take Christ out of Christmas anyhow. On the contrary, the very continued existence of this holiday is testimony to the reality that His name is not easily forgotten. Well over 2,000 years after His birth, His name is still uttered even by many who do not know Him.

Perhaps we would all do better to concentrate on focusing on Christ Himself rather than constantly trying to defend Him as so many are trying to do. He doesn’t need us to defend Him. He’s been to the cross and back, and He will be around long after those who deny Him are gone.

Through the years, many have tried to disprove the Bible and to deny the existence of Jesus, but the Bible is still the best selling book of all time, and Jesus is still followed by many millions. It’s silly of us to think He needs us to defend Him. He can take care of Himself.

The reality is that we are the ones who struggle to take care of ourselves. Rather than trying to rise up against the world in some kind of “campaign” to stop Christ from being forgotten, I am convinced that our time would be much better spent in responding to Who He Is by offering Him the worship and obedience He asks for from us. He is not a little baby in a manger who needs us to take care of Him. He is the risen Savior who lives so that He may take care of us.

We don’t need to put Christ back in Christmas. He never left. What we need to do is follow Him.

May God bless you as you prepare for the Xmas season!

World AIDS Day revisited

This is a post by the webmaster to acknowledge an important campaign as well as this blog’s first post from one year ago;
World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is an international effort to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS around the world. Held 1 December every year, it has been an ongoing campaign since 1988. Understanding the facts is that crucial first step to finally fighting the prejudice and continuing to protect ourselves. With more people than ever before living with HIV across the globe, it’s not surprising that Christopher first posted herein on this date last year from a sincere heart and serious concern for the many affected. I encourage you to read that post and allow this issue to become personal for you, if it hasn’t already, for the statistics are not yet getting better:

People living with HIV

• 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide
• 31.3 million adults
• 15.7 million women
• 2.1 million children under 15

New HIV cases in 2008

• 2.7 million people
• 2.3 million adults
• 430,000 children under 15

HIV-related deaths in 2008

• 2 million total deaths

All figures from UNAIDS.