When Does Christmas End?

 

                                                       When Does Christmas End?

Reminding myself of an old Christmas carol/hymn (almost 200 years old) --

"As with gladness men of old, did the guiding star behold; as with joy they hailed its light; leading onward beaming bright. So, most gracious Lord, may we evermore be led to Thee."

That's the first verse.

Reminding me that the Christmas story did not end 2000 years ago -- it continues today as we follow His light that leads us right to Him.

As we say, 'Wise men still seek Him.'

And the last verse is wonderful, too. "Holy Jesus, every day, keep  us in the narrow way. And when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last, where they need no star to guide, where no clouds Thy glory hides."

Don't you just love this idea? We no longer need a star to guide us now and we won't when our earthly life is over --  We have His Holy Spirit to bring us home to be with Him forever!

We'll see Him in all His glory and bow in worship just as the wise men did.

And we'll thank Him throughout eternity  for Christmas!

              'Twas grace that brought me safe this far, and grace will lead me home!

Christmas - Charles Spurgeon

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

 and shall call his name Immanuel.

-- Isaiah 7:14

     Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi let us see Him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in Him and can sing, "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given" (Isaiah 9:6).

     Jesus is God incarnate, our Lord and our Savior, and yet our Brother and our Friend; let us adore and admire Him.

     Let us notice at the very first glance His miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a son.

     The first promise [Genesis 3:15] concerned the seed of a woman, not the offspring of a man.

     Since venturesome woman led the way in the sin that resulted in paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Redeemer of Paradise.

     Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that He may be formed in us, the hope the glory.

     Do not fail to note His humble parentage.

     His mother has been described simply a "virgin," not a princess or prophetess, not a woman of influence.

     True, the blood of kings ran in her veins; and her mind was not weak or untaught, for she could sweetly sing a song of praise.

     Yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she was engaged, and how miserable the accommodation provided for the newborn King!

     Immanuel -- God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our daily work, in our punishment, in our death, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendor.

       -- From Morning and Evening, December 25,
                      Charles Spurgeon

       

Christmas - Joseph the Just (Part 2)

Part 2....


Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband, Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
                      -- Matthew 1: 18-19


So we now see (Part 1) that Joseph's definition of justice stemmed from the Old Testament teachings on mercy and compassion.

We see in Matthew 1 that Joseph did not have an initial appearance of the angel messenger, like Mary did. Probably someone else told him Mary was pregnant. The text does not tell us. Maybe a gossipy neighbor told him.  But it is clear that
he decided to do the righteous and just thing first, and then the angel appeared. (Maybe a good message for us there.)

The English translation of Matthew 1:20 says he "considered" the situation. Most scholars say the more accurate meaning of the Greek word used would be that he became "very upset," even "fuming."

Even though he did choose to do the right thing, did that mean he had no feelings at all? Certainly he was embarrassed. Felt betrayed. Angry. There would have been great doubts about his bride-to-be and her merit as a wife and mother of his children.

But one remarkable thing about Joseph is that he was able to still do the "right"--  the "just" -- thing. He could re-process his anger and hurt. He could turn them into grace.

Later when his Son Jesus was grown (and we don't know how long Joseph lived, whether he even saw his Son grown) we can see glimpses of Joseph actions in our Lord's teachings.

Remember the parable of the great banquet when the wealthy generous man was publicly insulted? It's in Luke 14. The
donor decides to re-process his anger into grace, and turned to the unworthy outside the community to invite them to his grand banquet.

And in Matthew 12 Jesus talks about the wealthy farmer who build a vineyard and rents it out to tenants. When he tries to collect the rents the tenants refuse to pay. They insult, beat and finally kill the servants who come to collect the rent. The master decides to turn his anger into grace and send his son, alone and unarmed, hoping they will be ashamed and pay their due.

Did Jesus grow up with this kind of example, of extending mercy, not legal justice, when he watched his earthly father?

Why did Joseph even take Mary with him to Bethlehem to register? Did he fear that she would be shunned or mistreated during his absence? She was also a descendant of David and so was entitled to go.  He could have registered for her, but he chose to take her.

Anyway you look at it, Joseph is a silent hero in this 'only once in history' story of the Incarnation. His courage and understanding of God's over-reaching, eternal message made it possible for there to be a Christmas story at all.

He was able to turn his anger and hurt for himself into grace and mercy for others.

Joseph the Just. Joseph the Noble. Joseph the Kind and Good. Joseph the godly.


[Shakespeare understood justice and mercy. Remember
Portia's cautionary words in The Merchant of Venice?

''(mercy)... is an attribute of God Himself
And earthly power doth then show most likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us to render
The deeds of mercy..."

When mercy seasons justice...like God's example...
If we pursue justice none of us would ever see salvation....and that appeal for mercy compels us to extend more deeds of mercy..."Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone," Jesus said.

Was He remembering?

I remember my father saying, every time we took a photo of him, "does it do me justice? No, I don't want justice. I want mercy!"

[I understand that better every year.]

Christmas - Joseph the Just (Part 1)

Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
                  --Matthew 1:18-19


    What is justice?

There was a time when these verses unsettled me. Because he was a just man....he was unwilling to put her to shame....I thought being just meant applying the law equally to all  (according to Deuteronomy an unfaithful partner - man and woman - were both to be stoned).  But here we are told Joseph was just.

Is the text talking about another kind of justice? Is there another kind of justice? Apparently, to Joseph it was more than "equal application of the law."

Joseph, being a faithful Jew, would have known many Old Testament passages talking about justice.

He would have known Micah 6:8:  He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

To act justly and love mercy - are they one?

He would have also known Isaiah's songs about a "suffering servant" who would one day appear. One of these hymns is in Isaiah 42:  A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Justice here is not "pay back" and it is not equal distribution of punishment. It is compassion for the weak and exhausted.

Reeds were used in the ancient world as pens. In southern Iraq until recently, they were also used for houses and boats -- that is, if they were not damaged. What could be done with a crushed reed? The only option was to break it and use it for fuel.

(For more on this, see Kenneth Bailey's Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.)


Wicks were used for illumination. Every home had small clay lamps fueled with olive oil. The wicks for these lamps hung from a spout on the side of the lamp. As the oil ran out, there was danger that the wick might sever through burning and the end fall out of the spout and cause a fire. A small bowl of water was often placed on the floor under the lamp and prevent this kind of accident.

But the servant of God described in Isaiah will not break the damaged reed nor quench the dimly burning wick...he will faithfully bring forth justice.

According the Kenneth Bailey, "Joseph looked beyond the penalties of the law in order to reach out with tenderness to a young woman who was no doubt bruised and exhausted. Perhaps he saw Mary as a 'dimly burning wick.'

"This prophetic definition of justice required a compassionate concern for the weak, the downtrodden and the outcasts in their need.

"...Without that prophetic understanding of justice embedded in Joseph's mind, Jesus would never have been born..

"Joseph is not, therefore, a passive, mute figure. Rather he acts as a strong, thoughtful person whose bold decision at a point of crisis saves the life of the mother and her unborn child."

Joseph was a theologian whose concept of justice grew out of the Old Testament writing, especially those "suffering servant" songs in Isaiah.

Joseph was a "just" man and so he showed mercy and extended grace.

(con't in Part 2)

Christmas - It All Comes With Jesus - Immanuel!

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

(Hebrews 4:16)

Where else could we go in time of need? His Throne is the only place we can receive mercy because He is the only One who can extend it to us. With open, empty hands we approach Him and He fills them to overflowing with His mercy and His grace.

Mercy is when we don't get what we deserve. We deserve judgment, but we get mercy. It's a full pardon for all we have done that shows our disobedience and rejection of God.

Grace is when we get even more than mercy -- we get the added bonus of Christ's righteousness being credited to us.

So mercy is when we don't get what we deserve. And grace is when we do get what we don't deserve.

It's the ultimate exchange. We get rid of our dirty, sinful clothing and replace it with the perfect spotless new garments of Christ's righteousness.

There is no better deal in the universe. It's the most drastic, and certainly most important, makeover ever!

Everything in our life is reversed. Everything is turned upside down.

We approach the Throne, which should be the Throne of Judgment for us, where we should receive His just punishment for our sins and failures. But because we come dressed in the righteousness of His Son, our Redeemer, God is able to be kind and gracious to us, without in any way trivializing His requirement for perfect holiness.
He welcomes us as we approach Him.

The Cross took care of all of it!

So this is the picture we have as we approach the Throne. He is there waiting for us -- eagerly desiring to bless us. A throne is the symbol of authority. And God's Throne is where He commands His goodness to fall upon us.

We so approach with grateful hearts, in confidence, knowing He has already extended the scepter -- not like an early king's scepter -- His scepter is shaped like a cross -- and we approach as children to their loving Father.
 Remember what it was like to fun full speed, laughing joyfully, into your father's arms?

Is there a more joyous place in the universe? I don't know of one.

Neither did the Psalmist.

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

(Psalm 16:11)

There's a sign over the gate to Disneyland reminding us that we are entering "The Happiest Place on Earth." And it is a very happy place!

But that happiness pales when compared to the joy we find at the eternal Throne of God.

Sometimes we get carried away with comparing the various words associated with joy.
We define "happiness" one way, and "joy" another way.

The Psalmist approached it differently:

But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

(Psalm 68:3)

Look at those words: be glad, rejoice, be happy, joyful -- four different words, and they all result from being in God's presence.

The Psalmist who write those words was King David, the one who sang and danced in the procession that brought the Ark of God's Presence into Jerusalem.

He was joyfully celebrating and dancing before God. It wasn't planned. It was a spontaneous reaction to just being close to God. And that's the kind of joy available to us! Today! Right now! At this precise moment! Just grab it!