Where our salvation began

It could have happened anywhere. It could have happened anytime. But God chose to have it happen here. In the small town of Bethlehem. In a stable. With animals and stench and filth.

It was here that God became Man. The Word became flesh. Heaven came to earth. Divinity placed itself in a young girl’s womb.

In an instant, the all-powerful became powerless. The creator of everyone became dependent upon someone for survival. He who provided for all was now seeking nourishment from a Jewish girl. God was with us.

He had come not as a flash of light, not as a mighty king, but as an infant born to a peasant girl and a young carpenter. One day, his face would be covered in glory. In this moment, God’s face was beet red and wrinkled like a prune. Soon, his teaching would be heard by all; tonight, his sharp cries pierced the chilled night sky, helpless and far from home.

Had this happened today, in 2008, it could very well have been announced on the front page of the newspaper, or on The Daily Show, or World Net Daily. Instead, it was announced with a simple star-- a star that attracted the curiosity of many who saw it, including some shepherds. Told also of his arrival by an angel of the Lord, it was pure mercy on them that their savior had come. Of all God’s people, the shepherds would have had the hardest time obeying the Levitical laws. Part of their job was handling dead animals, a practice that made them ritually unclean by the standards of the priest. And they couldn’t just leave their animals in the field to go perform one of the complicated hand-washing ceremonies required by the religious teachers of the day. So, they must have been just as excited when they got the news as they were puzzled when they ran into town and saw a shriveled, wet baby boy lying in they hay, surrounded by donkeys and sheep. A king among livestock.

Kings were revered in these days, too. Listen to this proclamation made over 2000 years ago:

“The providence which has ordered the whole of our life, showing concern and zeal, has ordained the most perfect consummation for human life … by filling him with virtue for doing the work of a benefactor among men, and by sending in him, as it were, a savior for us and those who come after us, to make war to cease, to create order everywhere… ; the birthday of the god was the beginning for the world of the glad tidings that have come to men through him…”

Listen to the words used here. Virtue. Benefactor. Savior. Make war cease. Create order everywhere. This was said, of course, about the birth of the man who would become Caesar Augustus, the next Roman Emperor. So, a king over the whole world should be even greater than the king of Rome, right?

But, what a strange palace for a king. The only gold is the straw. The only light from a flickering lamp in the corner. No gem encrusted throne. No intricate eastern tapestries covering the windows. In fact, no windows. No royal scepters or flowing robes. Just a baby in a cradle, two scared teenagers, and a bunch of sleepy animals.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And it all happened here. In a manger. In a small town. In perhaps the most unlikely of all places, on one silent night, God loved us and wanted us to be with him so much, that he came to be with us. Where this story endedis where our salvation began.

Ever feel like God is silent?

Currently, at Genesis Church, we are in a series called "Mind Games." The series is about faith, and the first message this week was I feel abandoned by God.

I have to admit that there are very few times I feel abandoned by God (although I used to, a lot). But there are times when I feel God is silent in my life (apologies to JV- I know He's not silent.) Why is it when I pray and I serve and I try hard to follow God, I dont' always hear Him? Then, in my daily reading, I came across this in The Message:

This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.' -Isaiah 58:6-9

Wow. This is really convicting to me, especially the part about being avaialable to your own family. See, it's easy for me to give money to a cause, but harder to give time and effort to it. It's natural for me to want to help people I know and like, but harder for me to want to help my extended family. In fact, I'd rather give money to someone I don't know very well, but I know is trying to follow God than to give money to members of my family who need it. And as far as having time to talk to my family? Well, besides my mom, I can't remember the last time I picked up the phone to call them and just see how they're doing.

But, that's what God wants from me. Feed the poor. Invite in the homeless. Clothe the ill-clad. Be available for my family. That's harder than praying and reading the bible and serving others. That is giving up your life.

Peace to you.

God's plan to save the world

In the recent days and weeks, if you watch the news, it can be easy to get caught up in the Chicken Little stories. Serious-looking news people tell us how tight the presidential race is and how important it is to get the "right" person in power. At the same time, disheveled financial types yell at us that the economic sky is falling and the world is coming to an end. And in the midst of all this, a rumor is swirling that Brad and Angelina have broken up. It's almost enough to make you wonder if God's still on His throne.

But the truth is written in scripture that God has a plan to save the world. We know that Jesus "...did not come to judge the world, but to save it." (John 12:47) But, Jesus is gone, at least physically, so how does that work now? In the midst of all the trouble and turmoil, what is God's plan to save the world?

It's written here:

God's Message,
the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies,
laid out the earth and all that grows from it,
Who breathes life into earth's people,
makes them alive with his own life:
"I am God. I have called you to live right and well.
I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.
I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:
opening blind eyes,
releasing prisoners from dungeons,
emptying the dark prisons. - Isaiah 42:5-7 (The Message)

Right there. Did you see it? God is talking about bringing people into light, opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners. And how? Through his secret plan. Read it again:

I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light...

See that? God's plan to save the world? It's YOU. You have been called to bind His people to Him. You have been called to start bringing people into the light, release people from the prisons. You are called to spread the message. How, you wonder, can you save the world? You can't- but God can, and will, through you. Through telling your friends, through giving your time and money, and through serving in His kingdom, you (and I) can work to bring heaven to earth. Giving a little of ourselves will help bring up there to down here.

Seriously, what is the appeal?

Quit scraping and fawning over mere humans,
so full of themselves, so full of hot air!
Can't you see there's nothing to them? - Isaiah 2:22 (The Message)

I read this verse while on a plane coming home from England, and it got me thinking about celebrity worship. If you live in America and rarely leave, you may not believe this, but the Brits are far more into celebs and gossip that we are. In fact, most drug stores/ book stores/ airport shops had one magazine rack devoted to celebrity gossip- a single shelf printed with more neon than Nicky Hayden's Repsol Honda.



These magazines told, in hot pink or glowing orange print, what "Megan" was wearing this week, or how "Minnie" lost 24 pounds after her baby or what guy "Rose" was last seen with (apparently, last names are taboo in celebspeak).

So, I was profoundly affected by this verse, standing all alone at the end of one of Isaiah's visions. Quit scraping and fawning over mere humans.... After all, don't most of us have people we're "just dying" to meet? Wouldn't we drop our lunch and jump up to go meet Oprah or Barack or Sarah or Rob? (That's Bell, for me...) How much time and attention do we focus on mere humans and let God stand by himself, waiting patiently, for just a chance to enter our thoughts and our hearts? How often do we put The One who saved us on the back burner just for a chance to watch Big Brother or Biggest Loser or read about Brangelina's latest child?

What is the appeal anyway? Shouldn't everything we do be for God's glory, not for ours? Not for other people's?

Yes, they may play basketball well, or really convince you they're crying on the big screen, or they may have eye-melting beauty (or handsomeness). But, they're mere humans. I'm afraid that one day we'll wake up to find there really is nothing to them.