Advent-ure Day 14: All Things Are Possible

The story of Christmas deals with many impossible occurrences, or at least impossible in the eyes of humanity - a creation that had drifted apart from God, a woman who was told that she would give birth to the Christ child in a miraculous way, a man remaining faithful to a wife bearing a child who was not his own.  Angels, learned men following a star, an improbable journey to just the right place
to fulfill prophecy. In Luke chapter 1, we read about the encounter between the messenger angel, Gabriel, and Mary:
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible."

God wants us to expand our perception of or faith in what He will do.  Throughout the Scriptures, we see how He moved in improbable or impossible situations to do what only He could.  We see ordinary people being used by Him to do extraordinary things; events occur that could only be explained by the hand of God.  We can look beyond what we can comprehend - the natural - and see a God who works in the supernatural.

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We are continuing our trek through the Scriptures as we reflect on different aspects of Christ's coming, and we are in a series of items that focus in on worshipping Jesus for his promises, what He has said.  We recognize that, according to Matthew 19:26, "with God all things are possible." We live in desperate times, and we need a dramatic infusion of the power and presence of Almighty God.

In Matthew 19, we find Jesus teaching about the subject of eternal life, in response to a question.  He knew the heart of the man, so after telling him that he should keep His commandments, He also told Him to sell all that He had - He knew the man was possessed by His possessions.  The disciples were
aghast, and we read beginning in verse 23:
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Continuing with some thoughts relative to yesterday...

The witness of the church does not turn on who wins elections.  There are those that claim that a vote for Jones or Moore has negatively impacted the church.  I would like to think that God is not affiliated with any party and is, in fact, bigger than any party affiliation.  He will use the leaders that He has chosen and will use His people in the process of selecting those leaders.

But, we have to be careful not to allow electoral politics to divide the body of Christ - that will certainly damage our perception in society.  I think Mark Galli, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, makes some valid points about a destructive trend within the Church.  While I disagree with some of the points in the article, including his contention that "When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation," I do think there is much to consider. He writes:

The race between Republican candidate Roy Moore and Democratic candidate Doug Jones has only put an exclamation point on a problem that has been festering for a year and a half—ever since a core of strident conservative Christians began to cheer for Donald Trump without qualification and a chorus of other believers decried that support as immoral. The Christian leaders who have excused, ignored, or justified his unscrupulous behavior and his indecent rhetoric have only given credence to their critics who accuse them of hypocrisy.

He also points out the reluctance and reason of evangelicals in their electoral selection last year. He says that when you talk to Trump and Moore supporters...

...you often find more nuanced and reasoned political views, grounded in moral principles, combined with a ready willingness to condemn the immorality and verbal carelessness of these two men. These conservatives are of a view one can appreciate philosophically: Sometimes in a nation’s life, one must for prudential reasons cast one’s lot with a morally unsavory candidate. Sometimes it really is a choice between the lesser of two evils, and sometimes three. We can respect that while continuing to disagree with some of their prudential choices, as they disagree with ours.

(Galli seems to regard with credibility those who accused Moore of sexual misconduct; a significant percentage of voters disagree, based on CNN exit polling data.)

There has been criticism of some Christians - by other Christians - for their voting choices.  There is a rationale here, as Galli points out:

As recently as 2011, PRRI found that only 30 percent of white evangelicals believed “an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life.” But by late 2016, when Donald Trump was running for president, that number had risen sharply to 72 percent—the biggest shift of any US religious group.

The reason for the flip is not hard to discern. David Brody, a correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, has noted the desperation and urgency felt throughout much of conservative Christianity. “The way evangelicals see the world, the culture is not only slipping away—it’s slipping away in all caps, with four exclamation points after that. It’s going to you-know-what in a handbasket.” The logic is then inexorable: “Where does that leave evangelicals? It leaves them with a choice. Do they sacrifice a little bit of that ethical guideline they’ve used in the past in exchange for what they believe is saving the culture?”

There's plenty more here, but bottom line, we have to make sure that we are living our lives in a manner that is compelling and compassionate.  Galli concludes by saying (and this article was actually written before the election):

The way forward is unclear. For to love one’s neighbor in a democratic society means that Christians must participate in the public square to seek the common good. We cannot forsake our political duty, and that duty will lead believers in different directions. It’s just that when we do engage in politics, we so often end up doing and saying things that make us sound and act like we don’t care about the very values we champion. Perhaps the first step is for Christians Left and Right, when they stand up to champion a cause, to stop saying “Thus says the Lord” and “Lord, I thank you that you have not made me like these other Christians,” but frame their politics with, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.”

It's certainly a tall order, but we have to make sure that we are living Biblical Christianity - there are forces aligned against us that would want to discredit our witness; but our God moving through us and reflecting His love is far greater than the bad press that Christians regularly receive.  Remember, with God all things are possible!

Finally, I want to echo something Franklin Graham said on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol last year at the Decision America event.  He encouraged Christians to consider running for office.  I think there is a call for some to statesmenship - in this highly partisan atmosphere, we need people of faith who can cut through the intense partisan activity and work to find ways to address the issues that we so desperately need to address in our culture.

Paul Weber, President and CEO of Family Policy Alliance writes:

Like you, I see the news and each day another powerful man is accused of sexual misconduct. Rumor has it that many more will come to light in weeks ahead. Whether in Hollywood or Capitol Hill, misdeeds of days gone by are being exposed with voracity and that’s a good thing.

He poses this question: "...in our world where leaders are falling Left and Right (pun intended!), who will replace them?"

Weber issues this challenge:

Frankly, that depends on you and me and what we decide to do next. In the midst of struggles, will we take our ball and go home? Or, will we continue to engage; continue to provide resources; continue to join in the cultural debate and hold ourselves and those within the body of Christ to higher standards?

He then mentions the Statesmen Academy, which was begun by the Alliance's sister organization, which "is dedicated to identifying and training Christian men and women who want to run toward the battle of politics and serve as missionaries within the system. To ultimately bring about transformation from within."

As we seek first the Kingdom, we can pray for God to call out leaders who will uphold His standards and be a powerful voice for truth; that may even be you.  But, even without an urging to serve in politics, we all play a role in establishing the principles of God's Kingdom here on earth - the task is not impossible, and we can pray for God to do the mighty and the miraculous in our culture.