(ADVENT 9) Unwrapping Christmas: Unconditional Love

This is a season in which we can reflect on the hope of the gospel - that God loved us in our state of separation from Him because of our sins; He sent His Son, who gave His life, even though we were undeserving of His grace. Romans 5 reminds us:
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We can look to this world for our security, but it will disappoint us. The source of true security is found in Almighty God, who loved us and loves us so greatly. When we are discouraged or feel rejected, we can turn to the One who died for us, so that we, by dying to self and receiving Him, might know the greatest love there ever was and ever will be. We can be confident in God's love, and that can make our hearts secure and give us peace in our souls. 

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Today is December 9, the 9th day of our Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure." This year's theme is Unwrapping Christmas, concentrating on gifts that have been made available to us because God sent His Son, Jesus, to the world. Today's gift is unconditional love.

God has loved us unconditionally, even in our sinful state, in a place of separation from Him. But, we can also respond in love to Him and continue to love Him, even when He does not move in our lives the way we think He should. He also provides for us the capacity to love others without condition. 1st John chapter 3 gives us some insight:
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

The World Cup soccer tournament, bringing together teams literally from throughout the world, continues in Qatar, and even though the U.S. men's team made it into the Round of 16, it was eliminated in a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands.  The tournament is now into the Quarterfinals, the final 8, which continue through tomorrow.

In its first three games, the U.S. allowed one goal - to Wales in a penalty situation, according to a Movieguide article which featured center back Walker Zimmerman. The article noted:

When he learned the news of his starting role on the U.S. team, Zimmerman thanked God.

“A lifelong dream come true. Praising God for this opportunity. Here we gooo!” he wrote.

On a Sports Spectrum podcast recently, he said: "From a very early age, I think I had a very strong understanding of not only having morals and what it’s like to love other people, but also it created a foundation for me spiritually, where I think my faith has played a huge role in kind of my development over the years..."

The Sports Spectrum website states:

Zimmerman became a father in June 2021, which he said has given him a greater appreciation for the love his Heavenly Father has shown him.

“Really, it’s about finding the patience and learning about how sacrificial God’s love is for us through my love for my son,” Zimmerman said on the podcast. “It really kind of changes the picture for me and helps you realize actually what a great sacrifice Jesus was on the cross when you think about God giving His only Son for us.”

Walker Zimmerman is an example of recognizing the unconditional love; that love that 1st John 3 tells us has made it possible for us to be children of God.  And, his understanding of that concept has been enhanced through the birth of his own son.  Sports Spectrum noted that Walker is the son of a pastor, so I would say that he was raised with a strong Christian foundation, which contributed, as he said to knowing, "what it's like to love other people..."

When we recognize and receive the Father's love, it can give us confidence and a sense of belonging. We can know to whom we belong, and as we come to know Him and grow in His love, we can reflect that in the way we relate to the people around us. 

And, as a parent, as Walker noted, you can see a living manifestation of that unconditional love that God has for us - He has blessed us with children, the Bible says they are gifts from God, and we can develop in God's love as we love and nurture them - it's a great picture for us.

Finally, when we think about God's unconditional love, I think we have to reject the enemy's deception.  He would like to whisper in our minds that because we mess up, we miss the mark, that God won't love us anymore - he breeds insecurity in our hearts and minds about God's great love. But, we can remember that God loves us without condition and that love will not stop even when we don't obey Him.  Throughout the Old Testament, even though Israel was chided for their rebellion, God didn't stop loving them - in fact, He kept telling them that the Messiah was coming to bring reconciliation. We can hold on to God's love even when we are discouraged.

(ADVENT 8) Unwrapping Christmas: Eternal Life

The passage that opens up the 3rd chapter of Colossians provides a sweeping look at the eternal life that Jesus has provided for us and what it means. We can see these words:
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

The third verse tells us our lives are hidden with Him; the fourth reminds us that He is our life.

 Ephesians 2 relates:

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

We are seated with Christ - our lives are hidden with Him in heaven. The Scripture teaches that we are citizens of heaven.  So, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and were born again, we received eternal life - we do not belong to this world anymore, and our lives are to reflect that "other-worldliness," walking in God's ways, which are superior to the ways of the world. We can consider how that eternal life affects how we live.

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We are now on Day 8 of our Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," and we have been, as I say, "unwrapping" gifts that God has given to us.  The overall theme of the guide is Unwrapping Christmas, and the gift of Day 8 is eternal life. 

There is a familiar Scripture verse that corresponds to today's entry. It's found in John 3, and I want to share that verse - verse 16 - as well as the following one:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

God loves us so much that He sent His Son, in order that through His death, we might have life.  Certainly, we are taught that believers in Christ will live with Jesus forever. So, we can be confident of our eternal destiny.  Heaven has come to earth, and we are now representatives of heaven on earth - citizens of heaven who have been placed here for a purpose, to reflect the glory of God.

CBN.com recently ran a story that proclaimed: "a new study reveals Scripturally-engaged Americans are 'far more likely than others to donate to charity.'” This study was conducted by the American Bible Society, and the article related:

In fact, the majority of these individuals — people who interact consistently with Scripture and allow it to shape their lives and relationships — report giving to such causes, according to the eighth chapter of “The State of the Bible” report.

“Americans who are engaged with the Bible gave $145 billion to charitable causes in 2021,” a statement from the American Bible Society read. “And … Practicing Christians, those who are actively living out their faith, are much more likely to give.”

To break it down, the story notes: "Bible-engaged Americans gave a total of $145 billion to charities in 2021, amounting to about $2,907 per household. The same figure for the Bible disengaged was just $924."  Another interesting piece of information: "Scripturally engaged Americans account for just 19% of adults yet give 44% of every dollar donated."

This is called putting faith in action, taking the responsibility to be ambassadors for Christ, representatives of heaven, seriously.  The CBN story went on to say:

“People who are Scripture-engaged gave six-times as much to churches as those in the Movable Middle and 13-times as much as those who are Bible-disengaged,” a statement explained. “When it comes to non-church giving, Scripture-engaged Americans gave 9% more than the Bible-disengaged and 165% more than the Movable Middle.”

Because Jesus loved us so much, we now have access to eternal life. Because He loves us, we can love others, and display to the world through our unselfishness the life that God has given to us.

Eternal life will impact our life here and now - we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, the Bible says, and because we are sealed for eternity and confident in the Lord, that can impact the spiritual quality of our lives today - after all, Jesus said that He came to give us abundant life. So, are we living as if we have eternal life?

We have been saved and sealed, we are being sanctified, and the fruit of our relationship with Christ will impact how we live now.  We are called and empowered for a life of obedience - so we can consider how that new life, that eternal life, activates us today.

(ADVENT 7) Unwrapping Christmas: Worship

The Psalms show us a path in which we can walk that is centered on our relationship with God and incorporates acts of worship. In Psalm 63, David unveils deep thoughts of His heart and reinforces the notion of coming into the presence of God; we can read these words:
(1) Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings...

In verse 8 of the Psalm, he says: "I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows."

We recognize here the importance of crying out to God, communicating with Him from the innermost parts of our being. Words spoken to God in humility and worship can help us to maintain our focus on Him and actually change our perspective.  Through our worship, we maintain an awareness of the presence of Almighty God and we experience the power to walk in His truth.  Worship comes from a heart surrendered to Him, so that we can draw closer to our Savior. 

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On the 7th day of our "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," the Faith Radio Advent Guide, we "unwrap," in a sense, another gift of God in our 25-day series called, Unwrapping Christmas.  Today, we focus on the gift of worship.

To be able to enter the presence of God - to stand, bow, or kneel before Him, and offer praise to Him is an incredible gift to us. Jesus purchased that right to come before Him by giving Himself, dying on a cross, raising from the dead, and offering us salvation, bringing us into relationship with Almighty God.  God is pleased with our worship and we can draw near to Him as we bring the sacrifice of praise to Him.

The Scriptures tell us about instances of worship around the time of the birth of Jesus. In the book of Luke, chapter 2, following the angels informing the shepherds about His birth, we read this account:
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

Later in the chapter, we find that the shepherds went to see Jesus and verse 20 records their response:
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

In Matthew 2, we find that the Wise Men, or the Magi, upon seeing Jesus, presented Him with gifts and worshiped Him - even before that, after visiting with King Herod, they saw the star that had led them to the region; the Bible says:
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Worship can take upon itself different forms - and a common form is expressed through our words - whether spoken, sung, or even shouted.  Words are very powerful, and in the course of expressing our adoration and praise to God, we gain a greater appreciation of who He is.  

We're reminded in Scripture that words can bless and words can curse.  Words can build up or tear down. And, when we worship God, we are aligning ourselves with the source of truth.

These days, with the abundance of information that is available, we have to be careful to speak the truth. That is especially important in the social media realm.  Just recently, with the release of what apparently is the first batch of "The Twitter Files," the new owner of the social media platform, Twitter, Elon Musk, has illustrated how words can create a story and can be twisted and manipulated for the purpose of power and control.  

Prior to the release of this information over the weekend relative to how the platform selectively released or blocked information to fit political purpose, an article at The Washington Stand said:

Nonetheless, the fight for freedom of expression is far from over. Musk has repeatedly brought up the topic in the past few months addressing both advertisers and the public about his desire to turn Twitter into a nonpartisan social media platform. Most recently, on November 28, he tweeted, “This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.” He added that he is planning on publishing the “Twitter Files on free speech suppression” because “the public deserves to know what really happened…”

Matt Taibbi is a journalist who reviewed information on a pattern of this "suppression;" in a Twitter thread, called, "THE TWITTER FILES," he writes:

5. In an early conception, Twitter more than lived up to its mission statement, giving people “the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”

6. As time progressed, however, the company was slowly forced to add those barriers. Some of the first tools for controlling speech were designed to combat the likes of spam and financial fraudsters.

7. Slowly, over time, Twitter staff and executives began to find more and more uses for these tools. Outsiders began petitioning the company to manipulate speech as well: first a little, then more often, then constantly.

8. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. 

Just yesterday, it was announced that the new head of the company, Elon Musk, had dismissed the now-former legal counsel who didn't follow Musk's directive on releasing this information.

Today, we're thinking about worship, and it can take upon itself different forms - ultimately, the way we live is a series of either acts of worship or not - of obedience or not. Often, worship is thought of as singing and speaking; and I do want to concentrate on the "words" aspect of that practice.

The words we speak, as well as the ones we hear or expose ourselves to, can affect how we think - and vice versa.  I would contend that if we want to grow in the Lord and to enhance our awareness of Him, we have to spend time in His presence in the Word and in worship.  Worship is so beneficial for a number of reasons:

• The act of worship can help us to tame our tongues.  As we enter His presence and speak words of praise and adoration to Him, we release a power that can help us to control our speech.  One translation of Psalm 22:3 reminds us that God inhabits our praises.
• Worship can also play a part in renewing our minds.  We need to be thinking Godly thoughts, and worship takes the focus off ourselves and helps to enable us to put the emphasis on Him.
• In worship, we also display an attitude of humility.  We are exalting God when we worship, and the Bible promises that we will be lifted up spiritually as we humble ourselves before Him.
• And, worship can help sharpen our discernment.  In an age where there is so much information coming toward us, and there are thought leaders who are attempting to manipulate us, we have to be trained to know good from evil.  As we worship the Lord, increasing our awareness of God, we can learn to distinguish truth from error.

Faith Radio desires, as we've stated, to be a "trusted source" for you in your walk with Christ.  Each day, there are scores of information sources that vie for your attention, and, as we've seen from the release of the "Twitter Files," false narratives have been created.  We have to remain steadfast in the truth.

(ADVENT 6) Unwrapping Christmas: His Presence

Because we have been saved, we can walk each day with an abiding sense of God being with us - His Spirit dwells in us, and we can enjoy the gift of His presence. Psalm 16 relates the words of the Psalmist:
8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Jesus, in John 15, described Himself as the vine and said that we are the branches, deriving our life from the vine - He instructed us on abiding in Him. We do so by maintaining an awareness of His Spirit within us and by filling our minds with His Word.  If I regard Him as "always before me," that can give me confidence, peace, and joy. Jesus died and rose again so that by receiving Him, He actually lives in our hearts.

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It's December 6 - Day 6 of "25: A Christmas Advent-ure" in our Faith Radio Advent Guide. This year, our theme is Unwrapping Christmas, as we reflect on gifts that have been made available to us by virtue of God sending Jesus into the world.  So far, we've talked about the gifts of salvation, mercy, satisfaction, holiness and righteousness, excitement, and today...His presence.  We can experience the presence of God because Jesus is alive and is alive in us; plus, He has given us His Holy Spirit. 

Matthew 1:23 is the verse that correlates with this "gift" in the Guide, but I want to begin reading at verse 20 - there is an encounter here between an angel and Joseph, who had been chosen to be the earthly father of Jesus, having received the news that Mary was pregnant:
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

So, there you have verse 23, which includes words taken from the 7th chapter of the book of Isaiah, a reminder of the abiding presence of Christ in our hearts.

Because He lives in us, we take the presence of Christ into the places we go.  We are responsible to be a good Christian witness to those with whom we interact. 

Christians have been challenged by the proliferation of these "drag queen" events which have been held at local libraries. There are concerns that these events expose children to deviant sexual behaviors, centered around transgenderism.  They are held on public property, and some believe this form of communication is protected by the First Amendment.  You have found concerned Christians who have protested these types of events at libraries and other venues.

But, a recent piece published on the Media Research Center website offers a different approach.  The article opens up by saying:

From children being told their “Drag Queen Names” in 2017, to Pizza Hut pushing a “Drag Queen” book for kids in 2022, many Americans (and Canadians) have witnessed the bewildering and unsettling sight of grown males in drag engaging in uncomfortable – often lewd – interaction with small children in locales such as public libraries and even in bars.

It points to "a way that not only shows the inventiveness of folks who want to offer a positive alternative to what they correctly view as a destructive movement, but which also can help observers learn some powerful lessons about public property."

Michael Foster is a pastor in Batavia, Ohio, and has decided he wants to take the presence of God into the library and offer a Christ-centered alternative to the Drag Queen Story Hour.  The MRC article points to a piece by Mark Kellner at The Washington Times website that quotes from the pastor:

“The Rev. Michael Foster, pastor of East River Church in Batavia, said ‘men in lingerie, reading books to little kids and twerking things is super disturbing and twisted.’

The Community Reformed Evangelical Church pastor said protesting the drag queen readings did not ‘lead to much good effect.’ He decided to take another route.”

          And so, as Kellner reports, Foster thought:

“‘You know what, we should just do our own, we should just go to our libraries and do a really good job at telling good wholesome Bible stories,’ he said in a telephone interview.”

          Foster’s motivation stems from what he recognizes as a growing moral void in American society:

“He said the storytime is one way to respond to what he described as a moral crisis in America.

‘Nature abhors a vacuum, and we’re living in a country that’s fatherless,’ Mr. Foster said. ‘And someone’s going to step into that vacuum to speak into young people’s lives. We can let it be men in lingerie or it can be us,’ he said.”

The Facebook announcement for the November 23 event included this preview:

This month Pastor Michael Foster will be reading James Shrimpton's The King and the Dragon.

In this imaginative story, James Shrimpton teaches children the story of redemption in the Bible through the lens of dragon slaying.

When the knight slays the dragon in any story, readers and listeners all cheer in celebration. We rejoice because it echoes the Bible―the victory of good over evil is a prominent theme because the Lord came to have final victory over the devil.

One of the tendencies that I believe we have as the Church is to become so intent on exposing darkness that we are not offering Biblically-based solutions - and that is something that challenges me as a Christian communicator and program host. I think it's important that we are informed about relevant topics, but we also have to be vigilant to show a way forward.  The issue of Drag Queen Story Hours, and drag shows in general, has certainly been problematic, and while I believe that communities - and communities of faith - should not provide this platform, we continue to see this type of behavior promoted and rewarded.  

So, rather than merely speak out against these demonstrations of deviancy, which is important to do - here you have an alternative message that is being offered - instead of drag queens promoting debauchery, why not have pastors promoting decency, offering a Scripture-based message?  If we are convinced of the superiority of the message of Christ and its redemptive power, then we can seek for ways to insert that message into cultural settings and personal conversations.

(ADVENT 5) Unwrapping Christmas: Excitement

The Scriptures teach us that Mary and Joseph "marveled" at what was said about their son, our Savior. Our recognition of the presence of our Lord can produce a sense of excitement deep within us. Jesus said in John 5:
(19) "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

Mary, as the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, the man who was chosen to serve as His earthly father, were immersed in a glorious experience and saw incredible acts of God up close, which no doubt produced a sense of excitement within them. Our Savior, His very nature, is resident in our hearts, yet we have to be careful that we don't tamp down that joy and excitement that He desires to produce.  He has gifted us with the excitement of knowing Him and walking with Him each day.

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We are continuing our journey through this year's Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," with the theme, Unwrapping Christmas, and we come now to Day 5.  The previous two entries in the guide, the previous two gifts, are: SATISFACTION (for Day 3) and HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS (for Day 4).

Regarding our satisfaction in Christ, we go back to the words of Mary in Luke chapter 1...verse 53 says: "He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty."  This is a great reminder of what we can experience - a sense of satisfaction - when we are allowing Christ's life to flow through us. 

We then go to the words of Zechariah, after a time of being mute because he had originally doubted the angel's proclamation that he and his wife would be the parents of the one who would be known as John the Baptist.  You could say that God did a work in his heart, and He grasped the significance of not 
only his own son, but the Messiah who would also come, the One who, in His own holiness and righteousness, made us right with God and gave us the ability to walk in His holiness. In Luke 1, verses 74 and 75, he states:
74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

Now, we come to Day 5, and the gift we will "unwrap" today is EXCITEMENT. The Christmas narrative has numerous characters who possessed and exhibited a sense of excitement over the coming of the Messiah. One of those was Simeon, who proclaimed in Luke chapter 2:
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

Following those statements, we can read this verse:

33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

We can examine our own hearts and make sure that we maintain a sense of wonder about the presence of Jesus, and that we can marvel at who He is and what He has done for us.

Just a week and a half ago, we celebrated a day of Thanksgiving, and one of the meaningful images of a Thanksgiving meal is found in a subway car in New York City.  CBS News reported: "A Brooklyn woman invited all of New York City to her Thanksgiving dinner this week, setting up a whole meal inside a subway car to feed strangers." 

The story noted that there had been a number of "videos circling online" documenting the feast.  The story notes: "Brandi Baxter, a single mom of three from East New York, is the chef behind it all. She was involved in a similar stunt with a group of friends back in 2019." Apparently, she and her kids "...loaded the food, table, and settings at the Livonia Avenue station, and then took the L train all the way to Union Square, where they set up the table. That's when everyone on the train was invited for dinner."

This time last year, Baxter and her kids were homeless - this year, they were giving back. Her son, Aziah, said: "You should always give back, no matter what you have, or even if you have a dollar or a quarter, always give it to a person in need." Baxter donated the leftovers to a community center, and she made a clothing donation to a church in the area.

That story does not make mention of a Christian faith motivation, but it can certainly be an example of the excitement that we can have because of our love for God and the resulting excitement to serve Him and serve others.

For the Christian, the excitement of knowing Jesus and responding to and in His love can motivate us to reach out to others and spread that love. I think of the annual Thanksgiving Dinner, prepared in the Auburn/Opelika area by Harvest Evangelism. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Pastor Rick Hagans posted on Facebook:

The tent is up. 200 turkeys cooked. Dressing and sides prepared. 250 pies sliced. Even the weather has cooperated with forecasts of clear skies and mild weather for tomorrow night and Thanksgiving. All we need is for y’all to join us. Tomorrow night at (6pm) we’ll all sit down for a Thanksgiving supper and a chance to share thanks. We’d love to have you join us. Then on Thanksgiving morning (8AM) we’ll be back under the Big Top at Lakeview. This time we’ll be plating 2,500 Thanksgiving meals.

And, Baptist Press reported on a Thanksgiving celebration in Portugal that was put on by two Southern Baptist missionaries, Jonathan and Bethany Sharp, with the assistance of volunteers from Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. The article reports:

The Sharps hosted their first Thanksgiving in Portugal nine years ago when they were in language school. They used it to meet their neighbors and practice Portuguese. With each passing year, the event grew larger with teams from churches in the U.S. coming to help. It became a way to share the gospel in a non-threatening way and mentor local believers.

This year, the team from Travis Avenue made it possible to take the festivities outside of their home and church, Igreja Baptista Vida Nova. They partnered with small groups and four church plants to host the cultural exchange in different locations.

Bethany Sharp is quoted as saying: "In one week, we can get more contacts of those open to gospel conversations than we can going out every day for a year on our own," adding, “This is an opportunity to be hospitable and be [Christ’s] hands. Talking about culture and food is a great way to connect.”

Around 370 people were fed in the outreach, and the article says that over half of them were unchurched.

Thanksgiving can motivate you to do wonderful things.  And, although I have given examples of outreaches surrounding Thanksgiving Day, the principle is that as we realize who God is and what He has done for us, that can produce an excitement for Him that will result in worship, and result in a display of that excitement to people around us.

Christians should ideally be excited about our Savior and the message that He has brought to the world. We can be excited that He has chosen us to communicate that message. Because Christ has changed our lives, that inward change can produce an external, visible manifestation of His love and glory.

(ADVENT 2) Unwrapping Christmas: Mercy

We have been invited by the Most High God to come and experience all He has in store for us, and we enter into that life - eternal and abundant - by surrendering to Jesus. Ephesians 2 tells us:
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

A few years ago, Christian apologist Lee Strobel tweeted this out:

Justice is getting what you deserve (punishment). 

Mercy is not getting what you deserve (no punishment). 

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve (salvation).

We deserved judgment, but we received mercy. We deserved to spend eternity apart from God, under a death sentence because of sin. Somebody had to pay the penalty, and Jesus, full of mercy and grace, chose to give His life, to endure the punishment in my place, in your place: the absolutely sufficient substitute, so that we, the beneficiaries of His mercy, could have eternal life. 

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We continue our Advent series from the Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," with this year's theme, Unwrapping Christmas, and concentrate today on the mercy of God, our second of 25 gifts that we can acknowledge or "unwrap."  We go back to the words of Mary in Luke 1, in the passage known as the "Magnificat." I want to pick back up where we left off yesterday, beginning in verse 48:
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.

Verse 50 reminds us that we are recipients of the mercy of God.  We didn't deserve it, but God loved us in our fallen state, our state of separation from Him, and sent His Son to die, the ultimate act of mercy, so that we could come to know Him.

We have to be careful not to miss this message of mercy.  Jesus came to earth, born as a child, who lived a perfect life in human flesh, and gave His life for us.  That's the message, and with all the alternative messages that surround Christmas - that is the essence of what we celebrate.

A line from a recently-released streaming series, contains this line: "Saying Merry Christmas to all has suddenly become problematic!”  And, those words have caused some controversy, believe it or not.  Faithwire notes that this is a line from the new series, The Santa Clauses, starring Tim Allen reprising the title role that he played in three previous movies.  The article says:

As NME noted, the moment in question happens when Allen’s character is asked what’s bothering him. Santa responds, “Saying Merry Christmas to all has suddenly become problematic!”

Perhaps the line hit too close to home when it comes to the real-life debate over Christmas, because the dialogue immediately caused a Twitter “uproar,” according to The Daily Mail.

While Tim Allen's line has generated some controversy, Allen has alerted audiences to some content about Christmas as a religious holiday that will be coming; a subsequent Faithwire article noted:

The 69-year-old comedian recently told “The Wrap” religion will be present in the new six-part series — an interesting diversion from the first three “The Santa Clause” films, as faith was never a part of those narratives.

Allen told the outlet the original plot for the Disney+ series had some elements he didn’t want to include, as he sought to focus on “Christ-mas” and the season’s true meaning.

“It originally had a lot of otherworldly characters, and ghosts, and goblins. I said, ‘No, this is Christ-mas. Its Christ-mas. It literally is a religious holiday,'” he said. “We don’t have to blow trumpets, but I do want you to acknowledge it; that’s what this is about. If you want to get into Santa Claus, you’re gonna have to go back to history, and it’s all about religion.”

And, there have been reports that Tim Allen himself has made a profession of faith in Christ.  You may be familiar with his story - his father was killed by a drunk driver, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol, even served two years in prison. God Reports notes:

As much as he wrestled with doubts, he couldn’t deny the incredible creation in which he lived. It begged for a logical conclusion.

“Whoever built me, this is too much, too weird that it happened by accident,” Allen said. “It didn’t happen by accident.”

Slowly, Allen began to open his heart to God as he saw His guiding hand throughout his struggles. He reached a point when he dedicated his life to Jesus Christ.

Sometimes Allen refers to God as “the Builder.”

“I always ask… ‘God what did you want me to do?’ But you got to be prepared for the answer,” he said.

We have to be careful that we don't miss or lose sight of what we're celebrating.  It's no secret that my wife and I absolutely love Christmas - but, for me, the challenge for all of us, is to make sure that we love Christ more.  

It's true, in some circles, saying, "Merry Christmas" has become taboo.  But, that doesn't mean we should not shy away from allowing the true Spirit of Christmas, the Holy Spirit, from being displayed through us.  But, the bottom line is that the origins of Christmas show that this is a distinctly religious holiday - a federal holiday that the majority of Americans observe, in some form or the other. And, because of that, it gives believers in Jesus Christ a unique opportunity to reflect and share the true story.

(ADVENT 1) Unwrapping Christmas: Salvation

In the 4th chapter of Acts, we saw that Peter and John did what the text described as "a good deed" - through the power of God, they brought healing to a blind man, which infuriated the religious leaders of the day. Peter spoke out, saying:
9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Please pay close attention to verse 12, which reminds us that there is salvation in no other name. Jesus taught that He is the way, the truth, and the life - the one way through which fallen humanity can come to God. The display of the love of God through these men was apparent, with the Scripture telling us that the people recognized "they had been with Jesus." When we believe on Jesus and are saved, our lives are changed, our outlook is transformed, and our hearts reflect the presence of our living Lord.

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It is the first day of December, and coincides with the first item on our list of 25 gifts that God has provided to us through Jesus Christ.  Our Faith Radio Advent Guide: "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," is found in the latest Ministry Magazine or online through our website, has as its theme this year, Unwrapping Christmas, focusing on these wonderful gifts.

The gift for today is: SALVATION.

We go to the words of Mary in Luke chapter 1 after she had been informed by the angel Gabriel that she would be giving birth to the Christ Child, the Messiah, the Savior of the World. She responded by highlighting several gifts from God. Beginning in verse 46, she related:

(46) "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

God. My. Savior.  We have been given salvation, a free gift from God - if only we would receive it.  We do so, according to Romans 10, by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing that God has raised Him from the dead.  We have been saved by grace through faith, according to Ephesians chapter 2.  And, there is one true way to come to God, and that is through Jesus, who died on a cross and rose from the dead so that we might be saved.

But, there does seem to be confusion about how to be saved and what that means.

I referred a while back to the Ligonier Ministries study, The State of Theology.  An article found on the ministry website states:

In John 14:6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Tragically, the 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that the majority of American evangelicals seem to reject this teaching from Christ.*

The Bible reveals that God is pleased only by the worship of those who approach Him through Jesus Christ, since He alone is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tim. 2:5). It is startling enough that 56 percent of U.S. evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions. Yet more concerning is the fact that this percentage has increased by a soaring 14 percent in only the last two years.

Last year, in the American Worldview Inventory from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, Director of Research George Barna noted that 69% of adults in America self-identify as Christian.  Out of those, there are a number of concerning statistics, including these:

• 72% argue that people are basically good

• 71% consider feelings, experience, or the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance 

• 66% say that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue 

• 64% say that all religious faiths are of equal value 

• 58% believe that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things, they can earn their way into Heaven...

Let's narrow this down just a bit - 35% of U.S. adults identify as "born-again Christians".  The numbers  shift just a bit; for instance: "77% say that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue," an 11-point difference. "69% accepted feelings, experience, and the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance," that's a shift of only 2 points. There's a 3-point difference on this one: "61% say that all religious faiths are of equal value," and a 2-point shift here: "60% believe that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things, they can earn their way into Heaven..."

And, Probe Ministries issued a comprehensive study of religious views last year.  An article on the ministry website stated: "over 60% of Born Again Christians are also pluralists;" in other words, more than 6-in-10 born-again Christians, according to this survey, believe there are multiple ways to God - this is consistent with the Cultural Research Center findings.  The Probe summary says:

Based on these results, about one third of Born Again Christians appear to have a consistent biblical view toward pluralism. Another third appear to be totally in line with the pluralist position. The last third are those who want to say that Jesus is the only true path to God AND that Mohammad and Buddha also taught valid ways to God. In church, they may say that Jesus in the only way, but out in the world they act as if Muslims and Buddhists don’t need to know this critical truth. These individuals have an incoherent worldview.

It's been pointed out that when one says that Jesus is not the only way, in some effort to appear loving and inclusive, you are contradicting what Jesus Himself taught - and, you have to consider, who are we to do that?  And, you could add that the most loving position you could take is to tell someone the truth. Mohammed and Buddha are dead, but they did not die for our sins.  Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice so that He could fulfill His mission to be our Savior. 

As we "unwrap" the gifts that God has given us and take a closer look, we can consider the posture of Mary, who recognized after the angel visited her that she was going to be giving birth to the Savior of the world.  Our spirits, like hers, can rejoice in Him - God has freely given us the gift of salvation - and, as we have opened it up and received it, we can be thankful that He loved us so much that He gave His life and now lives so we can walk in fellowship with Him.