Life Together

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:4-6

Many of my greatest family memories involve a meal. There is an extraordinary joy that comes when we sit around a table and eat, laugh and share life. In Ephesians, Paul describes God’s family table. The emphasis on “togetherness” with Christ in this passage is hard to miss. In Christ, we are alive together, raised up together and made to sit together with Christ. Because of God’s mercy and grace we enjoy communion with Christ. It’s unmistakable that we share this relationship because God loved us “even when we were dead in our sins”. His love draws us home.

Other than an occasional rendition of “Happy Birthday”, I don’t recall doing a lot of singing at family gatherings. But, I do think God enjoys music. In his classic work, “Life Together”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer reveals some insight on God’s playlist, “God has prepared for Himself one great song of praise throughout eternity, and those who enter the community of God join in this song.” After all, we are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece. As God gives us life, a song emerges. The prophet Isaiah identified the source of the song that resides in our hearts. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:4)

Finish this year with a song in your heart. Begin the next year anchored in your trust in God.

Unto you

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Every Christmas Eve, I remember our son’s birth. I reminisce over some particular details about his arrival. His name is Nicholas Landon Metler. He is 21 inches long. He weighs 7 pounds and 11 ounces. That’s some of the facts and figures you would expect in a birth announcement.  Whether the announcement is in print or you share it in person, these are usually the first details that are shared.

Luke, the Gospel writer shares a birth announcement for Jesus. It’s a special announcement made by an angel to shepherds. I love the fact that God chose a group of “ordinary” shepherds to receive such an extraordinary proclamation. When the angel shared that the Son of God had arrived on earth, there are a couple of words that speak volumes to me. Jesus was born for others. When the angel told the shepherds that the Savior was born, he revealed a deep truth. The Savior is born “to you”.

The fact that Jesus was born for others may seem obvious now. After the fact, we understand that the Savior came because of God’s great love. Perhaps you memorized John 3:16 as a child.  The fact that the birth of Jesus was an extravagant expression of a Father’s love toward the world has become just another part of the story of Christ. But, I enjoy re-visiting the moment. It reminds me that Jesus came for others then and now. He remains the Savior who seeks and saves the lost. Whether shepherd or king, His love finds us where we are. Jesus is the Savior, Christ the Lord.  

Which way to Bethlehem?

And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

Luke 2:12

Occasionally, I catch some grief over my inability to find things. Whether I am driving or just searching for something at home, the struggle is the same. I have heard the words, “it’s right in front of you” more than once in my life. So, I have to ask myself. If I was a shepherd outside of Bethlehem, would I have found Jesus? Have you ever tried to fill in the blanks between Luke 2:15 and Luke 2:16. I am referring to the journey of the shepherds. Somewhere between their departure from the fields and their arrival at the manger, there was a journey. Ultimately, we are told that they found the Savior.

Without a smart phone, Garmin or any other satellite assisted device, the shepherds listened to the description given them by the angel of the Lord and made their way to the city of David. God understood that they would need help to find and recognize the Savior. So, He gave them a sign. The angel was both a herald and a guide. As I have studied a few “Christmas” messages in Galatians the past week, I thought about the familiar description of the “fruit of the Spirit” in a different light. Earlier in Galatians, Paul reminded the church of the gift of the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 4:6). Then, in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul describes the “fruit” that the Spirit produces. Just as the description of a baby lying in a manger aided the shepherds in recognizing the arrival and presence of the Savior in Bethlehem, the fruit of the Spirit helps others recognize the presence of Jesus in my life. How will someone recognize Jesus in me? The sign of His arrival and presence in my life is the evidence of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. Ultimately, I believe God cares just as much today about helping people recognize the Savior as He did the night Jesus was born. The Holy Spirit enables us to be heralds and guides. When you sing “Joy to the world” this season, think about how the Spirit of Christ produces “joy” in you as an announcement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Adopted by God

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:4-7

Aside from the birth narratives of Jesus that are contained in the Gospels, it is my favorite description of the arrival of the Messiah. In this letter to believers in Galatia, the Apostle Paul makes a statement about God’s perfect timing. When the time was right, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The Savior was and is the gift above all gifts. The birth of a child is the fulfillment of a season of expectation. According to Peter, the birth of the Lamb of God was anticipated before the foundation of the world.

However, Paul does not end his description of God’s gift with the birth of Jesus. He continues with a similar declaration about God’s gift of the Spirit of His Son. Jesus came to redeem us. The Spirit of Christ came to affirm the reality of our redemption. Jesus came as “Immanuel, God with us” and because He came, the Spirit of Christ has come into my heart. The result of His entry into my heart is magnificent. Jesus purchased my adoption with His gift of life securing a change in my identity. I am a child of my heavenly Father. But my new identity is so more than a name change. I have been granted entry into a new relationship. The Holy Spirit wells up within my heart and I cry out to my heavenly Father. He hears and recognizes my voice as the voice of His child. Thank you Father.

Understanding Weakness and Strength

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

The New Testament provides many descriptions of the Christian life. Some are easier to embrace than others. I am “salt”. I am “light”. I am a “fisherman”. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth is filled with a different kind of imagery. I am a “vessel of clay”.

Sounds a bit fragile doesn’t it? But, I must confess, it also brings to mind a certain beauty. The beauty of a clay vessel is a reflection of the skilled hands of the artist, the Creator. Every metaphor has some limitations. There are obvious differences between a person and an actual clay vessel. One is living and the other is not. I have ability to think. Sadly, I have the capacity to imagine that my beauty is my own and not the result of my Creator. I can be tempted to take credit for the glory that belongs to God and God alone. Paul warned the Corinthians that the excellence of the pottery is the gift of the Creator. For Paul, our weakness exposes God’s strength.

In his commentary on 2 Corinthians, French Arrington describes Paul’s testimony about how weakness reveals Christ, “At any time vessels of clay can be broken…His purpose for experiencing the dying Jesus in his body was to reveal the life of Jesus to others.” Take advantage of every opportunity this week to reaffirm your purpose in life. The purpose in life is to reveal Christ. Sometimes it is in the midst of our greatest struggles in life that the grace and glory of Christ shines brightest.