Advent: The Politics of Christmas 3

When Joseph decided that he should not proceed with his marriage to Mary, an angel appeared to let him know what was actually going on with his betrothed. She had not been unfaithful. Rather, she had been chosen to bear the promised redeemer. The angel instructed him that the child should be named Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.” Joseph yielded.

To save from sin Jesus had to make atonement, not for himself but for the sinners he came to rescue. This necessitated his dying. But how he died was important. The chosen means was crucifixion, a horrifyingly gruesome form of execution. This method accomplished several things. First, it was the result of a judicial sentence. He was tried and found guilty. This established him as a law breaker. Second, he received a curse under the Mosaic law, which declares anyone who dies upon a tree as a result of a judgment was cursed (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). And third, it was a death reserved for the despised and forgotten of society. 

In every aspect of this humiliating death he was undeserving. It was all for our gain. We are the ones who stand guilty before God’s judgment seat. We are the ones deserving of the law’s curse. We are the ones who having exalted ourselves before the face of God deserve to be cast away, remembered no more. Instead of us, however, it was Jesus, who, despite his divine status, “stripped himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man. And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal” (Philippians 2:6-8, J.B. Phillips translation).

This ignominious death is what awaited the child born in Bethlehem. He was marked from the very beginning, indeed, before the foundation of the world, to die a rebel’s death. In doing so, however, he turns fallen reality upside-down. The strong are shown to be impotent, the proud are brought low, the forgotten are remembered. True humanity is reinserted into creation and peace with God and peace with man is possible! 

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Advent: The Politics of Christmas 2

Jesus was a revolutionary. Not the gun toting or fist raising type, but a revolutionary nonetheless. His arrival on the scene signaled to all would-be rulers that arrogant, self-serving, self-glorifying, power-grabbing, God-denying exercise of government will be overturned. This is evident in the language of the Magnificat, Mary’s famous hymn of grateful praise.

The use of the past tense in her hymn indicates the confidence she has that, though the child is still growing within her, the end for which he has come is as good as done:

“He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.” (Luke 1:51-53)

The theme of “reversal” in the hymn (mighty brought down, those of humble estate, exalted; rich sent away empty, the hungry filled), as well as in the rest of the Gospel of Luke, is a hard lesson for human beings to learn. I think this is particularly so for we Americans. Virtually all aspects of our society (including the people in it) are valued by how “successful” they prove to be. And the metrics used always favor the wealthiest, strongest, fastest, and prettiest. This creeps into the thinking of the church as well. I recall when the young baseball phenom, Darryl Strawberry, made a profession of faith. Before you knew it, he was on the speakers’ platform of evangelical rallies as proof that you can be an incredibly talented athlete and a Christian at the same time. This did not serve Darryl, and it did not serve the cause of Christ. What he needed was careful discipleship, not being made the poster child for “successful” Christianity. 

This linking of the success of the Kingdom to the successful is filled with peril. The danger is that we forget who it is we are following. Jesus warned (off?) one potential adherent, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). To another he challenged, “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Neither scenario fits the American model of success. But for those to whom he was speaking, their true success depended upon their joining the “last shall be first and the first shall be last” revolution (Luke 13:30). 

Advent: The Politics of Christmas 1

When a Christian confesses “Jesus is Lord” he or she is making more than a personal statement of faith. The title “Lord” is fraught with political significance, as is evident in the vision of the victorious Christ that includes his wearing a robe on which “he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19 ). He is the one to whom “all authority in heaven and earth” was given and he wields it as Sovereign over all. There is no higher authority on this earth than the one whom we confess as Lord.

This is important for us to remember in the wake of the recent election. Too often we heard Christians speak fearfully of a loss of our religious liberties. Such liberties are a cherished benefit granted by the Constitution of this country, and the country would be wise to protect them. But Christians should not be acting out of fear when they cast their vote. While the Constitution may promise religious freedom, Jesus did not. Nevertheless, we are to hold fast to our allegiance to him for he is building his church, against which the gates of hell will not prevail.

One of the most familiar prophecies concerning the coming of Christ is from Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This was fulfilled historically in the conception and birth of Jesus. Significant to note is that this sign was first given to Ahaz, a king of Judah, who, out of fear, struck a deal with a pagan nation in an attempt to defend himself from an attack by an alliance that was threatening his kingdom. The sign was given by God to assure Ahaz that he had nothing to fear, He would take care of his foes. Alas, the king trusted the pagans more than Yahweh and paid the price for it.

The birth of Jesus is as much of a sign to us as it was to Ahaz, if not more so. It teaches us that the church needs to be mindful about whom we make political alliances with. We need to be governed by faith, not fear, for the one who we confess as Lord is the same one about whom it was prophesied “the government shall be upon his shoulder [and] . . . of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end . . .” (Isaiah 9:6-7). Jesus IS Lord.

A Wise Master Builder

In the opening greeting of Paul’s letter to Titus, as a wise master builder he implicitly lays the foundation for the central issues he addresses in this short letter: authority and truth. By describing himself as “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,” and stating that his preaching ministry is a task “entrusted” to him “by the command of God our Savior,” he establishes the authority by which he will insist that his “child in a common faith” act with dispatch to put “what remained into order” on the island of Crete. Additionally, when he says that his calling is for “the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth” he asserts the standard by which false teachers will judged and the people of God will be protected.

Authority and truth are two inescapable realities that are hard for human beings to accept. We have challenged them from the beginning and, as a result, have been forever plagued by the fallout (see Genesis 3). That this is true for all humanity is evident from an even cursory look at history. That the church has also fallen prey is evident from the fact that falsehood always finds a hearing, creating havoc. Why should this be except that even those within the church are hesitant to accept God’s full and final authority in our lives? John Stott asks, “In the final analysis this is the big question for the church: is there such a thing as divine revelation? Do we concede that truth, having been revealed by God, ipso facto has authority over us? Are we ready to submit to it, that is, to him, in humble faith and obedience? Or are we brash enough to behave like unruly children and reject God’s authority?”

Jesus warned that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mark 13:22). We can appreciate, then, the wisdom of Paul to minister as boldly as he does for “the sake of the faith of the elect and their knowledge of the truth.” He knows that without embracing the twin realities of divine authority and truth the people of God leave themselves open to deception and to suffer the attendant consequences.

15 Years Hence

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 I observed things I never thought I would see in my bohemian, politically left-leaning, decidedly humanist neighborhood — spontaneous altars. At lampposts and street corners, candles and bouquets of flowers would be laid. They appeared like votive offerings “to the unknown God” of Athens fame. It signaled to me that my neighbors wanted to believe that there was something, someone, that sat outside of the realities of the tragedy that could bring sense, comfort, even peace in the face of the assault. This impulse was echoed across the city in the numerous “interfaith” services that were organized. Did the attack make people realize that they needed something other than themselves to believe in? Perhaps, but only for a while. 

New York is a remarkable place. Its mettle has been proved in not being undone by having a target painted on its chest (a target that every New Yorker knows remains in place). The city has long gone back to its famous hustle and bustle. This place is an astonishing and persuasive example of God’s common grace. But common grace is not saving grace. Those relative few moments of self-awareness (if that’s what it can be called) did not spark an awakening. 

There are signs, however, that fallen humanity, no matter how determined, will not have the last word. The church responded well post 9/11, serving sacrificially with time and materials, and in the years that have followed, the church has continued to respond as God has drawn an unprecedented number of young men to move themselves and their families to New York to plant churches. Perhaps our God who shines light into darkness and overcomes evil with good used the attack to bring our great city onto the radar screen of these Gospel entrepreneurs. In the end we might just discover that what the islamists meant for evil God meant for good. I think it possible. 

The Immoral Ones

Last weekend marked the Fourth of July, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Some 12 years later the Constitution of the United States was ratified. Two years after that the Bill of Rights, containing the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was also ratified. These are the seminal documents of our country and the ones looked to when laws are tested and rights are claimed by the citizens of this country. 

From its inception, Christianity has enjoyed a place of privilege in the United States. When the First Amendment speaks of “freedom of religion” it certainly had in mind the Christian religion in its various expressions. That right has been rightly extended to other religions, but Christianity has been the prominent religion in the history of this country. 

This place of privilege has allowed Christians to assume that our beliefs are not to be challenged. Any assault upon them are a provocation to press our rights. This is all well and good as long as the Constitution is interpreted in a manner that allows us the “free exercise” of our religion. But of late, interpretation has not been going in a way that supports biblical morals and, as a consequence, Christianity is no longer viewed positively. The belief system that historically undergirded the morality of our nation is now, for all intents and purposes, declared immoral, and the church is struggling to accept the new state of affairs.

But the apostle Peter says that we should not be surprised when a “fiery trial” comes upon us, and people “insult” us because we claim allegiance to Jesus and biblical teachings. Such is to be expected. He gives three reasons for it. First, it serves to test our faith, which when found to be genuine and lasting will be to the glory of God and the church (1:7; 4:12-13). Second, it comes with the territory of being brought under the sway of mores different than those that used to guide us. This pits us against the world and they do not like it. As a result, we have the joy of sharing in the sufferings of the one who was condemned by the world he came to save (4:1-5, 12-16). Third, God’s intention is to present to his son a holy bride so he turns up the heat to produce righteousness in her. This intentional purifying has been his practice among his people throughout his dealings with them (4:17; Malachi 3:1-3).

As we watch our neighbors increasingly embrace a morality that directly challenges God’s word, we should expect that all manner of insults and maligning will be forth coming. But if we “suffer according to God's will” we are to “entrust [our] souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” His laws and judgment will prove eternally more reliable that any Constitution or panel of judges.

Fulfilling Our Assignment

The response of the woman who was “forgiven much” (Luke 7:36-50) is humbling. Her outpouring of gratitude upon Jesus places before us unabashed, unfiltered adoration -- and it is humbling. Have you ever been as free in expressing your loving service to the Savior (read the account again, just to be sure)? I don’t know that I have. But if I’m honest, I have just as much cause for untempered worship as she. This is why I need to heed the call to be “transformed by the renewal of [my] mind” (Romans 12:1-2). I need to not think of myself more highly than I ought to think, for Jesus came to save sinners, those who need to be forgiven much and those who need to be forgiven not as much (I’ll let you decide which category I fall into).

This relationship is important to establish before Paul goes on to speak of God’s intention to use every member of the church in his service. The exercise of the gifts he gives should be undertaken with gratitude and faith. And if we are clear about our lack of standing before God and the eternal peril we faced apart from his grace, whole-life service of him should not be hard to muster. 

After we’ve contemplated deeply the sacrifice that was offered on our behalf and had our hearts stirred to respond with grateful service, the next step is to utilize the gifts he assigns within the context of the local church. Though this is obvious from all that the New Testament has to say about ministering in the name of Jesus, it is too often missed by Christians. One only needs to look at the brief list in Romans 12:3-8 to understand how God intends for us to serve him by serving one another, with one another. As someone had said, “one Christian is no Christian.” Each of us is only a part of the whole and we need one another to be all that God has designed for us to be. 

Together we must prayerfully proceed in fulfilling our assignments. As we do this worshipfully and lovingly we might just “discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” That is, God will show us how we can best serve his purposes in this place, at this time.