Missing the Point about the Christmas Miracle!

December 27, 2023.

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

-Luke 2:15-21 (NIV)-

Lately I’m hearing a lot of chatter and debates about the authenticity of the Christmas miracle based upon the actual date of the birth of Jesus Christ.  People are saying that Christmas is a Pagan holiday and mention supposed Pagan Christmas trees as a reference.  Even the Big Bang Theory sitcom talked about the ancient Pagan festival Saturnalia being used on December 25th and linked to Christmas.  Truthfully the Saturnalia festival occurred over several days and ended before December 25th.  With regards to Christmas trees, it’s also recorded that St. Boniface (680-754) ministered to Germans and parts of the Netherlands and he chopped down a huge oak tree dedicated to the god Thor and known as the “Thunder Oak”.  Behind the oak tree was a fir tree and St. Boniface used it as a tool for evangelism saying,

This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight.  It is the wood of peace… It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green.  See how it points upward to heaven.  Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.[i]

Still, other people mock Christians for not being accurate on the actual birthdate of baby Jesus for other reasons.  It’s been theorized that Jesus was probably born in the spring or summer for various reasons I won’t get into.  Some pastors argue that December 25th was indeed the actual birthdate and using the Jewish lunar calendar for their calculations and not the solar calendar that we typically use as Canadians.  Some people believe September 11, 3 BC was the actual birthdate of Jesus based on Jewish astronomy.[ii]  Some may find the latter reasoning very compelling (click the link in the endnotes if you’re interested).

Now to all of that I say, MOVE ON!  True believers don’t need to get hung-up over these details that don’t get us closer to Jesus as Lord and Saviour and that’s what the general public is missing!  They’re all missing the point about the Christmas miracle!  The Christmas miracle (the Word made flesh, and God being born as a baby) happened, because Jesus the Saviour was meant to save the lost. He was also meant be worshipped!  This is exactly what the shepherds did.  They glorified and praised God for all the things they heard and seen.  Not only that, but they were so in awe and wonder that they just had to tell others about this amazing story!  I also do want to add that they left what they were doing (tending to their flocks).  You have to understand that this was their livelihood.  If anything happened to their sheep, they’d lose their jobs and I imagine it would’ve been hard to get hired elsewhere for something else, because being a shepherd generally meant that nobody saw you fit for other “more important jobs”.  Such is the cost of Christianity!  We are to give up everything in pursuit of Jesus Christ simply to worship him, and without delay!  He is worthy of our praise and we lose nothing of eternal and real worth when we pursue him.  Be it jobs, relationships, shelter, buildings, land, etc., and whatever else – they all don’t compare to worshipping Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! 

Paul says it best.  “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:7-8)
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[i] Fr. William P. Saunders “The Christmas Tree”, Straight Answers article in the Arlington Catholic Herald, available at http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/williamsaunders/straightanswers/68.asp.

[ii] Heiser, M. S. (2016, September 12). September 11: Happy Birthday to Jesus. Dr. Michael Heiser. https://drmsh.com/september-11-happy-birthday-to-jesus/

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Christmas - Behold the Lamb to be Slain!

December 20, 2023.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

-Luke 2:8-14 (ESV)-

To God, nobody is insignificant and nobody is outside of his plan for redemption.  Whether we want to admit it or not, God uses everyone for his glory’s sake – the righteous and unrighteous alike, and this includes great leaders, common people and anyone else not having a spotlight.  You may not know it, but you have a vital role in God’s sovereign plan of hope.  Knowing this, will you give the Lord Jesus Christ the worship he deserves?

Our text in Luke 2:8-14 demonstrates a prime example of God using the seemingly “nobodies” in God’s story of hope, reconciliation and redemption.  Surely many people wondered why God would send an angel to announce the birth of the Saviour to lowly shepherds.  It’s not like you had to be educated for that career.  It’s never the case where people of nobility, status or public worth had these positions, so why them? 

It turns out that in the Mishnah (the oldest authoritative set of Jewish oral law to be used in companion with the Torah/Pentateuch – first five books of the Hebrew Bible), there is the belief that the Messiah would be revealed from the Migdal Eder/Tower of Eder, the “tower of the flock”.  One can argue that Micah 4:8 even prophecies the same thing!  We also hear a hint of this tower’s location in Gen. 35:19-21.  Most scholars comparing Hebrew poetry seemingly showing parallels, believe Micah 4:8 symbolically means God watches over his people (his flock) from Mount Zion. 

However, this interpretation fails to look into the Mishnah’s teaching whereby it details this tower was located close to Bethlehem and on the way to Jerusalem as a radius distance marking tool.  Any lost sheep found within this radius area between Jerusalem and this tower could be specifically set apart for sacrificial, religious purposes (males as burnt offerings, females as peace offerings, and any fitting for Pasha/Passover if it was thirty days before the festival).  This is an amazing detail missed by most people!  From a Christological perspective, It suggests that most likely, these shepherds were in fact the ones caring for these specific Pasha/Passover sheep, bearing the harsh weather and caring for them for the thirty days before the Passover – the Jewish festival commemorating death passing over the ancient Israelites in Egypt during the tenth plague.  Many of you already know that during this time, a lamb was sacrificed (pure, defect and blemish free), with its blood painted over the doorframes of the homes of believers/followers of Yahweh, so that the destroyer would not claim the life of a firstborn son in these homes and during the night of the plague.

Did you catch the link right now?  God sent the angel to these shepherds trying to tell them that the real Passover Lamb is born and he is going to be the sacrifice to end all sacrifices to God, so that death once and for all will pass over all believers/followers of God through Jesus Christ, who is this Pasha/Passover Lamb because he is pure, defect and blemish free, meaning he is free from sin from his miraculous virgin birth (Matt 1:23) to his death on the cross (Matt. 27:45-56), sacrificed once and for all, atoning for our sins (Isa. 53:4-6)!  Of course, these shepherds didn’t know Jesus would be nailed to the cross and surely didn’t know Jesus would resurrect from the grave, victorious over death; and just like death passed over the firstborn in Egypt, Jesus became the firstborn from the dead to be raised to life, escaping death!  The symbolic parallels are so dramatic here, and yes, he is definitely worthy of all praise and worthy of our worship!  Behold the Lamb to be slain!  He is the season and the reason for Christmas and this is why indeed it is good news to the world!

To the outsiders, the shepherds were probably seen as lowly people, but for us, they point to a fantastic story of hope and indeed goodness for the world!  This Christmas and just like the shepherds, will you point others to the once and for all, true Passover Lamb in Jesus Christ?  He has come to save us from sin, save us from death and the wrath of our holy God (Yahweh) eternally (Isa. 53:10-11)!  I believe you have a vital role to tell this story and to proclaim this good news!

Merry Christmas to you and all loved ones, and may we all turn to Jesus with great hope, because he has all the answers we will ever need in this world and he made us right with God, by his atoning sacrifice, which is the reason why he came to us during Christmas!


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The Meeting Place!

December 13, 2023.

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

-Luke 1:46-56 (NIV)-

It was always God’s plan to meet with and have a deep and intimate relationship with his people.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”  This statement also describes a deep and intimate connection from the human standpoint as well.  There is no other of God’s creations that are glorified like his people (Heb. 2:5-8).  God’s people (his followers) are also described as jewels in a crown (Zech.9:16).  This Christmas and Advent season, I invite everyone to reflect on the privilege of having a God that cares for us so much, and desires to meet with us on an intimate level!

Think about this - from the start, God had an intimate relationship with Adam and Eve.  Even after the Fall of Humankind, God called to Adam in Gen. 3:9, fully knowing where Adam was (since God is omniscient), and desiring to make that connection and meet with Adam.  When we fast-forward to the time of Moses in Exodus and with the completion of the Ark of the Covenant, God continues a pattern of wanting to meet with his people in an intimate manner (Ex. 40:34-35), even though since the Fall, humankind’s sinful nature separated them from God and his holiness.  Regardless, it was always God’s intention to meet with his people in reverence and worship.  This is why the tabernacle (a movable tent and worship space) in Moses’ time was covered by God’s presence, described as the glory of the Lord and also in a great cloud.  The tabernacle was the pre-temple of Solomon’s time, and was seen as the shrine (sacred and holy space) to meet with God during the nomadic time of the Israelites in the wilderness.

The narrative of God meeting with his people in worship and intimacy continues with Mary in the Christmas story.  When we read the Septuagint (Greek translated) version of Exo. 40:35, the Greek word for glory (epeskiazen) also means “to cover” or “overshadow”.  This same Greek word “to overshadow” also appears in Luke 1:35 (episkiasei).  Luke is trying to tell us that the glory of the Lord (the same found at the tabernacle) also covered/overshadowed Mary’s womb, where in a sense, Mary’s womb became the meeting place for God, in the form of the Holy Spirit conceiving God in flesh – Jesus Christ.  The Roman Catholics believe that just as God gave Moses specific instructions to create the tabernacle (to house God’s holy words in the Ten Commandments) to be made perfect, God created Mary to be perfect (blameless and without sin) to house the pure, holy, baby Jesus (word made flesh) in her womb.  To be honest, I can’t exactly go as far as the Roman Catholics train of thought here when I read that, “….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” (Rom. 3:23).  However, this astonishing Greek finding at least helps me understand where the Roman Catholics are coming from, and I have a new and profound way of reflecting on the holy meeting place with God (the shrine).

We also all know that since the coming of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, our bodies (as God’s followers) are now seen as the new shrines/temples (1 Cor. 6:19) and to me, this gives even greater joy that it was always God’s master plan to meet with me personally!  The cosmic God of the universe, maker of heaven and earth, all the solar systems, planets, stars, moon and sun, actually went out of his way to meet with me in the long line of holy meeting places, in a divine plan to make my relationship intimate and extraordinary!  I won’t sing “Mary’s Song” in Luke 1:46-56, but the thoughts in my head should definitely be very similar as a result – I am privileged to be chosen as God’s servant; he is merciful and he has done miraculous things!   That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it! 
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Prepare the Way!

December 6, 2023.

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

-Mark 1:1-8 (ESV)-

Does anyone remember the winter of early 2022?  I wasn’t around Moncton yet (still in Toronto) and I heard like Toronto, Moncton got hit hard by a few snow storms that winter.  This is nothing new for typical Monctonians and surrounding residents.  On February 3, 2015, Global News reported that Moncton matched a snowfall record set in 1992, with having a three-day February storm that dumped more than 160 cm of snow.  Well, I can’t account for the snow storms in Moncton in 2022, but on January 16-17 the City of Toronto received 55 centimetres of snow in just 15 hours.  If not mistaken and just two weeks later, Toronto got hit with another massive dump of snow that I think was approximately 51 centimetres.  I remember these storms quite well, because it was shortly after my father passed away (Dec. 2021), and I was taking care of his property.  We didn’t have a snowblower or snow plow service.  I actually don’t know of anyone in Toronto that pays for snow plow service.  You guessed it! – I had to shovel my late father’s driveway by hand, using a hand shovel.  My back was aching me to say the least!

Some of you may recall in a previous sermon that I have a tendency to over focus at times, and after both of those storms, it took me about six hours of shoveling (with standing breaks in-between) to clear all the snow.  That means that yes, on both occasions, I stood outside for six hours, without sitting down or getting anything to eat or drink.  The snow was up to my thighs and I just kept hauling snow away like a frantic polar bear!  I was so concerned about preparing the driveway and path for the mailman or anyone else that wanted to ring the doorbell (the house was vacant because my mother was staying with my sister).  In other words, the only thing I had on my mind was, “prepare the way!”

Ironically and like recovering from a bad storm, this world needs people that will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ and what a privilege and honour it is to do so!  Like shovelling after a bad snow storm, it seems that this world is frozen in their set ways and need help to dig out!  At times, yes, it will be back breaking labour, but the rewards are so great!

It is definitely no easy assignment, but it’s definitely an honour!  In fact, that’s the proclamation of John the Baptist in Mark 1:3.  John the Baptist definitely knew it was royalty coming in (much more important than a mailman), and even more so, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He also knew the assignment to prepare the way and make his paths straight was not only given to him, but to many others as well, for all those that would hear, obey and follow.

For the majority of everyone reading this, I imagine you’re Christian.  If that is the case, preparing the way and making his paths straight is also your assignment as well.  How do we do so?  The answers are also found in our text today.  Just as John baptized (signifying the need and the act to be cleansed of sin), proclaimed the coming of the Messiah (declaring urgency in believing in the gospel message) and urged everyone to repent (one of the only true responses to faith conversion), we too must emulate these actions and promote these actions to anyone else that would hear, obey and follow.

Was John the Baptist liked and appreciated?  No! - Which is why he was ultimately beheaded.  Did John the Baptist perform any kinds of supernatural signs and wonders and drawing mass crowds to follow him?  Scripture doesn’t give indication, but I would say no to that as well. Yet, John the Baptist in many ways was seen as the greatest of God’s followers (Matt 11:11).  Does it mean living humbly and by doing so we’re all going to wear camel’s hair and dine on locusts and honey?  Probably not, but being humble by boasting in the Lord is never out of style (2 Cor. 10:17).

At the end of the day ask yourselves this:  Am I being honest with my relationship with Jesus Christ?  Am I promoting a culture of believing and repenting?  Remember that believing is hard, but repenting is not any easier.  Repenting involves both an outward confession of sin, but also a turning away from sin, and that is never an instantaneous event!  It’s a process, and can only, and I mean only be done by the inwardly work of the Holy Spirit (just like faith and salvation starting from God).  If this is not happening, ask Jesus for extra help and be patient about the progress!  Also be thankful that although you’re not perfect, I suspect for many of you, you’re better than you were before, because faith is a journey and a process!

Keep baptizing, keep believing and keep repenting and with that, keep living!  You want confirmation that you’re living for Jesus Christ?  Have you seen and experienced positive Jesus Christ glorifying changes in your life?  That’s always an indication of a regenerated heart.