Christmas Is a Time of Commitment
In an era when naturalism prevails our universe is considered a closed system. Anything that can’t be explained naturalistically is discredited.
Part of what naturalism advocates is that if something can’t be seen, heard, tasted, felt, experienced, or proven it doesn’t exist and isn’t logical. To the naturalist the human mind must be able to understand a thing for it to be real. Naturalistic philosophy advocates reality is exhausted by nature, containing nothing supernatural. Then God said —- “Surprise.”
God made natural laws to provide for us a comfort zone. By utilizing them wisely we gain confidence. Gravity prevents fear of falling off the earth.
He did not make natural laws as a straight jacket for Himself. He has chosen on occasion to abrogate a natural law and pull back the veil of the unknown. It is His way of saying “I am here.”
In a rare employment of this method the laws of natural procuration were amended. Laws of biogenesis were given a reprieve and a virgin conceived. That is the foundation of the Christmas celebration.
It takes faith to believe that. That means it is believable because we live by faith. Every time you drive in the rain, fly on a plane, buy or sell on credit, go on a date or get married faith is exercised. Every time you drive a car it is an exercise of faith. There is no way you can tell in advance the brakes will work the next time you apply them. Yet, you have faith enough to tailgate going 75 miles an hour.
The issue is what we are willing to make an object of our faith.
Mary believed she was a virgin. When told she would conceive she asked, “How can this be since I do not know a man?” The expression means I have not been sexually active. The angel assured her, “With God nothing is impossible.”
She responded, “Let it be to me according to your word.” That is faith.
Joseph believed she was a virgin. According to their law a woman pregnant out of wedlock was to be stoned. He had such confidence in her he protected her and suffered the indignity. That was faith.
Nazareth was a little settlement about 100 yards wide and 300 yards long. The folks there obviously believed her and not any of the community’s gossips or they would have stoned her. A child of “illegitimate birth” could not enter the synagogue, but when Jesus went back to Nazareth “As was His custom, He went into the synagogue.” That was an act of faith.
Dr. Luke, who wrote one of the four gospels, was called a “beloved physician.” That means he was a good doctor. He interviewed Mary and wrote of her “…those things which are most surely believed among us.” He concluded she was a virgin. That was an act of faith.
Because of the virgin birth Jesus is called Emmanuel, “God with us.”
For naturalists who don’t believe this it is an act of faith also.
For those reading this who are not of the Christians faith, it is hoped this will help your understanding of why Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and wish for you as for all a MERRY CHRISTMAS. This is a great season to establish and confirm faith in the Christ child.
The Star They Followed
Some stories related to a certain faith are so remarkable that even persons not of that faith are aware of them basically. Such is the story of the Wise Men visiting Bethlehem. It began with a distinctive star shining over the little village of Bethlehem, attracting scholars who traveled a great distance to view the objective of its veneration, one known to them as “the King of the Jews.”
How did they know that?
In 605 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem. As was the custom of the time, he carried the best and brightest back to Babylon. This strengthened his country and left the conquered remnant in their homeland without leadership and therefore being no future threat. Among those carried back to Babylon was a small group with exceptional ability. Foremost among them was Daniel, who quickly gained favor with the king and rose in leadership among a group known as Magi. They were not kings, but known as Wise Men, who were king makers. Among Daniel’s writings was a prophecy which centuries later became the source of information and inspiration for the Magi’s visit to Bethlehem. They were guided by prophecy made over 600 years earlier.
In that time historically astronomy was called astrology without the modern connotation. As astronomers they gave spiritual significance to the stars and their alignment. Thus this celestial sentinel was given special attention.
They would not have traveled on camels which were used for commerce like 18-wheelers today. Horses were taboo in that they were used by Romans and donkeys were for local use and not long journeys. Mules were used for such trips as they were made. They would have traveled by night to avoid the daytime heat. This also made it easier to follow the star.
We speak of the star being in the east. Bethlehem was west of Babylon; Babylon was in the east. It is written “we saw his star in the east.” The meaning of the statement was, “we have seen the star (while we were) in the east.”
How can the star be explained? Some say it was a supernova, some a star in retrograde, others it was three stars in conjunction looking like one large star. No one knows how to explain the appearance. We want to look for natural answers to miracles. The fact it can’t be explained and that in part is what a miracle is. If it could be explained, it would not have been a miracle. Scripture says God created the stars. It is estimated there are two hundred billion in our galaxy and “He counts the stars, He calls them all by name” (Psalm 148:3).
The number in the small traveling band is not noted, but assumed to be three because there were three gifts. There would have been a significant entourage accompanying them to carry provisions for the party including the animals. Magi would have also merited security guards.
They were not kings, but Magi, priests. Had they been kings Herod would not have treated them as he did. Any self-respecting king of the era would have welcomed other kings with a feast. Neither would he have ordered them to go to Bethlehem and come back and bring him news.
In reality they brought him four gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh, and additionally they gave him their worship.
In light of all this, it is little question why it is said, “Wise men still follow Him.”
Make the resolve to do the same. It will make for a Merry Christmas.
The Journey and the Joy
The Bible account of the approaching birth of Jesus Christ tells us all we need to know, but not as much as we would like to know. Some extra-biblical sources help fill in the blanks. Reliable records of customs and conditions of the time help the pieces fit together.
Artists, not the Bible, depict Joseph leading a donkey ridden by Mary on their journey to Bethlehem. Not so. Donkeys were for village and urban use, not journeys. Camels were for commerce, horses were for the wealthy and Romans. It is highly likely the poor couple had no animal, but walked. If they had an animal, it would have been, are you ready for this, a mule. Mules were in common use for such purposes. Incidentally, no self-respecting Magi would have ridden a camel. That would have been like an eighteen-wheeler, and beneath the dignity of their office. They would not have used horses because Romans used them. They, too, would have ridden mules.
To avoid the desert heat, they would have traveled at night. As an aside, that made it easy to follow the star. Scripture notes they saw the star in the east. It was they who were in the east, not the star. Bethlehem was west of them and the star would have been to their west, thus it was actually a western, not an eastern star.
Mary and Joseph in their journey would have left Nazareth and rendezvoused with a group at the south end of the Sea of Galilee. Robbers and wild animals made it essential to travel in groups. Small militias were paid to escort groups. They would have walked along the east bank of the Jordan River through the area of Perea, to Jericho, where they would have crossed back to the western bank. They would have ascended to Bethlehem through the Wilderness of Judah by way of a deep foreboding perilous valley named years before by David as “the Valley of the Shadow of Death.” That ascent would have been approximately 2,000 feet.
The date of Jesus’ birth is not known. However, those who say it could not have been in December, winter, because shepherds are not in the field during winter are incorrect. I have been in Shepherd’s Field on Christmas Eve and shepherds were there watching their flocks by night. One led his flock within fifty yards of our campfire.
The inn had no innkeeper. Actually, there was no inn as we know them. Inns were carvanceries. They often consisted of an open space bordered by rock walls made from the area of the infield. These often had caves along one perimeter. Such was the “stable” in which Jesus was born. Though primitive, it was one of the better places under the circumstances. The animals would have been in an outer chamber, and the people in an inner portion. The animals helped provide heat for the people. In addition to providing shelter for the birth, it would have also allowed privacy.
We have visited that cave more than fifty times, every time being the first. Tapestries line the walls, and ornate oil lamps hang from the ceiling. All are gifts of heads of state and notable individuals from all over the world who have visited there through the ages.
It is a moving moment to stand there and think, “Here, right here, the Word became flesh and came and dwelt among us.” That makes for a Merry Christmas.
What It Would Take To Make Your Christmas Merry
What would it take to make yours a Merry Christmas? Stop waiting for it to come to you and ask yourself what it would take to make yours a Merry Christmas.
To start, consider what does it mean to be merry. Synonyms are: cheerful, joyous, happy. Though not a synonym “content” can well be considered a summary of them all. Three components are normally associated with being merry, happy, or content. They are: people, places, and things. To be bereft of any of the three is to have contentment challenged. We often have our contentment challenged by comparisons. We tend to compare ourselves with those who appear to have all three all the time. Reality is, they don’t so don’t disparage if you don’t. Actually there are persons who have found contentment without these components. They are accepting of what they do have and do not bemoan what they don’t have. It is a matter of perspective, that is, how you look at things.
Long before there was a Parton named Dolly there was a “Miss Dolly” in my life. She was a poor elderly lady who lived by herself in a house on stilts with chicken and dog pens beneath it. In early fall my mother sent me over to help Miss Dolly winterize her house by stuffing paper in the cracks of her walls and tacking up cardboard to keep out the cold. Yet, I always enjoyed visiting her because, yes, she was merry all year.
Another such person in my childhood was blind Dr. Biggs. On pleasant summer days I walked through the woods to his house where we sat under the big oaks and he read to me from his braille Bible. He had it; merriment, joy and cheerfulness. He was fulfilled because he was content.
These two lived alone, apart from family and friends. Their places were humble. Their things were few and meager. So they had contentment without the three things associated with it.
Perhaps there are things you can be proactive in changing to make it a Merry Christmas. Assume the accountability for doing what you can to make it a Merry Christmas. Don’t begrudge what you can’t control.
Turn your gaze on others. What can you do to help someone else have a better Christmas? Such a simple thing as a phone call can brighten their day. Make the call timely, short, and positive. In doing so, you will be fulfilled.
What constitutes a Merry Christmas? Gifts all wrapped under the tree do not. What does? Love is foundational. However, the people we depend upon to make it merry are not always available for shared love.
Spend time reflecting on the first Christmas and the initial gift. Again reflect on what it was that made the first Christmas possible. If you think you are not loved or that there is no one with whom to share, love remember God loves you and Christmas proves it, “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son.”
The original gift makes it truly merry. It brought joy to the world. It was a love gift.
Sometimes there is nothing a person can do to make it a Merry Christmas. In that case accept it for what it is and resolve to rely on the one sure thing to make it the best possible. Even if you can’t change circumstances, you can change your concept of what is required to make it a fulfilling and Merry Christmas.
The gift of God’s only Son is His way of saying —- MERRY CHRISTMAS.
God Is Not Bound By Natural Laws
Christmas challenges us to look into a mystery encapsulated in a conundrum and enshrouded in an enigma.
“What is supernatural about Christmas that interests Christians?” The following is an attempt to answer that in part.
First, the major miracle involved a virgin conceiving. Any person who knows anything about natural procuration or biogenesis knows that is physically impossible. That is the nature of a miracle.
Louis Pasteur, the well known French chemist and microbiologist, made this observation regarding the miracles in the Bible.
“Laws of nature are a comfort zone designed for our comfort by God. They are not a straight jacket for Him. He abrogates them as He will.” Meaning God doesn’t impose the laws of nature on Himself. He can change them to benefit His cause.
A summary overview of what that miraculous birth entailed follows.
It was as though the Trumpeters of Eternity took their stance on the turrets of time to herald Jesus’ birth. The angels proclaimed glory to God, and all heaven broke out.
The dark night’s sky formed a canopy for the Light of the World.
While Rome was busy making history — God arrived. The gospel writer Matthew reminded his peers and us that Isaiah the prophet wrote they called His name Emmanuel, which is “God with us.”
While man was trying to make himself god, like Alexander the Great and Herod the Great, God made Himself a man. While the world reeled from portentous gods Mary had a Little Lamb. Jesus was divinity dwelling in a squealing human form.
He was royalty born in a barn.
The “Great I Am” became captive to time.
At His birth the vastness of eternity was squeezed into a moment in time.
He who existed from everlasting-to-everlasting was reduced to living moment-by-moment.
He was as old as His Father and eons older than His mother.
He who in eternity leaned on the breast of His Father on earth nursed at the breast of His mother.
He could not restrain His desire for an eternal relationship with you, therefore He seized the love initiative and came to earth for you.
Now back to the scientific aspect of all this. Consider a weight, a clock, and a ruler. They aren’t always the same.
A one pound object here on earth weighs one pound because of the gravitational pull on it. On the moon that same object weighs three ounces. Could it withstand the heat on the sun it would weigh 28 pounds.
The ruler represents mass. Mass, that is the size and density of an object also varies depending on speed. Driving at 50 miles an hour your car is three ten-millionths of an inch shorter. Traveling at 90% of the speed of light it would be half its length.
Now the mind boggler. The star Sirius is nine light years away. If traveling there and back you could travel at 99.99999% of the speed of light the following would occur. Your friends on earth would be 18 year older and you would be 12 hours older.
I don’t understand all of that, but I accept it. I can’t comprehend all that is involved in the virgin conception by Mary, but I do believe it. It simply means God knows more than all of us combined. Using that love, wisdom, and power Mary brought forth her firstborn son and laid Him in a manger. I have stood in that manger more than fifty times and every time I recount, “Here, right here, the Word became flesh and came and dwelt among us. That makes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS.