Most of the people who read my posts are those who have found Christianity lacking. Not the faith so much, but the translation into an organized religion. It is easy to see how we have managed to create this rift; the rift between what is possible, and what we limit ourselves to having. It is this rift, that keeps many people out of the church, and seeking faith elsewhere.
To be honest, we limit Christ and his call to compassion from the time he was born, to the sacrifice he made on the cross. We not only limit our understanding of this divine drama, but the power that he has in our lives.
Consider the Nativity Story; we have sanitized it beyond recognition. We have taken a drama, that threatened even the life of Mary, and made it into a romantic made for TV version. It is a shame.
The Christmas story, the real one, is about Christ coming to earth as an illegitimate child. Mary, being pregnant out of marriage, should have been stoned to death if the Old Testament law was followed. So Joseph, either the most stand-up guy in history or the greatest patsy of all times, gets her out of harm’s way. A donkey ride to Bethlehem gets Mary out of Nazareth – a town so insignificant it was almost forgotten – and to the safety of another village.
There was no census as the bible tells us, I think Mary traveled for safety, it was a trip of necessity, not of inconvenience https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_of_Quirinius Scholars tell us that the narrative was changed to make it a better story. Yet, the truth holds greater truth, obviously, greater mystery, and greater power.
For me, the nativity story is mostly why I am a Christian. God sought to join us as we are. God so loved the world, that he sent his own begotten son to us. It is a reversal of the temple system where we would prepare ourselves to enter the presence of God. He has come to us, he still does. What is curious is that he did not stop there, for we are told, that he descended into hell. This is based on few scripture verses, Acts 2:31; Ephesians 4:8-10; 1 Peter 4:6; and, most importantly, 1 Peter 3:18-20. His descent into hell strikes me as such a Christ thing to do.
So, my wish for you this Christmas? That you allow Christ to enter your life. It is a dangerous thing to do. Christ himself warns us from doing so, why else would he tell you to weigh the costs. Christ does not respect our agendas, dogmas, or theology.
Do not worry about the overly dramatic being called to a foreign mission field – it is unlikely that you will be called to minister to the unsquashed hamsters of Nepal. That would actually be easier than what we are called to do. Nor, would I worry about joyless lives of obedience to God.
Rather, we are called to do two things.
First, we are called into relationship with he, or she, who has made us. The dramatic coming of Christ that happened two thousand years ago, is repeated on a daily basis. He comes into our lives with little respect for what we want, he comes with power and compassion.
We are called to simply enjoy the presence of the divine. There is no other agenda than simply knowing that we are loved, and lovable. Most of us, skip this step. And in the wise words of someone else, we cannot pass on what we do not have.
Yes, there are the obvious changes that we are called to make. If you are beating your spouse or children, please stop. If you are destroying yourself through addictions and other means, again, please stop. But we need, must, learn the presence of God if we are to follow him, or her.
Second, we are called to treat those around us with the same compassion and love that we are shown. That is why we need the first step.
I look at Christ and his ministry to others. He always seemed much more interested in being with people, than he did in correcting them. In fact, those he was most interested in correcting were the religious. Even the often quoted verse, has that he will come into our lives and dine with us. So be with people, love them, let their worry be yours, let their sorrow be yours.
It is my wish for you this Christmas, that you are able to without agenda, or desire, to allow God into your life. It will not make your life easier. Doing so promises to put you into conflict with the world around you, and in particular the church. Yet, there is joy and freedom to be found in such love.
