Claiming What Is Good

            I don’t know what you think about people who jump out of bed in the morning with a smile on their face and a sunny disposition, but that’s not me.  My body doesn’t want to get out from under the covers, and it seems to be slow to wake.  I have rumblings and stirrings as if my whole system groans at the idea of a new day.  Like my old jeep on a cold winter’s morning, my body just doesn’t want to turn over. It can affect the outlook of my day.   But slowly, as the cobwebs disappear, I reflect on the truth that God has given me.  “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lam 3:22,23.

            Living in victory is about claiming the promises that God has given us and living in the reality of that truth.  Though my flesh dreads each new day, God shows his lovingkindness, and says that I have victory over my day and not the other way around.  This comes in handy, not in just getting out of bed, but when I face each day’s trials.  Sometimes getting out of bed means facing a contentious spouse, a feisty youth, a frustrating boss, poor health, loneliness, fear, etc.  Yet, as difficult as these obstacles are, they do not have to define my actions or my thinking.   

            Joshua stood at the cusp of his past (Egypt) and the future (the promised land).  His trials were countless, and God gave him this command, “arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.” Joshua 1:2.  The land was his to claim, it was promised to his forefathers, it was preserved for the children of Israel, and it belonged to him and to the generations that would follow.  He had to do one thing – claim it.  God’s admonition was, “Be strong and courageous. Don’t let the obstacles and your fears keep you from all that I have given you.  I know it will be hard, but it is yours, and I will never leave you.  Trust me and obey me.”

            Often times we can’t see how God is going to execute his good pleasure and will.  There are so many obstacles; the economy is bad, we are fighting wars around the world and at home, our politicians can’t decide on anything, skeptics decry my faith, and I want to share the gospel but my friends won’t listen.  We feel weak against the onslaught of the enemy’s arsenal, and it can cause us to shrink away and hide in the crevices of what is familiar and safe.  This is when we need to stand tall and claim God’s victory over the world and say in a loud voice, “If God is with me, who can stand against me!”  I will not let temptations, addictions, mediocrity, laziness, self-perseveration define me.  I am Christ’s and in my weakness he is strong!

            Today is a victorious day, not because of my circumstances, but because of God’s lovingkindness that work all things for good, to those who are called according to His purpose.  I’m just saying….

Oh Christmas Tree – Ho Hum!

     Last night, as we were setting up and decorating our Christmas tree, the question as to its origins was raised.  Where did the use of the Christmas tree begin, how and why was it incorporated into a Christian tradition?  Now that’s a hotbed question.  I quickly Googled The history of Christmas Trees and was presented a variety of websites. A short history: 

1.     Evergreen trees where used in many different cultures (Egyptian, Chinese, Hebrew, German, Celtic, Vikings, etc.) to represent life, hope, and resurrection.  Some used them as decoration, and others as objects in worship.

2.     Christmas (for the church) was established by the Emperor Justinian around December 25^th as Christian alternative to pagan festivals.  That’s right Jesus was probably born on another date, but no one knows exactly, so the church has continued this practice.

3.     St. Boniface, in the 17^th century, is said to have used the triangular shape of the Fir tree to describe the Trinity.  By the 12^th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime as a symbol of Christianity.

4.     In 1510, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas tree with candles, to show his children how the starts twinkled through the dark night.

5.     England didn’t like the Germans and did not copy their fashions, including the use of Christmas Trees.

6.     1846 Queen Victoria and her German Prince, albert made the use of the Christmas tree popular.

7.     The Puritans, in the America, believed Christmas to be sacred and saw decorations, Christmas carols, and trees as a mockery.

8.     Those pesky Germans brought the Christmas tree tradition to America in the 18^th century in small German communities, which settled in Pennsylvania.

9.     The use of the Christmas tree was on the rise in 1890 and ornaments were arriving from Germany to enhance the trees beauty.

10.  By the 1900’s the Christmas tree had become an icon representing everlasting life and hope in the coming of Christ.

           

            Should Christians adopt and adapt symbols for their own use?  Hardline critics will say, NO!  The use of pagan symbols is attuned to idolatry, and we know what the Scriptures say about idolatry.  Proponents don’t see God’s creation as the exclusive right of pagans.  New Age followers use the rainbow as their symbol, but Christians know that it is a symbol of the promise of God.  Granted there are no scriptures identifying an evergreen tree with eternal life, but that doesn’t mean that Christians can’t use it as such.  God chose many objects from creation to represent or initiate conversations about his plans.  He had the Israelites pile up rocks so that when they passed by, and their children asked what they were for, the parents would explain God’s grace in delivering them from Egypt.   The Christmas tree can be used, like St. Boniface, as a tool to talk about the grace and hope we have in Christ. 

            I like a good party, and like any good party the decorations enhance the celebration, but aren’t its central focus.  As long as the decorations and symbols don’t overwhelm the worship and adoration of God in Christ, then I say, “the more the merrier.”  I’m just saying…