"The Great Christmas Question"

 

“The Great Christmas Question”

 

(This concludes the series on the most important questions surrounding the three great Christian celebrations: “The Great Resurrection Question” {“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”—Luke 24:5}, “The Great Thanksgiving Question” {“How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?”—Psalm 116:12} and now “The Great Christmas Question” {“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”—Matthew 2:2}.)

Christmas can be a perplexing time of year. We wonder where we’ll spend the day (or several days), what we’ll buy for whom, what will be on the dinner menu and how we’ll pay for all this. Lost in the shuffle is the One whose birth we celebrate. Where is He? And even more importantly, who is He?

About 12-18 months after Jesus’ birth Magi came to Jerusalem and inquired into the whereabouts of “…the one who has been born king of the Jews.” (Matthew 2:2). They had journeyed from the east, possible Persia, after seeing a strange star and following it. Apparently this was news to King Herod and, fearing a potential rival, he sought to locate and kill this pretender. The Magi followed the star to the house where Jesus was and worshipped Him with valuable gifts. They then returned to their homeland but Scripture is silent concerning whether or not they truly recognized Him as God come in the flesh.

It’s interesting to note that it was a pagan king and a group of (as some scholars believe) astrologers who actually sought this child. The religious leaders cited the prophecy of the place of His birth (Micah 5:2) but there’s no record of their looking for Him there or anyplace else.

So where is Jesus today? He’s been ousted from governments, schools, the day that calls attention to His birth and even some churches and His followers have been subject to ridicule as He said would happen (“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”—John 15:18). But He left us with the Holy Spirit “…to be with us forever….” (John 14:16)—not just with us but in us (John 14:17). And this gives us the confidence that “…I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, emphasis added). Shortly after speaking these words, “…he was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19) where He “…makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34).

Where is Jesus in your Christmas?

 

Grace, Blessings and Merry Christmas!

Jim McMillan

"Don't Overlook Them"

 

“Don’t Overlook Them”

 

During a college chapel service a speaker described one of his roles as “President of the National Association for the Preservation of the Second and Third Verses of Hymns”. I laughed with the rest of the student body but recognized the truth of what he had humorously pointed out. From time to time President Edman said all verses of hymns would be sung because we never knew how the words of a middle stanza might speak to someone’s need. To this I’d add another reason: skipping parts of a song can interrupt the sequence. An example is the great 1910 hymn “One Day” by J. Wilbur Chapman. It has five verses—and if the first and last are sung without the three middle stanzas we’d jump from Jesus’ birth to His second coming and leave out His death, burial and resurrection which are the heart of the gospel message (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). So that anonymous preacher of two generations back had a valid concern.

I consider myself a card-carrying member of the “National Association for the Remembrance of the Overlooked Parts of Scripture”. In my opinion the two most neglected portions are the Minor Prophets (twelve of them) and the five single chapter books. Their length belies their significance. And we best not forget that “All Scripture is God-breathed….” (2 Timothy 3:16, emphasis added). To certify my membership credentials in the above mentioned “organization” I’ve done several series on both of these undervalued sections. (To further polish my halo I recently led a class in a study of Philemon.)

There’s another area which we’re prone to disregard: the needs of those around us. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.” (Mark 14:7). But do I want to? I’m chagrined to say not always. God commands us, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is within your power to act.” (Proverbs 3:27). And we have a special obligation to our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Apostle Paul writes, “…As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10, emphasis added). Almost from Day One the church took this seriously (“There were no needy persons among them.”—Acts 4:34). You and I must be careful not to overlook what God says matters. “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21).

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"First and Last"

 

“First and Last”

 

Since 1981 the Canadian board game “Trivial Pursuit” has been a popular source of entertainment at home and public gatherings (a “tournament” was conducted during our 2019 cruise during which Karen and I celebrated our 50^th anniversary). I enjoy sharing this mostly insignificant information with others in various contexts and sometimes find myself thinking in such terms. Such was the case recently when for some reason I began wondering about the first and last names alphabetically in a number of areas. With the help of Google, Wikipedia and a Bible dictionary here’s what I found:

U.S. Senate: First Joseph Abbott (NC, 1866-1872); last Edward Zorinsky (NE, 1976-1987).

U.S, House: First Fred Aandahl (ND, 1951-1953); last John Zwack (MN, 1967-1975).

Major League Baseball: First David Aardsma (a pitcher for eight teams 2004-2015); last Tony Zych (a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners 2015-2017).

National Football League: First Isaaho Aaitui (a defensive lineman for several teams 2011-2015); last Jim Zyntell (an offensive lineman for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles 1932-1935).

National Basketball Association: First Alaa Abdelnaby (a forward for several teams 1990-2000); last Matt Zunic (a guard for the Washington Capitols 1945-1949).

National Hockey League: First Antti Aalto (a center for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1997-2001); last Andrei Zyuzin (a defenseman for several teams 1997-2014).

Towns in the U.S.: First Abbeville, LA (there’s also one in SC); last Zuni Pueblo, NM.

Towns in Scripture: First Abdon (Joshua 21:30); last Zorah (Joshua 15:33).

People in Scripture: First Aaron (Israel’s first high priest); last Zurishaddai (Numbers 1:6).

The above are fun to know but mostly don’t matter much. But there’s one “First and Last” that has eternal significance. In the words of Jesus Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega…the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:8,17, emphasis added). This is one of the 138 names and titles of our Lord I found in the New Testament and carries the thought that He’s always been and always will be. He had no beginning (“He existed before everything else began….”—Colossians 1:17, NLT), has no end (“He remains a priest forever….”--Hebrews 7:3, NLT) and “…He always lives to make intercession for (us). (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV). So let’s thank God for this “First and Last”, the One who really matters.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Ya Gotta Pray!"

 

“Ya Gotta Pray!”

 

In the mid 1960’s I paid my seminary expenses through my job as a part-time warehouseman for Sears in Denver. One of the local delivery drivers was one of the most profane men I’d ever encountered. I left for the summer and when I returned to work in the fall I noticed another driver had taken over his route. I asked about him and was told he’d been reassigned to the daily shuttle to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. I soon re-met him as my new work assignment was loading his trailer for the next day’s trip. It was painful to see him getting out of his cab because his long dormant rheumatoid arthritis had flared up. He greeted me and I immediately saw he’d changed when he said, “I’ve learned ya gotta pray!” I had many conversations with him over the next two years but never knew for sure if he’d put his faith in Christ.

Obviously I’ve never forgotten this coworker as I’m writing about him 55 years later. But as I looked back I found myself asking, “What has it taken to teach me I gotta pray?” Most of the time, to my shame, it’s been adverse circumstances brought about when I began to take things for granted and went ahead without seeking God’s direction. This was the reason for the  Israelites’ defeat at Ai after the great God-given victory at Jericho (read the story in Joshua 6-7).

There are numerous commands to pray throughout Scripture. Here are a few examples (emphasis added in each case): “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11); “…Jesus told his disciples…that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1); “…Pray continually….” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So we’re not just told to pray—we’re to make it a regular and vital part of our daily lives. As someone has wisely observed, “How can God answer a prayer that’s not prayed?” Our Lord’s brother states the obvious: “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2).

God knows our human tendency when He says through His prophet, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to (his or her) own way….” (Isaiah 53:6). But He also said, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21). And He’s given us His Word, His Spirit, spiritual discernment, counsel from godly people, our life circumstances and others’ experiences as resources which, when coupled with prayer (“…Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”—Ephesians 6:18, emphasis added),  enable us to obey His command. (See “Directional Signals” for more on this topic.)

May I take this seriously and move from “Ya gotta pray” to “I wanna pray.”

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan