Jesus Messiah: The True Meaning of Christmas

On the plane after a great mission trip to Montana at the end of this past October, I started humming the tune of Bach's "Ave Maria," but the words "Jesus Messiah" kept replacing the first phrase. I started playing with names of Jesus and fitting them into the tune and then realized that I could tell the whole story of the Bible using only the names of Jesus beginning with Creation and ending with Revelation.

I thought about doing it for church or something, but the music doesn't really fit our style at church, so I decided to make a YouTube video instead.

Please remember the true meaning of Christmas is not just nice feelings with those you love, nor is it all about just a poor little baby being born in terrible circumstances. Those things are part of it, but they come from something much, much bigger. The true meaning of Christmas is the whole beautiful story, beginning to end, of God's Love--even the messy parts, even the nice parts...even you.




Jesus, Messiah,
Author and Creator,
Guardian and Provider,
Counsellor, Emmanuel,
The Everlasting Father,
Glory in the Highest,
Bright and Morning Star
Bringing Peace to all the earth,
King of Kings,
Lord of Lords,
The Way,
The Truth,
The Life,
Lamb of God,
Salvation,
Resurrection,
Great I Am,
The Alpha and Omega.
Amen.

The Truth About The Father of Lies

I'm not sure why this came into my head, but maybe it is a word for someone.

Father - n. any male ancestor, especially the founder of a race, family, or line; progenitor. (www.dictionary.com)

God is our Heavenly Father. That means that we are His children and we are made in His image. It means we inherit His power and glory, and he wants to take care of us. God's Word is Truth and he wants us to know the Truth. God's power is not dependent on us. He will always have supreme power whether or not we do, but because He loves us as children, He bestows it on us if we ask. God is everywhere and all we have to do is call out to Him.

Satan is the "Father of Lies." That means from the first lie that he spoke into existence in the Garden of Eden, all subsequent lies are in his image. Satan fancies himself as high as God, but he isn't. He's a fake god. Therefore his lies are fake versions of the truth. Satan's power is great and so is the power of his lies; however, the power of lies IS dependent on us. Without our belief, he and his lies are powerless. Satan is not omni-present, so he has to rely on his seed to do his work for him.

Here are some more thoughts:

1. Satan is far stronger than humans, but his might is totally incomparable to God's.
2. Satan is limited. He doesn't have time or the ability to attack everyone personally.
3. God is not limited. He can care for everyone at any time, anywhere.
4. It only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to bring demonic oppression crashing down.
5. God never speaks guilt or disappointment into your life.
6. Satan doesn't want you to accomplish anything, so he uses his lies to tell you that you can't or makes you feel foolish for trying.
7. Satan doesn't want you to be loved, so his lies tell you that you can't be, or else they make you look for love in the wrong ways.
8. If a person speaks evil into your life, he/she is buying into a lie. Therefore you need to pray for him/her, not hate.
9. If you feel oppressed, thank God that you are His child and that you have the victory.

The Highest Form of Non-Theist Love: Love of Body

Dennis McCallum, in a sermon on Thessalonians, said, "The ultimate statement of love that a non-theist can make is 'I love your body.'" I believe that statement is true, and I believe there is much at stake in the reality of that statement.

If a person is a non-theist (atheist, agnostic, or other variety), he or she must believe that there is no reason for anyone to exist, that everyone is the result of a mistake, that nothing in anyone is eternal, and that existence ends when a person dies. There is no soul because there is no evolutionary reason to have one. Period. Any wavering on that fact and the believer is not a true non-theist. Therefore, the concept of love can be only for the here and now. "I love your body" at its most shallow means casual sexuality and at its deepest means, "I love your existence." Even if an atheist loves someone for who he/she is on the inside, it is still just the body. Even if an atheist loves someone for the kindness he/she shows, it's still just the body. Even loving someone for being "as messed up as I am" is still loving him/her for the body.  A person's mind, personality, viewpoints. To an atheist, these can only be connected to the body. There is no sacrifice to this love except masochism. There is no commitment without ulterior motive. There is no security except Stockholm syndrome. To acknowledge the soul is to acknowledge an existence that is higher and deeper than this plane on which we live. A non-theist cannot love anything more than the flesh and blood of another person. 

I hope that breaks your heart as it does mine.

I hope every human, theist or not, can see what is at stake with this kind of love. There is something in all our hearts that yearns to be loved for more than just our mortal coil. We may have no problem giving that kind of shallow love, but we definitely hate receiving it. We may accept and commit with liberality every sin and form of debauchery this world has to offer, but we always hate betrayal. Loving someone for his/her mere present existence is the very epitome of betrayal because it is love that doesn't last. Our bodies decay. Our minds change. Our kindness is inconsistent. Our messy lives will eventually repel the ones who were attracted. If these are the only reasons for which we are loved, then we will not be loved forever. 

If love isn't meant to last, then why do we want so badly for it to last?

There is a God and He loves you. Forever.

Are Modern Christian Songs Shallow?

When I was little, pastors used to preach against modern Christian music because the lyrics in them were too "lovey-dovey." The argument was that the words in them were too shallow, words that you would sing to your girlfriend or boyfriend, and certainly not something you should be singing to God.

As an adult, I have come to think differently on this subject, primarily because a short dissection of modern secular love songs proves to show exactly the opposite.

Think of popular lyrics in love songs: "You are my destiny." "You are the air I breathe." "You mean everything to me." "I'd die without you." Actually, those words seem shallow because they are words of worship. When the subject of those words is a human being, the philosophies behind them seem trite because they are suspect.

Early in our marriage, my husband and I agreed that we love each other dearly, but never in any sense of the word are either of us the other's "destiny." That is too high a burden to put on another person, because neither of us can handle being worshiped. In order to receive worship, one has to be incapable of failure, otherwise he will eventually betray the worshiper. When I understand that I should worship God but give my husband a break for being fallible, I can actually love my husband more. That's called "freedom."

Now if we apply those quotations above to God, they make all the sense in the world. God is the air I breathe. God does mean everything to me. These words are no longer trite because they now can be sustained by a non-failing Subject that is worthy of them.

Humans in love can and should sing love songs to each other. I'm not saying they shouldn't. However, the problem is not that Christian music has become shallow. The problem is that modern secular music has become worship.

Psalm 135:15-18 = A Modern Cautionary Tale

15 

Psalm 135:15-18 (NIV)


The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

made by human hands.

They have mouths, but cannot speak

    eyes, but cannot see.

17 

They have ears, but cannot hear,

    nor is there breath in their mouths.

18 

Those who make them will be like them,

    and so will all who trust in them.

Ancient Temptation Trumps Modern

I used to think that people were so primitive and misinformed as to worship things like the sun, moon, stars, weather, etc.. I mean, didn't they realize how lame it sounded to sing an "Ode to Spring"? I furthermore was baffled as to how these ancient cultures, when converted to Judeo/Christianity and learning of the True God, were somehow tempted into falling back into this element worship. How in the world would that even be a temptation?

A short anthropological study will attest to my ignorance. After all, without modern conveniences like dishwashers, bathrooms, central air/heat, refrigerators, and stoves; we too would be tempted to worship the elements. Just think how a daily activity like going to the bathroom would affect you if you had to do it while living in a rustic cabin in the dead of winter. Couple that with the fact that God is invisible to physical eyes, and you will quickly understand how powerful physical properties like wind and rain are much easier to comprehend and therefore deify.

Moreover, think also of how an ancient would view our idolization of other humans just because they can do acts so trivial as singing, dancing, or the most ridiculous of all: pretending to be someone else on a big screen! Our modern-day hero worship is truly absurd. At least former cultures worshipped things that actually affected their lives. I mean, the elements still affect our lives even with modern convenience!

I mean, is Scarlett Johansson going to help my crops grow? I don't think so. . .





photo from: https://www.google.com/search?q=sun+moon+stars&hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4AURU_enUS502US503&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=N-qDUcauH4me8gTbu4HwAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1093&bih=419#imgrc=OniOrPcVirvIeM%3A%3B3m86YW9baN3iiM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi62.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fh81%252Fbabyrican692%252FWallpaper%252FSun-Moon-Stars.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmobile-wallpapers.feedio.net%252Fsun-moon-stars-and-clouds-mobile%252Fvaldosta.edu*~achampton*ebooknightsky.png%252F%3B700%3B700