by Dr. Ray Pritchard

Gospel: John 1:14

Have you ever wondered when Christmas began? I'm not referring to the celebration of Jesus' birth on December 25 because we don't know exactly when he was born. It might be December 25 but it might be June 14 for all we know. The Bible doesn't say and it doesn't give us many clues. December 25 is a good day and it might even be the right day but no one can say for sure.

I'm asking a slightly different question. When did the earthly life of Jesus Christ really begin? John 1:14 tells us that "the Word (referring to Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us." That takes us back before Bethlehem to the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb. Christmas began not in Bethlehem but nine months earlier when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and implanted within her the divine-human Person of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:35).

Christmas began in the womb of a virgin girl. God spent his first nine months on earth as a preborn baby. Fully alive. Fully human. Fully God. That is why the ancient creeds affirm that Jesus was "conceived of the Holy Spirit." He didn't become the God-man at Bethlehem. He was God incarnate from the moment of conception.

John 1:14 may not seem like a great Christmas text - but it is the truth behind the story of the angels and shepherds and the Wise Men and the journey to Bethlehem. Without this verse, the rest of the story has no meaning. Our text tells us what really happened 2000 years ago - and what it means for us today.

I. Incarnation

The whole truth about Christmas is contained in the first phrase of our text - "The Word became flesh." Suppose I say to you, "I'm thinking of a word. Do you know what it is?" And you reply, "No, I don't know unless you tell me." So I say, "Guess," and you name a few things like "reindeer" or "soup" or "bullets." And I say no, no, no. Eventually you give up and I tell you that I was thinking of the word "bacteria." When you ask why, I say no reason, that's just what I was thinking of. It would take you a long time to guess bacteria - and maybe you'd never guess it at all. You see, if I'm thinking of a word, I've got to tell you or you're never going to know what it is. Better yet, I need to say it and then I need to show it and then you'll understand what I'm trying to communicate. Something like that is what John means when he says, "The Word became flesh." Jesus is God's Word made flesh. Now we know what God was thinking when he tried to communicate his love to us. Jesus is the visible Word of God. He is God in human flesh.

Theologians call this truth the Incarnation. It's a hard concept to understand, and in the early church there were many debates about what it really meant. Some people said Jesus wasn't really a man, he just looked like a man. Maybe he was something like a ghost. Others said he had the body of a man but he didn't have a human soul. Still others said Jesus was two people in one body - sort of half-God and half-man. And unbelievers said it was all nonsense - that Jesus wasn't God at all. They claimed he was an ordinary person like you and me with a sin nature just like everyone else on planet earth.

But all those ideas are plainly wrong. When Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb, the infinite God took on the form of a tiny unborn baby boy. Eternal God added humanity - surely the greatest miracle of all time. No one can say how it happened - or even how God can become man without ceasing to be God. But that's what the Bible teaches.

Let me say it clearly. The Son did not cease to be God when he became a man. He added manhood but he did not subtract deity. He was fully God and fully man - the God-man.

Ponder that for a moment. The Almightiness of God moved in a human arm. The love of God now beat in a human heart. The wisdom of God now spoke from human lips. The mercy of God reached forth from human hands. God was always a God of love but when Christ came to the earth, love was wrapped in human flesh. Jesus was God with skin on.

The Ant Farm

Perhaps an illustration would help. Let's suppose that I owned an ant farm, and for reasons known only to myself, I loved those ants more than anything in the world. How could I communicate my love to them? I could shout, "I love you," but because I speak English and they speak ant, they wouldn't understand. I could write them a letter, but they couldn't read it. I could shrink down to ant size, but they wouldn't recognize me. But if I had supernatural powers, there is one thing I could do. I could take on the form of an ant, be born as an ant, live as an ant, and communicate as they do. Then I could find a way to say, "I love you."

That is what God did. He didn't mail a letter or shout from heaven. He did the one thing we could understand. God himself came down and entered the human race. He became just like us so that forever we would hear him saying, "I love you."

We wouldn't have done it that way. We'd schedule a press conference, call the TV stations, hire a press agent, have a parade, call in the dignitaries, sell tickets, make a big deal so all the world could see. We would take the Madison Avenue approach.

But that's not God's way. Read the New Testament again. Instead of flash and splash, there is a frightened father, an exhausted mother, a dirty stable in wintertime, rags for diapers, and a feeding-trough. There he is, ignored by the mighty and powerful - a tiny, helpless baby. Immanuel - God with us.

It's so simple that you know it must be true. Only God would have done it that way.

A young man sat in my office and listened as I explained the gospel to him. Finally he said, "I just can't believe all that stuff." So I asked him, "What would it take for you to believe?" "I would believe if God came down and stood in front of me and told me himself," he said. "My friend, he already has come down," I replied. "He came down 2,000 years ago and lived among us. If you don't believe that, then I have nothing better to offer you."

One of the verses of a famous Christmas carol says it very well:

Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord.
Late in time behold him come, offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate Deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King."

II. Habitation

I love the way Eugene Peterson translates the first part of John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." For 33 years God moved into our neighborhood, or as my friend Raleigh Washington would say, he lived in the ‘hood.' The NIV says that he "made his dwelling among us." Some translations say that he "pitched his tent among us." That's actually very accurate because the Greek word for "made his dwelling" literally means to pitch a tent. It's the same word used for the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, which was a tent where the glory of God dwelt in the days before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. The Tabernacle was sometimes called the "Tent of Meeting" (Exodus 33:7) because it was the divinely-appointed meeting place between God and man. In the same way - but in a much deeper sense - Jesus is the place where we meet God today.

In the Bible three kinds of people lived in tents - shepherds, sojourners, and soldiers. They lived in tents because they never stayed in one place very long. Jesus lived in the "tent" of his humanity for 33 years on the earth because he too was a shepherd, a sojourner, and a soldier. He came to be the Good Shepherd, he came as a visitor from heaven, and he came as the Captain of our Salvation to defeat the devil once and for all.

Jesus was God's rescue mission to the human race. He came on a mission from God. When his mission was over, he went back to heaven. While he was here, he pitched his tent among us. When his time was up, he took his tent of human flesh and rejoined his Father in heaven.

III. Manifestation

John next speaks of the manifestation of God's glory: "We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father." In case that's a little unclear, let me give you Eugene Peterson again, "We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son." I can understand that because I am a son and I have three sons. Something of my father rests in me even though it's not a perfect reproduction. When I visited my hometown in Alabama several years ago, someone said "You remind me of your father," which I suppose is the highest compliment I have ever received. Sometimes people say that they see a lot of me in my three boys - which may or may not be such a great compliment, but there it is, and it always makes me feel good when I hear it. Even on earth we understand the principle of "like Father, like Son." But with Jesus that principle is taken to infinite perfection. Jesus is the exact image of his Father. If you have seen him, you have seen the Father (John 14:9).

When John says, "we have seen," he uses a word that means to gaze intently upon, to study as in a laboratory. It's the word from which we get the English word "theater." As Jesus walked on the earth, people could see God's glory shining through him. The shepherds saw it, and so did the angels. So did the doctors of the law who interviewed him when he was 12 years old. The glory was seen in a major way at the Transfiguration. When Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana of Galilee, John tells us that "he thus revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11).

He was not invisible nor was he obscure. When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God. In the words of Martin Luther,

He whom the world could not enwrap
Yonder lies in Mary's lap
He is become an infant small
Who by his might upholdeth all.

IV. Invitation

Finally, this text ends with a powerful word of invitation. It tells us that Jesus came to the earth "full of grace and truth." Eugene Peterson says he was "Generous inside and out, true from start to finish." Grace and truth are two attributes that don't often appear together. We humans tend to err on one side or the other. If we stress grace, we are often too quick to forgive without demanding true repentance. If we stress truth, we often sound harsh and unloving. We need both, don't we? If we forgive too quickly, we make light of wrongdoing. If we judge too harshly, we make forgiveness impossible.

Grace and truth. These two words explain why Jesus came to the earth. They go to the very heart of the gospel. Because he was full of grace, he died for you and me while we were yet sinners. Because he was full of truth, he was able to pay for our sins completely. He forgives the sinner because he bore the sin himself.

Here is truly good news for people like us. Because he is Grace-full, you can come just as you are. He is easy to approach and you don't have to clean yourself up first. This week we saw a prominent Republican congressman resign because a smut peddler offered one million dollars to anyone who could provide salacious details regarding the sexual sins of our national leaders. While I think the congressman did well to resign, I remind you that few of us could withstand such withering scrutiny. Who among us has lived such a pure life that no dirt could be found in our past? It is precisely at this point that the gospel message becomes so relevant. No matter how checkered your record may be, no matter what sins you have committed, Christ invites you to come just as you are - with no preconditions except a sincere desire to be forgiven. When you do, you will be abundantly pardoned.

Because he is truth-full, you can come in complete confidence that he will keep his promises. When he promises a complete pardon for your sins, he means it. You can take that to the bank.

Do you need a trustworthy Savior? Fear not. Jesus is full of truth.
Do you need a forgiving Lord? Come to him for he is full of grace.

"A Great Debt. Who Can Pay?"

Harry Ironside liked to tell a story about Czar Nicholas I of Russia. It seems that the czar had a good friend who asked him to provide a job for his son. This the czar did, appointing the son as paymaster for a barracks in the Russian army. However, it turned out that the son was morally weak and soon gambled away nearly all the money entrusted to him. When the word came that the auditors were going to examine his records, the young man despaired, knowing that he was certain to be found out. He calculated the amount he owed and the total came to a huge debt - far greater than he could ever pay. He determined that the night before the auditors arrived, he would take his gun and commit suicide at midnight. Before going to bed, he wrote out a full confession, listing all he had stolen, writing underneath it these words, "A great debt. Who can pay?" Then he fell asleep, weary from his exertions.

Late that night, the czar himself paid a surprise visit to the barracks as was his occasional custom. Seeing a light on, he peered into the room and found the young man asleep with the letter of confession next to him. He read the letter and instantly understood what had happened. He paused for a moment, considering what punishment to impose, then he bent over, wrote one word on the paper, and left.

Eventually the young man woke up, realizing that he had slept past midnight. Taking his gun, he prepared to kill himself when he noticed that someone had written something on the ledger. Under his words "A great debt. Who can pay?" he saw one word: "Nicholas." He was dumbfounded and then terrified when he realized that someone knew what he had done. Checking his records, he found that the signature was genuine. Finally the thought settled in his mind that the czar knew the whole story and was willing to pay the debt himself. Resting on the words of his commander-in-chief, he fell asleep. In the morning a messenger came from the palace with the exact amount the young man owed. Only the czar could pay. And the czar did pay.

Only Jesus could pay our debt to God. That and that alone explains why "the Word became flesh and lived among us." He pitched his tent with us for 33 years that he might pay in his own blood the debt we owed because of our sin. We stand this morning precisely where that young man did. When we look at our sins and realize our hopeless condition, we say, "A great debt. Who can pay?" Then the Lord Jesus Christ steps forward and signs his name to our ledger: "Jesus Christ." Only Jesus could pay. And he does.

God's Gift to You

This is why he came. This is the real meaning of Christmas. In just a few days Christmas will arrive and families will gather to open their gifts. God has a Christmas gift for you - wrapped not in bright paper and with fancy ribbon - but in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It is the gift of his Son. It is for you. The gift is still there. It must be personally received.

You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look in the Father's face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift. Have you done that?

In his carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem," Phillips Brooks has a stanza that is a delight at this point:

How silently, how silently
the wondrous gift is given;
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven!

No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in.

So He does! May that be your experience this Christmas season.

by Msgr. Charles Pope

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Word made flesh. All the Gospel writers (especially St. John) emphasize the reality of God present among us in a very tangible, physical way. This is a critical truth because one of the dangers is reducing our faith to a mere collection of ideas, setting aside the actual Jesus who took up our full nature, lived among us, and summoned us to a real encounter.

These Christmas themes are more important than ever for us who live in a post-nominalist, post-Cartesian, neo-Gnostic world. The effect of this is that many of us live increasingly "up in our heads." More and more we are out of touch with reality. What matters is what we think, how we feel, what our opinion is. Such things increasingly overrule even obvious realities.

In such an environment can come the notion that someone can say he is a female trapped in a male body. Never mind that his body is clearly male right down to its X and Y chromosomes. No, what matters is what he thinks and feels. Physical reality has nothing to do with his assertion and he feels quite justified in ignoring it.

How did we get here? It likely started with the rise of nominalism in the 14th century. But what supercharged the problem is sometimes called the "Cartesian divide." The ideas of philosopher René Descartes are said to divide the more ancient trust in reality and the senses from the modern world, which is marked by increasing skepticism and doubt that we can actually encounter reality at all.

René Descartes lived in the Dutch Republic during the first half of the 17th century. He is widely held to be the father of modern philosophy.

Descartes used a method of fundamental doubt wherein he rejected any ideas that could be doubted, and then tried to re-establish them in what he considered a firm foundation for knowing them as actual or genuine.

This led Descartes ultimately to only a single "provable" principle: that thought exists. He stated this in his treatise, "Discourse on the Method and Principles of Philosophy." This is the source of the well-known phrase cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am). In other words, because I doubt, something or someone must be doing the doubting. The fact that I doubt proves my existence.

Thus, doubt and skepticism moved to the center. Descartes considered the senses unreliable. He went on to construct a system of knowledge that largely discarded perception as unreliable and admitted only deductive reasoning as a method for thinking or knowing.

Descartes later seemed to back away from the radical skepticism his rationalism implied. He argued that because sensory perceptions came to him involuntarily, apart from his willing them, this was evidence of the existence of something outside of his mind, and thus, of an external world.

Despite his attempts to back away from his radical doubt, by failing to clearly resolve it he left us with a legacy of Cartesian disconnectedness from reality and retreat into the mind.

1. The retreat into the mind and loss of connection with reality. In radically distrusting his senses, Descartes disconnected himself (and us) from the world of reality. What is real is only what is in my mind. The actual "is-ness" of things is no longer the basis of reality. Now, it is just my thoughts that are real. Reality is not "out there" but it is only in my mind. It is what I think that matters.

This leads to a lot of the absurdity of modern times where we tend to overlook reality and reduce everything to opinion. We often think of things abstractly as "issues."

For example, for many people abortion is an "issue" rather than the dismemberment of a human baby. Many tend to think of abortion abstractly and repackage "it" as choice, or a woman's right. But abortion is not an abstraction. There is something actually happening "out there" in the real world. An actual child is being dismembered and suctioned into a jar. But the post-Cartesian retreat into the mind allows many to continue to think of abortion abstractly as an "issue." Detached from reality, the mind can do some pretty awful rationalizing. Showing actual pictures of abortion seems to have little effect on those who have retreated into their minds and think of abortion abstractly as an issue rather than as a real thing.

The same is true for the issue of homosexuality. Any even rudimentary look into the biology and design of the body makes it clear that something is disordered with homosexual activity. The man is for the woman, not for another man; the biology is clear. But with the post-Cartesian retreat into the mind, the body no longer has anything to say to many people. Many ask, "What does the body have to do with it?" All that seems to matter is what they think. It is opinion, not reality, that is important. Thought overrules the body, dismisses the external reality. Here again is the Cartesian flight from the real world into the mind.

And the same holds true for just about every moral issue today. It is my thoughts and intentions that matter, not what I am actually doing.

2. Reality is no longer revelatory. The revelation that comes simply from the way things are is "not reliable." It is mere opinion in this Cartesian world we have inherited. Scripture and the Natural Law tradition hold that creation and the way things are provide revelation for us. St. Paul said, For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made (Romans 1:18-19). There was a confidence in the Scriptures and Natural Law Tradition that the created world, reality, provided a reliable guide to what was right and true. We had only to study the "is-ness" of things to learn. But this was all jettisoned. In the post-Cartesian world, we are skeptical that we can really know or reliably perceive the "there" out there.

3. The Cartesian worldview is unrealistic in insisting upon "absolute" proof. To insist that we, who are contingent and limited beings, can prove or know something absolutely is both arrogant and unrealistic. In the Christian worldview there remains a mystery to all things, a hiddenness that we come to accept. The fact that there is mystery does not mean that we know nothing. We are clearly able to perceive and come to know what God reveals. But mystery is the Christian acceptance of the fact that things are only partially revealed; much more lies hidden and unseen.

For example, every human being is a mystery. We are surely able to perceive many things about people, particularly the ones we know well. We see their physical presence and know many things about them. But there is also a glorious hiddenness to all people, which is related to their inner life and their place in God's plan. This is mystery: things are revealed, but at the same time, much lies hidden.

Hence the absolute proof demanded by the Cartesian world is unrealistic. A balance is required such that we can be confident about what we do know and honest about what we do not know. Some degree of doubt or uncertainty is part of the human experience. Yes, we can actually know things, though not as absolutely as demanded by the Cartesian world.

4. And this unrealistic notion of needing absolute proof to know things is what leads to the "Cartesian anxiety" of our times and causes us to set up intellectual idols. We tend in our culture to worship science and the scientific method. I would argue that we do this out of Cartesian anxiety. We seem desperate for absolute proof and so we entertain the notion that science can provide it. Of course scientific theories change all the time, but in our anxious search for absolute proof we're willing to overlook facts like that. "Perhaps older theories have given way, but now we really know; this is 'settled science.' We've proved it." Or so we think.

But this is anxiety; it is not reality. Science will continue to change with new data, as it must. And science does not know or prove many things absolutely. We know a lot, but there is a lot we do not know. Good scientists know this and freely admit it. Science alone cannot be the elixir for the radical doubt that troubles us.

And so, here we are. The Cartesian world is in full flower, but it is not a lovely flower. It has led us to an imbalance. On the one hand we distrust reality and have retreated into our minds. Yet, paradoxically we seem desperate to prove some things absolutely in order to overcome the anxiety that extreme doubt produces. Our confidence in reality as a reliable guide was set aside as we have increasingly retreated into our minds. But without reality as a reliable guide, we have sought something to soothe the anxiety that uncertainty causes. And so we trot out science, anoint experts, and entertain the fiction that they can give the absolute proof our Cartesian anxiety demands.

And thus the Christmas message rings ever true: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The tangible reality of God's presence among us remains the Christmas call, the Christian call. God calls us to seek Him in what is. And yet there is also the mystery of something and someone ever deeper and more real than we could imagine. He is real, but our appreciation must grow ever deeper. The truth of what is real unfolds because it is real and not merely an idea or a passing thought.

One day the real Jesus, the Word made flesh, heard two disciples say, "Rabbi! Where do you stay?" And He said, "Come and see" (Jn 1:39).

by Dr. Ray Pritchard

Scripture: Micah 6:6-8

Giving presents is always a problem. If you love someone, you want to make sure you give them something they really want. Ideally, you want to see that look of joyous surprise when they open the gift and even before they say a word, you know it was perfect.

That doesn't always happen. That's why stores are open bright and early the day after Christmas. They will do a huge business from people bringing back well-intentioned gifts that weren't quite perfect.

Looking For the Perfect Gift

It's sad, really. You work so hard to find just the right gift, and then it doesn't fit …or it isn't the right color … or it was broken in the box … or they already had one … or the design doesn't match what they already have … worst of all, it wasn't what they really wanted.

That's the worst - to give someone a gift they don't really want. Nothing makes you feel worse. They unwrap the gift and then there is a short pause - just a microsecond - but in that moment you already know the truth.

"Why, it's beautiful," they say.
But you can see the look in their eyes.

You put on a brave front and try again. "Do you really like it?"
"Like it? I love it."

But you aren't fooled. It's not what they wanted.

And drop by drop all the joy drains out of Christmas.

Cologne Made From Poison Ivy

I think we've all seen those ads that say, "What do you give the man that has everything?" Usually the answer is something exotic - like cologne made from Poison Ivy or a three-volume History of Nigeria. We all probably know at least one person like that. They have everything you can think of or at least if they don't have it, you couldn't afford to give it to them anyway. So you scratch your head and wonder, "What can I give him this year?"

That came to my mind this week as I thought about the question - If I were going to give Jesus a gift for his birthday, what could I give him that he would appreciate? After he is the Creator of all things (Hebrews 1:2) and the one who holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). What do you give someone who not only has everything, but who actually made everything? That's a tough question.

A Man Called Micah

Is there anything the Lord would like from me this year? What could I give him that would bring a smile to his face?

Luckily, we don't have to wonder about the answer to those questions. The Lord left his wish list for everyone to read. After all, if you don't know what to give someone, you should just ask them, "Well, what would you like?"

The answer is found in the little book of Micah. It's possible you missed it. Maybe you didn't even know there was a book of Micah. It's in that section of the Old Testament we call the Minor Prophets - so-called because the book are short not because their messages are unimportant.

Micah is the name of a book of the Bible. It's also the name of the person who wrote the book. God gave Micah a message for his generation. He wrote that message down so the people wouldn't forget it.

Micah lived about 700 years before the birth of Christ. He was a country boy from the little town of Moresheth a few miles outside Jerusalem. Scholars tell us that he lived about the same time as his fellow prophets Isaiah and Hosea. In fact, many think he and Isaiah were good friends because parts of the books they wrote sound very similar.

A character sketch of Micah would yield the following words and phrases: blunt, direct, terse, plain-spoken, no-nonsense, a straight arrow kind of guy. He loved the common man and hated corrupt politicians. In fact, his book is basically a condemnation of religious and political leaders who use their position to take advantage of other people. Micah was a prophet of social reform.

A World Like Ours

Three phrases describe the situation of those days:

1. International Tension.

Israel was caught between three warring nations - Assyria, Egypt, and the Philistines. The greater threat came from the Assyrians who had exacted tribute from Israel in exchange for peace. It led to a kind of voluntary national slavery.

2. Religious Corruption.

Again and again Micah railed against priests who took bribes and then said whatever people wanted to hear. It seems like all the leaders were on the take.

3. Moral Chaos.

This follows from the first two. It was every man for himself, the rich ripping off the poor, the leaders taking bribes, and everyone cheating everyone else. The merchants couldn't be trusted, the leaders couldn't be trusted, and you couldn't be sure about the members of your own family.

If you look at those phrases, on thing is clear. Micah lived in a day not much different than ours. His book could have been written in 1996. In some ways the message sounds as if the prophet has been reading The Chicago Tribune.

So Micah wrote to a world facing huge problems. And he wrote condemning the sin and hypocrisy rampant among God's people. In no uncertain terms he warned them of judgment to come. He pulled no punches and took no prisoners.

Dropped into this severe message from God is a delightful passage of Scripture. Although it is only 3 verses long, it tells us exactly what God wants from you for Christmas this year.

I. The Wrong Answer 6-7

What does God want from his people? Verses 6-7 gives us the wrong answer first.

A. Quality of Sacrifice 6

"With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?" The people have heard Micah's words of warning and now they want to know, "What does God want from us?" Their first answer deals with quality of sacrifice. A yearling calf was a one-year-old calf. That was considered the prime age for sacrifice. Perhaps God will be pleased if we give him the very best that we have.

But the answer is no.

B. Quantity of Sacrifice 7a

"Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?" If it's not quality he wants, then perhaps it's quantity. The idea is to impress God by offering a thousand rams at a time and then creating a river of oil flowing through the streets. Surely that would make God happy. The idea is that an extravagant sacrifice would convince God of their sincerity.

But the answer is no.

C. The Ultimate Sacrifice 7b

"Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" This is an immoral suggestion. Child sacrifice was forbidden by God, yet practiced by the pagan peoples around Israel. The people are suggesting that if they offer their firstborn sons, the Lord would be pleased and would forgive their sins.

But the answer is no.

You've got the picture, don't you? This is "Let's Make a Deal" religion. "Whatever you want, Lord, we'll do it. You name the price and we'll meet it." They actually thought God would trade forgiveness for sacrifice. In essence they thought God could be bought just like their leaders!

It's so typical of us. We often do the same thing. We say, "Lord, I'll do anything you want. You name your price. You want a missionary? I'm ready to go. You want me to be married or to stay single, I'm you man. Lord, I'll be a preacher or a pastor. I'll be a deacon or an elder. I'll pray every day and read my Bible. Whatever you want from me, that's what I'll do. I really mean it, Lord."

Now there's nothing wrong with those sentiments. They are good and noble and proper. God is pleased when we offer ourselves to him.

So what's wrong? Those answers only deal with the outside. God wants your heart. You can be a missionary and have a hard heart. You can be married or single and have a rebellious heart. You can be very religious and yet far away from God.

God rejected every offer made by the Israelites because they had completely missed the point. They wanted to make a deal and God wanted their hearts.

What God Wants For Christmas

That brings us to the right answer in verse 8. This verse has been called the heart of Old Testament religion and the greatest verse in all the Old Testament. It sums up what God really wants from you and me. This is the kind of verse you ought to commit to memory, write out on a card, and put it in your mirror so you can look at it every day. It tells us exactly what God looks for in your life.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

A. Justice

The Hebrew word is mishpat. Often in the Old Testament this word is applied to God's own character. God is just - he is absolutely fair and righteous in all his dealings. He gives to each person exactly what they deserve. Justice means "treating people right because you know God." In the Bible this concept is applied in some very concrete ways: caring for the poor, remembering the widows and orphans, not plowing the corners of your field so the hungry could get food, speaking the truth, paying a fair wage, having honest scales, no cheating, no extortion, and refusing to take advantage of the less fortunate.

For us at Christmastime justice certainly means doing right to the less fortunate because we know God.

B. Mercy

This speaks of the way we treat others. The Hebrew word is hesed, which means "loyal love" or "patient love." It's the word sometimes translated "his mercy endures forever." It means loving the unlovely even when they don't love you back. It speaks to our obligation to care for people who don't care for us.

Here's a simple definition of mercy: Doing unto others as God has done unto you. In just a few days 1996 will be history. Think back across the last 12 months. How has God treated you this year? Has God blessed you? Then bless others. Has God forgiven you? Then forgive others. Has God lifted you up when you were down? Then lift others up when they are down. Has God overlooked your faults? Then overlook the faults of others.

The word translated "mercy" is elsewhere translated as "lovely" or "beautiful." Here is a quality that will make you beautiful to others. I call this Hope For the Homely. Show mercy and people will think you are beautiful!

"Godless. Need His Love and Forgiveness."

This week a friend sent me a fax containing the story of an incident that God used to speak to his heart:

I want to share a lesson that my wife taught me on Saturday about being a loving person. We were driving in two cars coming from her sister's house. We exited the freeway at Harlem Avenue, I was following my wife in my car. As usual, a man with a "Homeless, Need Money, Please Help" sign was walking the ramp. I looked past him as usual thinking about what I was going to do the rest of the day. You see, I don't give to the homeless in Oak Park because it might attract more homeless to the community. Suddenly my wife opened her window and gave the man money. He accepted it and walked toward my car. I ignored him. He walked by within 2 feet of me. A brief but uncomfortable feeling quickly passed.

Later that day I began to ponder how my wife is different from me, not about giving financially but emotionally. She gives Christian love generously. Her Christian walk is filled with Christian and non-Christian friends. She is open with her faith and her love. I have mostly Christian friends. I love those who are already Christian, but keep my Christianity to myself around those who aren't.

Then something clicked. The homeless man didn't care how much money my wife had, only that she gave some of it. Likewise the world doesn't care how much love I have, only that I share it with them. How many people do I know that hold a spiritual sign that says, "Godless. Need his love and forgiveness. Please help"? Most every time I pretend that I don't see the need or the sign. I don't have the time or the money or the solution or some other excuse. I can't attract non-Christians to me when I refuse to share God's love with my hurting coworker, my Muslim acquaintance, my widowed neighbor. Lord, this holiday season, help me to openly share my love and faith to those that need it around me.

We need mercy at Christmastime, don't we? If God has been merciful to you this year, be merciful to those around you.

C. Humility

The word "humbly" comes from a Hebrew word that means "modestly" or "carefully." It speaks of an attitude that is the opposite of pride. What is humility? It's having a right view of yourself because you have a right view of God. Humility does not mean saying, "I'm a nothing, I'm a worm, I'm useless." That's not humility, that's self-pity, which is really another form of pride.

And what is pride? It's having too large a view of yourself because you have too small a view of God. When your God is big, you will be small, and pride will be impossible.

This is humility. "God made me and I belong to him. Every good thing I have in life is a gift from the Almighty. Some have more, some have less. It matters not to me. I thank God for what I have and I'm going to do the best I can with what God has given me, and I'm going to leave the outcome with him."

If we live that way, it will save us so much trouble. We won't have to get into a power game at work or live in the rat-race or sell our convictions to get ahead. We won't get angry at the silly comments people make. Humility enables us to be who we are in Christ. And we don't have to worry about what others think.

Mary Bell

Last night Marlene and I and Nick attended the Christmas Caroling Outreach Party along with about 100 others. We had a wonderful supper and then divided into groups. We were in the "Leaping Lords" along with about 20 others. We traveled together and sang at five different homes. The first three were shut-ins, the fourth was a prospect, and for our last stop we visited a home in north Oak Park where the Village Manager was hosting a party for the Village Trustees. All the high-level local officials were there for the evening. It was a magnificent soiree with musicians, beautiful people, wonderful food, and so on.

But that wasn't the highlight of the evening. The real highlight happened on our second stop at the home of Mary Bell. Most of you don't know Mary even though she's been a member of this church for nearly 50 years. Mary is 90 years old and not in good health. She hasn't been to a service here in three or four years. We thought we would go by and cheer her up.

When we got to her home in Forest Park, everything was dark and I thought she might have already gone to bed. So all 20 of us trooped up on the porch. We knocked and after a long pause, the door opened. There was Mary, looking frail and sickly. There was no light from the inside and very little from the outside. She pressed her weather-beaten face against the screen door and listened as we sang. It seemed like a scene from a Dickens novel.

"Don't Let the Devil Get You Down"

When we finished, Mary began to preach to us. Evidently she had been saving up because she talked and talked without stopping. "I've been a Christian all my life," she said, "and I want you to know that Jesus is wonderful. God is so good to me. I don't know why I am laid up like this, but I don't question God. He knows what's best for me."

Even though her back was stooped and her voice trembled a bit, she began to exhort the children. "You young ones, God loves you too. There are many temptations in the world, but God is good. He will help you if you turn to him." Four times she told us, "Don't let the devil get you down."

We had come to bless her, but she had blessed us instead.

As we left singing, my last vision was of Mary Bell's face pressed against the screen door, listening to our voices and watching us go into the night.

The thought occurred to me later that by the world's standards, Mary Bell is a humble woman. Yet I believe there was more true greatness there than in the home where all the power brokers of Oak Park were having their party.

Three Simple Words

What does God want from you this year at Christmastime? Justice … Mercy … Humility. Rightly understood, those three words form the sum total of your Christian duty. If you have those things, God will be pleased. If you don't, nothing else makes much difference.

That brings us back to Mich. Why didn't God accept all their sacrifices? Why did he turn them down? Because they offered him everything except the one thing he really wanted - their hearts.

The religion God approves is the religion of the heart! Outward religion is useless unless the heart belongs to God. He wants the real you - the person on the inside. You can fake a lot of religious activity. But the heart doesn't lie.

Why Jesus Came

What does God want from me at Christmastime (and every other day as well)? Justice … Mercy … Humility. These are matters of the heart.

This is why Jesus Came. Matthew 12:18 says, "He will proclaim justice to the nations." When Mary sang of Jesus birth she said, "His mercy extends to those who fear him" and "He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble" (Luke 1:50, 52).

This is the heart of the gospel. What God requires, he first gives to us.

He came to establish justice!
He came to show mercy!
He came to lift up the humble!

Do You Have Room?

This week a friend sent me an Advent Calendar with the title "Do You Have Room?" It's built around Luke 2:7, "And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn." As you open the calendar the are tear-off strips of paper containing various contemporary excuses the innkeeper might give today:

"Sorry. It's dinner time. Don't interrupt me."
"Totally frazzled. I can't handle more company."
"Sorry! Christmas pageant tonight. God bless you. Bye."
"Not now! I'm listening for tonight's Lotto numbers."
""We're all 'gived out.' Can't afford to put up company. Sorry."
"Can't. At this point I don't know which end is up."

After 2000 years Jesus still knocks at the door of your heart. Will you make room for him this year?

Christian, he wants your heart

Perhaps you've heard these words by Christina Rosetti. What will you give Jesus this year?

What shall I give him, Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I'd give him a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I'd do my part.
What shall I give him, I'll give him my heart.

Have you ever done that? Have you ever given him your heart?

No decision is more important. No one else can make it for you. If you aren't ready, then nothing I say or do can compel you to come to Christ. But if you are ready, then it's time for you to do business with the Lord.

The Bible says that "To all who received him, to those who believed in him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Have you ever received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? Would you like to do that right now?

If you answer yes to that question, here's a simple prayer that may help express the desire of your heart:

"Dear God, I know that I am sinner.
I confess that I have sinned many times in word and deed.
I humbly confess that I have broken your law
and that my sins have separated me from God.

Here and now, I confess my sins and ask Jesus Christ to be my Savior.
I believe that Jesus is Your only begotten Son
who died on the cross for me
and rose from the dead on the third day.

With all my heart and all my soul, I am trusting Jesus alone for my salvation.
Please forgive my sins and save me.
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and make me a brand-new person.

These things I ask in Jesus' name,
Amen."

by Kay Arthur, Precepts for Life

What's the first word that comes to your mind when you think about Christmas? Is it gifts, family, friends, parties, pain, loneliness, or even debt? How do you feel about another year to celebrate Christmas? If Christmas is going to be everything you dreamed it would be, one word I hope you associate with Christmas is the word love, because Christmas is all about love. It's not about what Hollywood tells us it is. It's not about a winter wonderland, kissing Santa under the mistletoe, or even putting up a tree.

Christmas is receiving the love of God, because Christ, whose birth we're celebrating, was God's ultimate expression of His love. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel, means "God with us," the incarnation of God in human flesh, God and man, God born of a virgin, God with us in the form of a child. Do you realize how much God loves you? He loves you so much that His Son left heaven, came down and confined Himself to the womb of a woman. He was born a human being; God in the flesh.

Christmas is all about a baby who was laid in a manger with the shadow of a cross looming over it. The baby laid in that manger is the Lamb of God who died to take care of your sins and mine. The Lamb of God who would hang on Calvary's cross. The Lamb of God whose blood would be a ransom, a payment to redeem you out of the slave market of sin. The Lamb of God who would die, be buried, and be raised again on the third day, never die to die again. The Lamb of God who would say, "He who believes in Me will live even if he dies" (John 11:25).

He knew why He had come. He was born to die so that you and I, who were dead in our sin, might have life. He came so that you and I who were separated from God might be reconciled to God. Christmas is about love, a love that reconciles, a love that takes two who are at enmity with one another and again makes them friends. Love reconciles.

It's not God who needs to be reconciled to man, but it's man who needs to be reconciled to God. Christmas is about love and a love that heals. Love salves our wounds and brings healing to us. This is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is receiving the love of God and then giving it to others. Is there someone you need to forgive, someone who needs to hear from you, "I love you"?

Let this Christmas be a time to focus on loving others and loving God. It's a process, but what a perfect time of year to begin taking steps towards making things right with a loved one and with God.

If you're not careful, you can miss the true meaning of Christmas all together. You may wonder about all the gifts that you're going to give to possibly your mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, and to your kids. The kids...they can become so excited; they cannot wait until Christmas morning when they can open their gifts. Do you remember that excitement, that joy?

I can remember when I was a little girl being so excited about saving up my money to buy my father a Christmas present. I could not wait until I could give him my gift. I wanted my daddy to love what I gave him because I loved my daddy. How much more we should love our heavenly Father. Does your life express your love to God? What will you give Him?

You might think, "How do I do that?" I want you to truly experience and understand what Christmas is really all about.

Beloved, it cannot be celebrated apart from receiving God's gift of love, apart from giving that gift of love to others, and apart from loving God as we ought to love God.

If this Christmas you're going to tell God that you love Him, then the gift you are to give to Him is the gift of obedience. Study His Word, know what it says, and obey what He says. It's one thing to hear His Word; it's another thing to obey it. "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Slow down from all the hustle and bustle of this season and spend time with Him. Examine your life. Are there areas in your life you know aren't pleasing to Him? Confess it to God, and turn from it. Pursue Holiness, not happiness. All the trimmings of this world will always come up empty.

Joy comes through obedience and spending time with Him. "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever" (Psalm 16:11).

Don't just tell Him you love Him; show Him you love Him with an obedient life. What will you give Him this Christmas?

Beloved, be sure and celebrate the wonder of your gift - the Christ of Christmas - and then give thanks to God for the great love with which He has loved you!