The Story of Christmas

Imagine a world where there is no sin, no sadness, no guilt.  Where the sun never rises to a day filled with pain and never sets with the dark clutches of death.  Where love fills everyone's hearts and motivates every action.  Where God Himself walks and talks with human beings, sharing the great mysteries of eternity.  Where loved ones never have to say goodbye, and friends are never parted.

This was how our world was at the beginning.  It was created to be a paradise for our enjoyment!  But then sin entered.  It began in heaven and spread to earth.  Suddenly, love turned to hate, selflessness turned to selfishness, and God became an enemy to be feared and hated.  But God knew what would happen, so long before He created this earth, He had a plan.  And in the Garden of Eden, talking to Satan, God promised a Redeemer!  He said “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”*  Oh glorious promise!  God promised to send a second Adam, to reclaim what the first Adam had forfeited!  And so, from the moment Adam tasted of the forbidden fruit, the Plan of Salvation swung into action.

During the darkest days of Israel's history, God gave some of the most precious promises of a coming Redeemer.  Isaiah prophesied “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel....  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”*

Finally, at a time when the world was at its darkest point, when Rome's tyranny was at its strongest, God Himself, wrapped in human flesh, came into our world as a helpless baby!  "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."*  That's what Christmas is all about!  God Himself, coming to die for our sins!  A verse in the song Welcome to Our World says it so well: "Fragile finger sent to heal us, tender brow prepared for thorn, tiny heart whose blood will save us, unto us is born."

Why did God do this?  There's a song that Danny Shelton sings that asks the same question.  The answer?  "Heaven is not Heaven when loved ones are not there."  God wants us, His children, there so bad, that He was willing to give His only son to rescue us.  What love is that!

33 years later, on a hill outside of Jerusalem, a cross was raised with the Prince of Life hanging from it.  As He hung there, a world was in the balance.  When He was sealed in the tomb, Satan sent his most powerful forces to guard the body, and keep Christ buried forever.  But praise God!  An angel came speeding from heaven to earth, clothed with the panoply of heaven.  At the sound of his approach, all the demons fled in terror.  Chills go up and down my spine as I imagine the angel raising his arm to heaven, and saying with a commanding, trumpet-like voice, "Son of God!  Your Father calls You!"  The earth shakes as the Prince of Life steps out of the rocky tomb, and with a voice that sounded like the sweetest music, proclaiming "I am the resurrection and the life!"  At that moment, Satan knew he was defeated.  It was finished!  Heaven had won!

Christ soon ascended into heaven, to prepare a place for His children.  Soon, very soon now, He will be returning to take us home.  Ellen White gives a vivid description of the moment when the two Adams meet.  “As the ransomed ones are welcomed to the City of God, there rings out upon the air an exultant cry of adoration.  The two Adams are about to meet.  The Son of God is standing with outstretched arms to receive the father of our race – the being whom He created, who sinned against his Maker, and for whose sin the marks of the crucifixion are borne upon the Savior’s form.  As Adam discerns the prints of the cruel nails, he does not fall upon the bosom of his Lord, but in humiliation casts himself at His feet, crying: “Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain!”  Tenderly the Saviour lifts him up and bids him look once more upon the Eden home from which he has so long been exiled.”*  This is the moment which God has been looking forward to for so long.  This is why He sent His only son into our world!  This is the story of Christmas.  “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”*  This is why we celebrate.  We are celebrating a major mile-stone in the great conflict between Christ and Satan.  Sometimes the story gets lost in all the tinsel and we stick Jesus in His manger under the Christmas tree and forget about them, but this is the true story of Christmas.  Because of this, because of the great love God has for us, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”*  This is the story of Christmas.  Will you join me in commiting to spread the news of a crucified and risen Saviour who is coming back soon to take us home?

Merry Christmas!

Joel







*Genesis 3:15
*Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6
*John 3:16
*The Great Controversy, page 647
*John 3:17
*Hebrews 12:1 & 2

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving...  It's a time to thank God for all the blessings He's graciously given us throughout the last year.  We eat a huge dinner and do skits that remind us of the heritage of Thanksgiving and the heritage God has given us in this wonderful country we call home.  We think back to the day when the Pilgrims first sighted land.  We're reminded of the first steps that they ever took on this great continent.  We think about the hard winter, where nearly half the population died from cold and starvation.  We think of the first visits by the Natives and how Squanto helped the settlers learn how to plant.  Then after the bountiful harvest, the Pilgrims had a great feast, thanking God for life.

Now we celebrate every third Thursday in November, thanking God for life, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness.  I am so thankful for the country I live in and for the family God has given me.  And for friends.  What would I do without them?

Well, I'd better sign off.  We're getting ready to go cross-country skiing.  Snow is a blessing I often overlook! :)

God bless and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

In Christ,

Joel

Musings at Twenty Below

Alright, so it's not quite 20 below, but 17 below is close enough and probably somewhere in the depths of the night, it will reach 20 below! As I was outside loading up our woodcart for the second time this evening (a nightly chore), I stood on the porch looking out into the darkness, watching the snow falling, and pondering why I live where I do. The simple answer is that in 2001, our family bought property and built a small cabin.

But why do we stay here? Is it because of the Northern Lights that dance overhead? Or the 18 acres we live on? Or is it those evenings when I'm unloading the truck after a loooonnnngggg day in Fairbanks and I look up at the expansive arch of the sky and the stars are so close it seems I can touch them?

Or is it those days in the summer, when I can lay on my back in the field and look up into the cloudless, dark blue sky? Or the time I can spend on trails, hiking and backpacking? Or is it that common bond that exists between all those who live here and know what it's like to survive a winter?

One thing you'll have to admit, there are very few places left in the United States like Alaska. And even the cold has its own special appeal. Like when I step outside and can hardly breathe, because the cold seems to press on my lungs and burn my nostrils (it's far from being that cold yet!). Twenty below is actually a pleasant temperature, as long as you don't have to be out too long!

Well, I guess the Christmas spirit has come to stay up here. Soon after the snow started falling, we started seeing Christmas lights on houses and businesses. We weren't too far behind. Several weeks ago Seth decorated the outside of our house with Christmas lights (a yearly tradition). Below are some pictures that I took tonight.

That's what happened when it tried to use the flash! (Yes, the trailer is still on the truck from our last trip to Fairbanks)

This one's better.

All in all, I don't think I'd traid where I live for anything in the world, even Hawaii! But, if you couldn't tell yet, Hebrews 12:1 and 2 are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. Even when I preach, it is very rare that I don't end my sermon with those verses. So, just in case we get sidetracted with earthly things, let's remember to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1, 2. Now heaven is one place I'll trade even Alaska for!

God bless!

(I guess it got too late last night, so I posted this this morning, in case you're wondering!)

Learning to Wait

We often hear the quote "God helps those who help themselves".  Is this true?  It is, to a certain degree.  But a much more accurate way to say this would be "God helps those who cannot help themselves."  When we, in honest humility, realize that we can truly do nothing, we are in the most powerful position in the entire universe.  Ellen White says, "Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness, and relies wholly on God."*  Isn't that beautiful?  We are residing in the safest place in the universe when we forget ourselves and cast ourselves helplessly on the mercy and grace of Christ.  And God is faithful "to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to (His) power that worketh in us."*  What a glorious thought!  To be emptied of self, that through our weakness, we can be made strong through His power.  "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Is. 40:31)  This implies that we must be patient.  This promise is given to those who wait with expectant hope upon God, wait for His timing to renew their strength in His way.  We must have trust in God.

The great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion. "What's the trouble, Mr. brooks?" he asked.

"The trouble is that I'm in a hurry, but God isn't!" Haven't we felt the same way many times?  We want the blessings that God promises, but we don't want to trust Him with the timing that He plans.

God promises to bless us, to give us strength to accomplish His tasks, if we empty ourselves and allow Him to fill us up.  We must cast ourselves at His feet and rely wholly on God.  Only then, will we be able to "run with patience the race that is set before us," and, buoyed up by His strength, enter into the joy of our Lord.

Courage Comrades!


*PK p. 175
*Eph. 3:20

Light, A Blessing?

"The people claiming to believe the truth will not be condemned because they had not the light, but because they had great light and did not bring their hearts to the test of God's great moral standard of righteousness."  - Ellen White*

This quote jumped out at me as Mom read our evening devotions.  We as a people have a lot of light.  This can either be a blessing or a curse.  If we let our lives become transformed by the power of God and put our will in cooperation with divine agencies, then the light that we have will prove a blessing to us and those around us as our lives become a reflection of the divine pattern.  But, if we resist the Spirit of God and refuse to live up to what we know is right, then the knowledge and light that we have will prove a curse to us.  It will stand as a witness against us, and God will finally have to destroy us.  I pray that I will be found faithful in living up to what I know is right!  God, give me the strength and endurance to “run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”*

Courage, Comrades!


*SM2, p. 377
*Hebrews 12:1, 2