A Reflection on Christmas

Sometimes I wonder do we really understand the real meaning of Christmas - that the Incarnate God the Son entered humanity.

All those who were directly involved in the first Christmas - their lives had never been the same again.

Jesus - for sure, moved from the all glorious, all-majestic fellowship with God the Father and God the Spirit, in limitless capacity, entered as a limited, helpless babe in humanity. This just blows my mind away!

Joseph - what if, Joseph had decided to act according to his human logic rather than following the call of his dream (which defied logic), and acted on his legal right to not only divorce Mary, but to expose her which would entailed her to be stoned to death. It would have been much more convenient for Joseph to get rid of Mary and carry on his life? In fact, by divorcing Mary, he would have salvaged much of his dignity instead of bearing the shame.

Mary - what if, Mary had decided to wallow up in self-pity that she had been impregnated without her knowledge who could have done that? It was a tremendous embarrassment for Mary. It was a profound mystery - because never had it been that a virgin could be impregnated with sexual union - it had never had in history and it is a mystery that remains a mystery. Mary might not have went to a biology class but surely she would have known from her relatives, uncles and aunts that a child could only be conceived with a sexual union, half of the chromosome and the X or Y from the father, and half of the chromosome and the X chromosome from the mother. How could it be? Was abortion an option at that time? What if Mary decided to abort the Child? What if Mary decided not to heed the voice of the angels at that time? After all, angelic visitation was a paranomal activity. It defied logic again.

The Magi - what if Magi decided not to travel miles and miles away, probably for 2 years! As Jason Lisle said:

Contrary to what is commonly believed, the magi did not arrive at the manger on the night of Christ’s birth; rather, they found the young Jesus and His parents living in a house (Matthew 2:11). This could have been nearly two years after Christ’s birth, since Herod—afraid that his own position as king was threatened—tried to have Jesus eliminated by killing all male children under the age of two (Matthew 2:16).

There was no airplane at that time. It must have been tough to travel on foot for 2 years. It was certainly not convenient.

And Simeon and Anna. The Bible did not specify how old Simeon was but from his prayer (Luke 2:29) he could have been quite old and waited for a long time before he could see Jesus. It was a similar case for Anna - she was 84 years old (Luke 2:37).

Christmas is a time to remember that God took the first initiative. He did not wait for men to be good enough before He came near. May I encourage all of us to take the first initiative. I find that there are a lot of misunderstandings out there on what Christmas really means. If you have the opportunity, explain to people what Christmas really is. Don't wait for people to come, or don't wait for others to be nice to you before you can be nice to them. It doesn't matter if your kindness is not returned with kindness. If Jesus had expected His kindness to be returned, He would never have come, and there would never had been a Christmas..

Conclusion:
1. Christmas reminds me of the limitation of human logic
2. Christmas reminds me that if I truly understand and embed the message of Christmas in my life, it is not going to be convenient.
3. Christmas reminds me that a God-mystery always remains a mystery because we can never truly fully understand God. It is not to be analyzed, it is meant to be adored.

Christmas cookies or dirt cookies: some thoughts on Christmas

In a recent book that I read called Empty Promises by Pete Wilson, it says that that there are certain slum areas in India that are so poor that people have to make dirt cookies to fill their stomachs including that of their children. They know that these "dirt cookies" (literally made of dirt) have no or minimal nutritional value, and it is hard to swallow with awful taste, but yet at least the dirt cookies can keep their children from going to bed hungry for yet another night. My heart was wrenched when I read that story.

So I went to Youtube channel to see if I can find a video clip on dirt cookies. I couldn't find one in India, but there are similar incidents in extremely poor areas in Haiti where people make dirt cookies to keep them and their children from hungry too. Here is a video I found and I hope you will watch it:


After I watched it, I couldn't help but to think that every time I have proper meals on my table, I should thank Him for what He has provided for me - there should be no complaining of how bland the taste of food is and neither should I be choosy of my food.

Am I served dirt cookies on the table? If not, then I am rich. And I should remember there are many poor out there in slums like in India and Haiti who have to eat dirt cookies (and some of them are Christians too - they are part of the Body of Christ just like us). Why should God provide proper meals for me and not for them? Does that mean my life is more precious than them? How can the gospel make sense to them?

And every time we are able to give, we should thank God that we are able to give. Because when we are able to give, no matter how much or how little, it means that God has blessed us with more than what we need.

In this season of Christmas, it is prudent for us to remember that Christmas is not a time of shopping and hoarding for more, it is a time of giving. God gave Jesus for the redemption of humanity. But not all of us are called to go to Haiti or India to give, we can start giving within our own vicinity, at our own backyard. Poverty are everywhere.

And let's also remember that when God came near, as He did during the first Christmas to Joseph, Mary, the wise men, etc - our lives can never remain the same again. He messed up people who were involved in the first Christmas - Joseph having to admit that Mary was pregnant before they consummated their marriage, Mary was forced to carry a pregnancy that could never ever made sense as had never happened before, and the Magi had the travel miles and to avoid King Herod.

Every time I take a bite on a Christmas cookie, I need to remember that there are many who are biting on dirt cookies.

Reflection: If we say that we are a follower of Jesus, how could our lives remain the same as before?

Some thoughts on the Mayan prediction

A little thought on the Mayan's prediction - as a Christian, I used to quickly dismiss the possibility that the world would end on 21st Dec because of various reasons, e.g. 1) it is a pagan prediction 2) the Mayans did not take leap years into consideration, hence, the Last Day would have occurred even if the Mayans were right, etc, etc. But as I searched my heart deeper, I find that maybe the reason is not so much whether the Mayans were right or not, but maybe it is because I just don't want the world to end and I don't want Jesus to come back because I have so many good things to enjoy and plans I am not ready to give up. Because if the Mayans are wrong, I couldn't care less as my trust is in God but if the Mayans are right, I should be rejoicing because I am going to meet Jesus. I am not trying to convey a doom & gloom thought here but the reality is Bible says no one knows (young or old, rich or poor) the date or time Jesus is going to return - like you just can't plan for the unpredictables in lives - you don't plan for any disaster, any possible accident or the day you will die. Like while I am typing the next letter on this post, my heart could have just stopped beating and God could have snapped me back to heaven. Does that thought stagger you? I am not sure about you, but it certainly did for me. Is life on earth becomes so predictable for us?

Some reflection questions for you think about: How would you have lived your life differently if you know today is your last day on earth? Or tomorrow? Or every day is going to be the last day? What things you are doing right now that you would stop doing if you know today is your last day? Or what things you are planning and procrastinating to do today that you should actually be doing if you know today is your last day? Is there a grudge you should let go just because of some minor issues? Is there a person you need to forgive? A reconciliation to make? A sin you need to give up?

Book review: Christmas Stories by Max Lucado

This book is a compilation of Christmas stories by Max Lucado in a variety of settings, from ancient Bethlehem to rural England.

In the first place, I am not really into fictional reads but because it is a Max Lucado's, I want to give it a try and I must say, although I do not finish all, some of these stories are really heart-warming.

I love the stories of The Christmas Child, The Answer is Yes and the misconceptions surrounding Santa Claus. If you like Max Lucado, perhaps you should dip into this delight too.

Christmas Stories - Heartwarming Classics of Angels, a Manger, and the Birth of Hope - Sample

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book review: Real Church in a Social-Network World - Leonard Sweet

Real church in a social-network world is an exclusive e-book by Leonard Sweet.

Contrary to what I have thought initially, this e-book is not directly about how the church should respond to the explosion of social medias today but rather it is a compilation of articles previously released books by Leonard Sweet and they are on how the church has lost sight of reaching the current generation of TGIFs as he called them (T = Twitter, G = Google, I = iPhone and F = Facebook; I guess Samsung isn't going to be very happy with this acronym :) but that's beside the point), thanks to the influence of these media.  I have never personally thought of social media as inherently bad, a internet tool is an internet tool, it is morally-neutral just as an axe is morally-neutral. As such, it is the misuse and abuse of the people that is the problem here. In fact, the church should thank God for the explosion of these tools for the advancement of the gospels throughout the world.

In fact throughout these chapters, you will find that there are very little references to these social media. These chapters can indeed standalone without any particular reason to be tagged under a big heading of "social media" except for the introduction. I guess these slightly inter-related chapters are pulled from different previously released books and tied together under the label of "social media" in a newly written Introduction section.  And because these chapters are from different previously released books, you may find them to be slightly disjointed.

In any case, nonetheless, I still find some good challenging lessons in these chapters:

Chapter 1 - talks about our fixation with our beliefs and doctrines so much so that as Leonard puts it, we have the issue of "sterile orthodoxy" when really biblical truth should be a balance between orthodoxy and orthopraxy.  Or as he put it in chapter 2: "We may be doctrinally correct, but we have become spiritual cadavers". If right teaching supplies the complete answer to the life of faith, then why hasn't our society sold out to God? What's missing (in the church and among believers today) is the right relationship, a deepening relationship with God. Jesus didn't call his disciples to regular discipleship because Jesus is not a regular guy. Regular discipleship would mean staying in Jerusalem, found a religious school, studied the words and works of their master, carefully screened and admitted only the most promising students. On the contrary, Jesus commanded ensured that the disciples would go out to the people, not sit and wait for an interested few to come to them.

Chapter 2 - is about what it means to follow God. To follow means to move alongside. You can't follow Jesus and still stay where you are, or remain the same person you are. Following denotes a movement, leaving where you were, and always finding yourself in a new location - the place where Jesus wants you to be. It is interesting to note that in Gen 18:1-15 that in the middle of his prayer, three strangers appeared to Abraham who were later found out to be angels bearing a message about the future. What if Abraham says, I can't open the door because I am in the midst of prayer. A prevailing wrong notion among Christians is the notion that non-Christians have no meaning and that everyone outside the faith needs to "get a life". But it is wrong for Christians to assume that only they are the ones on the planet who have meaning. Life is not about "go Google yourself" but "go Google God". " As Leonard says"

When many outsiders look at the "lifestyle choice" of Christians, who spend their lives sitting in the same pew, singing the same songs, reciting the same words, smiling at the same people, listening to the same thoughts, and building bigger barns that all look the same, they scratch their heads in wonderment that anyone in his right mind would want to choose that kind of life."

Chapter 4 - is about being authentic. As he says: "Authenticity is not about being more relevant but about being more Jesus. Do you speak with a Jesus voice?" The church has often taught evangelism as a meeting of two antagonists - one righteous and right, and the other dead wrong. The point of this type of evangelism is to win an argument. Evangelism has also been taught as a spiritual sales pitch! Somehow the church has lost touch with the meaning of good news. I don't know winning an argument would really be seem as a good news for our friends.

Note: "I received this e-book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Download FREE chapter one here.