Go To Church At Christmas

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I'm dreaming of a Christmas where the Church prioritizes gathering and corporate celebration of the Lord's birth, over parties and presents. 

Not against parties or presents. Love them both. Just think they should be second. 

Our Holiday season was secured by Christians who thought this way. It is very likely to be lost to holiday trading and secularisation by Christians that don't. Something to ponder. 

My encouragement is to go to church either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, then celebrate with family and friends like the saviour has redeemed you. 

Some Church traditions are Christmas Eve services. Some are Christmas day services. Both ideas and practices are great. Let's not allow our cherished holiday to be secularised. The best way to do that is to set aside some time on either Christmas Eve or Day to celebrate with your brothers and sisters in the faith. 

If it's hard this year. Aim for next year. Make it a goal. 

Rember the holi in holiday means holy. It's a holy day. 

And the Mass in Christmas meant coming together for Communion. Emphasis on the coming together. 

It's simply an encouragement, and something we can all easily do to make sure Christmas remains Christian in our culture. Indeed, it's the most powerful thing we can do.

Christmas Eve Message - Unto Us A Child Is Born (Isaiah 9:1-12)

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Introduction

One of the things I love about the Christmas carols is how accurately so many of them catch the triumphant sentiment of the Scriptures. The great Christmas carols all have an optimistic outlook about the victory of our Lord. One of my favourites, which you will know well, begins this way,

“O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices…”

What a song! The lines which especially catch my attention here are “Long lay the world in sin and error pining…a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…” This song catches something true about the world and something intrinsic to the gospel story; this sense of the lostness of humanity and error of our sin, and the joy of redemption.

There are many ways in which the Bible speaks to this idea, that the good and gracious king has broken into a lost and fallen world. Let me share with you one of the most incredible prophecies about Christmas day in the Old Testament, from Isaiah 9.

Sin and Error Pining (vv.1-2)

We read in Isaiah 9:1-2 these words, and they kind of sound similar to theme of O Holy Night,

“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

These verses speak to a people under judgement who have seen a glimpse of the light, a glimpse of hope.  

We all know that there is something wrong with this world. We see the wrong around us, experience it, even feel it in our bones, sometimes literally. That does not mean that the world is not often good, we get to sing some of the greatest songs ever written. We enjoy great feasts and good times together. We will get to enjoy good gifts. We get good things like holidays and more. But we all still understand that something about this world does not feel right.

Isaiah 9 is reflecting on this theme. The lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are two of the lands of the tribes of Israel. And they have faced the contempt of God because they have rebelled against him. God’s own people have rebelled, and therefore, he has judged them. Isaiah 8:22, the passage just before this, says, “22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.” We know from reading more of the Bible, that they have stopped worshipping God alone, and worshipped other gods, chased other ways of satisfying their souls, and given themselves over to all kinds of sin.  

You might wonder, how could God’s own people reject him like that. He saved them out of slavery in Egypt. He rescued them from oppression and gave them the Promised Land. But the truth is that this is what all humanity has done. God originally created us with a perfect world, a perfect home, a perfect garden, and offered us perfect fellowship with him. Humans, to the individual, just like God’s ancient people, have rejected him.

Isaiah put it like this, we all like sheep have gone astray. We have rebelled against God’s good commands. This is what sin is, this is why God has to judge us, because he cannot allow those who reject him to just get way with it. No just judge can just pardon a wrong, they must make sure justice happens. But like the Christmas carol we just quoted, this passage also highlights that people will not be left in darkness, because “on them has a light shone…”

The Oppressor is Defeated (vv.3-5)

In God’s judgement of his people he allowed them to be overcome by all sorts of oppressors, they were harassed and enslaved, their land was overcome, they lost their liberties, their homes, their way of life. God allowed this to happen, even brought it on his people as he promised, to discipline them. But he also rescued them when the time was right,

“3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire” (Isa. 9:3-5).

Because of our sin we can face human oppressors, but there are also spiritual oppressors. The darkness that this world often experiences is not just because of the sins and error of man, though they are plentiful. It is also dark because the world has been overcome by an oppressor, the Devil himself. You might think, but Matt, isn’t it a bit horrible to think about Satan at Christmas, a time of joy, happiness and presents? Shouldn’t we sing happy songs like Christmas carols? You mean like this one:

“God rest ye merry, gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember, Christ, our Saviour

Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray

 

O tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy.”

Why do you think, both the carol’s writer, and the people of Israel, were singing tidings of comfort and joy? As Isaiah says, “you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest…” because “the yoke of the burden…the rod of his oppressor…” has been broken. Nobody celebrates more than the one who has been set free from an evil yoke of oppression. This brings true joy out of people.

These twin oppressors; our own rebellious sinfulness, and the evil god of this age combine to create the darkness of this world, and none of us has the power to beat them ourselves. You cannot do it. I cannot do it. We need a saviour, we need a hero, we need someone to come in and rescue us from this, and Isaiah is reflecting on how this was going to occur.

For Unto Us A Child Is Born (vv.6-7)

Have you heard of the concept of the Chosen one? It is a common concept in movies, books and T.V. series and more. The idea of the chosen one is all through our culture, and saturates so many great stories, from Star Wars to the Matrix, to Lord of the Rings, to Marvel and so many other stories, and legends. Humanity seems to have an inbuilt desire for a chosen one, a hero. Even political candidates will play off this theme. Christmas is about the true chosen one, the one who would be born to defeat sin, death and the devil. Isaiah tells us,

“6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isa. 9:6-7).

Christmas is all about this chosen one, who came to us as a little baby. Just meditate on that for a moment. The creator of the universe, hands that flung stars into space, the one before whom angels bow and demons tremble, the one who holds the whole world in his hands, came to earth as a little child.

This little child is truly human, but he is also more: “…the government shall be upon his shoulder…” He is the true ruler, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And he is born to rule. When the wise men, whose number we don’t actually know, came to Jesus, what does it say they did? It says this, “11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11). Why did they worship him, this little boy? Because in him they saw true majesty.

Because he is God - “his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” They fell down and bowed before him because he is the mighty God, God the Son. The true Lord had come into the world.

“Wonderful Counselor” - In Jesus is the best counsel, if you are in need you can turn to him, you can live by his word.

“Mighty God” - In Jesus is true divinity, as another great carol says, “God from true God, and Light from Light eternal, born of a virgin, to earth he comes! Only-begotten Son of God the Father…” For the wise men to worship, he has to be God.

“Everlasting Father” - In him is the greatest and most full representation of the father, which is why we say he was full of grace and truth.

“Prince of Peace” – He is the ruler who will establish true peace on earth. Something we all long for.

The most important peace he offers, is peace with God. You see, as we noted, we have all sinned and gone astray, we have all fallen into the devil’s clutches, and God has every right to judge us. But he offers a way for us to escape this if we trust in him.  He gives us a way to join his kingdom and reign with him forever. This King that was born, who lived the perfect life, and died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, will return and you need to be ready for him.

“7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

 there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

    to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

    from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

The most important decision you will ever make, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, is to trust in him. He only offers peace to those who trust in him, and call him Lord. His kingdom will advance, join his team now while you have the chance.

Conclusion

What is amazing is that since that first Christmas day this is exactly what we have seen happen. The salvation of Jesus and peace with God has expanded across the earth. What is also amazing is Isaiah predicted this about 700 years before Jesus was born.

The Lord’s kingdom is being built, but there is only salvation for those who bow the knee before him, turn from their sins and trust in him. 

“Behold your king; before him lowly bend, Behold your king; before him lowly bend.”

Die Hard: The Best Christmas Movie

Why Diehard is the best and most accurate Christmas movie: 

Diehard is about an archetypal hero who, though estranged from his wife, comes into her world to build a bridge to renew his relationship with her. He finds her enamoured with the glittery things of this world money can buy you. But he is dedicated to winning her back anyway. 

She is enslaved to her world, but things get worse, when she is captured, along with the people of her world, by an evil terrorist, who pretends to be a liberator but is only in it for himself and his glory and gain.  

John MacLean single handedly defeats the evil terrorist, and his henchmen, though in the midst of his trial, he considered giving up, but is encouraged by a friend to look to what he will be enjoying once this ordeal is over. He defeats the bad guy, liberates his bride and good cheer comes to all in his wife's world. 

The True Christmas story is about the True Archetypal hero, stepping into this world to save his bride. He finds her enamoured with the things of this world, and enslaved by an evil force, Satan, who pretends to offer people liberation, but is really focused on himself. 

Our hero is tempted in the garden to ask for a way out of his time of trial, but focuses on the joy set before him, and steps into the hour of trial and achieves victory. 

Our true hero, Jesus, defeats the devil and his cronies, redeeming his bride from the evil one, and her love of the things of this world, and through his heroism peace and good will comes to all man, in his bride's world. 

Diehard is one of, if not, the best and truest Christmas movie, because it copies the original. There is no greater story than the heroes journey and all the best stories, in some way copy the gospel story.

Charity At Christmas

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What is Christmas about? At its core it is about the coming of the king, the birth of the saviour, the entry into the world of the champion who would defeat the evil one. Therefore, at the heart of Christmas is a gift. The gift of salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

This is the greatest gift anyone can receive, it is the greatest thing anyone can have. It is the thing we most need. But we can't stop here with the full meaning of Christmas, because it's not just about what Christ has done for us, but what Christ has done in us. He gives us the gift of salvation and forgiveness. He offers us grace, and that grace is not without effect it changes us and redeems us, makes us new in him, so that we can turn around and in little ways imitate him in this world. 

For the last few days I have been meditating over one of the great Christmas songs that has this as its focus, Good King Wenceslas, 

"Good King Wenceslas looked out

On the Feast of Stephen

When the snow lay 'round about

Deep and crisp and even

Brightly shone the moon that night

Though the frost was cruel

When a poor man came in sight

Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me

If thou know'st it, telling

Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league, hence

Underneath the mountain

Right against the forest fence

By Saint Agnes' fountain"

"Bring me mead and bring me wine

Bring me pine logs hither

Thou and I will see him dine

When we bear him thither"

Page and monarch forth they went

Forth they went together

Through the rude wind's wild lament

And the bitter weather

"Sire, the night is darker now

And the wind blows stronger

Fails my heart, I know not how

I can go no longer"

"Mark my footsteps, my good page

Tread thou in them boldly

Thou shalt find the winter's rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly"

In his master's steps he trod

Where the snow lay dinted

Heat was in the very sod

Which the Saint had printed

Therefore, Christian men, be sure

Wealth or rank possessing

Ye who now will bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing."

Good King Wenceslas, not to be confused with King Wenceslas of Bohemia, was a St. Nicholas type figure. A generous man who gave liberally. 

And in this song on Boxing Day (the feast of Stephen) he went out to do as good men do, he found someone to love and bless and give gifts to. We need to never forget the message of Christmas and the gift we who believe have received. But on top of this, we should not forget to be gift givers to. Not just to those who expect them, but to those who don't. 

The message of Christmas is blessing, blessing from God to man, but also from man to man. 

"Therefore, Christian men, be sure

Wealth or rank possessing

Ye who now will bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing."

Let's be like King Wenceslas. And of course, Bing Crosby did the most incredible rendition of this song, which you can listen to here. 

Can Only Be True

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The cross is a torture device. One of the worst ever invented by man. There are many terrible devices, but only one of them caused the coining of the word excruciating, which literally means "out of the cross", such was the pain it caused. It was once a symbol of evil terror and oppression. 

Yet this symbol is now, and long has been, a symbol of hope, salvation and grace to a large percentage of humanity. It's a sign that we will not be left in our sins, without hope. It's a symbol that people wear on necklaces, tshirts, put in their churches, or in their house to inspire themselves. It's a symbol of joy to those who believe in what it represents. 

How does a symbol of torture become a symbol of the most amazing hope? Something genuine must have happened. Something did. 

As Mary was told, a sword would pierce her side, in other words, her heart would be broken, because she would see her son suffer on the cross. The little boy that was born on the first Christmas day, before it was called that, was going to achieve salvation for us, by suffering for us, in our place on that cross. The innocent crushed for the guilty, to redeem us from evil and guilt. As the great song says: 

"God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember, Christ, our Saviour

Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray

O, tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

O, tidings of comfort and joy"

The cross brings tidings of comfort and joy, because of the one who suffered in our place, who defeated sin, death and the devil for us. Christmas is the celebration of the coming of this saviour who would achieve this. 

The gospel is a transforming power and I think one of the most powerful evidences of its power to transform is that it turned one of the most terrifying symbols of oppression into one of the most amazing symbols of hope. Only a true and powerful event could have done this. No myth, no legend, no lie, only a true and meaningful event that genuinely changed its symbolic image. 

Christmas day reminds us of this hope. Because on that first Christmas day our saviour began his work for us, the little child was born that would redeem the world.

So let's celebrate this awesome event that brings us great tidings of comfort and joy. 

A High Profile Aussie Vaccine Injury

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The evidence is mounting on vaccines injuries and now Kerryn Phelps has opened the lid on vaccine injuries. Who is she you ask? This is Kerryn Phelps: 

"She was the first woman to be elected president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA). In 2001, she was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to health and medicine. In 2011 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to medicine, particularly through leadership roles with the AMA, education and community health, and as a general practitioner. She is Conjoint Professor in the National Institute of Complementary Medicine at the Western Sydney University."

Phelps is not someone you would say is on the side of the good, the beautiful and the true, but she is a prominent and respected Australian, particularly in centre left circles. 

She is the most high profile person to come out and talk about the vaccine injuries in Australia so far. To be fair some very high profile politicians on the right have done so, but they are just tagged with the "right wing narrative brush", Dr Kerryn Phelps is not so easy for them to pigeon hole. She is a prominent and reasonably famous Australian doctor, and now she is spilling the beans:

"Former federal MP Dr Kerryn Phelps has revealed she and her wife both suffered serious and ongoing injures from Covid vaccines, while suggesting the true rate of adverse events is far higher than acknowledged due to underreporting and “threats” from medical regulators.

In an explosive submission to Parliament’s Long Covid inquiry, the former Australian Medical Association (AMA) president has broken her silence about the “devastating” experience — emerging as the most prominent public health figure in the country to speak up about the taboo subject.

“This is an issue that I have witnessed first-hand with my wife who suffered a severe neurological reaction to her first Pfizer vaccine within minutes, including burning face and gums, paraesethesiae, and numb hands and feet, while under observation by myself, another doctor and a registered nurse at the time of immunisation,” the 65-year-old said.

“I continue to observe the devastating effects a year-and-a-half later with the addition of fatigue and additional neurological symptoms including nerve pains, altered sense of smell, visual disturbance and musculoskeletal inflammation. The diagnosis and causation has been confirmed by several specialists who have told me that they have seen ‘a lot’ of patients in a similar situation...

...“Regulators of the medical profession have censored public discussion about adverse events following immunisation, with threats to doctors not to make any public statements about anything that ‘might undermine the government’s vaccine rollout’ or risk suspension or loss of their registration,” she said."

It's a fascinating piece by Frank Chung, effectively confirming much of what we already knew. 

You did the right thing in saying no to this thing, if that is what you did. If you took it and now regret that decision, just learn from this. We all make mistakes, the important thing is just to learn from them. It's never wise to take experimental drugs, many people have done so and learnt from it. You did it in a moment of great coercion and pressure, it's not like you were the first. You'll know better next time. 

You might not agree it was a mistake to take it, but for many it was a life changing mistake. It was certainly a mistake for doctors to push it on so many people at once, for people to be coerced, bullied and threatened to take it. Especially now that prominent doctors are admitting publicly how common injuries are. 

But this woman speaking out is good news for those of us continually calling for justice, because justice is building. A lot of reasonably powerful people were hurt, and while that is not good for them, it makes the cause of justice more likely for many powerless people. When the powerful suffer, they raise a clarion call to draw attention to it. That is what is happening in this exact situation. Someone very prominent, who was on board with the most restrictive measures, is now publicly revealing the damage these experimental medications have done. 

Australia worships vaccines, it has for sometime. But, slowly and surely, this idol is being toppled. To consider any human made device or medicine without question or fault is not only not reasonable, it is really quite sinful. Humans are fallen and everything we make is imperfect in some way. It is also against everything science has ever claimed to be. And it's just against all common sense.

Hopefully the powerful injured raise more and more noise. All successful revolutions in history were brought about by one elite challenging the established elite. For a revolution of the public medical understanding and public discussion of the danger of these medications to gather steam I suspect the same will need to be true in this case. Pray it does happen. Many are hurting. 

What Does It Mean To Leave An Inheritance?

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One of the most quoted passages in the whole Bible, at least that I see being quoted recently, is Proverbs 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.” I like the way that this passage is being used to challenge the excesses of the boomer generation, who often brag about spending their children’s inheritance. I like the way that this verse is used to challenge the current generations of parents to seek to provide for their children’s children, not just themselves. But there is another element of this verse, that I think we can sometimes miss, that enhances these efforts.

It is easy to forget that this is an Old Testament Proverbs based on Solomon’s reflection on Old Testament laws, and in the Old Testament a righteous man was not supposed to sell his family’s property. This principle is all through the Old Testament, but one passage in particular helps us reflect on it.

In 1 Kings 21 we read that Ahab wanted the vineyard of a man called Naboth. Naboth refuses, “But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers” (1 Kings 21:3). Contrary to what many modern conservatives think, the Old Testament property laws were not like our modern private property laws. Land could not just be sold in perpetuity and transferred at will, the Bible supported liberal trade, but not free trade. An Israelite who had fallen on hard times could sell his property to pay for his debts, but the property was to be returned to his family or ancestors in the year of Jubilee through the process of redemption. Therefore, a good man, especially a man of means would not sell his family’s property if he could avoid it, because it was their rightful inheritance, not his to do with as he wished.

In other words, though there is an application from this passage with our modern private property laws, the verse is about far more than that. To preserve your family property in ancient Israel was to preserve your family’s, and indeed, your nation's historical legacy. There was no such thing in ancient Israel as the right for a foreigner to come in and buy your property, there was no such thing as you being able to sell your property to people from another tribe (or state) who could then come in and change your ways and culture. At least, there was no such thing in Biblical legal theory, there was in practice, because as we know these laws were often ignored (Is. 5:8-10).

Ahab was depressed because Naboth refused his offer, so Jezebel consoles her weak- minded husband and tells him that she will get him the vineyard. She hatched a plot to destroy Naboth’s reputation and kill him, and this is what happens. Naboth lost his land through thievery and deception. But the way Israelite law was framed was to keep the family's legacy protected. If an Israelite lost their property by their own fault, it could be purchased by another, for a time, and then had to be returned to the family who owned it. In other words, it was stored up for the righteous to come and redeem when they were ready, as Boaz does with Ruth, Naomi, and their family’s property. Naomi’s husband endangered his property through his evil actions (leaving Israel and allowing his sons to marry women who worshipped foreign gods) and it was kept and left in place for the righteous man, Boaz to redeem. This protected the legacy of this family, but also it protected the nation as a whole.

The individual is not the basic building block of society, the family is. The Biblical law protected both the prosperity of the nation and also the legacy of the family. Mismanaged land could be sold to someone else, for a time, to pay off debts and allow it to be managed in better hands. But it had to return to the nearest kin of the one who lost it. In this way the law balanced productivity with family security. A wise provision.

In allowing our land to be traded as just any other commodity for any one foreigner and distant citizen alike, we have ensured that our nation is destroying the inheritance of its people. Leaving an inheritance for your children’s children, is about more than just leaving them a house or money. It is also about leaving them their nation as their nation, not allowing it to be just bought and sold carved up by any who wish, even those from other countries.  

The result of our modern policies is, and will be increasingly, woe;

“8 Woe to those who join house to house,
    who add field to field,
until there is no more room,
    and you are made to dwell alone
    in the midst of the land.
9 The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:
“Surely many houses shall be desolate,
    large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,
    and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”