Jesus

This past Sunday, our pastor was talking about everything being wrapped up in Jesus. Since then I've been wondering how true that is. Is everything really wrapped up in Jesus?

I know it should be, but when I look at my own life and the lives of those around me, I have to wonder. Is our life wrapped up in Jesus? Is the totality of our existence really all about him?

This time of year we hear a lot about Jesus, how he came to be born as a human, how he came to save us from our sins. Is there more? Is the Christmas story only one of God coming to earth, being born in a stable, and dying on the cross so we can go to heaven? I think there's more, but we have a tendency to pick and choose the parts of the story that make us feel good.

Some like the story of the little baby lying in the straw, with the shepherds and animals gathered round. They like the idea of peace on earth and good will to others. Add the ingredients of the American cultural Christmas and you have the makings of a nice holiday that makes most people feel rather good about themselves.

Some go a little further and emphasize the story of this little baby growing up and then dying to save us from our sins.They like the idea of avoiding Hell and going to Heaven. Couple that with a certain prayer to say and a set of propositions to assent to and those who have done that and are "in" can feel superior to those that are "out".

It's easy to forget about the three years that Jesus spent walking this earth teaching his disciples about his kingdom. It's far too convenient to focus on the beginning chapters in the Gospels and ignore that this child was born to be King, that he was the Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament, that he is Lord over all creation. It's also easy to concentrate on the final chapters of the Gospels and ignore that Jesus taught about the present reality of his kingdom as well as the future fulfilment.

Both extremes forget that, as Lord and King, Jesus calls us to move beyond the baby in the straw. He calls us to not be too preoccupied with the future. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords calls us to follow him.
A disciple follows his rabbi, his master, with the goal of becoming like him and being able to go make other disciples that will also become like the rabbi. An ancient Jewish saying stated that disciples should be covered in the dust from the feet of their rabbi.

Getting back to the idea of being wrapped up in Jesus; that is how our lives should be lived. To be wrapped up in Jesus means that we seek to live every moment in his presence, and seek to do every action with the same attitude that our Master has. We should strive to follow our Rabbi so closely that the dust from his feet covers us, so that when people see us in our day-to-day they see Jesus. It is not as easy as worshipping a baby in a manger. It is harder than agreeing to a set of beliefs or saying a certain prayer. It will cause us to lose our life. But, Jesus said that those who lose their life for his sake will find real life in him.

The world, and the church, needs people whose existence is wrapped up in the One who is setting all things right and who is coming again to finally bring his kingdom once and for all.

TGIF

I had a rare evening free, so I went to Books-a-Million for an hour or so. The shopping center was packed! I guess one advantage to having something going every afternoon and evening through the week is that I don't have to deal with all the holiday shopping traffic.

It's been unseasonably cold here in the sunny South. I think someone went north and brought the cold weather back with them. What has been warm is the blogosphere. Here's a taste of what's out there:

Dan Edelen writes about "persecution." John Fonville has a good post on the nature of the Gospel.
Here's a good poem from Jamie Finch. Julian Newman has some thoughts about partisan prayers, while Ben Girdler prays with eyes wide open.

Todd Hiestand has some good advice for leaders. Tony Jones is blogging from the Great Emergence National Event in Memphis. I hope he doesn't get BBQ all over the keyboard. imonk may have touched a nerve with this post. Check out the comments.

Scot McKnight thinks we should all use fountain pens. John Frye starts his own movement. Grace wonders if we're making disciples or converts. Are we bored?

Naked Pastor has an idea for churches.

In all the hustle and bustle of the coming weeks, don't forget those who have nothing to give.

Mary's Song

The other day, I was thinking about the song of Mary in Luke 1. It was actually a pretty subversive thing to say in that day. I was wondering what Mary's song would sound like in the 21st Century.

Who would be the rulers in today's world? Who would be the proud? Who are the rich? Who are the humble and the hungry?

What in our consumer driven culture could the song speak to? What would Mary have to say to the Church?

What does it mean today that the King has come and is coming again? What would happen if those of us who say we follow this King lived as if we really did?

Just some questions rolling around in my head.

Any thoughts?

Happy Birthday, Jennie

This is a couple of days late due to too many things to do in too little time.

Twenty-four years ago, on a cold December morning - the only kind of December morning in Cincinnati - a baby girl joined our family. We named her Jennifer. Little did we know what we were in for.

We welcomed an individual who was happy most of the time, who sang herself to sleep at night, who awoke with a smile. We also learned what it was like to deal with a very strong will. We prayed that that strong will would be used for good and not evil. :)

As the years passed and we learned more about this girl, and she learned more about us, we grew to love her more and more each day. Although there were moments of conflict, we were thankful for the joy that she brought to us. I think we learned to squeeze a little more fun out of life ourselves.

This little girl grew into a teenager, and the relationship deepened and matured. We knew that the time was coming quickly when she would make her mark on the world. Through high school and college, she matured and began to seek out her path.

Now this little girl is a lovely young woman. She is full of questions, as all young adults are. Some of them I can answer. Some, only God can answer. I firmly believe that her Father will draw her close and let her know how much he loves her.

Jennie, I can't begin to tell you how much Mom and I love you. You are a true blessing from the Father. We are proud of you.

TGIF

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at Jan's sister's home in West Virginia. Today was a busy day. We traveled home and then I went to basketball practice. Our first game is Tuesday, and I hope we'll be ready.

There's a lot of good stuff out there. Here's a sample:

Pam the Cleaning Lady.

Good article from John Ortberg. (HT: Scot McKnight)

Jeff McQ on messed up people.

Jonathan Brink is abandoning conservatism.

Len at Next Reformation is hearing rumors.

Hidden Worship.

Brother Maynard has a new God.

Cool church architecture. (HT: Brother Maynard)

Have you seen the Hitler video with the different subtitles? The emerging church version is here.

This is just so wrong. (HT: Jared Wilson)

Karen Swank says, "Today, I will love."

I hope your weekend is wonderful and that the Father blesses you.

Thanksgiving

This is the time of year when we stop and take stock of the blessings God has given us. While many just give lip service to the concept of giving thanks, gratitude is vital to our emotional and spiritual health.

I am thankful for many things. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife who puts up with my foibles and all the changes in thinking I have been going through. Jan's love is a major blessing. The Father has allowed me to be Dad to two fantastic children, Josh and Jennie, who have grown into adults who love Jesus and who will be used by God for his kingdom. My sister Debbie, and her family are a blessing and I am thankful for their love. Jan's mom and dad have always treated me as a son and their love and support is huge, and her sisters and their families are a blessing as well.

I am thankful to have grown up in a family where there was unconditional love, and where an example of simple, true faith was evident. My mom and dad are the major factor behind who I am today.

I am grateful to the Father for adopting me as his child and showing me that his love and grace are bigger than anything I have done or will do. God has worked in me the past four years and has brought me out of a performance based mindset into a relationship of love, a relationship that sees God as Abba, not as someone who is always looking for how many times I screw up, and waiting for me to "get right with him" before he blesses me.

I am thankful for the (thousands?), (hundreds?), (tens?), ones of readers who are a little bit interested in my babblings.

There are so many things that I am thankful for. To list them all would take too long and tax your patience beyond reason.

What are you thankful for?

TGIF

This is actually being posted on Saturday because Firefox kept closing on me last night and so I couldn't finish until today.

Today was one of those days when TGIF is really meaningful. The kids at school were a little antsy. Maybe it has something to do with the break coming up.

Here are my suggestions for some good weekend reading:

Interview with Jim Palmer.

it's amazing what you can buy these days.

Interesting things going on in Greenville, SC.

The ball has been dropped.

Pam muses about just us love.

imonk writes about the unresolved tensions of evangelicalism. Part 1 is here.

Breaking news from Chicago.

A coffee analogy from a non-coffee drinker.

A great idea for Christmas.

Irony from robbymac.

Church architecture. (HT: Brother Maynard)

Jared Wilson on numerolatry and the church.

A new network that sounds very interesting.


I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving next week.