What Christmas means to me

Christmas has a meaning for everyone and each concept is usually coloured by an individual’s religious backgrounds and beliefs. However for the Christian believer this is the truth of Christmas.

We must start at the beginning when God gifted the world to man. When man (Adam & Eve) disobeyed God he loved them so much he wanted to give us a second chance at life. In order to accomplish this great feat he had to absorb our guilt (aka sin). For a God that is holy, just and perfect cannot communion with that which is not. So in order to bridge the gap between man and himself, he sent us his Son, Jesus.

He could have come in power and glory and had us worship him in fear and trembling, but that would not have accomplished his purpose of wanting to communion with those who chose to love him and follow after him. And so Jesus was sent as God in the flesh; in an unassuming way, as a baby. From this humble position Jesus was born and taught us the true meaning of a relationship with God. He was not only our sacrifice but also our example of how to relate with our heavenly father. These two things were necessary, to satisfy the father, and also as a substitute for us as those who seek after God. God needed someone to take the blame for all of the sin in the world and a perfect wrath needed a perfect sacrifice. And we needed an example of how to walk with the father in a human way, daily and with humility and obedience. Both of these criteria were fulfilled in this tiny baby boy.

Despite the fact that many have different beliefs around Christmas, it is still hard to find someone who does not know the name of Jesus. People often admit that he did live, which is why I find it strange that they are not more curious about his beginnings. Never the less this note is about what Christmas means to me.

It is very much a reminder and remembrance that our creator loved us so much that part of him became a baby and then a man and then a sacrifice so that if we so choose we may be a part of his Kingdom. Only in heaven can such a thing happen where the population gets to choose their ruler and king. As one of his subjects I have the honour to break bread with my creator and every first Sunday of the month is communion a remembrance of the death and resurrection of Christ. Just like communion Christmas is the yearly reminder of the beginning of that hope as the cross was the completion of our salvation.

Just like the father rested after the creation of the world, Jesus after his ascension into heaven, sits at the right hand of God affirming that our redemption is complete and available to all who believe in his name. Salvation is now for the asking and the biggest cause for a time of celebration, and joy. Christmas was the first announcement that the long awaited saviour, and messiah came to the earth to set the world back into order and repair the damage done by man so long ago. 

So for those like me who believe, share this story with as many as you can this season while the hearts are open and there are times of communion. Spread the God news and share the greatest gift to man ever. Peace on Earth and Good Will to all men.

Charity begins at home.

For about a year or so now I have been putting forth more effort into serving others, not only with my words and attitude but also with actions. In the process of this endeavor I have found joy of a new kind and learned a lot about the true meaning of charity and it’s vital role in our lives. As the title suggests above, I now believe that charity must first begin at home.

This does not mean what most secular people infer when quoting this phrase. I am not talking about putting myself first just to be very clear. What I am suggesting is that charity is like every other attitude or talent, it must be exercised on a daily basis. If you cannot show charity in your own home then how will you be able to genuinely translate or extend it into the community to those who are strangers?

Dictionary.com defines charity as follows:

1. generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless: to devote one's life to charity.

2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms: She asked for work, not charity.

3. a charitable act or work.

4. a charitable fund, foundation, or institution: He left his estate to a charity.

5. benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor: She looked so poor that we fed her out of charity.

I believe as Paul did that charity is more a form of love as described in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13

The Greatest Gift

 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Charity to me is an extension of ones abilities for the benefit of another extended in humility and empathy. Being a believer of the Bible and a follower of Christ this is one of the most important concepts that we are called not only to understand but also to practice. Jesus said, John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

The question that I pose now is if we cannot forgive those we live with or hold grudges, ignore, mistreat or simply avoid, how is that love? The point is; that it is not, and I would like to suggest that like most areas in life if the foundation is weak the structure is doomed. The greatest example of Love is God’s gift of his son to us.  John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

As implied above God did not wait until we had cleaned up our act or when we asked for mercy before he sent his son, he did it while we were still offending him and his holiness. Unlike us he is actually justified in holding a grudge because he is the very nature of righteousness. He is perfect and holy and cannot stand the sight of sin and yet he extended to us charity. A perfect example of this is Matthew 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? The example here is that Love is extended to us in Grace and we should afford the same to those we profess to love, no matter what circumstance.

Love is not easy; it is a sacrifice of self for the well being or good of another. However the benefit of extending this type of true love and charity is a joy that is everlasting. So I suggest that before you try to serve the community, start first in your home and develop that foundation. That way when you expand into the community that charity you show will shine genuinely to others and have lasting implications. Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Love is not mere action; it is a choice and way of life. My prayer for you and me today is that more of this charity will be shown to everyone around us each day.

The Biggest Question You Could Ask

So on this anniversary of my Birthday I choose to reflect on the only question really worth answering at all. After 41 years of life I have come to realize that “Why am I here.” is the most introspective question and important one that anyone could ask. The answer however is much more complex and will vary dependant upon whom you ask and when. So I am posting this so I may reflect back on the answer in years to come.

Put simple I believe the reason why I am here is because of God’s love toward man and his long suffering and mercy. He is giving all of us a chance to choose repentance. Since the advent of original sin and our disgrace from Eden, God has been moving behind the scenes give us a path that would redeem us. As most of us know now, that path is Christ who died for us on the cross. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

It always amazes me that Jesus is so well know and yet very rarely accepted or understood. So it is with great joy that I may say that I have the answer and gift of grace, which has been offer to all who would proclaim faith in Jesus Christ. What greater gift could anyone ever provide for me? I say none. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

On this birthday I choose to not only celebrate my current life in the world but also that of which is to come. What we call life today is a mere shadow of the joy that I will know once face to face with my creator. And the truth of the knowledge of the answer should penetrate all of our lives and may we honour the gift we have been given and remember, Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

And so I will follow the only example of one who has been in this world and moved on to the next life, which is Christ and heed his life. Philippians 2:5-16 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

just and unjust

The Rain falls on the just and the unjust. I have always had trouble understanding the meaning of that phrase in the Bible. Like a lot of the portions I read it is not always immediately understood. I have probably read that section about 10 or more times, but that is the beauty of the Bible. It is dynamic and living and it also involves the spirit within us. Sometimes the truth is not immediately grasped, sometimes it hits you like a brick wall. As it happens this section was given a new meaning to me yesterday morning as a paused to view another glorious sunrise.

At times we must unpack the truth and it involves some deep studying at others it simply reveals it self. I sometimes feel like I am solving a puzzle that has many pieces and when I finally get a section finished things seem to fall into place. This same “got it” feeling happened to me. Now for those reading this blog the truth revealed to me, may not be the one revealed to you, that is the beauty of the living word. Just like Our Lord Jesus, it too is alive and well and revealing to us new truths daily. That is also one of the reasons why the Bible is everlasting; it does change in the sense that it dynamically speaks to the reader in what times and situations we might find ourselves.

As with most of the truths in the Bible we as people are given a fundamental choice; to believe or not to believe. When I searched the just and unjust statement online through Biblegateway.com I was looking for a pattern to help me understand what I was thinking and reading about the just and unjust. Here are the results of that search.

Matthew 5:44-46

⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,^{[a] 45} that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Acts 24:14-16

¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. ¹⁵ I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead,^[a] both of the just and the unjust. ¹⁶ This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

1 Peter 3:17-19

17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us[a] to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,

So my original thoughts were about why would the Bible mention the “just and unjust alike.” And after re-reading the above context I have confirmed my thinking. We as a created being have always had a choice, one, which allows us to choose to follow God, or not. What I also gleaned from this was that circumstances or “rain” happen to all the inhabitants on the Earth what defines the Christian or believer is finding in those circumstances God and his glory and the opportunity to praise his name.  So for me I will continue to strive to find God in all circumstances, in both the sunny times and the rainy times.

Let we forget the blood that was shed.

Today is a day of remembrance for those that died in the war. Thousands of men and women showed us the greatest sacrifice one could give, their lives. The greatest price of blood was paid by them and for that we show our gratitude by honouring them in remembrance and by the adorning of a poppy in support. Most people will take a moment today in silence to reflect on the events that occurred that secured our current freedom and prosperity. This is the right thing to do and I encourage others to be aware of the magnitude of the day’s significance. The Bible states that no greater love hath a man, that he lay down his life for a friend. The soldiers and supporting service men and women showed our countries that kind of love and deserve our respect and acknowledgement.

There is also another life I would like to highlight today as well. For if these men and women died for our lives and world, he surely died for the one to come. We show respect and honour and remembrance for them and should do the same for the Son of God who was perfect and blameless and yet came and shed his blood in order to save not just a country but also the world from evil and death. If a moment of silence is what we owe our veterans surely we owe Jesus all the more. Remember his death as well, give him silence daily and if you must wear something to show you are honouring him in remembrance let it be his Love and Compassion.

May today be a reflection of the Kingdom to come, and may we exhort, love and honour one another and give Praise and Glory when and where due.

God's broken heart.

As I came into work this morning I called upon the Lord to bind me closer to his heart, to allow me to feel and care for the things that he does. As a result he softened my heart and brought to my attention the suffering of the people around us.

Although this is one of many recent stories, the death of Florian Schuck’s wife on Monday is the one that broke my heart and made me weep. From the article in the newspaper I know that she died while cycling and was with child. What I had not known until this morning was that Florian, himself was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2008 and battled the disease until it went into remission. He says, that it was because his wife would not let him die. I can only imagine what this man might be going through and the only thought and feeling I have towards this total stranger to me is compassion.

We as Christians are called to Love one another and to bear each other’s burdens, but this morning I would like to also mention that we are also called to care for the hungry, the poor, the weak, the widow and all of the people who are lost. Now I ask you who is excluded from this list? Whose life story is any less littered with pain and brokenness? So I encourage you to view the world with new eyes this morning and see what I saw. A broken world, a broken nation, a broken people, the only choice you and I have is to respond. I choose love, with all of the suffering why would anyone want to add pain.

Start with today, look for a chance to make things better for someone, anyone. Be that person of compassion and do not show indifference. Remember that the Lord said as you have done to any of these, so you have done to me.

I pray today that Florian Schuck and his family find comfort in God’s loving arms and that they be surround by people of love and compassion. May many share the weight of this burden in order to lighten it. Amen.

A fund has been set up to help Morrison's family. Information can be found at the Facebook page entitled "In Loving Memory of Jenna."

Donations can also be made at Toronto Dominion account #6372358, branch 246.