Pastor's Blog

Our Christmas @ The Movies series continued this morning with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Chuck Jones’ wonderfully faithful adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale. Seuss, who’s real name was Theodor Geisel, was a cartoonist and writer of uncommon skill and also a devout Lutheran. His tales, though written for children, had their source in deeper adult themes. The story of the Grinch grew out of Geisel’s distaste for the commercialization of Christmas. There is much that adults today could and should learn from our dear Dr. Seuss. Perhaps they should give out copies at Walmart on Black Friday.

As a villain, Geisel’s Grinch bears a little resemblance to the great villain of the Christmas story: Herod the Great. Herod, like the Grinch, had a heart that was “two sizes too small.” Heart trouble is a common problem for humans and The Teacher of Proverbs warns us to guard our hearts. In the story of Herod we find four symptoms of heart trouble that we should be aware of.

Uncontrolled Anger – Herod’s rage drove him to command the terrible Slaughter of the Innocents in Bethlehem. Uncontrolled anger always has disastrous consequences, and is a sure sign of heart trouble. The Teacher encourages us to control our anger, while Paul recommends ridding ourselves of anger altogether. At times we may be tempted to rationalize our anger by saying “even Jesus got angry.” While it is true that Jesus did express anger, we must remind ourselves that His anger was directed at much more significant offenses than, for example, someone cutting in front of us at the checkout line. Often the best way to control our anger is to resist becoming angry in the first place.

Jealousy – Herod was enraged by the possibility that a child had been born that would take his throne. He jealously strove to protect what he believed was rightfully his. He failed to recognize that everything he had was a gift from God. Protecting what we have rather than sharing with those in need is a sure sign of heart trouble. Economic uncertainty should not keep us from being generous with what God has given us, it should inspire us to be all the more generous toward those in need.

Envy – Many people misuse the word “jealousy” when they really mean “envy.” To put it simply, jealousy is selfishness while envy is covetousness. Envy happens when we desire what someone else has. Herod was envious that the Magi would give their gifts and worship to a babe in a manger rather than to him. Envy is a symptom of heart trouble because it indicates a lack of contentedness. Paul reminds Timothy of the benefits of godliness with contentment. The advertising industry is built around creating discontentedness and envy. We must not allow ourselves to be caught in their trap.

Fear – Herod was a man driven by fear. In addition to the murder of children in Bethlehem, history records that his paranoia drove him to murder his own wife and children when he suspected they were conspiring against him. Decisions based on fear are always flawed and never God-inspired. The apostle John reminds us that God is not the author of fear. Fear is a sign of heart trouble because it indicates a lack of trust in God’s power and His love. Especially given the conditions of our world today, followers of Christ should be notable for their freedom from fear.

Let us guard our hearts this Christmas by watching for these symptoms of heart trouble lest we become Grinches ourselves. May our hearts be filled with the peace that surpasses all understanding so that we can truly celebrate Christ’s birth by sharing God’s love.

Today we began our Advent series: “Christmas @ The Movies”. Along the way, we will see how the popular stories of our day contain echoes of the Great Story that God is telling through Creation. First up is Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, and unless you’re Amish (and if you’re reading this, you’re not), you’ve seen it. It’s the story of a misfit, an outcast, who finds many other misfits along his way and eventually becomes a hero. Robert May, the original creator of the Rudolph story, drew on his own childhood memories of being a misfit and an outcast in creating this iconic character. The theme of a misfit becoming a hero is common in our culture, whether it’s Peter Parker or Luke Skywalker or “Chuck”. It’s common because many people feel like  misfits at one time or another in life, and who doesn’t dream of being a hero. No one wants to stay a misfit.

Yet this is precisely how God chose to reveal His son Jesus to the world: As a misfit and an outcast. Mary and Joseph were nobodies living in a tiny backwater town. The only notable characteristic Joseph had was that he was “righteous”. To be known as “righteous” meant acceptance within the religious community. God put Joseph into a position where he had to sacrifice his only notable quality, his “righteousness”, by accepting Mary as his wife and the child to come as his son. In the same way, Mary’s only distinguishing quality, her virginity, had to be sacrificed for God’s Son to be born. Mary and Joseph were made to be misfits and outcasts even within their own religious community and their families to accomplish God’s purposes. God chose to reveal Jesus to the world as someone with none of the normal characteristics of respectability, the characteristics that the world finds attractive (Isaiah 53:2-3).

This illustrates a truth that we don’t like to admit: We are all called to be misfits. Citizens of the Kingdom of God will never feel at home in a world that is twisted and corrupted by sin. The way of Jesus is the way of the misfit, to reject what this world finds lovely and valuable and to find our worth and purpose in Him. Then we fulfill the purpose for which we were created: Building God’s Kingdom. When we do that we truly become misfits in this world…and heroes in the Kingdom of God.

Prejudice [ˈpre-jə-dəs]: A preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.

In Acts 21 and 22, Paul is confronted by a mob determined to kill him because of his ministry to non-Jews. In his defense, Paul tries to help the crowd recognize their prejudice; not just racial and ethnic prejudice but their preconceived opinions about God and how His plan would unfold. Paul did this by explaining how God forced him to confront and surrender his own prejudices about God, Jesus, and the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, Paul's listeners were unable to surrender their prejudices and become part of God's Kingdom. Soon their entire religious system, including their temple, would come crashing down.

We all have preconceived opinions about God, about His Kingdom, about ourselves, and about others. Often these prejudices are shaped by our upbringing, our experiences, and our culture. Often we don’t even realize we have them. The question is: When God shines the light of truth on our prejudices, are we willing to surrender them and allow Him to transform us by renewing our minds? If we do, then we can participate in building His Kingdom on earth. If we don't, we risk a fate similar to that of Paul's original audience.

What pre-conceived ideas about God, about His Kingdom, about yourself, or about others does God want you to confront?

After a nearly year-long blogbatical* this blog is returning with a slightly different (and at this point, experimental) format.

BTW, if you're one of the millions on Facebook, look us up.
Red Oaks Assembly of God | Promote Your Page Too

*A neologism not of my invention, but useful.

John Ortberg is one of those authors who seems to make every topic seem very understandable. Here he discusses the gospel and hits it out of the park.

The paradign shift that Ortberg touches on has been recently studied by Leadership magazine. The results of this study mirror my own spiritual journey over the last 20 years.

Mark Roberts is in the midst of a great series of blog posts entitled Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ. Great stuff, as usual.

Scot McKnight's new book The Blue Parakeet is in the "next to read" position on the shelf. He recently discussed some of the high points of the book at the Catalyst conference. Skye Jethani gives us the outline.

Skye also recently blogged on the Cult of Mac. I know a few members.

Finally, Michael Spencer really got my attention with his post "Do You Really Trust Your Father With Your Life?"

Do not put your trust in princes,
       in human beings, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
       on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
       whose hope is in the LORD their God.

Psalm 146:3-5 (TNIV)

I've never endorsed a candidate, but in this case I'll make an exception.

Feel free to print your own yard sign.