Not as It Should Be

Elizabeth continues to teach me so many things. On Monday, we went to the doctor for her 2-month check-up. As it turns out, this is the time when they induce your baby to swallow a live virus and then introduce your baby to shots with a needle that seems far too long!

I don't think I will ever forget Elizabeth's cry this past Monday morning. It was unlike any cry she had during her first two months. The "hey I'm sleepy" cry and the "hey I'm hungry cry" were actually pretty subdued, pretty calm . . . not this cry. This was a cry of sheer pain and terror and confusion. In that moment, I think I experienced the most vivid illustration of the deleterious effects of sin that I've ever witnessed. For two months, Elizabeth had been jolly and full of life, but, on Monday, she learned that this world is not as it should be. In this world, there is pain . . . there is terror . . . there is confusion.

Why must my precious daughter have a virus pumped into her mouth and piercing needles driven into her thighs?

They do this because of sin. Yes, that's right . . . sin. Had Adam and Eve forsook sin long enough to have a baby in the Garden, we would read nothing about a regimen of shots for their baby. We would read nothing about sickness. There would be no sickness at all.

But sin, you see, is far more devastating than we first imagine. It's venom surprises us and reaches farther than we acknowledge. It doesn't just twist up our souls; it twists up creation. We are fallen until Christ redeems us, and creation is too - for creation is anxiously awaiting the day of Christ's return when it will be "set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom 8:21).

Until that day, believers continue to live in the midst of a corrupted creation - a creation which still declares the glory of God but also poses innumerable dangers.

Elizabeth took a live virus into herself and then took the piercing needles in her thighs to kill its power over her. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and then took the piercing spikes to kill its power over those who trust in Him. One day, Jesus will return to cast sin and death into the everlasting Lake of Fire and gather together only those who have trusted in Him. At that moment, sin and death will have no power over the children of God, and the creation will again be free of the corruption of sin. The world is not as it should be, but it will be when our conquering King and Savior returns.

There will be no shots in heaven, only shouts of "Worthy is the Lamb!" as we forever consider the grace He extended to us in His nail-scarred hands.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus. Amen.

Jesus' Birth

Did you receive the e-mail asking you to petition Kohls because they were not saying "Merry Christmas" in their advertisements or in their stores? What about "Pet Smart?" I appreciate the need to engage in some social and cultural battles, but this "fight" has spiraled out of control. It now owns us.

The fight has consumed us as believers . . . we actually think we've won a battle for the Kingdom of God if we get a store to greet us with "Merry Christmas." Meanwhile, we ignore that "Christmas" has little to do with Jesus anymore. Instead, it means Santa Claus, reindeer, lights, silly blow-up decorations, competing with the Joneses, too many presents, a little extra time with family, and a few traditions tossed in - perhaps a courtesy visit to church before partying all night long the bring in the New Year the following week.

The time has come for us to say what we mean and mean what we say (James 5:12). We should not particularly care if someone greets us with "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," but we should care to the core of our soul about where they will spend their eternity. How many people will we miss an opportunity to share the gospel with because we are more interested in lecturing them on why they should say Merry Christmas?! An entire industry has developed around the "Merry Christmas" controversy. You can buy magnets for your car, bumper stickers, T-shirts, buttons, and lots of other junk. Just what Christmas is all about - another item to buy! I wonder how many Christians own a piece of "Merry Christmas" merchandise but have never owned a gospel tract?

What would happen if we were moved to compassion for souls as Jesus was, regardless of how people greet us? What if instead of pretending that our "Merry Christmas" buttons are going to save someone, we took the time to explain why the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem has radically changed our lives? What if instead of forwarding e-mails about the latest store that isn't saying Merry Christmas we took the time to write one e-mail to a friend or family member we know who needs to repent of their sins, place their faith in Jesus as Savior, and follow Him as Lord?

(By the way, Christmas comes from the Roman Catholic "Christ Mass" where Christ is believed to be sacrificed for sins and His grace literally communicated to the participants through the elements of the Lord's Supper. This is what millions of Americans mean when they say "Merry Christmas." There's nothing merry about that - for Jesus made sacrifice sins "once for all" (Hebrews 9:12; 10:10) and He will never again have to give up His life to save us.) Perhaps we could just call Christmas, "Jesus' Birthday" or "Incarnation Day" or "The Day the Word Dwelt Among Us."

It is time to break with tradition when it comes to doing Christmas. It is time for parents and grandparents to stop lying to their kids about Santa. It is time to stop buying into the argument that Christmas is about buying. Christmas is about WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN and the GREAT PRICE that HE PAID to RESCUE US FROM SIN. Christmas is all about the greatest purchase and the greatest gift ever made in all history! It is about a God who loved us enough to be born as a boy and to experience all the frailties of human life and to go all the way to the cross without sinning (Hebrews 4:15). It is about the gift of eternal life which is only available by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord.

So, about Pet Smart. If you were seriously planning to get your pet a Christmas gift, do yourself a favor and donate that money to this year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which supports over 5,100 SBC missionaries around the globe. Then go delete all those silly e-mails crowding your inbox and then take the time to share the gospel with someone in a meaningful way. Happy Birthday, Jesus!