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The Greatest Christmas Song – Why was the Baby there?
O Come All Ye Faithful may contain a lot of theology, but it’s almost purely for the purpose of worship. You might say, it doesn’t explain a lot. But we do get some important hints in the next verse. (By the way, if you’ve missed the previous posts – introduction, the reveal, and then verse 1, verse 2, and verses 3-5.)
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly?
Why was the Baby in the manger? (Remember – He’s not there now! But we are looking at the story in the Scripture, and worshipping as we go.) The answer: “For us sinners.”
There are few moments that communicate the tender love of God so well as the moment when Mary laid Jesus into the animal feeding trough. It was the best place – I’m sure she made sure the hay was clean, and that Jesus was well wrapped. It was a place where He would be warm.
But – it was not a palace. It was not a crib. It was the only place available. Mary and Joseph were very poor.
“Very God”, as verse 2 says – became so vulnerable and weak and – human!
Paul wrote this:
…when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Galatians 4:4-7
He came to “redeem” us – to buy us back – from under the judgement of God. And so we ourselves become beloved sons and daughters of God, with the Spirit within us.
Some people complain when worship songs focus on the fact that Jesus died out of love for us – because that was not the only reason. He died in obedience to the Father. He died to bring glory to God. Yes, we can focus too much on ourselves in some of our worship.
But love was a reason why He came. The Father, Son and Spirit together were in agreement to save us. Yes, it was to bring glory to God. But it is also a great demonstration of His love.
And so we sing Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly? John said it well –
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10
Paul wrote:
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
And in Romans:
…hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
Did you notice it? We see in those three texts the love of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. But in a special way, the Son “explains” God to us. As John wrote:
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John 1:18
So we do look at the Baby in the manger in love, and awe. What love! Is there any greater love we could focus on this Christmas?
Mexico: Oxford’s “Place of the Year”
I’m not sure if Mexico should be congratulated or not for being Oxford University’s “Place of the Year“, which highlights “the places that have inspired, shaped, and challenged history in that year”. It’s chosen by popular online vote.
Anyway, I thought this brief video reviewing some of the big Mexico news stories of the year was interesting – so here you are.
Two Weeks Until Christmas
Oh sorry – you didn’t realize that? I didn’t mean to be the one to tell you. Actually, I didn’t realize it either – wow!
I just thought I’d stop by and let you know what we’re up as we hurtle towards the holidays.
Our Sunday services are continuing, of course. We’re doing a series on the book of Hebrews, and are in chapter 5 right now. I’m also doing the Where did the Bible come from? seminar during our Sunday School time. For those who have taken the seminar, you’ll know what I mean when I tell you that Javier the Louse will be making an appearance this Sunday, so I’m very excited about that. 🙂
We’re been greatly encouraged by the church lately – people’s involvement and interest in the Word. Thanks for your prayers!
Shari continues to keep the kids’ ministry running smoothly. Or, as smoothly as is possible with kids! They’re doing a Christmas themed series in Sunday school right now, and on Friday nights they’ve been going through the Creation story – very slowly, but they’re addressing a lot of important questions!
The adult Bible study continues too – we’re in Genesis, but going a little faster than the kids. 🙂
On Christmas Eve Eve we’ll be having a Christmas themed service – and a special year-end service the week after that.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to get together with some of our team of missionaries (the Frys and Chalo are in the States right now, and various children of said missionaries are in various places, including Hannah in Canada!). We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare for this upcoming change and as every missionary decides whether or not they will continue with Avant after the two missions join (if you missed that, check out Camino Global, Avant – What has changed, what has not…)
Of course both Hannah and Nathanael are busy with school, trying to get everything done so that they can enjoy some time off during the holidays. Hannah arrives in Mexico in 1 week, 6 days and under 4 hours!
So yes, we’re hoping to get some rest over the holidays, even though ministry will continue. There seems to be a seasonal bug going around our house right now, so we’re hoping that will go away soon (and that I’ll have a voice on Sunday!). 🤧
So that’s a little of what we’re up to! I hope you’re doing well, and able to catch some time to breath and to meditate on the miracle of the Incarnation.
The Greatest Christmas Song: Come and Worship!
This post is the fifth in a series about “the greatest Christmas song”. If you’ve missed the previous posts, here’s the introduction, the reveal, and then verse 1 and verse 2.
Today I’m going to cheat, and include three verses. The first one is probably the most familiar to you:
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
Lo! star led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child bring our hearts’ oblations.
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
These verses point us to the examples that we see in Scripture from the story of Christ’s birth.
Some Christians are skittish about celebrating Christmas. I see nowhere in Scripture where our modern Christmas celebration is mandated (or prohibited). But I do see Scripture calling us to look at the colourful, majestic, mysterious events that surrounded the incarnation, and calling us to worship. And so I think that there is a proper celebration. (By the way, on the topic of Christmas history, if you really want to dig deep, check out the series from 2016 – When Was Jesus Born?)
Although we know that the Bible never exactly says that the angels “sang” (check it for yourself), they did rejoice in a very poetic way! So in this verse, we call on them to sing in praise, and to give God the glory. Psalm 148 is a glorious example of this – calling on all creation to praise God. You can read it for yourself, but here’s the first bit:
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise him, all his angels;
Praise him, all his hosts!
… and so they did! And we call on them to continue!
Then the example of the shepherds – summoned by the angels – they leave their flocks, and gaze at the Baby. So do we make an intentional effort to focus on this story in Scripture at this time of year, and gaze in wonder.
Then come the Magi. Now, if there’s anything that might make me a little uncomfortable here, it’s that the focus is so much on the “Child” that we might forget – we do not somehow worship a “Christ Child” as some kind of separate entity or image. We recognize that the Child is now the God-Man who rules in Heaven. We do gaze and worship as we see Him in the Scripture – but we never separate that from who He is in eternity, and who He is today.
That being said, we do worship. “Oblations” refers to a worshipful gift, or offering. We present much more than riches – we offer sacrifices of praise and worship from our hearts (and so we offer all our riches as well!).
In both the Old and New Testament, “sacrifices” were symbols for something more than just literal burnt offerings:
- Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High… (Psalm 50:14)
- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)
- …let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! (Psalm 107:22)
- Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (Hebrews 13:15)
- Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:16)
Our sacrifices are very “Christmassy” things – giving thanks, humility and repentance, singing to Him with joy, and giving to others. So come, let us adore Him!
(To be continued next week)
More Books Read in 2018
As I mentioned back in March, I’ve been trying to read more books this year. And will probably continue trying next year. 🙂 So I figure it’s time for a bit of an update on some that I thought were the best.
I would still put the two I mentioned in March at or near the top of the list – so check those out in Reading in 2018 (so far).
So, some other favourites…
- The Book on Leadership (John MacArthur): Although the title wouldn’t win any prizes for creativity (and hence I really took my time getting around to reading it), on the inside it’s much more interesting. The book is basically a look at the life of the Apostle Paul, as a leader. It’s not so much a book about leadership in the church (I think MacArthur has another book on that theme), but more leadership in general. So these lessons from fascinating details about Paul’s life will serve any Christian well.
- Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Michael Kruger): On the more scholarly side, this is a book I read as I updated the Where did the Bible Come From? seminar for our time in Canada. There are lots of books about the canon of the Bible, but this one answers a specific question: How do we, personally, as Christians, know that we have the right books in the Bible? This book is a very interesting exploration of the topic, interacting with other views.
- The Woman in White (Wilke Collins): I enjoyed re-reading this classic over the summer. A chance meeting of a woman dressed all in white changes a man’s life forever – and in ways you would never expect (no, this does not have a plot like a Hallmark Christmas special). The story is “told” by various characters, from the innocent to the evil. Next, I need to re-read Collins’ other great classic, The Moonstone!
- The Disciplines of the Christian Life (Eric Liddell): Yes, that Eric Liddell, of Olympic gold medal fame. As you may know, Liddell was also a missionary. Although I didn’t agree with everything he had to say in this book (Liddell was Anglican, I am not), I certainly heard in his book the voice of a fellow believer, and also the voice of a fellow missionary writing for people he sought to disciple. Liddell was a master at using down-to-earth illustrations. (I “read” the audio version.)