"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." (Isaiah 11:1)
Religious people would prefer, "a Branch shall grow out of," well, some Greek type god, untouched or contaminated by human weakness, not out of, "the stem of Jesse...." That, "stem," was a very frail human being, a shepherd boy and king subject to the sins of humanity. His, "roots," and subsequent offspring were of the same, "stem," and, "roots." So are we------- and so is our Lord Jesus Christ, a, "mystery of the Gospel."
The Blessed Trinity did not start Salvation History from Heaven. He started from Adam, then Seth, Abraham, and as our text declares, "the stem of Jesse." If man were coming up with the perfect religion, he would have a Greek god-like creature coming to earth directly from some "heaven" to save and deal with us poor mortals; not so the Living Triune God, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." This is the reality of the Manger; this is the reality of Christmas.
Our salvation history culminates in an animal stall with a pervasive animal odor; and, could we even say, a human "odor?" The greatest controversy since the birth of the Church has always been Jesus, not Father, not Holy Spirit, in this case, not the unseen, but the seen. People can make the unseen anything they wish. Some unseen, or as the Athenians called Him, "the unknown God," some god afar off, a deistic god suits man better. First, such a god just creates things and keeps them running; you and I do all the rest. Secondly, such a god is not intimately involved in the daily lives of individual personages; I can do whatever I like, whenever I like, however I like. In other words, I am the center of my own deluded universe. Jesus, however, came and put confusion even in the hearts of Jews who should have known better. The whole of the Old Testament reveals God as, "my Shepherd," Who, "leadeth me," day by day, moment by moment, and teaches us that He will actually live in those who surrender their lives to Him.
For most, Jesus is too "real," too "seen." Here He is a baby, a boy at twelve working in Joseph's carpenter shop until He was about 30 years old. This is too much like them. But what is a frightening revelation to them is life, joy, and peace to those of us who surrender our lives to Jesus. Because Jesus lives in the Follower, we can walk as He walked this earth in a fleshly body. Everything Jesus was and did as He walked in the Galilee, He calls us to be and do. And He tells us we can if we, "abide in Me and I in you." Too many would rather not be bothered with such a life, and even some have tried it, but all in their own religious fervor; won't work. Here is a "Christmas challenge" for us all: "For with God nothing shall be impossible....I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed..., nothing shall be impossible to you." Consider the manger. It is our origin------------ and our possibility.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I have so limited You in my life and thereby limited myself. Work in me Your purpose for appearing, "going about doing good," your death and resurrection, and pouring upon us the Holy Spirit, the, "....He who believes in Me, the works that I do shall you do also." Amen.
Religious people would prefer, "a Branch shall grow out of," well, some Greek type god, untouched or contaminated by human weakness, not out of, "the stem of Jesse...." That, "stem," was a very frail human being, a shepherd boy and king subject to the sins of humanity. His, "roots," and subsequent offspring were of the same, "stem," and, "roots." So are we------- and so is our Lord Jesus Christ, a, "mystery of the Gospel."
The Blessed Trinity did not start Salvation History from Heaven. He started from Adam, then Seth, Abraham, and as our text declares, "the stem of Jesse." If man were coming up with the perfect religion, he would have a Greek god-like creature coming to earth directly from some "heaven" to save and deal with us poor mortals; not so the Living Triune God, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." This is the reality of the Manger; this is the reality of Christmas.
Our salvation history culminates in an animal stall with a pervasive animal odor; and, could we even say, a human "odor?" The greatest controversy since the birth of the Church has always been Jesus, not Father, not Holy Spirit, in this case, not the unseen, but the seen. People can make the unseen anything they wish. Some unseen, or as the Athenians called Him, "the unknown God," some god afar off, a deistic god suits man better. First, such a god just creates things and keeps them running; you and I do all the rest. Secondly, such a god is not intimately involved in the daily lives of individual personages; I can do whatever I like, whenever I like, however I like. In other words, I am the center of my own deluded universe. Jesus, however, came and put confusion even in the hearts of Jews who should have known better. The whole of the Old Testament reveals God as, "my Shepherd," Who, "leadeth me," day by day, moment by moment, and teaches us that He will actually live in those who surrender their lives to Him.
For most, Jesus is too "real," too "seen." Here He is a baby, a boy at twelve working in Joseph's carpenter shop until He was about 30 years old. This is too much like them. But what is a frightening revelation to them is life, joy, and peace to those of us who surrender our lives to Jesus. Because Jesus lives in the Follower, we can walk as He walked this earth in a fleshly body. Everything Jesus was and did as He walked in the Galilee, He calls us to be and do. And He tells us we can if we, "abide in Me and I in you." Too many would rather not be bothered with such a life, and even some have tried it, but all in their own religious fervor; won't work. Here is a "Christmas challenge" for us all: "For with God nothing shall be impossible....I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed..., nothing shall be impossible to you." Consider the manger. It is our origin------------ and our possibility.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I have so limited You in my life and thereby limited myself. Work in me Your purpose for appearing, "going about doing good," your death and resurrection, and pouring upon us the Holy Spirit, the, "....He who believes in Me, the works that I do shall you do also." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
