This photograph captures our 2010 Christmas. We were living in Southern California, and Josh had just turned 11. In the storehouse of my memory, it was a special year, as Eileen and I enjoyed that season of our son’s life which marked the unstoppable transition from child to youth. Things were changing for him and for us, and it allowed me to relate vividly to a song written by Mariah Carey for the 2000 movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” …
“Where are you Christmas
Why can’t I find you
Why have you gone away …
My world is changing
I’m rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too?”
Yes, sometimes even Christmas has to change.
My title for today’s blog posting was inspired by “A Christmas Carol,” the classic novella by Charles Dickens. In Stave V, after the dramatic transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge has transpired, the very first thing we hear from the new man is: “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” Scrooge has learned from all three ghosts who paid him a visit. And I would suggest that we who follow Christ must learn to view our lives through that same lens. There’s a very real sense in which we too must keep the past in right perspective in order to live fully in the present and be ready for the future.
In Matthew 24:36, Jesus explains that the timing of His coming again – His second coming – is a mystery known only to the Father. In the Latin version of the New Testament, the word “coming” is “adventus,” from which we get our English word “Advent.” So you and I are living between the advents. That means that our life is a mix of looking back and looking forward. A life of true faith in Jesus Christ – now – requires much of both. We must look back to see the faithfulness of God in order to face tomorrow’s unknowns with confidence and joy. When we look back honestly and humbly, we discover that the Lord who never changes with the times (Hebrews 13:8) has been faithful to us, even in those past chapters where we still feel some sadness or regret.
Here’s my point. When we fail to look wisely in both directions – backward and forward – we’re unable to experience the worth of this present moment. And it’s of inestimable value. Did you know that this Christmas counts forever?
The Vince Guaraldi Trio captured a taste of Christmas past in their song made famous by the 1965 television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” …
“Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of year
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share …
Christmastime is here
Families drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year.”
In fact, you can see all of time represented in those simple lyrics, including the comforting “ancient rhymes” which we associate with the holiday that is upon us. All of time matters.
Here’s why the past matters: it’s rich with meaning and significance. Just like at the dawn of Creation, even on that first Christmas, God was working wonders on our behalf! The angel brought “good news of great joy” to the shepherds near Bethlehem: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Christmas is a marvelous opportunity for you and me to recognize the incredible blessings that were initiated by the coming of Christ to us. Had He not humbled Himself to reach us, friends, we would’ve been as trapped in our sin as Scrooge’s business partner was trapped by the cruel chains that shackled him mercilessly to the past. We’d be bound by brokenness, weighed down by wickedness – ours and everybody else’s – and imprisoned by shame.
But we’re free! By Christ’s spotless life, His bloody cross, and His empty tomb, our God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). But remembering what He’s done for us is only part of our spiritual vision.
There’s also what Christ is doing for us now! At the Father’s right hand, we who are in Christ have a great high priest in heaven who understands our every weakness – He’s felt our every temptation – so that He can help us in our every need (Hebrews 4:14-16). He is actively demonstrating His love for us right now by praying for us with all zeal and perseverance (Romans 8:34). And He is leading us into all truth (John 16:13), and conforming us to Christlikeness (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11).
And then there’s our future! Because of Jesus, you and I can live now by the unbreakable promises of God. Fears may knock on our door, but we don’t have to give them permanent residence. Knowing that we’re never alone, and that a glorious inheritance is already ours, we can rest in the goodness of our sovereign Lord – just as Jesus exhorted us … “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). As surely as Christ will come again – His second advent is on the horizon – we can face uncertainties with confidence, knowing that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Pastor Charles
Leave a Reply