A Christmas Acronym - Part Two

Last week’s Christmas message centered around the word, “Christmas’ which I used as an acronym. As I peeled apart the first five letters of that word and began my message with the letter ‘C’ to remind us of how God cherishes us. The letter ‘H’ stood for the question, “How could God love a sinner such as I – and you – that He did what He did by becoming flesh and dying that torturous death. The ‘R’ represented ‘reconciliation.’ Because of our sins God and all humanity were at irreconcilable enmity with each other. But in Jesus the Christ, God reconciled us to Himself when He placed our sins onto His Son.

With the next letter, ‘I’ I spoke about God's Invitation to all who want to receive from Him forgiveness and the total remission of our sins – even the worst of our sins. And finally, last week, the letter ‘S’ stood for the word ‘Seek’ as in ‘Seek Him while He may be found – not only during Christmastime, but throughout the year and throughout our lives.

Which brings us now to today’s message. I’ll start now with the ‘T’ of Christmas. ‘T’ represents the word ‘Take’ – as in ‘Take the message of the manger and the cross into 2024.”

Oh, may it be our prayer from time to time that we never forget this eternal truth as plainly stated in Scripture: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In other words, EVERYONE on planet earth deserves God's wrath. And it is, as Hebrews tells us, “A terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Romans 3:23 and Hebrews 10:31)

It will be an ETERNALLY terrifying thing for our families, for our friends, our neighbors, and acquaintances. Everyone. Even those we consider to be very nice people, even those we think are morally upright. Everyone. Jewish, Protestant. Catholic. Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, agnostic. ALL have sinned and fall short of God's requirement for salvation, which is obedient faith in the bloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who is the Righteous God's ONLY acceptable atonement.

Listen to St Paul tell the so-called righteous Jews and Gentiles of his day: (Romans 8:1-4, 9): “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. . . . 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

But how will our families and friends and neighbors and acquaintances know – or be reminded – of God's absolute and unchangeable requirement of faith in Jesus for eternal life if WE who know the truth don’t tell them?

And when was the last time you said to God, as Isaiah said when God asked: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

Listen, I have spoken to enough people during my half-century of walking with Jesus to know that MOST of those in our families and among our friends and so forth are not only uninterested in what we have to say about Jesus, but some can become downright nasty about it. And I am not suggesting we continue to badger them. Pray for them? Yes. But not badger.

But what of those to whom we have never spoken, or only on occasion. Oh, God still says it to us: (Isaiah 52:7) “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation . . . .” 

So, the ‘T’ of Christmas -- Take the Name of Jesus with You into 2024. And the ‘M’?

We should never think of Christmas without thinking of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I mean, she herself, under the full inspiration of the Holy Spirit cried out: (Luke 1:46b-48) “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.”

And you will remember with Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptizer proclaimed when Mary first visited her: Luke 1:42b -43) “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?”

Why did God choose Mary to mother His Son? We really don’t know the full answer to that question. But here are a few reasons to consider:

Mary demonstrated humility before God. And so, it was in humility Mary said to Gabriel: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” The Greek word used here for ‘handmaid’ carries the idea of being a slave to God.

Next, Mary demonstrated obedience to God despite what that obedience could cost her. In Israel’s first century culture, unwed pregnancy was a capital offense punishable by stoning. Mary, knowing her pregnancy would cost her betrothal to Joseph, her reputation, and perhaps even her life, nevertheless this young teenager laid herself at God’s feet and told the angel, “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

Finally (if there is a final thing we can say about Jesus’ mother), Mary loved the Scriptures. In an era when Israelite culture didn’t consider it a priority to teach girls the Scripture, it is clear Mary read and memorized God’s word. Her adoration of God (Luke 1:46-55) is an example. In those short ten verses of her Magnificat, Mary quoted or alluded to at least six Old Testament texts. (1 Samuel 2:1-10, Psalm 34:2, Psalm 35:9, Psalm 98:1, Psalm 103:17, Psalm 107:9).

So, I think Mary’s love for God and her obedience to Him is worthy of our great admiration, respect, and emulation for this young woman of God.

Which now brings us to the letter ‘A’ in Christmas. This letter represents the word, ‘Arise.’ It is at this point in my message that I want to remind us that Christmas is not only God's promise of the remission of our sins, but ALSO it is His promise about the future and guaranteed resurrection of every faithful follower of Christ.

When we studied through the Song of Solomon, we learned that many scholars consider this message as a picture of Jesus and His Bride – the Church. Listen to what the Bridegroom says to His Bride – especially as how it can apply to the Rapture of the Church, or to our individual homegoing. (Song of Solomon 2:10-13) “Arise, my darling. Come away, my beautiful one. For now the winter is past; The rain has ended and gone away. The blossoms appear in the countryside. The time of singing has come, and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs; The blossoming vines give off their fragrance. Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.”

Arise, my darling one. My beautiful one. Listen: Jesus is addressing this to YOU who call Him your Lord, Master, Savior, King, Friend, Lover of your soul. To YOU. This Christmas. Every Christmas. And everyday between each Christmas.  “Arise my darling, and come away with Me.”

You might remember the passage in Luke’s gospel when Jesus visited the city of Nain and saw a funeral procession carrying a coffin out of the town.  (Luke 7:13-15) “When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.”

Because of Christmas – AND the Cross AND the empty tomb – every faithful follower of Christ will one day hear the shout of the Lord Jesus – similar to what He shouted toward Lazarus’ tomb: “ARISE, my love. COME FORTH from the grave. The winter of your life is past. The tears and the pain and the loneliness and the sorrow are all gone away. Truly I say to you, the time has arrived for singing. Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come away with Me.”

Listen to the Bridegroom’s promise through St Paul: (1 Cor 15:50-58) –

“Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

And, speaking of remaining steadfast and immovable, this is a good segue into the last letter of Christmas S. For this message today, ‘S’ reminds us to STAY THE COURSE. To STAND FIRM. To seek to mature every day in our relationship and obedience to Christ so that we will be able to say at the end of our life as St Paul was able to say: (2 Timothy 4:7-8) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

My brothers and sisters, I BEG you: Stay the course. Persevere. Keep doing the right things even when you don’t want to do the right things. Even when you’re tired, or depressed, or lonely, or broken. You and I have choices in those circumstances to give in to our negative emotions, or to push through those negative emotions toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Stay the course. Satan has been unleashed on this planet AND in so many of our churches and denominations to seduce the faithful into unfaithfulness. For example, you all watch the cable news and listen to word of mouth among your circle of friends and family and acquaintances.

How many have been seduced into believing ‘all religions lead to God’? Or, ‘If a woman can’t afford a baby at a time in her life, it is perfectly acceptable that she kill the baby in an abortion clinic.” Or, if two men or two women love each other, it is wrong to call that a sinful relationship.”  Or if a man and woman love each other, it is fine for them to live together outside of the marriage bond.” 

And there are so many other satanic lies and deceptions circulating the churches and the culture that it would take a proverbial ‘month of Sunday’s’ to examine them all and tear them all apart with God's sword, which is His holy word.

Remember what St Paul wrote to Timothy in that first letter: (1 Timothy 4:1ff) “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith . . . (Then Paul tells him further down in this text): “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

And in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he wrote; (2 Timothy 4:1-4) “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Listen, Christian – people are watching us. They are listening to us. So, please, pay close attention to yourself and to your responses to life’s hard and easy circumstances. In Christ, with Christ, and through Christ, persevere on your journey toward the Celestial City.

I will bring this message now to a close. Christmas is not merely about a pretty manger scene. It is about that ugly, bloody cross on Calvary’s hill – and, of course, the empty tomb three days later. Christmas is about how God CHERISHES you and me. God incarnate answers the question, “HOW can it be that the utterly holy God would so willingly receive to Himself sinners – even the chiefs of sinners?” The Christmas holy day and the Christmas holy season is about the Almighty Holy God RECONCILING sinners – even the chiefs of sinners – to Himself through the bloody body of His most precious son, Jesus. It is about God's INVITATION to join His eternal family. It is about SEEKING Him while He can still be found – NOT the Baby in the manger, but the MAN on the cross.

Christmas is about taking the message of the manger and the cross into 2024 and beyond that. Christmas is about Mary – reflecting in our own lives her humility, her love for Scriptures, her obedience to God despite that it could have even cost her life. It’s about the PROMISED resurrection to eternal life to all who know Jesus as their master, king, and savior. And Christmas is about STAYING the course, STANDING for Christ, STAYING true to Him and to His holy word.

Christmas. The word itself reminds us of what God did for us, for it is “In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8a)