Jesus Reigns

Why did a man have to come? Why was a perfect son sent? To be an ensign and example to follow, so we could trace the steps of a man who lived life in the liberty of the father. We stress his perfection as an unattainable thing, where we are like him, his brothers, but he, forever the first-born, is always the one Father likes best. The best representative of our Dad. This separation, the upholding of the Man-God as an idol, the lifting of the Cross as an idol, the day-or-two celebration of his resurrection, the two-and-a-half-month celebration of his birth, all reek of tradition and performance without understanding or Love in any of it. We needn’t celebrate the birth of a baby; even the Christ. Let us celebrate that we are alive, that Christ is with us, and that we are in the Father. 

Man was with God, and then turned from him and couldn’t find him because of disbelief. He thought he lost something that couldn’t be regained. So God provided a sacrifice that would cover unbelief – a ram – and man could be rectified. But we hang onto our actions; that something ‘bad’ or ‘ungodly’ could stem from this heart must be my fault, and I think it can’t actually be rectified. This is how sacrifice’s coverage only extends so far: I think my heart is fully, and in reality, evil, so the offering couldn’t ever makeup for all the blood I spill. But God provided the sacrifice – and that we don’t receive it is to again not receive him. So he made a guy, who would be known as fully God and fully man, instilled with a steadfast faith, raised under a man of faith, whose life without unbelief (perfection) was unjustly cut short. For myself, as a man whose faith does waver, I deserve death; Jesus didn’t.  For me to finally receive life via sacrifice, this adhering to the Life of God in a Man Fully God, is to take on that identity, and finally, and without remission, say I am free of sin. We say this, and then fall back into the self-afflicting ‘Oh, God, I’m a sinner and deserve the just end you’ve got coming to me’, rather than standing up in the Life God granted, and Re-granted, and Grants every day. We lift Jesus as a Golden ram, something beautiful and pure and to be worshiped. Rather, He’s to be received and fellowshipped, and through him, we are to minister unto our father. We are to receive the Grace he provided to get into God; we’re to move with the Spirit God sent because I Am the Son, I am in the Father, and I have been given the Spirit. So Today is the Day. Not on some contested night  2,000 years ago.

Jesus was born, cool. He lived and was excellent. He died and it was for us. AND HE LIVES AGAIN. Let us worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, not reveling on the birthday of the man who showed us the way! Let us celebrate the light he brings! This festival of Light, of light-heartedness, of Freedom, of belonging to the one who Loves us so much he would afflict himself on our behalf. I often receive the affliction of the other voice, and find myself far from the life of my father. But in Christ, through life, death and satan are undone.

The tradition of Christmas has become a high place for virtually every American, and God says that all high places must come down. We worship a tree, heathen and Christian alike, the presents under it, the obligation and financial hardships that come with it, the gathering of the family, the food, smells, songs, atmosphere, and the good-will toward men that rises up once a year.

If you tell someone that Christmas is a high place in them, they’ll rip your head off.  This is probably making some of you uncomfortable now. The spirit of Offense is not the spirit of God, but it directs us to where we are not free, and we are in God, so Life.  “I love the feeling, the family, the food,” people justify themselves, and may or may not mention presents.  Creating an atmosphere of peace and serenity, when you can hardly afford to heat your home let alone light an extra 1000 bulbs, is not freedom. That’s a tradition that rises above wisdom and life. You don’t owe your family anything ‘so them’ or electronic this December. Saying that you partake of Christmas to worship the Lord is simply untrue. Worship the Lord in every day and you won’t have to partake of Christmas. Are you free enough in Him to sell all you own in this world? The things you esteem?

Jesus is grace, the bridge to a life of freedom in our Father. Grace is to amend the patterns I’ve fallen into in life that keep me from that freedom.  Receiving grace is becoming empowered and liberated to move without shame from what you have been into the light of God. For your sake, do NOT live your life how you’ve always lived it just because it’s what you know; do not do what everyone else is doing. Live unto the spirit who gives life, and that more abundant. Don’t conform, but love and walk free.

He is God with Us, so to think God is anywhere else is flawed. Jesus is here and now, he’s in us, and there is no separation from the Father; we don’t ‘get him’, we have him. We can present ourselves to him and return to his presence, which is right here: hence ‘presence’.

Jesus Lives! He’s Alive! I don’t care about his birth, how miraculous, how starry, how gifted he was, though it all lends itself to faith.  I care that God is near and that I can receive Him because I receive his identification with man. I could never relate to sacrificial animals, and I can’t enter back into Him by my own hands. It’s when I relinquish my hold on my Life that I can bow my head and be loved.  So what does God want in this season?  What is his spirit pushing not just for we who believe, but for all men?

This isn’t to deride Christmas or a dissertation on why you shouldn’t celebrate it; you are free in Christ to do as you will without being obligated to anyone. If you are convicted, consider why. This is to make you look at why you do what you do. Could you go without Christmas? We don’t want to go without the things we love: warmth, nostalgia, comfort, family. But can you have all those things without the tree, and without emptying your bank account?

Be with your family; everyone’s going to be off for the holidays. Give presents to people when they’re on your heart! Don’t build up a single day of the year for expectation. Every day is a chance to be with God. What’s December 25^th? Most people are at least vaguely aware of the pagan origins of Christmas, of the Christian and gift-giving Saint Nicholas, whom Coca Cola gave red clothing, so the modern Santa. Why is it romantic that a stranger comes into your house and leaves presents for your children? Why do you have your child sit on the lap of a strange man to take pictures? Why do we celebrate that? People say “it’s tradition,” or “it’s in the spirit of Christmas,” but what is that? The spirit of Christmas is the stuff we idealize and actually make a little effort to live up to for about 3 weeks a year. That is, personifying love and joy, peace, patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…formerly known as the fruits of God’s Spirit.

           I’m supposed to be reading about the legitimate ‘reason for the season’, that being Jesus, so what I’m going to leave you with is this: Jesus came and he changed the world by Bringing God home and making Him accessible. Every day is a “reason for the season” in God, so be present, and present yourself to our Father as Holy because there’s no better time than now. God bless you always.

Thought notes:

--Jesus is the reason I can approach God with my head uplifted. Jesus is the reason I do not live a shamed life. I do not have the power to amend my actions, but Jesus is Grace, and grace is to change. He stood in the gap when I was unreachable, this God-made-man, and I received him. I took him on and am made like him in the presence of our father.

--But, as long as we believe we can deny ourselves on behalf of God, we’re going to overindulge and hate ourselves for it. We can’t do anything to win brownie points and we can’t do anything to lose favor; we are loved, and so we walk with God in lightness and life.

--We love being able to give people things, to show our love and to let them know we haven’t forgotten them. This way, maybe things will be mutual and they’ll do me a good turn when I’m down and out.