OK, let me just warn you up front this is not going to go in the direction that you think it is. It would be good to write a few words about the true meaning of the Christmas holiday and encourage the reader to not get caught up in the materialism that seems to be on steroids at this time of year, but I wont. At least not any more than I just did. No this is going to be a few words on indulgence and wrack your brain for the perfect gift idea. There is an old saying that, "You never look a gift horse in the mouth". Now before Google I would not have understood that saying at all. I missed the farm by 2 maybe 3 years and thats where all that animal wisdom gets taught. However Google informs me that the this saying probably originated around 400 AD by St Jerome. Meaning not looking at a gift and judging it for value and not appreciating the spirit of the gift ( old horses likely have worn teeth and older is not as valuable as younger). Personally I dont like the sounds of that old saying. Who brought that up anyway??
Oh yeah, tis the season to think hard about what you want for Christmas. Think, think, think!! I did a Yahoo search for 2010 Christmas Gift List and it returned 3.5 million hits. A search for 2010 gift ideas returned 6 million hits. You get the idea, there are a lot of people now-a-days thinking about what would make the best Christmas (or your birthday, wedding, anniversary) gift/present.
The scriptures that I have in the title of this post are both questions that Jesus asks on two different occasions, but its basically the same question. "What would you like me to do for you?" Think about that for a second. The guy that has been walking all over Galilee and Judea healing people and causing a stir is asking "what can I do for you?" One response was deemed unreasonable and they requesters were told so. The other was not and it was granted - that he might receive his sight. I would imagine that a lot of thought went into these requests, even the one that was denied. Thats the way it is with gifts and gift giving, when someone offers you a gift you really want to think about it. What do I really want?
I think it would be an interesting exercise to see what we would respond to the Master if presented with that question. Im sure that no one would say, " I want an X Box 360 and the new COD game" but some might say that they would like more money, or a new car, or a different job or a bigger house. These things are not bad are they, but they might fit more into the WANT category than the NEED category. I know that this wasn't the question that Jesus posed in either situation but like I said lets think, think, think about how we would answer that offer.
What would we want/need that God could give us? Maybe that only God could give us. I could give you a television but I couldn't heal your heart condition. I could give you that XBox but I couldn't take away your breast cancer. I could get you an iPad or iPhone but I couldn't take away your fears,doubts,worries or anxieties. I couldn't give you hope. I couldn't give you peace. I couldn't give you comfort for the inner man/woman. I couldn't save your eternal soul. But
Jesus was Gracious enough and big enough to offer to anyone and everyone that could hear him, "To come unto Me, and I(He) will give you rest. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" It wasn't a big flashing sign that said "Limited Time Only", rather he stood up and said in a loud voice COME UNTO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST!!!!!
I think that I may have said this in another piece, but when the heat of life gets turned up on us a lot of the silly things that we think about or obsess about are quickly boiled away. What is left is the dry salty remains of things hoped for and dreams long gone. It sounds sad and in fact it is tragic, but in order to get what I really need sometimes I need to have all the crap cleared out. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the small Old Testament book of Malachi. The last OT book before Matthew starts up the NT. It says that God will sit as a refiner and will purify his people (the sons of Levi) and purge them as gold and silver. I have heard and read that a silversmith will sit and watch over the silver that he is refining.The heat of the furnace boils or burns or forces impurities out of the material and they are skimmed off. The refining process is complete when the smith looks at the molten metal and sees his own reflection on the surface.
The Apostle said it best when he said , This ONE THING I DO. There is no easier decision to make than one that has only one right answer. We are however sitting in front of an expensive piece of computing equipment reading this. Probably in a home, or coffee shop or even at our jobs right now. So things are not as simple as we would like. We have a lot of chaff floating around our heads and surrounding our lives. Chaff, although serving a purpose, is considered a waste material when considering the valuable grain or seed that it once surrounded. The process of loosening the chaff from the grain is called THRESHING. The process of separating the loose chaff from the grain or seed is called winnowing. The chaff servers a purpose but not the higher purpose of the fruit. In fact it hinders the gathering of each individual seed unless it is removed and destroyed.
My sister works at a street mission and kitchen on the weekends. She tells stories of men and women who have their whole life in a shopping cart. That sleep where they can find space and eat what is available if it is available. For these souls a lot of the chaff has already been winnowed away. The chaff that clutters most of our lives. And she is there on Sunday's encouraging them, helping them with that day, bringing a meal and some comfort to them. And she is living the life that reflects the refiners image. St Francis of Assisi said, " Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words". Now let me say I am not calling my sister a saint, neither am I not calling her a saint (at least not in the terms of the Roman church). What I am saying is this, if we have lived our lives in such a manner that when people look at us they saw Jesus' reflection, then for them, should the question be posed, "what would ye that I should do for you?" by the master ( He is speaking to them! He speaks to all of his creation, and he causes us to be in the right place, and frame of mind to hear him too) the response I think would be quick and it would be clear. They would say, "I want what they have"!
This may seem like a long bit of writing to get to this simple finale, and it probably was. Let me dig at the wish lists a little bit before put the last period on the page. What heads the top of our list? I can tell you this of a certainty that the Master is coming in your direction and He is coming as He has always come. With healing in His wings, with a Word of recovery for the halt, blind and lame. He has already purchased for us the peace that some of us so desperately desire. He has paid our debts and all of the handwritings and ordinances that were against us He nailed to His cross. This Abundant Saviour is coming in your direction and if you can muster the courage and faith to call out to Him. Call out His Name, like the blind Bartimaeus and say, "Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me!" and if you have to, cry out all the more loudly.
We will only have a life that reflects the Masters image and character if we are real about what it is we need from him. If we could do this world saving thing on our own, well, we wouldn't need a Saviour would we. We would need an action plan and an ad campaign and a website and some merchandise (oops sounds a lot like church). Before the Christmas holiday make a gift list for yourself but have only one gift giver in mind. Be real. Be genuine. Be ready for the question you have been waiting for and then, receive from Him. It wont be forced on you, but if you can muster a bit of faith, then receive from Him. That confidence will grow. Faith is alive and when we exercise it , it grows and grows.
Merry Christmas everyone and the Peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.
Oh yeah, tis the season to think hard about what you want for Christmas. Think, think, think!! I did a Yahoo search for 2010 Christmas Gift List and it returned 3.5 million hits. A search for 2010 gift ideas returned 6 million hits. You get the idea, there are a lot of people now-a-days thinking about what would make the best Christmas (or your birthday, wedding, anniversary) gift/present.
The scriptures that I have in the title of this post are both questions that Jesus asks on two different occasions, but its basically the same question. "What would you like me to do for you?" Think about that for a second. The guy that has been walking all over Galilee and Judea healing people and causing a stir is asking "what can I do for you?" One response was deemed unreasonable and they requesters were told so. The other was not and it was granted - that he might receive his sight. I would imagine that a lot of thought went into these requests, even the one that was denied. Thats the way it is with gifts and gift giving, when someone offers you a gift you really want to think about it. What do I really want?
I think it would be an interesting exercise to see what we would respond to the Master if presented with that question. Im sure that no one would say, " I want an X Box 360 and the new COD game" but some might say that they would like more money, or a new car, or a different job or a bigger house. These things are not bad are they, but they might fit more into the WANT category than the NEED category. I know that this wasn't the question that Jesus posed in either situation but like I said lets think, think, think about how we would answer that offer.
What would we want/need that God could give us? Maybe that only God could give us. I could give you a television but I couldn't heal your heart condition. I could give you that XBox but I couldn't take away your breast cancer. I could get you an iPad or iPhone but I couldn't take away your fears,doubts,worries or anxieties. I couldn't give you hope. I couldn't give you peace. I couldn't give you comfort for the inner man/woman. I couldn't save your eternal soul. But
Jesus was Gracious enough and big enough to offer to anyone and everyone that could hear him, "To come unto Me, and I(He) will give you rest. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" It wasn't a big flashing sign that said "Limited Time Only", rather he stood up and said in a loud voice COME UNTO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST!!!!!
I think that I may have said this in another piece, but when the heat of life gets turned up on us a lot of the silly things that we think about or obsess about are quickly boiled away. What is left is the dry salty remains of things hoped for and dreams long gone. It sounds sad and in fact it is tragic, but in order to get what I really need sometimes I need to have all the crap cleared out. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the small Old Testament book of Malachi. The last OT book before Matthew starts up the NT. It says that God will sit as a refiner and will purify his people (the sons of Levi) and purge them as gold and silver. I have heard and read that a silversmith will sit and watch over the silver that he is refining.The heat of the furnace boils or burns or forces impurities out of the material and they are skimmed off. The refining process is complete when the smith looks at the molten metal and sees his own reflection on the surface.
The Apostle said it best when he said , This ONE THING I DO. There is no easier decision to make than one that has only one right answer. We are however sitting in front of an expensive piece of computing equipment reading this. Probably in a home, or coffee shop or even at our jobs right now. So things are not as simple as we would like. We have a lot of chaff floating around our heads and surrounding our lives. Chaff, although serving a purpose, is considered a waste material when considering the valuable grain or seed that it once surrounded. The process of loosening the chaff from the grain is called THRESHING. The process of separating the loose chaff from the grain or seed is called winnowing. The chaff servers a purpose but not the higher purpose of the fruit. In fact it hinders the gathering of each individual seed unless it is removed and destroyed.
My sister works at a street mission and kitchen on the weekends. She tells stories of men and women who have their whole life in a shopping cart. That sleep where they can find space and eat what is available if it is available. For these souls a lot of the chaff has already been winnowed away. The chaff that clutters most of our lives. And she is there on Sunday's encouraging them, helping them with that day, bringing a meal and some comfort to them. And she is living the life that reflects the refiners image. St Francis of Assisi said, " Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words". Now let me say I am not calling my sister a saint, neither am I not calling her a saint (at least not in the terms of the Roman church). What I am saying is this, if we have lived our lives in such a manner that when people look at us they saw Jesus' reflection, then for them, should the question be posed, "what would ye that I should do for you?" by the master ( He is speaking to them! He speaks to all of his creation, and he causes us to be in the right place, and frame of mind to hear him too) the response I think would be quick and it would be clear. They would say, "I want what they have"!
This may seem like a long bit of writing to get to this simple finale, and it probably was. Let me dig at the wish lists a little bit before put the last period on the page. What heads the top of our list? I can tell you this of a certainty that the Master is coming in your direction and He is coming as He has always come. With healing in His wings, with a Word of recovery for the halt, blind and lame. He has already purchased for us the peace that some of us so desperately desire. He has paid our debts and all of the handwritings and ordinances that were against us He nailed to His cross. This Abundant Saviour is coming in your direction and if you can muster the courage and faith to call out to Him. Call out His Name, like the blind Bartimaeus and say, "Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me!" and if you have to, cry out all the more loudly.
We will only have a life that reflects the Masters image and character if we are real about what it is we need from him. If we could do this world saving thing on our own, well, we wouldn't need a Saviour would we. We would need an action plan and an ad campaign and a website and some merchandise (oops sounds a lot like church). Before the Christmas holiday make a gift list for yourself but have only one gift giver in mind. Be real. Be genuine. Be ready for the question you have been waiting for and then, receive from Him. It wont be forced on you, but if you can muster a bit of faith, then receive from Him. That confidence will grow. Faith is alive and when we exercise it , it grows and grows.
Merry Christmas everyone and the Peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.
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