"Listen to Him"

 

            Perhaps they felt honored. Perhaps it did not faze them at all. The invitation by Jesus to join Him on the mountain would, however, teach them much…about God….about Jesus….about themselves. They were often invited to accompany Jesus when the other disciples were not. Here they were again, on ‘special assignment.’ But climbing a high mountain? Were fishermen really equipped for that kind of physical exertion? Sleepiness, as Luke tells us, enveloped them as did a strange cloud, transforming the mountain into a classroom that God designed.

            Fishermen, whose lives on the sea gave them many opportunities to experience the gamut of emotion, were to stretch those feelings to depths they had never known. Consider these: the sheer wonder of seeing their Teacher completely engulfed in light from within Himself. The awe of seeing two of the giants of their faith, Moses and Elijah, alive and talking with Jesus about His coming departure from earth to enter heaven. Panic as the ‘visiting saints’ were leaving Jesus. Overwhelming fear as events unfolded and as the cloud engulfed them and the voice from heaven spoke to them. Shame and confusion as their suggestion to camp out on the mountain top was rejected. Emotional-overload might best describe the entire experience. But wait. What did they learn, or did they? Was the experience in itself enough to help them, or were there lessons God wanted them to learn that they could possibly learn in no other way than a direct, clear word from God Himself?

            Matthew’s account of the event records the essence of the message God wanted Peter (and us) to learn, four specific facts that can transform our lives if we let them: (1) That Jesus is God’s unique Son, (2) That God loves His Son, (3) That God is well-pleased with His Son, and (4)  We must learn how important it is to listen to the Son. There they are: truths vastly important for us all to learn, and ones that God will engineer circumstances in our lives to help us learn them.

            Ponder. (1) Jesus is never to be compared with other great men; He is indeed unique. He is God. He is Lord. He is not just another good teacher. (2) God loves His Son and He loves all who love His Son. There is no other way to acceptance by God except through His Son, no matter how wonderful we think that ‘way’ or person is. (3) God is well-pleased with His Son, and so should we be. If we seek satisfaction or peace or happiness in any other place, we will fail, because God will never allow us to experience true joy anywhere except in the Son. (4) And the message that ends this dialogue from God is urgent for us, too: “Listen to Him.” Listening to the Son must be our daily pursuit. And listening in the true sense of the word means to respond positively, to obey what He says. We must never be enamored with or distracted by the glitzy, the new and different, even when it is housed in religious garb. For them to see and hear Elijah and Moses was indeed very exciting, even overwhelming. But their ecstasy was hollow when compared with what they could know by listening to the Son of God! To become callous or indifferent toward the wonder of Jesus is dangerous ground for us all. Perhaps it is that kind of apathy or familiarity that brings the rebuke of Jesus that we have lost our first love . This enemy of apathy stalks the church as much as any other monster today. We must never place anyone or anything on the same level as our love for Jesus, no matter how wonderful humans are or even how religious experiences effect us. He alone must be our passion, our desire, our reason for being, our goal….our love-object. No matter how many ‘tents’ we want to erect on the same level as our devotion to Jesus, no matter how afraid we may feel at times when we see His workings around us, no matter how awestruck with people we are, nothing, absolutely nothing, must detract us from our Master. The cloud from God will engulf us and doggedly obscure those elusive ‘idols.’ He loves us too much to allow us to find any satisfaction in anyone or anything but His Son. The voice will continue to speak to any with open, receptive hearts: “Listen to Him. Listen to Him.” And what will He say to us when we listen? Much, I am sure, but of this I am positive. The most life-changing thing we will hear from the Savior Himself will be: “I love you.” To hear and believe that is indeed life-changing.

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

            It is December 9 today. I recently read several postings on Facebook from people who were discussing the fact that they did not feel the Christmas spirit yet. Their comments made me ponder: Just what is the Christmas spirit and how do you get it? What causes it and is there anything we can do to get it to come? Here are some of my reflections on the topic.  

            Just what is the Christmas spirit; how can it best be described? My description would certainly include these: a feeling of peace, love and joy. Other words I would use would be: thankfulness, contentment, a sense of happiness and belonging, loving others and feeling loved by them. How would you describe this rather illusive phenomenon called ‘the Christmas Spirit?’

            Have you ever wondered what causes these feelings we call ‘the Christmas spirit?’ Since feelings are caused by thoughts, if I have these ‘positive Christmas-Spirit feelings,’ then I must be thinking some sort of good thoughts. So, it appears obvious to me if I want to have these feelings, I must start with an examination of what I am thinking. Clue: if I think negative feelings, the Christmas spirit flies out of my life! But what if my life is full of things that are negative? Do I just ignore them and live in unreality? Obviously, the answer is no. But what I must learn how to do is to focus on the positive things in my life. And the best way to do that is to think about what God did for me by sending His son that first Christmas morning. There it is. Love. Forgiveness. Purpose.

            Another suggestion: The Christmas Spirit might best be thought of as the Spirit of Christmas, God’s demonstration of His great love for us. I think we need to recall often that God really does love us, no matter how rotten our life might seem! I can handle anything that life throws at me when I truly believe that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son….” My role? To believe and receive. Here are some truths to believe:

1.     Happiness is not in the giving or receiving of gifts at Christmas, but whether we have received God’s gift of Jesus.

2.     Real treasures are not money or things, but people, memories, the promise of the presence and power of God.

3.     Real joy comes from receiving God’s love and giving Him my life in return.

4.     God’s purpose for creating me was for relationship with me. I will never find peace or joy apart from that.

5.     When I try to find the Christmas spirit anywhere but in my relationship with God, I may have a short-lived emotional high, but I will miss the real thing.

            So, what must I do this Christmas season? How can I gain and maintain the true ‘feeling of Christmas?’ It is really not all that hard, except for the fact that we like to try other things, the phony and plastic replicas of the real thing. Wonder why we do that? It is really smarter to believe and do the right things, isn’t it?

1.     Take time to ponder, really ponder on how much God loves you.

2.     Read the Christmas story again, slowly, and prayerfully put yourself into the story.

3.     Use music to help you worship the One who came to die for you and to live in you.

4.     Do as the Savior did: go about doing good. Focus on making others happy and watch how your own happiness level increases.

5.     Refuse to throw any pity-parties. Focusing on our own problems instead of the grace and mercy of God will chase the Spirit of Christmas away.

6.     Praise the Lord for His willingness to come to earth as a baby, to live as a human, to die for your sins, to rise so you can count on being raised one day, and for inviting you to be His child. And thank Him for the Spirit who dwells in your heart.

Remember this:  when God’s Spirit is filling you and controlling you, your ‘Christmas Spirit’ will be obvious to you and to others. And you will then enjoy this great peace, love and joy, during the Christmas season …. and all year long!