A Fresh Christmas Thought

Dear Friend,

I bring you greetings from my family (my immediate and also my extended family-my church).

Just want to share with you an important thought this Christmas.

The Church remembers and celebrates the "death" and the "resurrection" of our Lord whenever it meets. This is expected of the church and so we have the Lord's Table in our fellowships. So according to the Bible, its Good Friday and Easter that we have to celebrate.

What then about Christmas? Does the Bible say anything about Christmas? There is mention of one 'Christmas' in the Bible and it is from the original day (though it is not called Christmas). But it was a day full of gloom in Palestine, especially in the manger.

I mean there was

• a political gloom because of the colonisation of the nation for over 400 years,
• a financial gloom over the nation because of the frequent invasions and later on heavy taxations,
• a spiritual gloom because a prophet of the Lord had not appeared for over 400 years....

and the manger too was not in a condition so as to kick off celebrations

• it was smelly and dirty
• it was uncomfortable
• perhaps even a midwife was not there to ease the birth of Christ....

However there were celebrations!!!

And these celebrations happened in the heavenlies!! Heavens rejoiced. Heaven celebrated the First Christmas....

Isnt it so true even today? Even today it is heaven that still celebrates Christmas though its of a different kind. As soon as Christ in born in a sinner's heart, Christmas happens for him and the Bible says, angels in heaven rejoice. So Christmas is a celebration for the heavens.

For us on earth, it is the 'Good Fridays' and 'Easters' (whenever we decide to celebrate it albeit every day). But for Christmas to be celebrated in the heavens, we need to become Gabriels to some Marys. We need to help people conceive Christ in their hearts.

Now I dont intend to preach you out of your Christmas celebrations. Celebrate at will. I think there is nothing wrong in celebrating Christmas on earth. But not at the cost of the celebrations in heaven. That's the thought I want to leave with you this Christmas. Something for you to think about and carry over into 2008.

May God strengthen you to spread the message of Christ of Christmas.
May God strengthen you to spread the love and hope and faith available in this little boy child who became the redemeer of the world.
May the peace and goodwill in the air be with you through the coming year.

All the best wishes of the season to you and your family and wishing you a very Happy and Blessed Year 2008.
GOD BLESS

Ps.Geo Verghese, Mrs.Chinchoo Geo, Jefferine Suzanne George, Joanne Shireen George
and
Grace Fellowship Assembly of God
Ahmedabad
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do visit my other blogs:

geoverghese.blogspot.com (SOUL CAFE)
geosongs.blogspot.com (MY SONGS)

Zechariah 1:3 “…Return to me and I will return to you!”

The ageless call of the Most High, that resonates on the planet since the fall of man has been, “Return to me”. God always had a remnant across the ages who responded to Him. Abel paved the first way as a response to the call, Enoch walked it till he was not, Noah shouted it to an unmoved generation till they all drowned, Abraham left everything to return to Him, Isaac and Jacob followed suit till they became a multitude trying to return to Him but only to end up in bondage in Egypt, Moses led the exodus from bondage to become a free nation that has returned to Him, Joshua led the conquests to establish the return, but then Judges had to try to restore order though ultimately each man did what was right in their own eyes, Kings tried to give direction while most of them themselves lost the direction, and all this while, Prophets Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and a number of others who are now called the minor prophets continued to reiterate and resonate the anguish in the heart of God, Daniel and Jeremiah became heralds in captivity, and Ezra and Nehemiah led a return of sorts. Malachi’s was the voice last heard before there seemed to be a silence for four hundred years.

This silence was broken by an unmistakably blunt and brutish call of John in the desert to return to God but this was actually a thunderous proclamation of the advent of the Son of God himself who was the call of God in “flesh and blood”. Word had become flesh. His resurrection from the dead and the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire strengthened the apostles to carry this call across boundaries and cultures to people everywhere, announcing this call now in every language and dialect, calling people everywhere to repent and return to God. For two thousand years, through church fathers, the institution called the church and the ethereal universal church of Christ, the leaders of the protestant movement, martyrs, the leaders of revival across the last few centuries and even until today, the distinctive call is being resounded very clearly, “Return to me!”

Though God had made the call to return to Him, yet He placed an Angel with a flaming sword to guard the entrance of the garden indicating that the return to Him was not going to be easy. Some way had to be found around the flaming sword if at all to return to the pre-fall relationship with God.

Abel's and Enoch's attempts for reconciliation were perhaps inspired by the experience and testimony of Adam. Abraham’s was based on promises, Moses' based on the law and John’s was based on repentance. However Jesus’ call was a combination of all of the above and was also enjoined with more unparalleled treasures as reward but at a higher level of dedication and devotion to God.

In the pre-fall stage, the man and woman were naked but realized not, neither before each other, nor before God. After the fall, they made a covering of leaves to hide their nakedness from each other and they hid in the garden so that God would not spot them. Shame, fear and confusion had come into their relationship with each other and with God. When God came to meet them, he had to eventually sacrifice a lamb, let blood, and take the skin from it as a covering for the fallen man, so that they could even stand before God. Since then, a sacrifice has been the way to approach God. However it still was not enough for a return to Him as we know that the angel was still placed at the entrance with a flaming sword in hand.

The return to Him also had to be an end to the shame, fear and confusion that resulted after the fall, a situation where man had nothing to hide from each other or from God. Any call of a return had to necessarily include that. The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the garments of righteousness He has clothed us with have removed the sword bearing angel from the path. However a transparency was to be achieved in a daily walk to justify an earnest response from our side to His call to return to Him.

Such a transparency is not to be achieved at specific times as in worship meetings or before participating in the Lord’s Table but to be maintained continually and continuously. God demands nothing less than this although man does constantly escape because of God’s abundant grace. However, He demands a conscience so clear, a heart so honest and life of so much integrity that a pre-fall relationship is established herewith and not just after the life on earth is done. It will take more than Enoch’s determination, Abraham’s vision, Moses’ humility, David’s heart, Daniel’s resolve, Nehemiah’s burden, and John’s curtness to sin to reach anywhere. More importantly it will need Jesus’ touch and the Holy Spirit’ indwelling. Whatever it takes, I will have to return to Him, because only then He will return to me.

Psalm 131:2 “….I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast!”

Recently I had started traversing on a journey of trying to discover the attributes of God as revealed in the Bible. As I navigated through the first few attributes, I comprehended that I was venturing into something that would need my grey cells to stretch their dendrites and axons a bit more than the usual to grasp the concepts even faintly and my mind will have to stretch beyond limits to even vaguely grasp the depth, height and width of His greatness!

The very first realization was that since God is infinite, there is no end to the number of attributes that He has. God has only revealed a small fraction of Himself to us! There is so much more to Him that no creature knows about, even Angels in heaven! Moreover, the few attributes of God that do emerge in the Bible are themselves infinitely deep, high and wide! As my limited mortal mind tried to unravel the mysteries of God’s sovereignty, self sufficiency, omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience, His wisdom, His incomprehensible and inscrutable nature, His immutability, His holiness, His righteousness and justice, His goodness et cetera, I was just awestruck and stunned. I could almost feel the reverberations of the age old quest that was sung as a psalm by David of Bethlehem – What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

I also realized that the human language is inapt, deprived, inadequate, ill-equipped, gawky and so deficient that it’s impossible to even appropriately describe its own poverty! When language cannot even describe the taste of honey in such a way that the listener gets the taste of it, how can I expect it to describe to me the Creator of honey and every other thing? How can it assist me to express anything at all, even my gratitude or my awe of Him? But even as I wrestled with all these inappropriate words that were trying to portray the Most High God on the canvas of my mind, I did manage to sketch a portrait that was a resemblance, albeit vague, of His greatness and most remarkably, I was also allowed to get a feel of His love and have a glimpse of the burden on His heart. And it was so overwhelming. Every word that I had ever used in praise of Him or even to express my thanks to Him, looked so worthless, so hollow in comparison to what He truly Is! I felt as if by saying whatsoever I had, I had actually deprived Him (not that I can do that!) of what He truly deserved. My phrases and expressions were an injustice to His grandeur.

I suddenly realized the significance of silence. Not the silence that is forced upon the congregation after a rocking time of praise and heavy music, but a silence in awe of Him. A silence observed not in public worship but in the closet, in the secret. It is a silence that ensues my giving up of every attempt to express anything at all to Him, knowing that it is not worth its while.

Again emanating above the din of this silence, barely audible to my inner ears, were familiar words from the distant past, “I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me, but I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.

I had never allowed myself to discover the beauty of silence in the presence of God. I always thought that the most impressive words would make my praise dear. Sometimes I have thought that reserving some words of the language just for God and nothing else would be the right thing to do. Perhaps that was a much better deduction. But now I think that practicing silence in His presence is perhaps far more better. He leads me beside still (quiet) waters. He restores my soul.

Without asking too much, without saying too much, plainly loving Him and enjoying Him in silence is what I am relishing now. That silence has changed my attitude and perspectives. That silence is helping my patience. That silence has brought me peace. That silence and the reasons for my silence have taught me to trust Him. Earlier I believed Him, now I trust Him. That silence allows me to enjoy each moment and every circumstance of my life. I don’t need to occupy myself with too many things. He shelters me. I’m held in His arms right by His side. That silence helps me to hear His whispers. I’m talking less and listening more. That silence has helped me to anchor myself and not sway to every wind. I have been tossed so much in the past. That silence is helping me to be gentle and compassionate. That silence has calmed and quieted me.

John 6:53 “….unless you eat the flesh & drink the blood of the Son of man, you have no life in you!”

Jesus had opened the eyes of the crowd to a new level of understanding about him. All He did was bless the bread, break it and give it to his disciples and more than 5000 men and all those who accompanied them had there fill! Oh what a man. Perfect to be their king! He was apparently Israel’s answer to Rome’s Caesar. They all tried to make Jesus king by force. Jesus escaped!

Jesus why did you escape? Your mission on earth was to establish a kingdom! In fact your first message was, ‘Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.’ A kingdom where you would be king was why you had come. Then why did you escape? Of course, the kingdom had to happen in the hearts first before it could happen in physical reality.

However the people had not yet given up on Him. They made search parties to trace Him. When they finally did locate Him, Jesus told them not to work for the food that perishes. So now they were interested to know, how to do the works that please God. Jesus told them to believe on the One that God sent. It’s interesting to see how this crowd responds. Give us a sign that we may believe. Our forefathers got manna. Show us something similar and surely we shall believe. O my soul, did you get that? They were telling Jesus to do exactly what they were craving after. Provide them a permanent source of food and thus security and then they would believe! How many times have I behaved similarly? I ask God to provide me material blessings and security in exchange for my continued loyalty to him.

Jesus tries to clarify their understanding a bit by saying that this bread from heaven would give life to the world. They get more excited and asked more for this bread for it seemingly provided them not only a filled stomach through their life but also provided them life itself!

As this exchange goes ahead, Jesus finally tells them that He is the bread from heaven and the bread that He shall give for the life of the world is His flesh! It sounded very cannibalistic per se. If taken literally, it did, but in the light of what happened later, we know that He truly did offer His flesh in exchange for life of this world, thus becoming the bread of life.

But then He repeats it by putting it more brusquely and in a way that would offend even the most sincere of listeners. He said that to live, they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood! Even now it is too grotesque to read, let alone think about it and forget absolutely about doing it! Now this never became a practice in the church nor was such an event repeated later. So then what was Jesus saying here?

When I eat a piece of bread, or drink something, it becomes a part of me. If I were to stand on a weighing scale, my weight would also include the weight of what I ate or drank. If my x-ray were to be taken, the bread or drink would easily remain undetected and thus appear an integral part of me. That’s what Jesus was saying. I have to take him in, completely, flesh and blood, so that He becomes a part of me in a way nothing or none can differentiate between us. I would of course like to keep the whole of Jesus, in his full beauty and form to stand next to me, but Jesus says, “No; I want you to cut me to pieces and eat me into you rather than keep me beside you”. It seems He is saying that He doesn’t want me to look like Him on the outside, but have Him and be nourished inside and become like Him on the inside.

Jesus was also pointing at commitment. If I am not ready for such an intake and imbibing of His principles and teachings, then I am wasting my time. Many disciples left Him after they heard this noticeably hard teaching and Jesus made no effort to stop them. In fact He even asked His disciples, if they wanted to leave? Jesus bothered not about how many followed him, but made sure that all those who followed him took up their crosses, hated even themselves and ate his flesh and drank his blood!

Surely He had come to become a king, but on His own terms. He had surely come for a kingdom but a kingdom whose citizens had a heart and mind and story like their King’s. Humble, compassionate, focused, driven by love, sacrificial, self controlled, peaceful, righteous, merciful, pure in heart, kind, gentle, faithful, victorious, rejoicing always and bringing glory to the Father. I will eat your flesh and drink your blood Jesus.

Luke 13:9 “….but if not, you can cut it down”

Grape vines grow the best on very unfertile soil that cannot be used to cultivate anything else. That’s the reason why mostly the hilly terrains are used for the grave vine. No wonder the beloved of Isaiah 5 dug up his vineyard and removed the stones from it. The beloved was developing a land that had been written off and was actually in an uncultivable shape. Oh the heart of God! It is still the same. He chooses the barren womb to produce his mighty men, and chooses the fools to confound the wise, and the weak to humble the strong and the most infertile of all lands to plant his vineyard! After planting his vines, the beloved built a watch tower, and also made a vine pit. I am sure he also had it fenced to protect it from the little foxes.

In our story in Luke13, we read about an owner who plants a fig tree in his vineyard! Fig trees were common in Jesus’ days and they were found everywhere and along the roads. The figs were referred to as the poor man’s fruit because of it availability in plenty. The good sense or the rationale behind the master’s action is subject to speculation. However, I can relate with this tree as I too was like this fig tree and one day he planted me in his vineyard!

He came back to me expecting fruit! Was it a special or valuable fruit? No; not at all. It was a common fruit, a poor man’s fruit. He didn’t expect me to produce dramatic results, neither in quality nor in quantity, but he did expect me to produce fruit. Fig trees give fruit round the year, so I am not sure how many times during the first year, He would have come to me expecting fruit. When he didn’t find fruit through the year, He persevered and continued to look for fruit through the second year and this he continued for one more year, till the third year. When still I produced no fruit, he called the gardener and reported that I have produced no single fruit in the last three years and have been using up the ground, where some vine could have been planted instead! So he asked the gardener to cut me down.

The gardener pleaded for one more year-the year of grace. He promised that he would dig around it and put on manure. He was going to dig up the ground around this tree and make it a little shaky and he was going to harm some of its roots in the process. He was going to expose the hidden things. No wonder my life suddenly goes through shaky periods and I feel swayed by the winds of trouble and trials. Suddenly, some of my sources get cut off and even some of the people I trusted on and drew strength from are suddenly removed. Things happen in such a way as to cause an upheaval. But strangely, His word and his counsel come as a great respite and strength. Other times, it’s his people who come by to encourage and edify and still other times, it just a plain peace that I cannot understand. I suppose, these were the times that I had received manure - extra nutrition and care.

The gardener then goes on to say, something more startling! If still he doesn’t produce fruit, then you can cut it. So is it possible for such a tree to be unfruitful still? It seems so. Despite all the grace supplied, wisdom and strength provided, it is possible to still miss out on fruition. Oh woe unto me if I go through all the trials and tribulations and taste the mercies and provisions of God all through it and still at the end of it all, I am unable to produce fruit! Even the gardener gives up hope for such a tree. There is nothing more left to do so as to make this tree produce fruit. Oh if only this gardener was more like Abraham for the sake of Sodom and Moses for the sake of Israel, the fig tree would have got one more year at least. But No; he tells the owner that he can cut it down.

What is a fruit? I can say that it is the result of the basic characteristics of the plant combining with all things drawn from the ground. The expression of the inherent combined with the input is called the fruit. What I already have in me, and what all I soak in from ‘the God provided surroundings’ have to combine and form a fruit which can become useful for someone. Some of us become flowers and show off. But the gardener expects fruits. Not to be titillated in the eyes and the nose, but to taste and be filled. I need to process what God gives and combine it with what I already am and produce something that can bless others.

Strangely, the Fig fruit is not a fruit or a flower, it a combination of both. So am I expected to be both. I think so. But if I can’t, he is clear, I will be cut off! God help me.

Luke 13:3 “I tell you, No; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”

Jesus was referring to the Galileeans who were killed by the Pilate, and whose blood he had mingled with their sacrifices. He also brought up the event of the fall of the tower of Siloam and the accidental death of eighteen people. He then declared that these accidental deaths were not because these people were worse sinners than the once who were alive.

So then, was he saying that if one repents, they can escape the possibility of sudden and premature deaths? If so, then how could Apostle James or Stephen have sudden and premature deaths?

For a while I assume that Jesus was referring to the purpose in their death. I am reminded of Solomon’s statements in Ecclesiastes 6:3-5. If a man has a hundred children and lives many years but does not get a proper burial, it was better off that this person were still born. When a child is still born, it is dead on its birth. No one got an opportunity to know this child. This child got no name and made no impact on anyone that was supposed to be in its immediate surroundings. So our man is worse off than a still born child as in his long years of life and with a hundred children he made no significant, lasting and memorable impact on anyone so much so that they found meaning in this person’s life or his death.

Well, in reality, we don’t find this happening. In fact, people see to it that even the worst people get the best burials. Sometimes, I wonder whether I have reached the right place! People show no dearth of words in praising the dead man. There are institutions that see to it the even the vagabonds get a decent burial.

Looking more closely, I realize that Jesus has linked the purpose of life and purpose in death to repentance. I know that! What’s new about that? Wait my soul. There is something more interesting ahead. In fact very curtly Jesus is saying that however big be the reasons that I live and die for, without repentance, I will perish.

Our mission in life maybe as important as that of the Galileeans, where in they were fighting against the Romans and trying to free at least their part of the land, and if possible, entire Israel from the clutches of the Romans and re-establish the state of Israel. They had a gory end, but Jesus says that they were not worst sinners; the worst were still at loose. But the mission of their life and death also didn’t appeal to Jesus even though it was concerning God’s chosen people and nation-Israel? It was better off for them to have lived for a smaller cause than that, but a life of repentance. At this juncture I feel, God has excluded patriotism from the objectives of the church, but I will not dwell on this right now as it is a wider subject.

Scholars opine that the Tower of Siloam perhaps was being constructed to have a water tank that could replenish the pool of Siloam. It was required for the Jews to cleanse at this pool before they entered the temple. Now this cause should have appealed more to Jesus! Oh Come on! The tower was being made to fulfill the cleansing requirements set by Yahweh-the God of Israel. Jesus again shows no interest in their cause! He says that it would have been better for these people to have lived for a much lesser cause, but a life of repentance.

So let me gather my thoughts once more. According to Solomon, it is important to create an impact through your life and project a meaning of your life in your death. According to Jesus; who has arrayed the lilies of the valley to be more beautiful than Solomon in all his splendor; repentance will bring meaning to your life and more importantly to your death.

So repentance is more important than finding a purpose and making my life more meaningful! Yes. It’s not just repentance from acts of sin and unrighteousness and a life according to the flesh and the world, but it is repentance unto God. A change in mind, heart and every aspect of life so that the relationship with God remains reconciled and intact, a life filled with works that befits and proves the repentance.

“I tell you, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”.

2Peter 3:16: “some things hard to understand…ignorant & unstable twist to their own destruction”

This letter was the last book to be admitted into the canon. Fisherman Peter’s carefully weighed last words. The gospels are bejeweled with Peter’s utterances, but after the advent of Paul, Peter became more silent (at least that is what appears). But towards the end of his ministry, he comes with two epistles that are like bombs. But in one of these masterpieces, unexpectedly and impulsively, he admits something that I have complained about all of my life. He says that some of the teachings of Paul are hard to understand! Can anyone believe that!! Even Peter can’t readily understand Paul.

So true Peter, so very right. Some of the things that Paul says are so tough to grasp. Is it because of the long sentences? Is it because of Paul trying to say too many things in one sentence? Is it because Paul, starts explaining the contents of his sentence even before he finishes the sentence? It’s perhaps a combination of all that and much more. But the fact remains, some of the things are hard to understand even if I unwind its literary complexity. So many times I have jumped over difficult passages and chapters all together because they were hard to understand. However things do have changed over time, nonetheless, let me still vouch for my man, Peter.

Now, Peter says that the ‘Ignorant’ and the ‘Unstable’ twist these challenging scriptures for their own destruction! Who are these aliens? The ‘Ignorant’ and the ‘Unstable’! Or are they characters straight out of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’?

An impulsive and hush-hush self-check later I was humbled by the number of times that I myself have been unstable! I have had my ups and downs and still have them, so much so that I perhaps cannot recognize my ‘mean’! Many times, it’s the natural sway away from the things of God, being led by the flesh into the wilderness of sin, lust and wanton. Other times it the plain disregard to embrace the things of God, and plainly and shamelessly basking in the false righteousness of having refrained from the ‘big sins’. Still other times, I hear something new and suddenly the normal Christian life (or should I call it existence) starts looking spectacularly mundane and then after a while this new sensation becomes old and another comes in to take its place! Suddenly my life seemed like being at the pinnacle of instability!

Perhaps I still had hope of not qualifying into the other category mentioned by Peter. I was not ignorant. I mean, I know the Bible much better than many people around me. Or don’t I? Let me add to my shame and admit that if I were required to defend my faith before even a small group, I will definitely fumble and perhaps fume especially if they ask too many questions. I am ill prepared and ill-read especially with regards to so many of the alleged discrepancies of the Bible that are shot at me. I have always delved on the easy passages and thrived on it, while some of the difficult ones I have dodged. And then when I listen to new expositions of the passages in which I am a self proclaimed expert, I run to hide. There are so many things that I still need to learn and know. So now, I am ignorant too!

So these are not characters from ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ or aliens after all. Peter is referring to me! Am I too on the path of destruction?

As I muse, I feel the cold breeze around me, and I know it’s Him. I have felt it many times. I have felt it in hot and dry conditions. A cold breeze that suddenly calms and soothes me and I realize that perhaps I have been a bit too harsh on myself. But I am glad I saw these guide-posts set up by Peter. As he says earlier that I need to make every effort to make my calling and election sure, I also need to make every effort to wipe out instability and ignorance out of my life-story.

Paul says that, to get the approval of God, I need to carefully handle the word of truth like a workman that needs not to be afraid (2Tim 2:15). So what if some things are hard to understand, I will work on it, pray, meditate, discuss, explore and try to be the workman who needs not to be afraid.