"And its all for you/every spark in every flame/all for you/and all the stars will know your name"
I love this video, because it inadvertently points me to Him.
I want to yell: look up! You don't have to be fed by dark beats or by the music itself. If there is anything good or beautiful in you, it's merely a reflection. Look up with arms raised to the One who made all of this, to the One who made us in His image, to the One who created us to create and to enjoy all things. Music, color, love... life. Anything good or beautiful in you, give back to Him.
{It's all for You/and the stars all know Your name!}
Asking "what is the point of Christmas?" draws a variety of responses. An overwhelming victory shout {Jesus}, a mixed bag of beloved traditions, allusions to family and friends, to our time and how we spend it, and even the brutal truth of how this season can simply bury us.
Here are a few points you shared:
"The entire point of Christmas is Jesus. It's sad that we become numb to the fact that the God of all humanity would send His son to earth. Jesus gave up heaven and came down to live and die with us to save us. This is where the path to restoration started. They had no idea who he was. He was God's gift to us."
"The idea of describing the point of Christmas is certainly a daunting task, many have dedicated volumes to this end and certainly many different points could be discussed, all with equal merit, truth and significance. I suppose if you needed to boil it all down to one point, it would be sufficient to find the place of Christmas in the overall message of all of scripture and all of life, which is God restoring his creation to its intended state in order to glorify his name. The place of Jesus is obvious to those who believe, that he is the unblemished lamb that is offered up for the sins of God's people so that the wrath of God might be satisfied and he may dwell with his people and his presence would stir worship for himself. I think of Exodus 12 where we see God command Israel to bring a lamb without blemish into their house for this exact purpose. The rest of Exodus is about the promise of God to dwell with his people and the means he provides for them to do this. The sacrificial system points toward the inevitable arrival of Jesus, toward Christmas, when our lamb comes into the house, not to be tamed, not to be our pet, but to be sacrificed violently so God could establish his people who would worship his name because of what he had done. Praise God for he has provided the lamb on this wonderful day, a lamb that none of us could provide!"
"What is the point of Christmas? While this question has become increasingly muddled in our modern society, for me it is still as simple as a Celebration of the birth of Christ. While Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th, it seems as good of a day as any to celebrate that. But why is that something we should celebrate? And how is that related to Santa Claus and Christmas trees and the giving of gifts? Those are all legitimate questions, and there are plenty of other great blogs that have written about them, so I will just focus on why this is something we should celebrate.
I love listening to the Hallelujah Chorus. Most people know this piece of music, but I don't know if most people think about it in the context of the entire performance. Handel's Messiah is simply the words of the Bible set to a very moving and riveting score. What begins with the announcement of the Messiah in Part I is culminated in the Hallelujah chorus (from Part II, but often times is played at the end of Part I in a shorter show). The word Hallelujah is defined as "used to express praise, joy, or thanks especially to God". The words in part read:
The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
For ever and ever, forever and ever.
This is why we express praise and joy for God; because of His ultimate rule of the world, and the ensuing greatness of Eternity with Him. And this all starts with His first coming, which to me is the ultimate point of Christmas."
***
I want to add that the point of Christmas... is Him.
Since the dawn of creation until the end of days, it has always been about Jesus... and He is love. So really, Christmas... Jesus...Immanuel {God with us}, is an expression of God's love for us, rivaled only by the Cross. God made you; He loves you. He wants you. He sent Himself to Earth in Jesus to free you.
The list of what I wish I could explain to you this Christmas stretches for miles. I want you to know that "Jesus" is not synonymous with "religion". That church isn't a "club" propagated only to the rich or to the gullible. That it doesn't look like maybe what you remember. It's no longer the turned-up noses of our grand-parents and great grand-parents' generations sitting in hard pews. I want you to know that not all Christians act like what you see in the movies, and that just like in all things, people can't be objectively 'defined', at least, not by each other. I want you to know that the church is alive, that God is real and that He is moving. I want you to know that whether or not we 'believe' something doesn't make it true, rather, something is either objectively True or it is not. I want you to know that Christianity transcends terms like "religious preference", "political bias", or even "worldview". It's not a hat worn weekly that can be taken on and off. It's a movement, but rooted in truth, it is not fanatical. It is historical, and it is wholly supernatural. Friend, do you know Jesus?
You've probably been right. You've seen hypocrisy, and are maybe still nursing old wounds. It's bound to happen; we are imperfect people in-progress, and this world is broken. It's not what He wants; this was not His plan. He does not turn a blind eye to us and our mess. He will fix this one day; I promise. I want you to know that authentic Christianity looks like giving grace over and over again. It's the opposite of everything you've ever known. It's giving people what they don't deserve, because we've been given what we don't deserve - His mercy, another act of love expressed by God on the cross. It looks like forgiveness on repeat, a new softness, leaving the past behind in favor of infinite fresh starts.
{A true Christian recognizes his brokenness and brings it to Jesus.}
It's dependence. It's higher thinking; it's looking outside yourself. It's 'the greater good'. It's the ultimate expression of humanitarianism. It's philosophy. It's love; it's the solution. It's everything you've tried, and everything you want to be true. It's being made righteous by a King, not a fabricated righteousness of ourselves. Church is not just a building, it's the collective joining of His people. Church is where we are all patients in a hospital, some of us being revived. He is waiting to lift your burdens, to break all of your chains. Do you know Him?
"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Jesus, Matthew 11:28
"But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." - Jesus, John 4:14
Friends, did you know that churches are full of people like you and I?
That music for Him can sound like this:
That He speaks to people through visions and dreams? That He loves deeply and is drawing people of every nation, race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation to Himself, to make us whole, even now?
I want you to know that the Bible is the most historically and archaeologically verifiable collection of books ever written. I want you to know that the "Word of God is alive and active" and that it is "sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." {Hebrews 4:12}
I want you to know that it was prophesied long before His birth that He would come. Not just the details surrounding His birth, but also those of His life, ministry, crucifixion, and second-coming. He was revered by believing Jews as their promised "Mashiach" {Messiah}. A King. The great Deliverer. There are nearly 300 prophetic references to Jesus Christ throughout the Old Testament.
The Bible is a miraculous, focused collection of historical events, moral and civil law, Hebrew poetry (R. Vannoy), and end-times prophecy. The Bible declares how it all began, it exposes who we are, it offers hope and Life in Jesus Christ, and bookends with how it all will end.
I want you to know that there is a reason for this season.
{This is mostly written to the tune of 2007-2011ish,
though the sentiments expressed could easily apply to the people in my life now.}
With gift giving, limited space, and Christmas coming, I decided to clear some space today. Two closets and one wedding video later, Nathan and I couldn't stop laughing - seeing how young everyone was, some seriously legendary moves happening on the dance floor, underage me taking a sip of champagne and shaking my head in what I assume was disgust, hearing your marriage advice for us, and remembering how solid our friend group was at the time. {It makes me sad to write 'at the time'.}
I knew then that it would change. We were all going different ways, some of us graduating, moving, getting promoted, getting engaged, married, buying homes...having babies. I know now, that change is natural, inevitable, but as with many things, my heart is slow to learn. Knowing it's inevitable doesn't change how memories affect you. Merely 'knowing it' doesn't ease the bittersweetness or the sting of nostalgia.
Adulthood and parenthood changes you; your life is no longer about you. Evenings, vacations, and days off are spent fixing dryers, telling stories, and rocking tiny people back to sleep. There are many, many sleepless nights and showerless days. The phone is used less for texting and more for its calendar and alarm. Shopping, eating out, concerts, and movies are rare and eagerly anticipated. Extra money, free time, and travel become just terms on paper, elusive, said only after the words 'one day'. New shoes are a once a year thing, and we have come to love hand-me-downs and second-hand stores. While I used to see 3-5 movies p/week, I now see one once every few months. If that. Nope, probably not even that often.
Point being, more often than not, parents either exchange or shelf their own hobbies and interests {for just a short sweet time} in order to be with their kids. To love them, invest in them, guide them, and help them grow into the people they are going to be. And it's worth it! Don't get me wrong; I miss my friends. I miss last minute plans, spontaneity, buying plane tickets, and just being dumb from time to time. I miss shenanigans at IHOP, and I miss seeing movies that start later than 7:45. But this is precious time... and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
So let me be the first to apologize to you, dear friend. For every time I didn't call or text or message you back. For not visiting. For missing important events, even cards, gifts and phone calls. For running late, for forgetting {or never scheduling} coffee or lunch dates. For not getting together enough. For not being there for you. For making excuses, and for the times ahead where I will still fail. Please forgive me in this season. Know that you left a mark on my life, and that you are dearly, dearly loved.
If you don't see yourself, it's because I lost a lot of pictures when I got my new phone.
Would you pretty please send me some?
I would love a Cinemark or Utah flashback :)
Come visit us!
I don't even go to bed until, like 8. So... plenty of time to build a fort in the living room, tell scary stories, take a bunch of selfies, then eat pancakes.
