Whose birthday is it anyway?

2 days till Christmas! Excitement builds, final plans go into that perfect Christmas lunch, and new parking spots get discovered in over crowded malls. Though it should be said, most of those new parking spots require 4X4's or monster trucks to reach...

In a previous post, I spoke a bit about my frustration with the question "What is the real meaning Christmas?". I just read an article by David Lose where he looked at a slightly different question, "whose birthday is it anyway"? The answer might surprise you...

Lose suggests that it might actually be our birthday. As John writes at the start of his gospel, "To all who receive him, he gave power to become children of God." John 1:12

Could it be, that in our over-zealous attempts to moan about the commercialisation of Christmas, we actually missed the point ourselves? That as much as it may be the day we remember Christ's brithday, it is the day that we remember when we became children of God. Our spiritual birth. The day we are born into the family of God. This was only made possible when Jesus arrived on earth. When He lived, and when He died. And when He rose.

Sure, it is good to remember Jesus' physical birth. But Jesus had been around for a long time already before He visited a stable in Bethlehem. In fact He was there when earth was created. But it was only after He came that we had the opportunity to be born into His family. So shouldn't that be what we celebrate at Christmas? Maybe giving each other gifts is not such a bad thing. Maybe it's our birthday too. Now that is something to celebrate!

The sad thing is, there are still so many who don't know that Christmas can be more than Turkey and Christmas cake. There are so many who don't know they can be children of God. Who is it that you long to share this hope with before next Christmas? Who is it you would love to share a birthday with on 25 December 2011?

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect - 1 Peter 3:15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to make time

I am not used to hearing the ticking of a clock.

I am a digital man, it takes me a good 10 seconds to read an analog clock. I still think about little hands and big hands.

For the past few years I havenʼt worn a watch. I know there is a trend where young people arenʼt wearing watches because they have their cellphones to check the time. But my decision to get rid of my trusty digital wrist watch had more to do with releasing myself from the temptation to constantly check the time. To live more freely.

Back to the ticking clock. My wife has put a clock in our study. It ticks. Every second. Previously I found the sound annoying. But I just had an epiphany.

You see I am a procrastinator. I am the worst. I have an unbelievable tendency to not be able to get things done. Itʼs not that I donʼt have a system of to-do lists or phone reminders. It just that I prefer doing other things besides the task I need to do. If I was productive 8 hours in a day, I think I would be a pretty awesome guy. A great youth pastor, excellent preacher and admin superstar. But I am not. Because I get lazy.

I recently read somewhere that time is one of those things we have no control over. When someone says they really need to “make time to...” they are really being a bit optimistic. We donʼt make time, we only use it wisely.
“For a manʼs ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.” Proverbs 5:21,23

Eish.

Die for lack of discipline? Perhaps not physically, but certainly spiritually. Lack of discipline in our personal walk with God will lead to spiritual death. Lack of discipline in our ministry will lead to, well, not much ministry.

My epiphany? I want a ticking clock in every place I work. It might annoy me, but it will remind me that God has given me the gift of time. But it is limited. I donʼt want to waste Godʼs gift.
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I need to beat my own drum a bit

So we have carols by candlelight this Sunday at church, and I have been asked to do a short address, of course keeping to the theme of Christmas. Now I don't know about you, but I get fed up with the idea of "we must remember the real meaning of Christmas".

Sure I get it, Jesus came into the world to serve and save, and that is significant. We should do the same. Also significant. But somehow it just seems cliched to try be uber-Christian as a response to the commercialised version of Christmas we see in the malls and on TV. And in the end, most of us will still have a lavish Christmas lunch with presents that cost too much and a credit card debt to remind us of the real meaning of Christmas for the whole of 2011.

The little drummer boy got it. He had nothing to give, he was just a poor boy like Jesus. He couldn't give Jesus gold, frankincense or myrrh. Man he couldn't even give him a chappie. But he had his drum. And he had his talent. So he played for Jesus with all his might.

In a recent blogpost, Julie Cunningham, editor of SA - The Good News quotes her mentor: "God is not interested in what you don't have, but in what you do with what you do have". It is great to be generous at Christmas time, especially when it is aimed at those less fortunate than us. But when you are still racking up a crazy Christmas debt, then you have missed the point. God is interested in what you do with what you have. And let us be honest, making a quick donation to a good cause is never going to really use everything we have.

 What we have is so much more than our bank balance.

And if your bank balance is less than nil then you should be glad it is not the sum total of what you have!

The drummer boy had a gift. And he used it. What if this Christmas you played your drum for Jesus? What if you played your best for him? What would that mean? And could you sustain it for as long as credit card debt will choke others?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why people keep the Law

The contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees and the way they interacted with the Law is significant. The Pharisees definitely kept the Law. But it seems like they kept it for the sake of keeping it. They kept it to prove their righteousness. Their great life purpose was to be Law abiding citizens. Nothing more. Sad.

It is kind of like in Mark 2:27 where Jesus teaches that the sabbath was created for man, not man for the sabbath. We were not created to keep the Law. People came first, then the Law. The Law was created to help people to live in harmony, to love God and to love others. We were created to love, not to keep rules.

So when Jesus applies the Law in new ways, He does it so that it helps us live a life of love. Not healing on the sabbath is certainly not living in love. If u look at a woman with lust in your eyes u may as well have jumped in bed with her because it has the same degrading effect. Being angry with your brother shows as much love as killing him. None.

So can we stop trying to create the idea that we were born to obey the Bible, and instead see that the Bible is exists to help us live. To truly live a life of love. Now let's get reading it.

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Read to lead

I have a problem.

I am useless at remembering names. Some of my closest friends were those who were most patience in my early days of asking their names, asking if we had met before (for the 4th time) or just giving them those stock-standard, neutral, i-don't-remember-your-name-but-i-will-make-small-talk-anyway kind of greetings...

It seems God knows me.

When He wants to get a message across, he doesn't just give it to me 3 times like He seems to do with most people. He bombards me from all directions with the message until I am beaten into submission to free up limited brain capacity to remember the message.

He is doing that now.

"All leaders are learners, and the moment you stop learning, you stop reading" - Rick Warren (www.rickwarren.com)

No matter what I read at the moment, I keep getting reminded that I need to be reading. Lucky I took the iniative to read in the first place, or I would have never known.

Donald Miller (donmilleris.com) suggests in his book "To own a dragon" that we read books to learn because in doing so we experience something like the pleasure God felt in the act of creation. We discover His handiworks with Him.

So not only does reading and learning get us to a place where we can read effectively, it is a medium through which God can reveal a ton of stuff to us.

As Christians, it seems imperative that we are committed to lifelong learning. We need to take iniative for our own growth by actively studying the Bible, as well as reading as much about the world (*God's creation I believe) as possible.

 

Lessons from the beautiful game Part 2

Another not so pleasant observation from the World Cup... okay it is a bit random but work with me here. It irks me so much when I hear people come out with "Oh so you support Team X, they suck", or similar refrains...

Now call me lame, but this seriously gets to me. Why the need to ridicule other teams? I have no problem when you tell me why your team is good, but don't tell me why mine isn't. Especially when you actually don't know anything about my team. And then you get those people who really know nothing about football, but insist on supporting the team playing against your team. Why? Just to rile you up. C'mon now, have you nothing better to do?

Now in the context of football, this may seem arbitrary, but in the context of life and faith it becomes more of an issue. Paul calls us in Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn. I was at Royal Bafokeng last Saturday to see  Ghana defeat USA. After the game the American supporters were obviously devastated. I heard some Ghanaian supporters (for the record I think they were actually South African) proudly singing that USA were the losers. Talk about rubbing salt into the wounds.

Are you even aware when you do this to others?

As Christians, we need to be prepared even in our own celebrations to respect those who are not celebrating. Like when you get your exam results and you passed but your friend failed, your celebration is always going to be muted, right?

But what about on the flip-side, when your friend has saved up for years and is now going on a dream overseas trip. What do you say? "I am so jealous, you suck!" No. Rejoice with those who rejoice, be stoked for them! "That's awesome! I hope you have an awesome time! Can I pray for your safe travels?"

Ephesians 4:29 reminds us to build others up in everything we say. I will never forget my mate Nkanyiso who challenged us when we playing a good ol' game of skim cricket. We were chirping the batsman everytime he missed the ball: "Do you need glasses?", "It is the round one!" etc. Nkanyiso challenged us after the game to consider if we had met the challenge of Ephesians 4:29. Where do we draw the line when it comes to joking about the weaknesses of each other? We need to remember that where we draw the line may be further out than others draw it. If we are to be all things to all people then surely we need to draw the line well inside of where those around us might put it.

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12:16

Lessons from the beautiful game Part 1

I have been frustrated by the amount of "simulation" from the players at the World Cup. We have all seen it, players take a dive at the slightest touch from a defender, then writhe on the floor in apparent agony, only to get up and run back into position as if nothing had happened. Further to this, players are often seen flashing an imaginary card at the referee to encourage them to book or send off their opponent. How sick is that?

Of course we are all quick to criticize this kind of action. But let us be honest, how often are our lives lived like this. We are so keen to point out the faults of others. We take joy in seeing others getting nailed for something they did wrong. We love to complain about the inefficiency or ineffectiveness of others. And yet, so often the very weakness we accuse the other person of is a weakness we ourselves struggle with. 

I often find myself "writhing on the floor in apparent agony" to try show-up someone else. If something goes wrong in one of my ministries, I am quick to politely mention to other people why it might not have been my fault. Or perhaps someone didn't do their job quite right, and that resulted in something not running properly in church on Sunday. It may not have really "hurt" me or caused me loss, but man will I complain about what was done (or not done) to show that I could have done better. And sure I probably could have done better, but I am often too lazy to work to the same standards I set for others. As I flash that imaginary yellow card, I know that I could easily get a red each time I don't perform to my own high standards.

This kind of action is so damaging to the Kingdom. Time is short to grow God's Kingdom here on earth. Why do we spend so much of it highlighting the imperfections in the good work of others? I often wonder if this type of action is what it means to "blaspheme the Holy Spirit". To make out as if the service of a fellow Christian is rubbish. Is her service not the work of the Spirit in her? Could our judgement in fact be the unforgivable sin spoken of in Mark 3:29?

My challenge to us all, is to not go down so easy when someone tackles us. Lets us keep our eye on the goal, and try stay on our feet as we dribble the ball that God has given us, the task He has given us to do for Him. Let us not fall down and then blame it on someone else. It is so much more satisfying to score a goal from open play after some classy Brazilian dribbling than to be brought down in the box and score from a penalty (and see our opponent sent off in the process resulting in his dreams being shattered). The Spirit equips us to overcome all obstacles.  If we don't complete the work God gives us, we only have ourselves to blame.