You may not think of yourself as a theologian, but you are one. This series will describe various doctrines from a lutheran perspective.
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Theology
While Apple is known for incredible products and intuitive design, they are not often known for their commitment to their families.
How important is to you that your pastor has a good fashion sense? Does it matter to you whether or not you can trust your pastor's fashion advice on top of his spiritual leadership? Ed Young of Fellowship Church in ???, Texas recently launched a website called PastorFashion.com. I may be a bad judge of the importance of this because I honestly care very little about my fashion; my wife or my mom buys every piece of clothing I have. I occasionally influence my wardrobe as I add more graphic tees into the mix. Many pastors have incredible impact on culture as they use their unique gifts in films, books, the arts, and even clothing design. But how important is it to have a fashionable pastor in the pulpit?
There is a reason why when Time magazine recently published their magazine touting the title "Are you mom enough?" that it caused quite a stir. When looking at the cover a child, who appears to be plenty old enough to be eating normal meals, is happily breastfeeding. This is disturbing for the simple reason that there comes a time when it is time to stop breastfeeding and start eating real food. The appropriate age to stop breastfeeding is not something I'm interested in; instead I'm more interested in the simple fact that at some point everybody realizes that it is time for a kid to mature and start eating real food. There is not a culture in the world that would be okay with a sixteen year old walking off the football field starving and asking his mom to lift up her shirt so he could eat. That's ridiculous.
The truth is you are a worship leader. You may not sing on stage at your church but you lead worship every day.
Have you ever experienced something so delicious that you had to eat more? Maybe you've opened a bag of Doritos and minutes later discovered that you've eaten almost the whole bag. Or maybe you've experienced the feeling of walking into a kitchen with fresh baked brownies; the aroma fills the room and you can't help but eat several. One of the best snacks that I've ever experienced is my mom's chocolate chip cookies. My mom makes the best chocolate cookies in the world. There is nothing better than a tall glass of milk and a chocolate chip cookie that has been warmed up in the microwave.
Every super hero has a weakness. Superman has kryptonite. The Hulk can destroy and be destroyed by his anger. Batman can't save Gotham City until he gets over his fear. Iron man's heart is what makes the suit work and is also killing Tony Stark. Every super hero has their own weaknesses and their enemies attack them where they are vulnerable. Lex Luthor attacks Superman with kryptonite, he doesn't try to make him afraid. Tony Stark's life isn't at risk because his archnemesis shows up with some Kryptonite.
It should be no surprise that people want to change; walk the aisles of any bookstore and you will find self-help books for people to change their looks, their behaviors, their marriage, and more. There is no doubt that within people there is a realization that something is wrong and it needs to change, but how does that change happen? If there is going to be a transformation that takes place, what does that look like?
My life got completely re-arranged about 8 weeks ago. When this little man entered into the picture, my priorities shifted and the way that I understood the love of God, our heavenly father, was put into a new perspective. It's unbelievable how much love I can have for my little man. In an instant, I was overwhelmed with love for Elijah for no other reason than the fact that he was my son. From the moment I first held him and every second since then, my heart has been filled with love for my little boy. There is nothing better than coming home from a difficult day at work and cuddling with my baby. There is nothing better than getting ready for bed and reading the bible to my wife and son.
Have you ever felt like life around you was nothing but chaos? Like the winds of life were causing you to question everything you know; like the waves of life were beating against you and washing away any hope that you had? The wind and waves always fight against our worship.
Who are you? My first instinct if I'm trying to answer that question is to start by describing myself. I might describe the roles that I have - new dad, a husband, a youth minister. Or I might describe some of the things that I like I to do. This question, while on the surface is quite simple, is loaded with depth. How you answer it describes the way that you see yourself. As a Christian, how do you see yourself? Where do you find your identity? If we're honest, that's not always a simple question.
Being someone you're not
Throughout your life, there will likely be seasons where you are confused about your identity and maybe even pretend to be something you're not. It might be that you're simply not happy with the person that you are or feel like the person you are is not good enough. So what do we do when we feel that way? Naturally, we pretend. We put on masks and try to behave the way we are supposed to behave. We try to say all the right things at all the right times in hopes that we'll feel the right way.
There's a great example of this in the Old Testament. Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau. Esau is the firstborn and as the firstborn he gets a blessing from his father. Jacob is unhappy. He is unhappy that he doesn't get what God has given his brother so he decides to pretend to be someone else. He decides to pretend to be his brother.
"So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” - Genesis 27:18-24
It's a bit sad to read about Jacob lying to his own father about who he is. But don't we often do the same? For moments with think "if only I had this," "if only I were like this," or "if only things were different" and we will deceive those around us in hopes of making things different. When we base our identity in the things we do or what we have, we are bound to have an identity crisis like Jacob and end up lying in order to improve our false identity. And this is so often what happens - we base our identity on our degrees, on our careers, and on our significant others - and it doesn't fufill us. Our identity should be founded on who we are in Christ; when we base our identity on who we are in Christ we can be confident who we are now and not dwell on who we wish we were.
So...who are you?
Later in Jacob's life, he finds himself in a situation that would forever alter his life. Jacob actually wrestles with God. An interesting thing happens in this encounter with God - and it's not simply the fact that he actually struggled wtih God - but it's the question that God asks Jacob.
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. - Genesis 32:26-29
The first blessing that Jacob went after, he did so by lying about his identity. But this time he encounters the son of God in a wrestling match and he answers the question "What is your name?" And he answers it correctly this time... and then God changes his name. We may often get our identity confused and not know who we are, but something significant happens when we encounter God. Because of Christ we are identified with him and our lives are forever identified with His and not with what we do, what we own, or who we know.
Photo Credit: Alatryste
The Christmas story is a story about a king and full of kings who have opinions about this newborn king. We commonly sing about the Magi who visit Jesus as the "3 Kings" or "3 Wisemen." They come to visit Jesus with a set of unusual gifts. We also cannot forget the evil King Herod who seeks to kill the newborn baby Jesus. There's also a third king that we less often talk about, but is mentioned and that is Caesar, who rules even over Herod. The implications for the birth of Jesus, the newborn King, can be seen in the lives of these kings in the Christmas story. The kings force us to ask ourselves who do we worship... who is our king?
Caesar
When Luke writes the Christmas narrative he includes a small detail that highly influences the way we read about the social climate in which Jesus was born. In Luke 2:1 he writes, "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree..." Jesus was born during the time of Caesar Augustus, what implications does that have for us as we worship this baby? On an inscription of the decree of the Provinical Assembly of Asia it is written:
"The most divine Caesar...Augustus, whom being sent to us and our descendants as a Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and having become manifest, Caesar has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times...in surpassing all the benefactors who preceded him..., and whereas, finally, the birthday of the god has been for the whole world the beginning of good news concerning him."
Jesus shows up on the scene and forces people to decide, do we worship Caesar Augustus or do we worship Jesus? Caesar, at the time of Jesus' birth is celebrated as a Savior whose birth is the beginning of good news...sound familiar? Jesus' birth directly opposes what is being pushed by Caesar; Jesus is forcing people to choose who do they worship. Who, or what, do you worship this Christmas?
Herod
King Herod is the ruler of the people of Israel and under the authority of the caesars. While Herod ruled as king, he ruled ruthlessly. He was a king who massacred thousands of jews, while also believing that he was divinely chosen to be the king of the people. He built altars and statues all over to worship Caesar, who claimed to be God. In a Jewish land following God, Herod built altars and statues to worship Caesar as God. Herod has given his life to ruthlessly ruling as king under the authority of Caesar and honoring him with all his decisions as King. Herod had monstrous power and used it to build projects that is beyond even most modern technology all to worship Caesar.
And then a baby is born.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:1-2
It is not shocking that Herod responds by trying to kill baby Jesus; it is exactly how he always responded to threats of his power. Suspicion led to the murder of his own family, ordering his wife to be killed and his sons to be murdered. It is not surprising that a baby being born who is called "King of the Jews" is a threat. Herod is forced to question, am I the king or is this baby the king?
Magi
The magi didn't worship Herod as king. They didn't worship Caesar as Lord. Instead they came to worship the baby Jesus as king and lord, and they worshipped him with three unusual gifts for a baby.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. - Matthew 2:11
Gold. A gift worthy of a king. A gift that would threaten all that Herod believed in. Frankincense, an incense. A gift that would symbolize Jesus role as our priest. And the most unusual gift of all for a baby, Myrrh. A gift that was often used for embalming when people die. A gift given because Jesus was born to die. Three gifts that all celebrate that there is something special about this baby; that he is a different kind of king than Herod and that the good news of Jesus is different than the good news of Caesar.
Three different kings. One that claims to be Lord. One that claims to be king. And a group that doesn't believe that the other two statements are true, but instead go to worship a baby. A baby that has been born and is a new King. A King who brings about a new Kingdom for all people. And a baby that has been born to be our Savior and to really bring the good news.
Photo Credit: Jordon
Every year as we decorate the house to celebrate the Christmas season, we make sure to get our non-Christmas decoration out on the mantle. We put up our Christmas tree filled with ornaments, hang our stockings, put out the Christmas kitchen towels, and set the menorah up on the mantle. I'm not Jewish. I have never been Jewish, but I love to celebrate Hanukkah during the holiday season. Why? Simple, because Jesus celebrated Hanukkah.
What's Hanukkah all about?
While we all have probably heard of menorahs and playing with dreidels made out of clay, Hanukkah is a historically significant holiday in Jewish culture. Hanukkah is an eight day festival of light, which because of the Jewish calendar varies from year to year, but always falls relatively close to Christmas.
Thousands of years ago, even before Christ, the Holy Land was ruled by people trying to forcefully take over the people of Israel. The temple was taken over and the worship of the Jewish people was disrupted and Judaism was outlawed.
"The king being thereto disposed beforehand, complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a great multitude of those that favored Ptolemy, and sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months." - Josephus
A group of faithful Jews reclaimed the temple and rededicated it to God. When they went to light the temple's menorah, they found only a small amount of olive oil, only enough for a single days supply. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days. To commemorate this miracle, Jews would light the candles of the menorah nightly. Using the middle candle, the shamash, the other candles are lit and blessings are recited.
"Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded to us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah... Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time"
What does it have to do with Christmas?
What better time to celebrate a season like Hanukkah than during the Christmas season. Christmas is a time of great miracles. Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the light burning in the temple; Christmas celebrates the miracle of the light of the world being born. Hanukkah celebrates miracles. Christmas celebrates the greatest miracle of all; the God of the universe became flesh for us.
And in the midst of a Hanukkah celebration Jesus makes it clear who he is:
Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. - John 10:22-28
Jesus claims to be the promised Messiah. Jesus claims to be the "light of the world." Jesus claims to be the greatest miracle of all miracles.
As Christmas approaches, it will become more frequent that hear the recurring debate regarding the political correctness of the phrase "Merry Christmas." In the midst of fighting against replacing "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" there also seems to opposition to using abbreviations such as X-Mas or Xmas. Many people seemingly fear that abbreviating the word Christmas is simply another secular plan devised to remove Christ from Christmas.
"This is one of the most holy of the holidays, the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. And for people to take Christ out of Christmas. They're happy to say merry Xmas. Let's just take Jesus out. And really, I think, a war against the name of Jesus Christ." - Franklin Graham
While I can certainly understand the fear and the confusion behind using the word X-Mas, history reveals that the word is not a scheme to remove Christ but something far from it. As far back as the year 1021, references can be seen of the word Χριστος (Greek for "Christ") being abbreviated using the letters X and XP. It still is not uncommon to see the Christian symbol called the Chi-Ro representing Christ. The Chi-Ro was not created to remove Christ from ancient literature or the body of Christ, but it was a symbol used to represent Christ to readers. In the same way, the usage of the letter X was not used as a way to remove Christ, but as shorthand that kept Christ present and was easy to write.
The meaning of Christmas is at risk
Christ is being taken out of Christmas. But it's not because people choose to say "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas." Christ is being taken out of Christmas more and more as people are worshipping something other than Jesus. We worship the holiday season. We worship gifts. We worship the lights and decorations. We worship our own holiday celebrations as Lord and not Jesus as Lord. The birth of Jesus in the first century radically challenged people to decide, do we worship Caesar or do we worship this baby? Herod gave his life to Caesar and therefore wanted to kill Jesus; the magi worshipped Jesus and saught to keep Christ safe. Who (or what) do you worship this Christmas season?
Photo Credit: Natalie Bulzan & LonePrimate
There a lots of styles of music. Because of this when it comes to the corporate act of worship, we often take those labels and use them to describe the kind of worship that is happening. Contermporary worship, traditional worship, modern worship, blended worship, bluegrass worship, or a variety of other options. We likely even leave church services on Sunday discussing whether or not this week had "good worship." The oddity of these labels for worship is that the Bible never seems to label worship as contemporary or traditional and likewise good worship and bad worship.
The Two Kinds of Worship
There are only two kinds of worship. There are thousands of styles of music, but only two kinds of worship. There are thousands of strategies to the methodology of a corporate worship gathering, but there are only two kinds of worship. In the book of John there's an incredible account of a woman who engages Jesus in a theological discussion about the context of their worship. She is concerned because one group of people say that worship should happen on this mountain and another group of people say it should happen on another mountain.
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” - John 4:23-24
For Jesus this conversation is not about what mode of worship is more "worshipful," it's about true worship and false worship. He makes it clear that the location of their worship doesn't dictate the object of their worship. True worship is in Spirit and in truth. And that can happen in any location. The same thought holds true for us today; worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth. We can worship with all kinds of instruments or no instruments, but what really matters is whether or not this is true worship or false worship. We can worship in a variety of different styles, but are we worshipping in spirit and in truth?
What is the object of your worship? The object of your worship will reveal a lot about whether your worship is in Spirit and in truth or something entirely different. Do you worship a particular musical style? Can you only worship if there are certain instruments? Do you worship a feeling you get in the moments where the music is most passionate?
Or do you worship the crucified and risen Christ? Even on the days when you don't like the song choices. Even when you find yourself at a place that does music outside of your traidtion. Even on the days when you have no desire to be present; do you worship? True worship is not determined by the appearance of our actions but by the object of our affections. Do you worship in Spirit and in truth?
Spirit & Truth
"His worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth." This is not a statement about location. This is not a statement about music. This is a statement about worship; all-of-life worship. God is Spirit; so as we worship in Spirit, we are worshipping in God. The only reason we can engage in worship is because of what Christ did for us on the cross. Worshipping in spirit, means that by the power of the Spirit alone we can approach God with confidence and respond to his death and ressurection.
The second half of the statment, "worshpping in truth," seems to be more black and white; as we worship are we speaking and living the truth? God speaks his truth to us in the scriptures, so does all we say and do line up with what God has told us to be true. When our choices are contrary to God's word, we aren't worshippng. When our words aren't biblical, we aren't worshipping. If what we are doing is done in truth, we are worshipping. The only thing that cannot be done as an act or worship is sin - because sin does not line up with the truth of scripture.
Photo Credit: camknows