7pm Christmas Eve Meditation 2010

Colossians 1:11-15, 19

 

Colossians 1:11-15, 19

            11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

 

One of the more colorful characters

            of old-time religion in America    was Billy Sunday,

                        a traveling evangelist at the turn of the 20^th century.

 

He was an early forerunner of Billy Graham-style crusades,

            who, as a professional baseball player in the 1880's,

                        was best known for his blazing speed & for stealing bases.

 

Later on, when Billy Sunday became a preacher and evangelist,

            he was most famous for dramatically acting out Bible stories,

                        and for jumping, running and sliding across the stageà

                                    incorporating his athletic prowess

                                                into his flamboyant & energetic preaching style.

 

It was truly an exciting, foot-stomping and rousing experience

            that attracted lots of men in particular to come and see him;

                        in sharp contrast to the staid and dignified preaching,

                                    characteristic

                                                of most of preachers and  churches of that era.

 

Billy Sunday referred to his style as "acrobatic preaching"

  and promoted a theology that he called, "masculine Christianity;"

                        which tended to focus on, and place great value on,

                                    "guts, personal effort, will and self-reliance;"

                 or as he put it, "no excuses, just do it,

                   get out there and be spiritually strong,

                             because certainly you can win, if you really try."

 

    Of course living

            a faithful and disciplined Christian life is a worthy goal,

                        and Billy Sunday did lead many people to a faith in Christ;

 

            but it's been   more my experience,  thatà

                        guts, determination and will power are not always enough

                           when it comes to living a good & faithful Christian life.

 

I have been a Christian for a long time,

            and honestly, my Christian faith and walk with the Lord,

                        have been less about    my life of total faithfulness,

                                    or that I constantly say and do the right things …

  … than about    God's steadfast grace, compassion and forbearance,

            … and my many, many experiences

                        of God patiently picking me back up when I fall and fail,

                              dusting me off and giving me yet another second chance.

 

Billy Sunday was absolutely correct,

            in that we should respond with faithfulness  to God's grace,

                        and offer to the Lord   nothing less than our very best ---

 

            - but the truth is, none of us are strong enough or wise enough

                        to always and consistently get everything right in life…

 

… and here is the Good News about that:

                  God doesn't actually demand or expect

                           absolute and faithful perfection from you,  or from me.

 

That truth of promise and hope   is described in Colossians:  vs. 11

    May you be made strong

                with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,

                        and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience..

 

Did you catch that is says, "may you be   made strong",

            and not,       "may you   be strong"?

 

In the original Greek, it is very specific,

       that the action is being done by someone else, to us or for us…

                 … strong is not something that we accomplish for ourselves.

          The Greek also indicates

                that the action is continuing and has not yet been completed.

This means,   we are in the process  of being made strong  by the Lord.

 

The point is, the spiritual strength and wisdom we need,

            is an ongoing process of growth and deepening of our faith,

                        that comes as a gracious and free gift from God,à

                            if we will allow it, & do not reject or stand in the way.

 

The message is,

            we are not strong enough by our own will and determination,

                        but we are becoming stronger    when we allow God's

                                    gracious love & mercy to enter & transform our lives.

 

And tonight, this leads to one very important consideration,

            "what difference does Christmas,

                   does the coming of Jesus Christ really make in our lives?"

 

Christmas & the coming of Christ is relevant,  it makes a difference

            to those who would like    to know and connect more with God,

                  but who have not yet found   a way to do it,  to accomplish it.

 

Jesus does not come to condemn us or demanding perfection from us.

    The message of Christmas is not shape-up,    but it's welcome back.

            The Christ-child comes to us  as an open and gentle invitation,

                        to allow God's gracious love into our hearts and lives…

… because Jesus comes not to accuse us or make us feel guilty,

      but to comfort and embrace us   even with our failures and faults.

 

The coming of Jesus is God's amazing gift of grace and mercy

            that brings comfort and change into our hearts and our lives

                        by allowing the Light of grace to shine in on our darkness.

Obviously, we know that a dark place doesn't become light on its own

          but  it's when the Light  is allowed to shine  into the darkness.

 

Let me explain this by describing a news-story I saw one time.

            It seems that a young mule deer had slipped down a mudslide,

                        and was trapped, up to its neck struggling to free itself.

 

And every time

            a rescue worker would approach to help the trapped creature,

                  it would kick & thrash about even more in a desperate frenzy

                                    that was causing it to sink even deeper into the mud.

            By its own frantic efforts to free itself was actually

                        digging itself deeper and deeper into the muddy ooze.

 

Finally,      having worn itself out

            and when it was too exhausted to move and kick anymore,

                        they were able to get a blanket and rope under its belly,

                                    and with a winch, able to pull it free from the mud.

 

But as long as it was thrashing and struggling on its own,

            the helplessly trapped mule deer only digging itself deeper,

                   and thwarting the rescue efforts being made by the workers.

 

And just like that mule deer hopelessly stuck in the mudslide,

            the hopeful message of grace on Christmas   urges us,

                        to stop struggling, and allow ourselves to be rescued…

  … and that is the difference   that Christmas can make in our lives.

 

Perhaps, the tug and touch of Christmas that we feel tonight,

            is God's gracious invitation

                        to stop thrashing and struggling so hard on our own;

 

            - for by our own efforts, by our will power and determination,

                        we may actually be blocking and hindering

                                    the everlasting hope of new possibilities

                                                and the grace of infinite second chances à

               à the Light of God's love    waiting to come into our darkness,

                          to embrace and comfort us, to strengthen and rescue us.

 

As God has promised through the prophet Isaiah, 9:2, 30:16~18  

            The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.

                        For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:  In returning and rest you shall be saved;  in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.  But you refused.  … 

                                    Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;  therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.   For the Lord is a God of justice;   blessed are all those who wait for him.