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the Manna | December 2013
Today in the to Savior has bee he is the Mess
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the Manna | December 2013
Columns
21 | Hope Unleashed
07 | Signals 09 | On The Air
22 | The Case for Claus
Salvation is a free gift. What do we agree on?
Features
24 | Something Missing in the Christmas Spirit
12 | What Child is This?
Who are your deeds pointing to?
Transform your celebration.
14 | Go and Tell
Stay in Touch
26 | Jesus Freak Just happy being different.
How do you view Christmas?
17 | The Christmas Flower Christmas is not about your perfection.
18 | The Greatest Gift It is better to give than to receive.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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the Manna | A Publication of Maranatha, Inc. Editor-In-Chief: Debbie Byrd Creative Director: Joe Willey Editorial Coordinator: Karen Punches Contributing Writers: Phil Bohaker, Tammy Darling, Jeff Friend, Josh Millwood, Karen Punches, Brittney Switala & Fran Tatum Media Representatives: Ron Hall & Robert McClure
Frequently Asked Questions Who We Are The Manna is published by Maranatha, Inc., a Christcentered ministry called to proclaim the Good News of faith and life in Jesus Christ through various forms of media, as God directs, until He returns. “Maranatha” (mer-a-nath´-a) is an Aramaic word found in I Corinthians 16:22. It is translated, “Our Lord, come!” Joy! 102.5 WOLC is also part of Maranatha, Inc. Its call letters stand for “Watch, Our Lord Cometh.” Maranatha!
Disclaimer Non-ministry advertisers are not required to subscribe to the “Statement of Faith” printed at right; nor are their businesses and products necessarily endorsed by the Manna, Joy! 102.5 WOLC, or Maranatha, Inc., whose viewpoints are not necessarily represented by the opinions or statements of persons interviewed in this magazine; nor are the viewpoints of its advertisers.
Statement of Faith We Believe… that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept; that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that the only hope for man is to believe in Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind, and who rose from the dead so that by receiving Him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood; that Jesus Christ in person will return to Earth in power and glory; that the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ, for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and godly lives; and that the Church is the Body of Christ and is comprised of all those who, through belief in Christ, have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The twin mission of the Church is worldwide evangelization, and nurture and discipline of Christians.
Manna and Joy! 102.5 WOLC P. O. Box 130, Princess Anne, MD 21853 Voice: 410-543-9652 Fax: 410-651-9652 Manna e-mail: info@readthemanna.org Joy! 102.5 e-mail: wolc@wolc.org ©2013 Maranatha, Inc. May not be reproduced without written consent of Maranatha, Inc. Photos: iStockphoto and Thinkstock
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Signals Advent Despite the busyness and commercialism that we have brought into the Advent season, there is within each of us a desire for a holy place, a place of quiet wonder, where we can experience relationship with Christ. If we set aside all the cacophony of the holidays, we would remember that the babe in the manger came to save us from our sins, individually and collectively. That dear sweet baby grew to be the Man that was crucified on a cross so that we that claim Him as Savior could have eternal life. The expectations of the season can wear us out. Trees to be decorated. Gifts to buy and wrap. Cookies to bake. Special occasions requiring us to buy special attire. Never enough time! Rush, rush, rush! But Christ invites us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He doesn’t expect nor desire that this season, created by man to celebrate Him, become burdensome. To celebrate Him requires relation-
ship with Him, and in that relationship, peace—rest—is found. May you find time to celebrate—in quiet wonder—Christ, Emmanuel, God with us amidst the cultural rush. Let His peace fill your heart this Christmas! Debbie Byrd is General Manager of Maranatha, Inc., a ministry that includes Joy! 102.5 and the Manna.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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On the Air Merry Christmas There are so many great Christmas songs! Where do you even begin? Well, a great place to start is to listen to Joy! 102.5! We’re playing an eclectic and worshipful mix of the best of the best of the best all throughout the holiday season. But let’s say you want to settle in with one single great Christmas record. The one that your whole family can enjoy as you decorate your home, bake your famous snickerdoodles and wrap Christmas presents to go underneath the tree. This year, that album is Merry Christmas To You from Sidewalk Prophets. A one-word review of the album would be: Perfect. It’s got your Christmas standards, sung lovingly by one of the best vocalists in Christian music today. It is peppered with worshipful Christmas originals like “Hey Moon,” a song sung from the perspective of the Christmas Star, or “What A Glorious Night,” which opens the album with Linus telling Charlie Brown the real reason for the season. This album is
perfect. It doesn’t stop there! There’s the Drifters-style “White Christmas,” featuring Francesca Battistelli and the 50s diner-rock “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Sidewalk Prophets manage to walk the delicate balance between giving you nostalgia in spades, while feeling wholly original and fresh. It’s like every Christmas you’ve ever had mixed with a Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post Christmas cover. Merry Christmas! And be sure to sing along all season long! Josh Millwood is Music Director of Joy! 102.5. Visit www.wolc.org.
Listen Now! Check out our Program Guide at wolc.org
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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Turning Point - 7:00 pm www.focusonthefamily.com
Music - 12:00 Midnight - 6:00 am
Revive Our Hearts - 7:30 pm www.reviveourhearts.com
Joy in the Morning - 6:00 am - 9:00 am Our Daily Bread - 6:25 am www.rbc.org/odb My Money Life - 7:25 am www.crown.org Insights - 7:45 am www.insight.org Focus on the Family - 9:30 am www.focusonthefamily.com Family Life Today - 10:00 am www.familylife.com Turning Point - 10:30 am and 7:00 pm www.davidjeremiah.org Midday Joy - 11:00 am - 1:00 pm New Life Live - 1:00 pm www.newlife.com Mission Network News - 1:55 pm www.mnnonline.org In Touch - 2:00 pm www.intouch.org Money Wise - 2:30 pm www.compass1.org Renewing Your Mind Minute - 3:30 pm www.ligonier.org Focus on the Family Minute - 4:30 pm www.focusonthefamily.com Adventures in Odyssey - 6:00 pm www.whitsend.org Focus on the Family - 6:30 pm www.focusonthefamily.com
Money Life - 7:55 pm www.crown.org Insights for Living - 8:00 pm www.insight.org Bible Reading - 10:30 pm Music - 8:30pm - 12:00 Midnight
SATURDAY Down Gilead Lane - 9:00 am www.cbhministries.org Adventures in Odyssey - 9:30 am www.whitsend.org
SUNDAY Music - 12:00 Midnight - 8:00 am Grace to You - 8:00 am www.gty.org Living a Legacy - 10:30 am www.moodyradio.org/livingalegacy Moody Church Hour - 11:00 am www.moodychurch.org National Christian Choir - 12:00 pm www.nationalchristianchoir.org The Hour of Decision - 1:00 pm www.billygraham.org Forward in Faith - 1:30 pm www.centralchurchofgod.org Gospel Greats - Sunday, 2:00 pm www.thegospelgreats.com Music - 4:00 pm -12:00 Midnight wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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What Child is This? By Robert McClure
C
hristmas is everywhere right now. Lights are displayed on houses, businesses and parks for any passerby to see; red and green is spilling out of stores, and the television is filled with Christmas movies. My wife is particularly fond of the movies, as evidenced by the DVR rapidly filling up with the new premieres and old favorites. And, of course, there is the line of children waiting to meet their local Santa Claus in nearly every mall. When I worked as a pastor, I felt it almost obligatory to remind those around me about the real “Reason for the Season.” In retrospect, I think I may have been doing people a bit of a disservice. Don’t get me wrong, it is important to note that the celebration of the birth of Christ is why we have Christmas. But that doesn’t go far enough. Instead of just noting it, we should be reflecting on how incredible this reality is and use it to transform our celebration. I used to live in Chicago. It is a large, busy city of about 2.7 million, according to Census data. Big enough that, if you were to zoom out to see the entire city, you would not be able to make out a single person. Or a single house. You could barely make out a single building of any size. However, a quick online search shows that, compared to the Earth, Chicago is pretty small. It is visible from space at night, but only as one of many bright dots. And Earth pales in comparison to the Sun, which can fit 1.3 million planets the size of Earth inside it. If every person were a planet the size of Earth, half the population of Chicago could fit inside the Sun. What we often forget is that the same Jesus who made the Sun also was born in Bethlehem a bit over 2,000 years ago. It gets bigger than that. Another search shows that there are roughly 400 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, of which the Sun is one. If every person on Earth were a star, we would need 57 Earths to have enough people to represent each star in our galaxy. And the same Jesus who made the Milky Way chose to become one of us about 2,000 years ago. One more thing to consider. Our galaxy is one of an estimated 170 billion galaxies that we will ever be able
to see no matter how scientifically advanced we get. And we have no idea how much further the universe goes from there. And the same Jesus we celebrate this month made that by only speaking. He didn’t have to lift a finger. He merely spoke, and it happened. Not only did He do that, He made the forces which make them work and the space and time that they occupy. And this same Jesus became a human, and we get the privilege of celebrating this! That is what it means when we say Jesus is Immanuel. He is God, living among us. The infinite, all-powerful, allknowing, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of everything chose to be born to poor parents in a small town in the then-Roman province of Judea. He who created life was born in a stable, and His bassinette was a feeding trough. He who had unlimited power now could only cry to His mother for help. And, ultimately, He who was perfectly holy came to die for our sin. This realization can change the way we think about Christmas. This event should be celebrated as the miracle that it is. Paul spoke about this in Romans 14. He said, “The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord” (Romans 14:6, ESV). Granted, he was arguing specifically that Christians can either celebrate Jewish holidays or not, but his point is that it can be done to honor God, and the principle applies to us now. So, as Christians who celebrate Christmas, let’s celebrate to the honor of Christ. There is a difference between giving gifts to people because they expect them around this time of year and giving gifts because God gave us a perfect Gift, but the difference is not necessarily in the gift itself. There is a difference between watching Christmas movies with the family because that is the tradition and watching them because Christ has given to you family as your first ministry, but you could be still watching the same movies. The difference is the attitude we bring into the celebration, and it may or may not result in different activities. It will, however, certainly result in a changed experience. This difference is what Christ wants more than to have us merely noting the fact that Jesus is the “Reason for the Season.”
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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Go and Tell By Phil Bohaker
S
itting in the church pews as a child, I never understood why “Go Tell It on the Mountain” was a Christmas song. Sure, the lyrics are obviously about the birth of Christ, but I associated Christmas music with somber, reverent melodies as much as with the lyrics. It never occurred to me that the humble entrance of God into humanity was a cause for boisterous song. In those days, I didn’t see the birth of Jesus as a cause for worship. I could feel the “warmth” of the season with those around me and even cherish the traditions that brought my family together. But to truly worship the Son of God through the celebration of his birth—that was not in my sights. On Christmas, the only thing I truly rejoiced over was the materializing of my wish list under the Christmas tree. For that I would sing and dance and make merriment. As for the story of the Christ-child, that event was more appropriately acknowledged with serious, quiet reflection. It was a parroted response to a rite I did not understand. I have since come to view Christmas much differently in light of a recurring response of people in the Bible to God’s miracles. One example is the lame man of Acts 3, who Peter healed “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” The man responded to this miraculous work of God by “walking and leaping and praising God” as he entered the temple. This was the reflex response of a man who had come into contact with the living God. Why would my response be any different when I think of God engaging the whole world with His presence in the miracle of Christmas? For this reason, I now count “Go Tell It on the Mountain” as a cherished song of celebration. It underscores the paradox of Christ’s birth—the fullness of divinity hidden in the delicate body of a newborn baby hidden away with the animals in a town hidden just south of the bustling capital city. All this was revealed to bewildered shepherds on the midnight watch, who became the only ticketholders to the heavenly concert given in honor of God and His beloved Son. What happens next in the story is as notable as the first scene. The shepherds found Jesus and declared to His
parents what they had seen and heard. What was Mary’s response? She “treasured up all these things,” Luke tells us. And there is the heart of the matter—treasure. That first Christmas, Mary pointed us to the proper spirit of the season. God gave us a Treasure that trumps all earthly treasures, a gift that lives on while all other gifts yield to decay. Christmas gives us the opportunity to pause and marvel at the birth of Christ and to affirm Him as our treasure. This is not always easy to do in our culture of “buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like,” as Dave Ramsey aptly describes it. Still, the right focus during the Christmas season is only the first step. Acknowledgment alone will not insulate us from the materialism around us. This is where the simple beauty of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” comes into sharp focus. If our hearts truly overflow with joy at the birth of Christ, we will go and tell it. The Great Commission does not begin with the death and resurrection of Christ. His long-awaited, perfectly-timed birth is also an integral part of the story. “Go Tell It” bears the marks of its origins in the tradition of African American spirituals. There is no certainty of its original authorship. Hardly anyone sang it until the 1920s. It is a humble song with a magnificent message. Its history, in a way, mirrors its message: “Down in a lowly manger our humble Christ was born; and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.” This song puts to words what was always lacking in my own view of Christmas. As a child, I appreciated the solemnity of our church’s candlelight service. This ceremony marked my participation in something profound, even holy. But Christmas is more than a day to cherish or a moment to experience. It is a once-in-eternity event to be proclaimed. The events that transpired in humble Bethlehem must be told and re-told. Jesus was born in obscurity, but His arrival was not obscured for long. May we, like the watchful shepherds, be eager to proclaim the message we have received. Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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The Christmas Flower By Fran Tatum
A
s a young mother, I tried to make Christmas perfect for my family. Ours was a tight budget, but we managed the trimmings, the baked goodies and the presents. Each Christmas it seemed that no matter how hard I tried to do everything just right something, some little thing, or some big thing, would go wrong. A present on order would not arrive in time for Christmas morning or an extended family member would get upset for one reason or another… something. One year, while wrapping presents at the kitchen table, I realized that everything seemed to be going well. It was the day after Thanksgiving, the shopping was nearly completed, and the season ahead was peacefully planned. If we could keep a happy atmosphere in the home during the coming weeks it would be a perfect Christmas indeed! Noticing beautiful poinsettias on the wrapping paper, I found myself cutting one out and taping it to the refrigerator. Later that day I had an idea which I shared with my two daughters. Why not play a game this year and consider the poinsettia on the refrigerator our “Christmas Flower”? It could symbolize the “Christmas Spirit” in our home. We would pretend that this special flower could only survive where true Christmas Spirit existed; otherwise, it would die. If greediness, excessive arguing, complaining, or anything “not nice” permeated the atmosphere, it would kill the flower and the flower would have to be taken down. Both of my girls, aged fourteen and four at the time, thought my suggestion was a good one and agreed with me that we would do our best to keep the Christmas Flower blooming throughout Christmas. I was convinced I had been inspired and we would have the best Christmas ever! Over the next few weeks everyone was extremely careful in word and deed. No one wanted to be responsible for the removal of the Christmas Flower! Not a harsh word was spoken and all faces seemed to smile, at least in the vicinity of the Christmas Flower! We actually made it all the way to Christmas Eve with the flower still in bloom. On Christmas Eve, I was in the living room when I heard a commotion coming from the kitchen. Loud sounds erupted simultaneously—the breaking of glass, the barking of our dog, and the shouting of angry voices. I hurried to the kitchen and found my grandmother’s antique dish on the floor broken in pieces, my daughters in conflict to the point of tears, and our dog now eating some freshly baked cookies which were also scattered on the floor. It was as if a grenade had exploded in the kitchen! Upon
seeing me, both girls became silent. Without a word I went to the refrigerator, took down the flower, and threw it in the trash. At that point the girls went into damage control as they scrambled to clean up the mess and began to give opposing explanations regarding what had happened. I told them to leave the kitchen, I would do the cleaning and we would talk about it later. As I cleaned up the broken glass I thought back over the past weeks of our strained but “perfect” atmosphere. I thought of the Christmas message and the gentleness of God’s grace. My daughters and I had tried to be good and to maintain Christmas cheer in the home. The plan was doomed to fail from the beginning because we were simply trying too hard. A few minutes later my girls and I had a heart to heart talk. I told them that explanations concerning the fiasco were not needed. The important thing about that evening was that we recognize the true Spirit of Christmas is Christ Jesus and his Spirit is one of grace. Our tears turned into laughter as I asked their forgiveness for ever putting that “blooming flower” on the refrigerator in the first place! That night God’s grace shined brightly for all of us! Our talk ended with a vow not to make the Christmas Flower a tradition! Christmas is not about our attaining perfection. It is not about a blissful, emotional feeling (although I am thankful for those times). If anything, Christmas is about our imperfection and the need for a perfect Savior to come into a messy, smelly, imperfect world. The message of Christmas is God’s beautiful and complete grace for our defective and inadequate lives. It is a time to celebrate Jesus coming to satisfy God’s perfect standard for us because we could never do it on our own. What an irony that I had attempted to celebrate His Advent by leading my daughters in trying their best to be good! What a blessing that the experiment failed in such a dramatic way so that we will never forget the lesson we learned from it! Let’s face it: even at Christmas things may go wrong, especially when we try so hard to do everything right. Sometimes the best of our intentions will be misunderstood. The most concentrated efforts on our part will sometimes not be enough to get the job done to please everyone. We may even say something for which we later have to ask forgiveness. Stuff happens and we might be tempted to think that we, or someone around us, has just ruined Christmas. Not so! The truth is, when something requiring God’s grace occurs, that’s when Christmas can really happen if we will open our hearts and allow His grace to flow!
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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The Greatest Gift By Jeff Friend
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t was unquestionably the greatest gift ever given. God the Father gave His Son to mankind, and the course of world history was forever changed. The gift was so incredible that every year Christians celebrate Jesus’ arrival with pageants, celebrations and all the ceremony it justly deserves. God certainly showed His love for us in a lavish way. For the 33 years following that holy night, Jesus grew into adulthood, ministered among the people and finally was crucified and rose from the dead. We have the gift of salvation and the assurance of an eternity with Him all because of what was put in motion in a lowly stable. The Christmas story is a reason for great joy. How could it not be? He was Emmanuel—“God with us”! But one part of the story often gets overshadowed, a key element that revolves around Mary, Jesus’ mother. When the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would give birth to the Son of God, she gave a response that, at first, seems somewhat straightforward. Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38, KJV).
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Thankfully, Mary did not hesitate in accepting her calling. It probably did not occur to her at the moment just how immense the responsibility of raising a divine child would be. She simply said “Yes” because of her love for God and her desire to be obedient to Him. But what if she had said “No”? What if she had told the Angel, “Can I think about this for a while and get back to you?” After all, Mary had free will like all the rest of us. The salvation of all humanity hung in the balance, and a young teenage woman would make an eternal decision—either “Yes, you can use me, God,” or “No, thanks, you need to find someone else.” But God knew she would say “Yes.” Mary’s faith and trust in God was so strong; her personal relationship with Him was so close that God knew she would not turn Him down. With such an extremely important event that needed to take place to fulfill prophecy, God was sure that he could risk it all on Mary’s answer. And that is the part that challenges me today. Does God know my heart so well, and is my relationship with Him so deep and strong, that He could ask me to do such a great work for Him without any second thought of my
devotion and obedience to Him? Christians like to say that we have totally surrendered our lives to Jesus and would do anything for Him. But, like Mary, would I truly be willing to give God the gift of my life to use for His service just as He gave the ultimate gift of His Son on that starry night? The Bible overflows with people who loved God so wholeheartedly that He could declare and proclaim things with full confidence they would do them. It might take a little nudging or persuading, but they would do it, regardless of the cost. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh. Moses may have put up some excuses, but he eventually did what God commanded. David had many ups and downs, but God said he was a man after His own heart and chose David’s bloodline to produce the Messiah. Moses and David both could have walked away from their callings, but God knew their hearts and honored their faithfulness. Yes, God gave a wonderful gift to mankind that night in Bethlehem, but Mary also gave a gift to her God—a commitment that she would demonstrate her love for Him and sacrifice her personal desires in order to raise and nurture His Son while He lived among us.
There will be many gifts given on Christmas. Churches around the world will reenact the events of that holy night. Families will gather to read the familiar Bible passages from Matthew and Luke. It is fitting and proper for Christians to retell the story of the first Christmas and celebrate the birth of our Savior. Exchanging presents with those we love reminds us of the gift we all received in that manger. All because one person told the angel, “Yes, I’ll do whatever God wants me to do.” God may never ask us to make a decision with an impact as huge as Mary’s decision. But we do make decisions every day on whether we will obey Him and submit to His will. By being faithful in saying “Yes” to Him even in our small decisions, our relationship grows deeper and we learn to trust Him in whatever He asks us to do. Faithful obedience, a heart of love and a desire to serve Him in every way we can—perhaps those are the gifts we could each give to Jesus this Christmas, gifts from His children that He would treasure for eternity.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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Hope Unleashed By Karen Punches
H
ave you ever heard the expression that someone “just opened a Pandora’s box”? Apparently, whatever was done or said ended up bringing about a series of negative repercussions. The origin of the phrase actually comes from a Greek myth about the daughter of Zeus, whose name is Pandora. According to the story, Zeus gives his daughter a little box with a heavy lock and makes her promise to never open it. He then gives Pandora’s husband the key and he, too, must promise not to open the box. Zeus, however, secretly wishing to exact revenge on his son-in-law, is sure that curiosity will eventually prompt him to look inside. But Pandora is the one who succumbs to temptation. One day, while her husband is sleeping, she steals the key and unlocks the forbidden box. To her horror, out of the box flies every kind of vile thing—hate, crime, envy and disease. Pandora shuts the lid, but it is too late, as the bad elements had all escaped out into the world. Her husband wakes up and rushes over to his sobbing wife, who opens the lid to show him the empty box and what had happened. But it is not totally empty. Before she can close the lid again, out into the atmosphere quickly flutters one tiny remaining particle: hope. While this myth is precisely that—purely mythical— there was, in fact, a time when nothing bad existed in creation. The Bible says that after God created the heavens and the earth, He called everything He had made “good.” Nothing was blemished or defiled. All was perfect and right, reflecting the character of the Creator. But when Adam and Eve decided to disobey their Fa-
ther, they opened a Pandora’s box. Sin entered the world for the first time and breached the holiness of creation, thereby severing the harmony between a righteous God and fallen man. The curse of death was unleashed, the damage done—and sin has been wreaking havoc ever since. God, however, being the loving Father He is, did not want to leave us dead in our sin. So, He sent hope down into a hopeless world. And here is that hope: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7). Jesus Christ came to this earth to rescue what was lost when sin entered the picture. Through His sacrifice on the cross, the gap has been bridged so that we can now access a holy God through Christ, when before, it had been completely impossible. There is absolutely nothing we can do apart from accepting Christ that will save us. Perhaps some of us are banking on having more tally marks in the “good” column than the “bad” one when it’s all said and done, as if God were keeping a cosmic score card. Ultimately, we have to acknowledge that we stand before Christ totally bankrupt. Eternal life cannot be earned— it is a gift freely offered if we would just accept it. Then, and only then, can we truly have hope in this world.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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like Santa Claus. This is pretty close to heresy in some Christian circles. In others it’s no big deal. Same with other hot button topics like Halloween, alcohol or whether women should speak in a corporate worship setting. Christians are like any people group—strongly opinionated, obstinate and quite certain that we are not only right, but that you are wrong and we’ll see you admit your wrongness or so help us God we’ll picket your next gathering with hateful signs made up of posterboard, markers and glitter. That need to be proclaimed right is a poison to the Church. Recently I posted a question for my Facebook friends: Are you for the Claus or against him? Why? I was unprepared for what ensued. I figured a lively debate. I figured a handful of jokes. I didn’t figure on a two-day battle bordering on the absurd. At times terms like “Christological and theological overlaps” did battle with the “propitiation of Christ” and “prefrontal cortex.” Turns out, people have very strong beliefs about the goodness or badness of Santa Claus. Their convictions fall somewhere between a shoulder shrug and willingness to enforce with physical violence. My intent when asking about Santa Claus was to craft my own reasonable defense; a case for Claus, if you will. I still think, at its core, the idea and story of Santa Claus is perfectly acceptable for Christians to embrace—because Christmas is a spiritual, religious and cultural celebration. The vast majority of how we celebrate Christmas (including the actual date) is borrowed or stolen from other cultures, religions and practices. But I don’t think I could present an argument that would do little more than get an “Amen” from those who agree with me and a “Well wait one darn minute, Mister...” from those who disagree with me. So why broach such a divisive subject? Well first off, it’s just funny to watch people’s blood pressure rise. That’s not particularly Christ-like and I’m a little bit sorry about it. But just a little bit. The real reason is to draw attention to something of incredible importance during the Christmas/Advent season: What we agree on is much, much more important than what we disagree about. We agree about Jesus. The most important story ever told begins with
the birth of a little boy in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. Believing in Jesus unites us into the very family of God. If we can agree on Jesus, everything is going to be alright. Santa Claus just gives us a chance to talk about how we disagree with one another. Let’s start with some common ground: our love of Christ. Both His love for us and our love for Him. We are united in a faith that was crafted along with the foundations of the world. We are included in the family of God because of Jesus Christ (whose birthday is coming up, FYI). We could insert the story of His life, death and resurrection here, but let’s skip forward. It’s been a couple thousand years and the story of Jesus Christ has permeated history. His followers are called Christians and struggle to live in service to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are totally dependent on God. Not only for salvation, but even the very strength to live for Him comes from His Spirit. And it’s hard, y’all. Being a living sacrifice for the God we cannot see and Whom we experience so infrequently is just hard. So we try to discipline ourselves to be more like Jesus. We create rules to follow with the holy intention of keeping our flesh submitted to the will of God. That creates two problems. The first problem is that we do not depend on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in order to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Instead, we create and enforce rules that deal with outward actions and not our hearts. This is actually a pride issue. We supersede God’s rightful place of authority with our own institutions. The second problem is that not everybody agrees on the rules. So we split into groups that like certain rules. And then we split again into smaller groups. And again. And again. Now we have names for each and every different little group with its own ideas about what rules are good for us to best live for Christ and how best to live out those rules. We are the dysfunctional family of God. Like your immediate family gathered around the Thanksgiving dinner table, the Church is going to fight, yell, disagree, laugh, cry and hopefully end the meal at peace. “Freedom in Christ” is defined and experienced differently by everyone. As a
The Case For Claus By Josh Millwood
group of people united by a common faith in the Son of God, we’ve got to learn how to disagree better. We don’t have to agree on everything. The disciples bickered all the time and they lived with Jesus! I like Santa Claus. I sometimes say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry CHRISTmas.” I’m not remotely offended by the shorthand “X-mas.” I also celebrate the birth of my Savior during the Christmas Season which, in my family, lasts from the end of the World Series in October to the Feast of Epiphany in January. You might be different from me. That’s awesome! A
world full of me’s would be absolutely horrifying. When Christians bicker about unimportant things we run the risk of ruining a joyful time for our brothers and sisters out of a self-centered need to be right. Plus, we misrepresent Christ to the lost. I can’t even count how many times I have wounded someone I love because I needed to be right. Merry Christmas to all. Happy New Year. It’s not the case for Claus that’s important—it’s the case for Christ. May each day be a reminder of how much God loves you. After All, He sent us His Son. wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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Something Missing in the Christmas Spirit By Brittney Switala
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mom and her young children carry a bag of groceries and a blanket to a local rescue mission for the homeless. On the other side of town, a group gathers to sell Christmas trees to raise money for a battered women’s shelter. There is something beautiful about the Christmas Spirit displayed all around us. It is a time when people make an extra effort to be kind. People tend to generously tip those who serve them and purchase lavish gifts for those they love. There is extra value placed on gathering together as a family and simply eating a traditional meal and reading old tales like T’was the Night Before Christmas. Things like twinkling lights and music add to the Christmas Spirit. It’s a festive time that makes you feel warm inside like you’ve just had a cup of hot cocoa. It is a season of goodwill that celebrates character traits that line up with Judeo-Christian values such as generosity, kindness and charity. There is great emphasis put on giving to those in need. Much of the book of Proverbs encourages treating others in ways that exemplify the Christmas Spirit. One example is found in Proverbs 14:31 which says, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.” It is wonderful when people treat others well, but this action is not inherently Christian. All major religions have something similar to the “Golden Rule” or a rule of reciprocity—treating others the way you would want to be treated. Generosity is celebrated by many religions. In Islam, the Prophet Muhammad is widely quoted as saying, “Nothing shall ensure the welfare (and interests) of your religion except generosity and good disposition.” The Dalai Lama said, “[The] practice of generosity and the other perfections is essential. This is because the fully enlightened state of Buddhahood is produced by the realization of favorable causes and conditions” (Stages of Meditation). In fact, such values are not just celebrated by any number of religious groups but also by the non-religious. Billboards and buses in major cities have challenged the notion that the special “goodness” we see at the holidays has anything to do with religion at all. Atheists have encouraged people to “be good for goodness sake.” Non-believers are organizing blood drives, raising awareness of human trafficking and alleviating poverty (by providing microloans through secular charities). In fact, some of the wealthiest and most generous people of our time, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, have no religious
affiliation. Last year, Bill Gates even released his own top five list of charities to bless with giving at the holidays. While people of all different backgrounds contribute to charities, there is still a great deal of internal conflict. For example, in October, a soup kitchen in Spartanburg, South Carolina, got plenty of negative press for excluding atheists from volunteering. Its executive director said she would resign from her job before she would let atheists volunteer and be a “disservice to this community,” adding that her Christian organization that runs the soup kitchen “stands on the principles of God.” The Upstate Atheists gathered across the street and raised over $2,000 to give care packages to homeless people. Why the conflict? Why are Christians sometimes uneasy walking hand in hand with atheists, Muslims and Buddhists who are working for the good of humanity? This is the “Christmas Spirit.” It is helpful and kind and shows love to the community. It meets immediate needs, but it is of little eternal significance without an open expression of the Gospel. St. Francis of Assisi is attributed to the often-used quote, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” The religion-neutral Christmas Spirit is alive. This is a season when words are necessary for followers of Christ. Not necessarily the in-your-face, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season,” but “I am giving you this bag of groceries with love from Jesus.” What churches may do at the holidays to reach out to the poor in the community is not evangelistic unless the Gospel is clearly shared. Since so many groups are giving generously there must be something distinctive about the Christian. We may internally know our motivation for giving is because of a personal relationship with Christ, but no one else will know that unless it is clearly and lovingly verbalized. Long ago, December held a celebration of another kind. There were great feasts and a longing for warmer and longer days ahead. People built bonfires to give the sun-god strength and bring him back to life again. In the fourth century, church leaders in Rome decided to celebrate Christ’s birth during the winter solstice in an attempt to Christianize these popular pagan celebrations. If in our holiday feasts we don’t thank God the Father, it’s just like “Winter Solstice.” If in our charitable giving and volunteering we are not pointing people to Christ, it is incomplete…and a wasted eternal opportunity.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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hen I was in high school I ran with the popular crowd. But I was popular by association only. Nothing in my life pointed to popularity, success or any other related word. In fact, I spent four years in elementary school in speech class. Those “r” words just wouldn’t come out the way they were supposed to. The stuttering didn’t help either. I developed a complex early on, convinced I was doomed to remain forever a dork. And then I found Jesus. I was convinced He was my one-way ticket out of Dorkville. My confidence soared. I began to understand that I am a beautiful creation of God Himself. I now had a true friend, a confidante that wouldn’t betray me. The more my relationship with Christ grew, the more I realized that my ticket out of Dorkville had landed me right smack in the middle of Freak Town. That’s right, I went from being a child dork to an adult freak. More specifically, a Jesus freak. Labels are a peculiar phenomenon. Wear a particular clothing label and you’re tagged “rich.” Wear something from Wal-Mart and you’ll be labeled as “poor.” It matters not that the designer label came from a resale shop and
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you only paid $3.00 for it because you could never actually afford to buy it new. So, when I’m called a freak, I’m okay with that. Put Jesus in front of that label (as some have), and I’ll wear that label proudly and consider it all a part of suffering for Christ’s sake (Philippians 1:29). My husband, by association (to Christ, not me), has been labeled a freak as well— among other things. His zeal for the Lord once led his grandmother of ninety-plus years to brand him a religious fanatic. Ever since my husband and I decided to follow Jesus, really follow Jesus—no matter what He wanted us to do and no matter the cost—we have been engaged in an ongoing battle. Following Jesus always comes at a cost. When we said “yes” to following Christ, we placed ourselves squarely in the enemy’s line of fire. And we did so with the full understanding of what we were doing. This is what it means to count the cost. Make no mistake, following Jesus will place you smack dab in the middle of a centuries-old raging conflict. You may not be popular anymore. You may lose friends (in our case, family). You may be persecuted in myriad
Jesus Freak By Tammy Darling
ways. But being a sincere follower of Christ means you don’t just read the Bible, you do what it says. Shocking, I know. Since telling Christ I’m all in, reading the Bible has taken on a whole new level of meaning—and joy—as I discover Christ for who He really is. When we wake up to the beauty of Christ, we won’t care if our family approves. We’ll welcome challenges and understand that trust requires a certain amount of unanswered questions. Following Jesus is risky, yes, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Being a follower of Jesus Christ has taken us down some pretty remote roads. My husband and I first realized we were freaks when we announced our decision to homeschool. “You mean you’re not going to let her go to school? Ever?” My first impulse was to respond to this concerned citizen with, “No, we’re going to hide her away from society in seclusion and raise her as the village idiot.” Instead, I ever so deliberately told her the truth: “God told us to.” Freak. Yes, that was the defining moment, the moment that my husband and I first realized we were living in Freak Town, population: 2. The you-have-got-to-be-
kidding-me looks and remarks have continued ever since. Giving when we have nothing to give. Freak. Daring to administer discipline as the Bible prescribes. Freak. No cable, Dish Network or Direct TV. Freak. Freak. Freak. Our latest freak slapping came as the result of announcing to friends and family that we were going to adopt. We have been mocked, ridiculed and even shunned by some. It wasn’t just that we were going to adopt, but that we were doing to adopt a child from Haiti, a child “not of our color,” as one disapproving relative put it (a relative who has since disowned us). “Why would you want to do that?” many ask. I’d like to just say, “Because we’re freaks, that’s why.” But I know our latest adventure is too good an opportunity to pass up. Our God-led decision to adopt is an awesome testimony of God’s presence in our lives, of His command to care for the orphans, of His love for each one of us. I can’t wait to see what God will have us do next. So go ahead, call me a “freak”—just don’t leave out the “Jesus” part.
wolc.org | readthemanna.org | December 2013
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