The Approach

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…” – 1 John 1

“…the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go…and see this thing that has happened….’  And [they] returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen…” – Luke 2

“Now the…sinners were all drawing near to hear him.” – Luke 15

THE WHISPER HEARD AROUND THE WORLD

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  So many words have been written (and rightly so) about that night when God broke through into humanly existence and approached a fallen world to save it. And, although there is a deep sense of obscurity surrounding this event, there is also clear revelation and glorious proclamation concerning this drawing near of God.

The heralding of angels. Celestial signs. Prophetic voices resounding in temple courts.

Relative to what He is worthy of, it may seem like God whispered when He made His grand entrance into the world, but the proclamation of this good news was clearly made.

And it was clearly heard.

A PROGRESSIVE ENCOUNTER

Picture in your mind a person casually walking down a road. Off in the distance, yet within earshot, a sound is made. What happens next?

The footsteps stop. The head turns slightly in the direction of the perceived sound. That which was initially heard is now listened for.

There it is again.

Now, eyes become involved. It came from over there. With brow furrowed, the listener attempts to focus on what has grabbed their attention. They see something off a ways.

Footsteps begin again, but in a new direction. They approach this ‘thing that has happened’, as the shepherds in Luke’s gospel would describe it. Closer and closer. With every step more information is gathered, and now the mind is starting to interpret and understand.

Now, just a few feet away, clarity begins to set in. Could it be? Is this real? The investigator’s arm extends.

Touch. Contact. Grasping. Holding.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS

That is the approach that the shepherds, the magi, and the disciples all took as they beheld Jesus. And it is the way “sinners” past and present still approach Him.

Heard. Seen. Looked. Touched. A progressive encountering of something new. Something new that speaks to a once-hoped-for thought that still lingers beneath the surface of everyday life. A thought that is so much the fabric of who we are that all it takes is a “whisper” to stop us in our tracks.

That something is fellowship, friendship, nearness with God. That something is really Someone. And He has a name. Jesus.

This Christmas, as holidays bring a break in the action of normal everyday life, I pray for and encourage you to stop and listen to what’s really going on in that story about a baby in a manger.

When Need Becomes Desire

It is true that we are all born with needs. The need to be fed, the need to be cleansed, the need to learn, and a thousand others. But as we grow, and as these needs are met by others, a change takes place. Our needs (though still technically needs) become our desires.

We desire to eat, but we don’t (typically) need to be fed. We desire to be cleansed, but we don’t need to be bathed. And (though we might think otherwise) we desire to learn, but we don’t need to be taught.

All of those initial needs still exist in us. But now when they are cared for, rather than merely meeting a need, we satisfy a desire.

The gift of God to us is the transformation of our needs into desires.

In the Bible, we read that all people (including me and you) are “under sin”. That is the universal need. We need to be separated from our sin. To have it removed from us and us from it.

But we also read that “no one seeks God”, not even one. Amazingly, though the heart of man (on some level) universally feels and deals with the need arising from sin, we universally fail to attain (or even seek) the solution.

The need has yet to be transformed into desire.

But God does something wonderful in the heart of his child. By His Spirit and grace, He enters into the need we all feel and He turns it into a desire for Himself. In the light of His Presence, our sin carries a shame that causes us to run from Him. But His grace gives humility that allows us to carry that shame back to Him. And when we do approach Him, we find not only our need met but we experience the satisfaction of our (new) heart’s desire.

For God does not merely meet needs. He satisfies desires. We are all born needing Him, but we are only re-born when we desire Him. 

And that is the gift of God to us. Merry Christmas.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins – 1 John 4:10

“You did not choose me….but I chose You…” – Jesus (John 15:16)