Month: December 2021 (Page 2 of 4)
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I saw something the other day that seemed to be an appropriate metaphor for our holiday season. While waiting for my wife in our local bank’s parking lot, I noticed a manager scene in which the baby Jesus was missing. Mary looked adoringly into an empty manger while Joseph pointed to it. It seemed to be saying, “We have canceled the reason for the season,” almost mocking the story of Mary and Joseph.
How appropriate the empty manger scene is in contemporary culture. We no longer have the so-called “Christmas wars,” when we used cry “foul” because Christ had been taken out of Christmas programs. “God with us” has been canceled altogether. “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.'” (Matt. 1:23). This is no longer the narrative.
The good news that the shepherds were so excited to share is no longer being sung in malls and public squares. “”Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Christmas carols are no longer giving witness to the good news. As a result, we have to produce our own version of the good news, which often ends up being, “Let’s try harder next year.”
We now have to be cautious to whom we dare wish a “Merry Christmas.” The word “Christmas” is seldom heard in the dominant culture. The message, of course, is that we can go on to have “Happy Holidays” without any awareness that Christmas has its origins in celebrating the birth of God’s only begotten Son as a baby born of the virgin Mary.
What can an empty manager at Christmas teach us?
First, be intentional in celebrating the ultimate meaning of Christmas in your daily life. Enjoy the festive nature of this time of year. But don’t forget the real meaning. Tell the story as it has been told for over 2,000 years. Have the courage of young Joseph, who believed the message given him regarding the young woman he would marry. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Tell the story especially to the younger generation, before it fades from their memory.
Second, remember you are part of a greater story. Don’t forget that Jesus came to bring his kingdom presence into our lives. It’s sad to see how small and self-focused our collective national consciousness has become. Get out of your small story and celebrate the life you have within the life of the Trinity. “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and his Son. We write this to make our joy complete” (I John 1:3-4).
Third, live out gratitude. It is God’s love for you and me that sent His one and only Son into the world. God took the initiative so we would take initiative with others. We live among many lonely people who live with a sense of abandonment. They have no clear identity. Who really cares for them? God showed his love by becoming one of us: “This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:10).
Devotions from Judy’s heart
On International Pronouns Day (Oct. 20), the State Department tweeted to explain that many Americans use pronouns as a form of gender expression. This day was created by Shige Sakurai, who believes that pronouns, like names, allow people to express themselves and their identity to the rest of the world.
Remember President Biden’s executive order issued during his first days in office seeking to prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation: “It is the policy of my administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.” This is now reflected in the policy of our State Department and the stance of America in the world.
“Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects transgender and gender nonconforming people,” Sakurai wrote. With this in mind, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the State Department would allow people to choose their gender identity on passports even if it contradicts with the sex or gender identity listed on other official documents.
For those individuals with official documents and medical forms identifying them as either male or female, no longer is any official confirmation needed to show they have a medical condition warranting the nonbinary option. According to the government, their word is as good as gold.
The U.S. special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, Jessica Stern, said the passport was “historic” and puts the government in touch with the “lived reality” of Americans who identify as something other than male or female. “When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect,” Stern said. A spokesperson for the State Dept. explained, “The Department also continues to work closely with other U.S. government agencies to ensure as smooth a travel experience as possible for all passport holders, regardless of their gender identity.”
We are referring to a very small segment of people in the world who believe someone actually is the sex or gender they believe they are, rather than the one their body says they are. To date there is no new scientific evidence requiring this belief. “Yet,” notes The Daily Citizen, “many are trying to force the belief on others with brutal rigidity. That is why the gender pronoun issue is such a contentious issue.”
Men, this is the world in which we live. Reality is not what we make it to be but is objective and unchanging based on the revealed Word of our Creator. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The NET states, “This verse constitutes the most concise statement of the incarnation in the New Testament.” The Message proclaims, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
The Word became a man. Jesus loved men and women equally, accepting them with all their flaws, but never confusing reality with their identity as Man and Woman, reminding us, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female'” (Matt 19:4). May Jesus be our guide in this confusing time.
Our identity is in Christ. “…Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously towards others, the way God lives toward you” (Matt 5:48 – Message).
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