Will We Seek Jesus?

Wise men from the East looked for Jesus. They had been searching the heavens where they saw an unusual star and they followed the star to Israel. Then they said, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? (Mt. 2:2a NKJV) They wanted to worship the King.

Shepherds responded after they saw an angelic visitation. They left their flock of sheep and went to Bethlehem because they wanted to see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. (Lk 2:15b)

We may not be able to literally see a star in the heavens or hear a message from an angelic host, but each of us can hear God’s message in our heart. If we listen, we will learn His call is soft, gentle, real. He waits for our response.

Will we seek Jesus—that we might worship Him? Will we investigate the truth He makes known in our lives?

As we celebrate Christmas once again, our goal can be seeking Jesus. Like the wise men and the shepherds, let us spiritually look for Him and upon Him. Let us worship Him.

Originally published December 18, 1987.

Sheep or Shepherds?

Shepherds are appealing as we anticipate Christmas—because God chose to announce Jesus’ birth to a group of lowly shepherds.

Shepherds are also a familiar Biblical metaphor. Shepherds are used to portray God Himself in the Old Testament. Ezekiel said, As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I [God] look after my sheep. . . . (Ez. 34:12a NIV)

In the new Testament, Jesus identified with shepherds when he said, I am good shepherd. (Jn. 10:11a) So it is fitting that shepherds were among the first to receive news of Christ’s arrival.

And yet, when An angel of the Lord appeared to them [the shepherds] . . . and they were terrified. (Lk. 2:9) Their response was understandable, but their reaction did not demonstrate an ability to care for others—or present a picture of God looking after His people.

So perhaps God had dual vision when He selected these particular shepherds. Perhaps He wanted to emphasize the shepherd image—and perhaps He selected specific shepherds who also represented sheep in need of salvation. When we look at the shepherds as sheep, we can identify with them—and identify with their quest for Jesus.

Originally published December 2, 1983.

Prince of Peace

Peace seems to be the cry of almost every heart. If you doubt it, why do so many Christmas cards focus upon peace as a theme—with angelic choirs signing before lowly shepherds: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men. (Lk. 2:14 KJV)

But peace is an elusive quality. It has not been found by world governments—although they often bandy the word about. And social conditions indicate personal peace within individuals is also rare.

When Jesus approached the end of His ministry and His impending death on the cross, He wept because the people did not know peace. Overlooking the city of Jerusalem He said, if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. (Lk. 19:42 NIV)

Perhaps we do need the emphasis of peace during the Christmas season. But a genuine search for peace cannot focus on a concept but on the person of Jesus.

After hearing the angel’s message, the shepherds responded by immediately going on a search. But they did not search for peace. They searched for the baby. They knew He was not only the key to the angel’s message. He was the message. They said, Let us now go. . . . And when they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Lk. 2:16 KJV)

They found a Savior—and it is the Savior who brings Peace.

Originally published December 10, 1982.
Picture: Creche carved from olive wood. Photo by Solveig.

Call His Name Jesus

Angels told both Mary and Joseph that Mary’s baby would be named Jesus. To Joseph, the angel added, He will save His people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21 NKJV)

Jesus means Savior. Today the name is immediately recognizable as the personal name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah or the Christ. It is the name of God’s son when He lived in a human body. But it wasn’t always so. When Jesus lived on earth, the name was common, a variation of the older Hebrew name Joshua.

Nevertheless, the name was important even then, because it identified Jesus’ primary ministry. For although Jesus did many wonderful things—He taught people, He performed miracles, and He demonstrated God’s love as He lived His daily life—His primary purpose was to redeem or to save people from sin. Other men of God had taught and performed miracles. Only Jesus had and has the power to save.

Originally published December 20, 1991.

Joseph's Visitation

After the angel Gabriel visited Mary—and after the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary—Joseph must have been a confused man. We read that, not willing to make her [Mary] a public example, [he] was minded to put her away secretly. (Mt. 1:19b KJV)

Scripture also says, But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (Mt. 1:20)

This was not a standard dream, but Joseph accepted the strange supernatural message about a strange supernatural event. He changed his plans and was obedient to God's Word. The Bible tells us, being raised from sleep [he] did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife. (1:24)

Joseph's troubles were just beginning. The road ahead included the trip to Bethlehem with Mary giving birth to the baby in a stable. Then, when Herod threatened to kill the Christ, the angel spoke again. This time Joseph took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt. (2:14b) Because he did not know how long they would be gone, his plans could only be incomplete.

Throughout the infancy and childhood of Jesus, Joseph played a key role in a deadly struggle. God selected this complex man to fulfill a huge task. It was the hour of his visitation.

Originally published December 17, 1982 and December 16, 1988.
Picture: Viewed from the street, Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Recognizing His Messengers

We’ll see many angels this Christmas season. They will be perched on top of Christmas trees and floating on greeting cards. Some of us will also hear angels—singing in Sunday School programs, wearing white robes with gold or silver accents, sporting a tinsel halo.

Have you ever wondered what the Angel Gabriel looked like when he came to Mary in Galilee? Luke’s account does not suggest anything unusual about his appearance. It only records that Mary was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. (Lk. 1:29b NKJV)

Maybe everyone knew how angels looked during Bible times, but I doubt it. The important thing is that Mary accepted Gabriel as God’s messenger. She listened when he spoke and she received his Word for her. She responded in faith when she said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. (v. 38)

God speaks to His people in many ways. Will we recognize His messengers to us this Christmas season? Will we hear Him when He speaks?

Originally published December 4, 1992.

Doubt God's Word?

Even righteous people occasionally doubt God’s Word. Zecharias was such a man, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Lk. 1:6b NKJV)

Then one day, as he fulfilled priestly duties in the temple, an angel appeared to Zecharias, telling him, your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (v. 13b)Furthermore, the child would be unusual, set apart by God for a special purpose.

But both Zecharias and Elizabeth were old—too old to have a baby—and Elizabeth had been barren their entire marriage. Zecharias questioned the message. That was when the angel pronounced a hard saying: you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe . . . . (v. 20a)

Perhaps it was all part of the master plan. People understood that something unusual had happened when Zecharias could not talk—that he might have seen a vision. When Zacharias received his voice again—and immediately prophesied about his son and about the coming Messiah—they knew God was at work.

Originally published December 15, 1989.
Picture: Wild flowers, Minnesota Lake Country, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

The Embryo of Jesus

When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about the birth of Jesus, he said, And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son. . . . (Lk. 1:31a NKJV) Mary wondered about this and asked, How can this be, since I do not know a man? (v. 34b)

Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would move upon her: the power of the Highest will overshadow you. (v. 35b) And it happened as Gabriel said. Mary conceived the embryo of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The new life within her came from both God and a human.

Many doctrines rest upon the concept of the Virgin Birth. One of those doctrines is the redemptive value of Christ’s blood. Blood forms at conception. After conception there is an embryo with blood, but before conception there is only egg and seed. The baby’s blood can be quite different than that of either parent. And the blood of Jesus was quite different from that of His mother. It carried not only her characteristics, but also the characteristics of His Heavenly Father.

Impossible? Yes. But Gabriel reminded Mary that, with God nothing will be impossible. (v. 37) Mary replied, Let it be to me according to your word. (v. 38b)

Originally published December 13, 1991.
Picture: Lindenwood Park, Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

God Incarnate

Everyone loves a baby. During the Christmas season, we are especially aware that God sent His Word to us in just such a form.

God sent His Word to Mary through an angel and she responded, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. (Lk. 1:38a RSV) Jesus was conceived when Mary opened her heart to receive.

The sweet baby—God Incarnate—came for the express purpose of wooing and winning sinful people. And God continues to send forth His Word through revelation of the person called Jesus. He waits for our response and He rejoices when His truth and life are conceived in the hearts of people who open their hearts to receive.

Originally published December 18, 1981.

Become Human Again?

Someone once said that God became flesh—came to earth as a baby—so people can truly become human again. That might seem like a strange idea. But because we are sinners, our humanity or human-ness often falls short of what it should be. Jesus came to change that.

Jesus lived His entire life in perfect harmony with Father God the way God intended all people to live. Through His perfect life and His death, Jesus brings us life. When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, the angel said, And she [ Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21 NKJV)

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive a portion of His life—as much of Him as we can accept by faith. Our fallen human nature is always a disappointment. When we look at Him and His life in faith, we reach out to grasp a higher, more complete life ourselves. God’s power in us can overrule our baser instincts. He changes people who follow Him into people who are more fully human.

Originally published December 18, 1992.

Unique Identities

We reason that if everyone becomes Christ-like, everyone would become the same. But the God who created a physical world with seemingly infinite variety expresses Himself through variety in all of creation—including people.

Three beings in the form of men appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre. . . . (Gen 18:1b NIV) One was the Lord; the others were angels. Each was a separate manifestation of God’s nature.

This is also true of Biblical heroes. As they followed God—allowed Him to form them in His image—they did not become clones of one another. Each stands out as an individual because God ignited their unique abilities.

We might be searching for an identity—be struggling to develop. When we strive on our own to be unique, we almost always end up conforming to the latest trends. But if we follow Christ, we becomes expressions of His nature—with His infinite capacity for variety. The more we yield to Him, the more He reveals our unique identity—the unique creation He had in mind when He fashioned us.

Originally published September 7, 1984.

God's Able Minister

The Babylonians carried many Israelites into captivity—including a youth named Daniel. Daniel entered fully into life in Babylon because he obeyed the words of the prophet Jeremiah. When he did, God blessed him with a career that was long and varied.

Daniel actually served as an able minister of two empires. First Babylon. But when the Medes and Persians overran Babylon, Daniel survived to become a key figure within the Persian Empire. Scripture tell us Darius planned to set him over the whole kingdom. (Dan. 6:3b NIV)

This was too much for Daniel’s Persian contemporaries. They were jealous and wanted to get rid of him. But they could find nothing wrong with his work or his person when they tried to discredit him. They finally devised a scheme so Daniel would be found guilty—of prayer! In accordance with a silly law of the land, Darius was forced to sentence Daniel to death via the mouths of hungry lions.

Darius was loathe to lose his faithful servant. He did not sleep well the night after Daniel was thrown into the lion's den. In the morning he rose early to see what had happened.

In this story, we usually focus on the brave Daniel who would face death rather than deny his God. But what about Darius? He wanted Daniel to live—and he was foolish enough to think it might be possible. He called out, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God . . . been able to rescue you? . . . (v. 20b)

The Lord did protect Daniel by sending an angel. When it was over, Darius wrote a decree saying everyone must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. (6:26b) God saved the minister who served a pagan king—and He touched the heart of the king as well.

Originally published November 12, 1882.