Home Improvement Blinders

I like to think I’m a handy man. I enjoy trying to fix things around the house – sometimes with success, sometimes with utter failure. When I do commit to a home improvement project it consumes me, it’s all I can think about. I don’t want to stop until I’m finished, and do it yourself projects always take longer to finish then expected. The “home improvement blinders” I wear drive my wife crazy. I’ll be in the middle of a project and she’ll come up wanting a hug or a kiss on the cheek and stand there waiting for me to stop my work – an annoying distraction. I know, you think I’m a horrible husband, but in my mind, I’m willing to spend all the cuddle time she can stand - once I finish my project! But often the project goes longer and cuddle time goes shorter.

The prophet Haggai talks about similar “home improvement blinders” the Israelites faced. Having returned from exile they were so focused on their own homes they didn’t do anything for God’s house. I’m sure they were using the same rational I do – We’ll fix the Temple once we get our homes squared away. But they were finding – as I often do – projects take longer, time is fleeting, and their supplies are never enough. God tells them through Haggai, “You expected much, but see it turned out to be little. What you brought home I blew away. Why? declares the Lord Almighty. Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.” Haggai reminds the Israelites that God is their first priority, not themselves. But he doesn’t just say God, he says God’s house is their first priority. In the Old Testament God’s house was the temple. In the New Testament it is within his people that God dwells. The house may be different but the calling is still the same…we shouldn’t be so focused with ourselves that we ignore God’s people.

This idea goes against our culture of individualism and material success. Life in America has become private and individualistic. Take houses for instance. A lot of older houses have large front porches facing the street. Newer homes have small front porches, but large back yard patios and decks surrounded by a privacy fence – private and individual. But just like the Israelites of Haggai’s time would plant much but gain little, I wonder how many of our modern private lives are toiling for meaning but come up shallow and missing the depth of real relationship and community. Real fullness and purpose in life comes when we lay ourselves down and tend to God’s house. So next time my wife walks up to me, I think I might lay down my hammer and give her the hug she deserves.

The Dirt on the Nativity

A small rustic shed housing serene ceramic figures. Mary and Joseph, with their hands clasp together, stare down lovingly at a peaceful infant Jesus lying in a manger. Shepherds stand by leaning forward to get a glimpse of the beautiful infant. Their sheep are calmly lying around the stable chewing their cud. Three Wise Men are on bended knee holding their gifts in the air for the child to see. Above an angel dressed in white hovers over the beautiful scene arms spread open with an angelic smile.

This is what I remember of the Nativity at my Grandma’s house. Every Christmas season it would be set up, and every Christmas season when she wasn’t looking I would grab the peaceful figurines and recruit them as army men to help fight my imaginary wars. Once I accidentally chipped the tail end of one of the Wise Men’s robes. Imaginary wars are brutal like that.

Many homes in the U.S. and around the world have similar Nativity scenes displayed. All depict a peaceful and serene moment when divine became flesh. Most, when thinking of the birth of Jesus Christ, imagine those angelic Nativity scenes. But, I imagine the real Nativity was far from peaceful imagery we have in mind.

Think about it…first, an engaged girl becomes pregnant, and her fiancé knowing it wasn’t by him has enough concern for her to quietly break the engagement (by law he could have had her stoned to death). After angelic intervention declaring the child would be the Messiah, the fiancé takes her back. I can’t imagine the wild thoughts racing through the couple’s heads at the prospect of raising the Savior of the Jewish people. The couple probably had a myriad of emotions; fear, nervous anticipation, confusion, doubt, excitement. The man and his pregnant fiancé travel to Bethlehem, surely not an easy task. Then the man frantically tries to find lodging for the soon to give birth woman. A stable is the only available shelter. (Now, I used to raise livestock, and a barn is not a desirable place to give birth.) Itchy straw, manure, and pungent smells are the commodities for Joseph and Mary. Then comes the pain and confusion of this young woman’s first labor. Her screams and moans no doubt kept the animals at bay. Finally, after much struggle, the infant is born. His screams from being thrust into the harsh cold new environment fill the stable. The baby is cleaned, nurses, and wrapped up to lay in the only available crib – a feed trough. Joseph no doubt cleaned it the best he could, but grain crumbs are still lodged between the rough boards. A group of dirty shepherds arrive from the fields to see this amazing infant the angels sang about. In the back of everyone’s mind they are wondering if this helpless infant is really who the angels promised him to be. And the wise men? They are no where to be found. They are just beginning their journey towards the peculiar star in the sky.

This account isn’t exactly how it happened either, but I imagine its a little closer to reality than the images of modern day Nativities. Why do we imagine Christ’s birth as peaceful and perfect? Even though Jesus was fully God he was also fully human, and humanity can be messy, dirty, and uncertain. Jesus cried as a baby, dirtied his undergarments, and spit up after he nursed his mother.

Christ’s birth was as unglamorous and any person’s birth, perhaps even more so given the surrounding and circumstances of it. What an amazingly peculiar way for God to physically enter our world. The nativity models perfectly the humility of Jesus Christ. It shows how from the incarnation all the way through to his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ lowered himself and laid himself down for us. Christ was willing to leave heaven to come to earth as a man. Not just a man – a baby. Not just any baby – one born in the humblest of circumstances.

Jesus’ willingness to enter our imperfect world gives me assurance that he is willing to enter my imperfect life. What a Savior.

Change your Perspective

Check out my friend Michael's blog entry about "Interesting Human Ratios." It might just change how you see the world. Who knew the rest of the world isn't like Kokomo, IN?

http://michaeldubbels.typepad.com/weblog/

They don’t get you cause they don’t got God.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them. We are from God and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. 1 John 4:5-6


Does it ever seem that when it comes to the media and current culture Christians can’t win? (Partly because some of the most outspoken media driven Christians are horrible poster children and give us a bad name) I think John was pretty close to the point when he simply stated, “hey, they don't get you cause they don’t got God.” In other words one’s world view drastically shapes all he does. So it makes all sense that Jesus makes little sense to those who don’t believe. Then why do Christians get all bent out of shape about a little bad press? Shouldn’t they be expecting it?

The New Testament is after all filled with examples of persecution and pressure form those who don’t “get it.” Jesus faced it (to the point of death), his disciples faced it (again almost all to the point of death) and every Christian truly living for God has and will face it. But this persecution in no way points to a losing battle. In actuality, it’s often in times of persecution that the church grows the most. (Look at Chinese church in the midst of Communism.)

So breathe a little easier next time Lowe’s advertises a “holiday tree”, or you see the ditzy Christian girl on ER, or hear Studio 60 take another whack at Christianity, or see another History channel special on the “Real Jesus.” When we feel like getting our fists in the air to fight, maybe we should instead get on our knees to pray.

Here are a few thoughts I jotted down about this topic Concerning evangelism:

Since…
People in the world won’t readily hear our viewpoint.
People in the world won’t readily understand our viewpoint.

Therefore…
We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to change people’s hearts, not simply our own rhetoric or words.
When someone accepts Christ it has nothing to do with us, and all to do with God.