In light of the season

I just wanted to share my med­i­ta­tion the last week or so, from Philip­pi­ans 2:1–11:

So if there is any encour­age­ment in Christ, any com­fort from love, any par­tic­i­pa­tion in the Spirit, any affec­tion and sym­pa­thy, com­plete my joy by being of the same mind, hav­ing the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do noth­ing from rivalry or con­ceit, but in humil­ity count oth­ers more sig­nif­i­cant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own inter­ests, but also to the inter­ests of oth­ers. Have this mind among your­selves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equal­ity with God a thing to be grasped, but made him­self noth­ing, tak­ing the form of a ser­vant, being born in the like­ness of men. And being found in human form, he hum­bled him­self by becom­ing obe­di­ent to the point of death, even death on a cross.

There­fore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue con­fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

That is the Christ­mas story. JP and I read through the first sev­eral chap­ters of Matthew and Luke Sun­day. Some amaz­ing prophe­cies Joseph and Mary heard of their lit­tle baby boy.

From God’s heaven to a manger, From great riches to the poor, Came the Holy Son of God, a lit­tle Child; From the azure halls of heaven to a lowly manger stall Jesus came, and He gave His life for all.

Redeem­ing love, a love that knows no limit; Redeem­ing love, a love that never dies; My soul shall sing through-out the end­less ages The ado­ra­tion of this great love on high.

From a lov­ing heav­enly Father, To a world that knew him not, Came a Man of sor­rows Jesus Christ, the Lord; In my wan­der­ing Jesus found me, Touched my life with His great love, And this Babe has grown to be my Sov­er­eign Lord !!

Redeem­ing love, a love that knows no limit; Redeem­ing love, a love that never dies; My soul shall sing through-out the end­less ages The ado­ra­tion of this great love on high.

Redeem­ing love: This is the kind we need. The kind that radi­ates from a cross, which flows in Jesus’ blood. Not the kind that one finds at feel-good “Christ­mas ser­vices” (where orga­ni­za­tions rake in the dough). I was lis­ten­ing to NPR the other day, and they adver­tised a upcom­ing news item about pas­tors adjust­ing their mes­sage for the hol­i­day vis­i­tors. Tick­ling their ears? Have to, in order to pay the bills…

Come Lord Jesus! Have mercy on us!