GOD STILL SPEAKS

 Hebrews 1:1-2 (NIV)

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

               One of the things that stands out to me about the Christmas season is how hard it is for people to ignore Jesus. There is a new Christmas movie this year about a genie entering our world at Christmas. In the promo for the movie, there is a dialog between the main character and the genie. The genie asks the man what Christmas is all about. He tells her that it is a celebration of Jesus’ birth. She announces that she knew Jesus. Then the man says that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The genie is taken aback and states, I thought he was kidding. I think there are many people who embrace the Christmas story as a nice story, but don’t take it seriously.

               I have been reading a book by J.I. Packer called God Has Spoken.  It is a defense of the Bible. Packer makes the case that God has spoken in the past and is still speaking today through His word and through His church. Twice a year the reality that God is still speaking to our world comes to the forefront: Easter and Christmas. On both occasions the world tries to hide the true meaning of these events by overlaying them with superficial mythology. But God continues to speak all the same.

               On my drive into church, I pass four different billboards, which declare that Jesus is the true center of Christmas. I was in a store the other day and next to Jiggle Bells and I’ll Be Home for Christmas I heard Away in a Manger and Silent Night being played. As I drive through various neighborhoods I see snowmen, reindeer, and nativity scenes all missed together. People cannot ignore Jesus, even though they try.

               We can choose to not listen to God’s voice or we can tune in to what He is saying to us. All around us, God is declaring His glory and inviting us to join Him. The world He created shouts about His power, creativity, and ingenuity. The Bible invites us to get to know the character of God in a personal way. Not only is He a God of power and justice, but He is a God of love, grace, and mercy. Jesus came on that first Christmas to fully reveal God to humanity. He came to make the unknowable knowable, the untouchable touchable, the distant near, the eternal finite. As Hebrews tells us, The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

               Almost everyone is drawn to a baby. When our first son was just a baby, we took a trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior. Everywhere we went total strangers would come up to us and comment of our baby. He acted like a magnet that drew people to us. God knows the human heart. He knows how to get around our defenses so that we can encounter Him. So He chose to enter our world as a baby. If He had come as a warrior or a king, we might have revered Him or bowed to Him, but we would not have gotten close to Him. But when He came as a baby, He invited us to come near and to experience His love. Each year at Christmas, God sends the same message to the world. God is still speaking for those who have ears to hear and hearts that are open.

Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.