Sappy Christmas Movies...much more than just sappy

“Ho, ho, but no matter. Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved.”  A Christmas Story

  Please don’t tell my daughter, but I’m thankful for sappy Christmas movies. Charity has our DVR programmed to record zillions of them during the holidays (Okay, it’s not zillions but it’s a lot). I Googled how many sappy Christmas movies there actually are…I think I may have broken Google. For the most part, I don’t actually watch them. Yet, as I’m working on something in the room when they’re on, I’ll sometimes catch a few moments. Apparently, I’m allergic to them because my eyes often water. Yes, they’re very formulaic. I just appreciate that they always have happy endings. We need a few more happy endings in this world.

  There’s only one true Christmas story. It’s the historical account we find in Scripture, God sending Jesus to be our Savior. It probably didn’t happen in December. That’s just tradition. December 25^th was chosen by church leaders in the early 300’s. From what we can ascertain from the historical background, it’s more likely that Jesus was born in late September.

  Yet, in the many stories and movies that have risen around Christmas, there are often redemptive elements we wouldn’t have without the Incarnation. Apart from Jesus coming, this world would be a horrible, perpetual “Bad Santa” place (And no, I haven’t seen it nor do I desire to).

  My favorite Christmas movie when I was a child, was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. With great anticipation, I looked forward to seeing it each year. It’s a story about misfits. Rudolph is a misfit. Hermey the elf is a misfit. Ultimately, Rudolph and Hermey team up and their journey leads them to an island of misfit toys. Apart from God’s grace, we’re all just a bunch of misfits because of sin. No one measures up. Wonderfully, in Rudolph all of the misfits are rescued. That’s why Jesus came – to rescue misfits like us – “to save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

  Though released in 1946, It’s a Wonderful Life, is still a classic. It asks a powerful question: What if someone had never been born? What if Jesus had never been born? The film shows the horror of what would have happened if George Bailey hadn’t been born. Multiply that horror a million times a million if Jesus had never been born. It was because of Jesus that slavery was abolished. Both women and children were given value and status as God intended, instead of being property or vassals. Nearly every college first began as a Christian one. Hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens, ministries for addicts and the poor and countless others were started by Christians seeking to demonstrate God’s love that He first demonstrated to us by the gift of His Son.

  A Charlie Brown Christmas almost never happened, at least not the one that was the final product. Charlie Brown is seeking the true meaning of Christmas. The author, Charles Schulz, battled with Network executives because he insisted on including part of Luke 2. The network executives were death on having Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Bible. Network orthodoxy assumed that viewers wouldn’t want to sit through passages of Scripture. There was a major standoff, but Schulz wouldn’t back down. Because of tight production schedule and CBS’s prior promotion of it, network executives aired it as Schulz intended it. But they were certain they had a flop on their hands. Charles Schulz knew the biblical account from Luke 2 was the soul of the story. So as Charlie Brown sinks into a state of deep despair, trying to find the true meaning of Christmas, Linus quietly saves the day. Walking to the center of the stage where the Peanuts characters have gathered, under a narrow spotlight, he quotes Luke 2:8-14. It’s the power of God’s Word!

  Even Christmas with the Kranks has redemptive elements. It confronts the narcissism, hedonism and self-absorption of the contemporary Christmas. Luther Krank is determined to take care of himself. It’s only when he’s forced to “repent” because his daughter, Blair, is coming home for Christmas that he finally capitulates. So he’s desperate. And his community, even though Luther has been a brat, is a model of grace as they kindly rally to rescue him. That’s what the local church is to be – a community that forgives, helps and seeks to be a blessing…even for the undeserving…because each of us is so undeserving. Even then, Luther doesn’t get it until he gives away his prized possession of a Carribbean cruise to an elderly couple where the wife is dying of cancer. It’s only when he sacrifices for someone else that the light begins to dawn.

  We, too, though lose by hoarding and only gain by giving. Like Luther, we’ve been given so much, yet we still miss it and too frequently selfishly focus only on ourselves. It’s only when we’re generous as God has been generous with us in the gift of His Son that the light begins to dawn in our hearts and we truly find “peace on earth.”

  There are many others. Probably my favorite is a 1986 made for TV movie, Christmas Eve. It’s the story of a wealthy elderly lady, who gives to the homeless and volunteers her time with children. When she learns she has an incurable illness, she wants desperately to reunite her three now grown grandchildren who’ve scattered across the country, with their estranged father, her son. She hires a private detective to search for them and attempt to get everyone together on Christmas Eve. It seems impossible and hopeless, but in the end it all comes together. There is re-uniting and restoration. It’s a message of hope, forgiveness and restoration. 

  Isn’t that one of the powerful messages of Christmas? Hope. God through His Son restored us to Himself. We’re forgiven! Because of His grace, we can be restored to each other. What often seems so hopeless – broken lives, marriages, families and a broken world can be restored because of the Cross, His first coming. As dark as it all may seem, there is still hope! 

  So enjoy some sappy Christmas movies. Remember though that the true story isn’t sappy, it’s true and it’s life changing: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

The word of the year is "Post-Truth"???

“Truthiness: the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true.”  Stephen Colbert

  One of my favorite apps on my smart phone is a dictionary program. When we go on vacation, if there’s a strong possibility we won’t have cell service so I can’t access it, I’ll pack a dictionary.

  Oxford Dictionaries recently announced The Word of the Year for 2016. It’s “POST-TRUTH.” Talk about a “huh?” moment.

  “Post-truth” is defined as “an adjective relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Sadly, post-truth is not new. This concept has been in existence for some time. It’s just that Oxford Dictionaries have seen a spike in frequency of questions regarding post-truth this past year with the political situations in Britain and the U.S.A. It’s an outcome of postmodernism and relativism. Words devolve so that eventually they have little definable meaning.

  This compound word, post-truth, exemplifies an expansion in the meaning of the prefix “post” that’s become increasingly prominent in recent years. Instead of simply referring to the time after a specified situation or event, as in post-war or post-match, the prefix in post-truth has a meaning more like “belonging to a time in which the specified concept has become unimportant or irrelevant.”

  Post-truth appears to have been first used in a 1992 essay by late Serbian-American playwright Steve Tesich in The Nation magazine. Reflecting on the Iran-Contra scandal and the Persian Gulf War, Tesich lamented that “we, as a free people, have freely decided that we want to live in some post-truth world.” A book, The Post-truth Era, by Ralph Keyes appeared in 2004. Comedian Stephen Colbert, has popularized an informal word related to post-truth, truthiness, defined as “the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true.”

  Rather than wringing our hands or clucking our tongues, a post-truth world presents opportunities as well as challenges for the Church. Ours is a skeptical, cynical age where truth is increasingly in short supply.

  Be honest. Who do you really trust? Cynicism begins to creep into our hearts, contaminating our outlook on life. It’s not the way God wants us to live. His will is for us to choose to focus on the truth (Philippians 4:8). Polls show we don’t trust that our leaders, political or corporate are telling us the truth. If we listen to someone in the media with a different worldview than ours, we listen cynically, even questioning their integrity and commitment to truth. We’ve reached a sad point where we expect lawyers, lobbyists, journalists, talk-show hosts, politicians and anyone else on the public stage to spin truth in a self-serving way. Truth is devalued and sometimes totally lost. Lloyd Steffen insightfully observed, “Honesty now looks like a dubious virtue if not an actual vice. It is studied and examined as a stratagem rather than as a hallmark of character.”

  We can make a difference! Truth is not optional for the Church. God commands us, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16). Honesty is the first rule of all relationships. The New Testament further unpacks this, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25). In a culture where words are increasing exponentially and truth is cheap, believers are to always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. For the Christ-follower, “truthiness” or “post-truth” are never options.

  Yet, commitment to truth is a choice. Scripture warns us that our hearts are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9). Lying is easy, even “natural” because of sin. It’s all-consuming. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal how greatly entrenched deception is in our hearts. I question if it’s possible to persuade someone who is dishonest to be truthful. Instead, they must first be confronted with the truth of God’s Word. It’s the revelation of God’s Word and holiness which dispels deception and reveals our sinfulness.

  We must also realize how vile lying is – it’s Satanic. Satan was the first liar. Lying is so repugnant to God that the only instance we find of Him striking someone dead in the New Testament was when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church (Acts 5). Afterwards, the Apostle Peter made two powerful observations – Satan had filled their hearts and they had lied to the Holy Spirit. If we wanted to convince people to be honest today that would work! Let a few members in the congregation keel over if they lied and everyone would immediately clean up their act.  

  Post-truth is a relationship murderer. We’re social beings. God designed us to need relationships to be happy and fulfilled. We innately want to get along with each another and live in harmony. That’s impossible if we can’t trust one another. When truth isn’t a given in a relationship, disappointment and insecurity are inevitable. Lying erodes the foundation necessary for healthy relationships, making real ones impossible. When we succumb to post-truth, we become very anxious about reaching out.

  It’s imperative that we’re able to trust one another if we’re going to be the healthy Body of Christ God designed us to be. As God defines what it means to be holy and pure, He also defines what it means to be truthful.  

  In some ways, dishonesty is like a person with allergies. When it’s determined what they’re allergic to, everything that causes them to react allergically is removed from their world. Post-truth causes God to react. God doesn’t just dislike sin. He hates it and will not tolerate its very presence. When we lie, we separate ourselves from Him, becoming like those described in Romans 1, “they exchange the truth of God for a lie.”

  “Post-truth” may be a new word. But it and no other word that’s describes someone dishonest should characterize a Christ-follower. God’s will is for every believer to be a committed truth-teller. We can’t do it in our strength. We need the Spirit’s power. God is the God of the truth. Christ-followers are to be people of truth. We’re to be different. Because of the new life we have in Christ, we must always be known as the people of “present-truth.”

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

The Scrooge in me...

“Darkness is cheap and Scrooge liked it.”  Charles Dickens

  This year is the 50^th Anniversary of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For me, he’s one of the ultimate baddies of Christmas. I love to watch the 1966 version. I love the theme song. Until recently, I didn’t realize that Dr. Seuss wrote the lyrics or that it was performed by Tony the Tiger. Okay, it was Thurl Ravenscroft…who is best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger.

  But my all-time favorite Christmas baddie is Ebenezer Scrooge. A few times I’ve been fortunate to see a live performance of Dicken’s classic tale, A Christmas Carol. It’s much more powerful than watching it on TV.

  We all know that Scrooge was stingy. I think he’s a lot more complicated than that and Dickens wanted us to see the horrific ripple effect of his cold heart. Stinginess was merely the fruit of many other vile roots. If we look in the mirror, we’ll unfortunately see more of Scrooge in ourselves than we want to admit. A lack of generosity was merely the fruit. In fact, generosity is the cure and one of the best ways to attack these foul roots. Check it out for yourself. Is there a Scrooge in you? 

  Scrooge was condescending. Somehow of late, condescension has become more acceptable. Yet, although it’s more common, that doesn’t mean it’s any less repugnant. A condescending spirit is arrogance with an ice pick. We are the opinionated culture. We tend to be very opinionated about nearly anything and everything. But it doesn’t stop there. We condescendingly look down on, speak disparagingly of and to – anyone who dares to disagree with us. We act as if we’re the standard of correctness. We’re not. Truth does not begin and end with us.

  About the only thing we can be certain of is that which is revealed in God’s Word. God is Truth (Isaiah 65:16) and His Word, the Bible is truth (John 17:17). Scripture is not subjective or malleable (2 Peter 1:20-21). But virtually everything else is subjective…from what nation or region of that nation is best, to career, food, sports team, educational choice, political party, church, music preference, clothes, car, neighborhood, etc.  

  Though Jesus spoke the truth very passionately, He wasn’t condescending. He often asked questions, rather than rubbing someone’s nose in obvious truth. He was the model of humility and amicableness.

  Scrooge was critical and harsh. Just say, “Bah humbug” and most know you’re imitating Scrooge. He criticized Bob Cratchit for wanting to spend time with his family. He demeaned his nephew, Fred, for enjoying the festivity of Christmas. Pettiness is the national pastime. Think of what you were critical about just recently in your mind, if not with your mouth. But does what you pontificated about even matter? Like Scrooge, the harsh things we say to those closest to us (family, friends, co-workers) hurt. If something doesn’t need to be said, it probably shouldn’t be. Jesus saw the good things others were doing that most missed, like a poor woman dropping two pennies in the offering. He was the model of encouragement. No wonder others thronged to be around Him. Being around Him was so refreshing. Critical individuals though are so draining. Which one are you?

  Scrooge was a workaholic and materialistic. The Bible teaches the value of a work ethic. We’re not to be indolent. But there’s so much more to life than work. No one ever gets to the end of life, regretting that they didn’t work more. Scrooge put in long hours, but for what? In the end, he left it all. Sure, he had nice things but he didn’t enjoy them…and he certainly didn’t share them. It doesn’t take long for that thing we thought we had to have to grow old and stale. Yet, it’s amazing, when we share what God has blessed us with, how much it increases our fulfillment and enjoyment.

  Scrooge was self-absorbed and uncompassionate. Scrooge looked at the poor and those in dire circumstances as a nuisance. What are your thoughts when you see someone dressed a bit shabbily? What about a child that’s unkempt? Or, worse a misbehaving one not being monitored by a parent? Do you think, “What a brat”? What about the person using food stamps in front of you at the grocery store? Are you the judge and jury of their situation? John 4 is a very convicting Bible passage for me. I doubt that I’d have engaged that immoral woman in a compassionate conversation like Jesus did. I wonder how many times I’m an uncompassionate Scrooge and miss an opportunity to be Jesus to someone.

  Scrooge was isolated and miserable. No one wanted to be around him. They only sought him out because they wanted something from him.

  I truly feel sorry for those who are wealthy, famous or powerful. They aren’t certain who their friends actually are. They’re not always certain if their spouse or children love them. Do others truly want to be in their presence or are they looking for a present? If they lost it all, who’d still be there for them? It was the lesson the Prodigal Son learned. He didn’t have friends; he had leeches. Once he’s out of funds, he’s out of friends.

  Yet, a generous person has more friends than they will ever know. Those who are truly generous give without strings, expecting nothing in return.

  I’m always wonderfully surprised when someone who doesn’t love Jesus is gracious and generous. They’re doing something unnatural. Selfishness is the realm of the natural. Scrooge just happened to have the resources to act as many of us would like to, if we thought we could get away with it.  

  As I read the Bible, it’s apparent that it’s very difficult to be stingy and yet be a Christian. It violates everything God is and the Bible teaches. Once you’ve experienced God’s grace, grace you know you’re so undeserving and unworthy of, how can you not be generous? Salvation means you’re a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). It changes our whole worldview.

  It’s easy to talk a lot about your faith, have lots of Bible knowledge, but know so little of God’s grace. Head knowledge without a heart transformation is the Scrooge condition. 

  Are you a generous person? If others knew how much you share of your time and treasure, would they consider you generous? More importantly, does God think you’re generous? Scrooge wonderfully changed. Sadly, that rarely happens. The only way you and I will ever become generous won’t be by turning over a new leaf, it’s by surrendering to a generous God and letting Him change our heart. Are you a Scrooge? Let a generous God give you a new heart. That’s why Jesus came, “to save us from our sins.”

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Please do not feed the fears!

“Please do not feed the fears.”

  For the most part, I sleep much better than I used to. As a pre-teen, we lived in a neighborhood that was deteriorating. Burglaries and other crimes were becoming increasingly common. There was a sense of anxiety in the air. Our house was a large two story one with five bedrooms, two of them were downstairs. Someone could be downstairs and no one would know.  

   After my Mom died, it was not unusual for my Dad to either come home very late or not come home at all. Sometimes when my sisters and I would come home, we would let our large dog go in first to roam around. We were afraid someone might have broken in and be in our house, unbeknownst to us. One Friday night, for some reason I was all alone. My Dad called me in a stupor, letting me know that he wasn’t coming home. I think I was maybe 12 and I became terrified. I remember getting his shotgun out of his closet and laying it on the bed next to me as I slept. While I didn’t even know how to use it, it gave me comfort to know that I had some way to potentially protect myself if needed.

  Then, after our son, Ben, began having seizures, I found I had difficulty sleeping, often rushing into his room at the slightest odd noise, anxious that Ben might have a seizure in his sleep. It didn’t help that shortly after Ben was diagnosed with epilepsy, I was asked to do a funeral for a special needs young man who’d choked to death in the midst of a seizure.

  Fear is a trespasser! It’s the one emotion that’s not part of our original design. Fear is not what it means to be made in the image of God. It was only after our first parents had sinned, disobeying God’s one command that we find the word “fear” in Scripture (Genesis 3:10). Sin opened the door to our greatest enemy, Death, and with it, fear. Ever since sin contaminated this world, people have struggled with fear. Essentially, you will find we all fear the same basic things.

  We are afraid of circumstances. Try as hard as you will, you cannot control your life or your circumstances. William Ernest Henley was all wet. We are not “masters of our fate or captains of our soul.” None of us can control our circumstances. Why is it that insurance companies seem to never downsize but build larger facilities? This world, this life is the domain of the out of control and unexpected. Every day people get up, go to work…never expecting they will be the fatality clogging up the freeway, but someone will be. Someone is in a doctor’s office or emergency room right now, receiving a diagnosis they never expected, and their life will be forever changed. Most of us don’t expect to be laid off or to receive a pink slip. We don’t expect the car to break down. The list is endless. As a result, we become anxious about our circumstances. Because we cannot control our circumstances, many live in anxiety. Contemplating on your lack of control over your circumstances increases your anxiety levels. They will appear to grow larger, you will feel smaller, and your faith and vision of God will be clouded. Are you living in fear of your circumstances?

  We are afraid of others. What is it about us? If you walk into a room, two people are talking…if one or both of them glance at you and begin whispering, or worse, begin giggling…we assume it’s about us. Most of us fear that if others really knew us, even the ones we love and are loved by, that they probably wouldn’t even like us. It’s the fear of others that causes us to let ourselves be manipulated, surrendering who and what we are. It’s the fear of others that makes us clingy and insecure. We become over-sensitized to the opinions of others and find ourselves unable to be who God has called us to be. Everyone around you, even believers, still struggles with indwelling sin. Because of sin relationships are messy. People will hurt you; you will hurt them. They will demand of you what they shouldn’t demand and respond to you in ways they shouldn’t respond. Some, particularly those who are either influential and/or vocal in our lives, will loom larger than they should in our thoughts and motives. Rather than living for the glory of God, we’re tempted to work for their approval. The fear of man is a boogey man in our souls. Are you living in fear of others?

  We are afraid of the future. All of us live in the difficult place of not knowing the future. As believers, we’re to live by faith. God’s will is for us to trust, obey and believe that God will guide and provide. It’s a lot easier to say that than it is to do. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. We’re not even certain what the next moment may bring, let alone next year. Security will never be found in some vain attempt to plan, to figure it all out or attempt to peek into the future either via a psychic or seeking to ascertain the secret will of God. God’s secret will (Deuteronomy 28:29) is a secret because it’s in our Father’s sovereign hand. Yet we still desire to know, to figure things out ahead of time. The more you focus on the future, the more you’ll contaminate your heart with a sense of dread. On top of that, the more you’ll be confused and de-motivated in the here and now.

  Not knowing isn’t easy. Anyone with children has experienced the difficulty of a child not knowing what’s going to happen on Christmas, which usually results in a sleepless night for both the parents and the child.

  We find questions of the future hard to deal with because we find it difficult to trust God. Yet, the One we’re to trust knows everything about the future because He controls every aspect of it. Our fear of the future exposes our struggle to trust Him, and in trusting Him, to rest in His love, guidance and care, even though we don’t know what comes next. 

  Four times in the nativity account of the Savior we find these two words, “fear not.” It’s not a part of the Christmas story we typically think about.

  Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at those “fear nots.” You’ll find they intersect with our own lives and experience of what we fear. 

  As the Father sent His Son to free us from sin, He sent Him to free us from fear. Please join us each Sunday during this Christmas season as we together learn to live more and more in God’s wonderful “fear not,” that peaceful place of “No Fear” our Heavenly Father wants for each of us. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.