Imitation and Re-creation

Read: Ephesians 5:1-2

We have all heard the phrase, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” But I came across this quote the other day – “Imitation is the highest form of humility.” While I’m not sure if it’s the highest form, I had never thought about imitation in this way – imitation as humility. And it reminded me of the idea of imitating Christ, and what that truly means. 

See, some people would think of imitating Christ as the very opposite of humility. To think that we could be that good! That righteous! But that’s the point, we can’t be that good. Not on our own. Sure, people can do good things on their own. But doing good things and being good – being good as God is good – are two very different things. When we take to imitating Christ, to becoming like Him, we are showing our understanding that we could never measure up on our own devices. No amount of good works could ever bring us to that level. We are showing humility – the humble truth that we need His righteousness – and therefore, His grace – in order to have a relationship with Him. 

“Therefore be imitators of God…” The section of verses right before this, Ephesians 4:20-32, can be summarized by the idea of putting off the old self and putting on the new self. We are told that this ‘new self’ is “…created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” This new self is, in a way, an imitation of Him. 

C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, describes this concept as “dressing up as Christ.” And he claims that when we do this – when we ‘imitate Christ;’ when we, in a way, pretend to be like Him – we will actually be transformed into His image. But Lewis doesn’t stop there; he goes on to make it clear that it is not us who do all this work – really it is God. He is the One who does the pretending. Because of Christ, He takes us in our sinful, self-centered, wicked state and looks at us as if we were holy and righteous as Christ is Himself. He not only forgives our sins, but He treats us as if we had never done anything wrong in the first place. And this – this pretense – goes beyond just that; God isn’t just looking at us as if we were like Christ, but He is actually making us like Christ. As Lewis says, “God looks at you as if you were a little Christ: Christ stands beside you to turn you into one.” 

This is where imitation moves into re-creation. God is re-creating us, from the inside out. This is a process; it doesn’t happen all at once, which is why it has to start with imitation. But it is a beautiful, grace-filled process; the Holy Spirit working in us and with us through it all. The imitation that starts from a place of humility leads to a re-creation which can leave us nothing but humbled. For this is all impossible without the cross. It is Christ dying for us, sacrificing Himself so that we might be covered by His blood – so that we might obtain His holiness and righteousness – that is the foundation of all of this. We would be hopeless, stuck trying to do the impossible in reaching God on our own, if it were not for Christ’s sacrifice. If it was not for God’s grace. For His love. That is the part that should leave us the most humbled – that the God of the Universe would be so full of love and grace for us that He would sacrifice Himself in order to make us new – in order to have relationship with us. That He would do all that despite all of our sin. That He would do all that even in light of the fact that we could never repay Him. 

That’s the point – we can’t be good enough on our own. So Jesus was good enough for us, and now we get to stand in His place. And not only stand there, but be transformed – re-created – into His image as we do.
 
 


Promises for the In-Between

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

 

As we settle into a new year, there are not many things I can promise will happen. We can plan and hope and dream, but at the end of the day, so very much is uncertain. However, as a human being living in this broken world, I can promise you that your outer self will be wasting away. And as a Christian living in this broken world – this world that is not your home – I can pretty much promise you conflict and affliction. These don’t sound like good promises; they don’t seem like they’ll make for a very happy new year. However, if we look into God’s Word – yes, we will see these very truths – but we will see them accompanied by other promises that shed God’s eternal light on them. For God’s truth usually goes much deeper than the surface level that we can see. 

In this passage, Paul is giving the Corinthians encouragement as they face the sometimes very dark reality of living in this sin-cursed world. In John 14-16, we find some similar passages. In these chapters, Jesus is giving His last teaching to His disciples before His death. He is preparing them for life in this world without Him physically there. He is preparing them for living in the already/not yet of His kingdom, the in-between time of His first and second coming, the church age that we are still living in today. And what does He tell them? There will be trouble. There will be persecution. There will be sorrow. Sounds really encouraging right? But He doesn’t leave them there. He tells them to “let not [their] hearts be troubled” – for He is going to prepare a place for them, and will one day return to bring them there. And on top of this, while they wait here in the in-between, He will give them the Holy Spirit to be their Helper.

These promises are the same ones Paul gives to the Corinthians; true for them then, and true for us today. He echoes the words of Jesus as he says, “do not lose heart” – for though our outward self faces decay, our spiritual self is being renewed and sanctified. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised, in us. We are being prepared for glory, transformed into the image of Christ. As we live through the sorrow and joy, the affliction and the mundane, the step-by-step walk of daily life – through it all, the Holy Spirit is at work inside of us. Why? Because this world is not our home. This is the second promise, we are being transformed for something. For glory. For eternity. For our mortal bodies to be swallowed up by life. We are being transformed for home, the thing that we must keep our focus on. 

Keeping our focus on heaven can be harder than it sounds. We have so much competing for our attention on this earth. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that this world is not our home. The shiny things that vie for our attention will one day waste away; and the worries about our needs are promised to be met by our great Provider. He says to seek first the Kingdom, and He will take care of the rest.

In John 16:33, Jesus gives His followers this final promise – “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” This is what we cling to as we live our lives in the in-between this year. As we face the death and decay of this world, as we endure these afflictions. Because Jesus lived a perfect life and died and rose again, because He overcame this world, death is not all there is and these afflictions are light and momentary compared to what is to come. That day to come, the day we will be present with the Lord, is the day we focus on and cling to. And in this new year, in this time of in-between, we too can overcome the world by His victory and through the power of the Holy Spirit. For us who know Christ, the sorrow of this world is wrapped up in the joy of the one to come. And because of this, we can rejoice – no matter what comes.

 


The People of the Christmas Story – The Shepherds and the Wise Men

All throughout the Christmas story we see hints of what Jesus came to do, and who He came for. The first groups of people who came to worship the child-King are some of these hints. Lowly, poor Jewish shepherds and wealthy, learned Gentiles. He had come for all people. He was good news for all people – all that would accept Him.

To the Shepherds, He revealed Himself as Savior. The angels told them they would find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, exactly what the shepherds would do with the spotless lambs set apart for sacrifice. He was showing them the Messiah had come, but not to do exactly what the people had expected. He had come as the Passover Lamb, who would sacrifice Himself for us. For all people. 

To the Wise Men, He revealed Himself as King. God used the stars to get the attention of these foreign people and point them to a child who was a prophesied king. Why? I think to show that while yes, He was born King of the Jews, He was also King of kings – over all nations, all creation. All people. 

Jesus, our Savior and our King. These two truths show us the beautiful duality, yet unity, of God’s mission in sending His Son. He came to die. As our suffering servant, our wonderful Savior, He humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. He came unremarkably, and like a lamb led to the slaughter, saved us from our sins. Yet, He did this because He is King. As Ruler of all creation, knowing that one day He would bring everything in subjection to Himself, He first came to save us in order that we might reign with Him in His future Kingdom. 

And our response to this amazing truth should be the same as the Shepherds’ and Wise Men’s response: worship. That is what our Savior-King deserves. That is what we can bring. We can never repay Him for what He has done, and He doesn’t ask us to. He just asks us for our hearts. And one way we give them to Him is through our worship – a pouring out of what little we have at His feet. He honors that. He loves it. 

The Shepherds and Wise Men show us that Jesus came for all people, as our Savior and our King. And whether it was with expensive gifts or just a bowed knee and awe-filled heart – they show us that it was about the worship they brought to Him.

It is still about the worship we bring. No matter what shape or form it takes, our hearts should be exalting our King for all He has done. For coming as a babe, for dying on the cross, for giving us life and hope and resurrection. For being the God of the Universe who loves us all so very much. 
 


The People of the Christmas Story – Jesus 

 

The climax of the Christmas story – not a great and mighty king riding down from heaven, but a humble and lowly baby, lying in a manger made for animals. A lowly baby, but a King nonetheless. Just not the kind of King people had expected.

The Lord over all things. Creator of the Universe. King of Kings. Mighty God – was born. He came in the messiest of ways. He who had been enthroned in the heavens, a baby who was actually, physically born. Not in a palace, but in a stable. Not in a robe, but in swaddling cloths. Not to riches and luxury, but to a poor, young couple. He was Immanuel, God with us.

The great juxtaposition of it all is overwhelming. That a God that great would come so far down for us. Nothing could be a greater picture of love. 

If there is one thing that we learn from this story, may it be that God loves us. He stopped at no end, spared no expense, for our salvation. The King of Heaven stepped down to this messy earth in a messy way to save a messy people, because He loved them – loves us – with an everlasting love. 

But though this is the main thing we should learn from the incarnation, may we not miss that we must respond to it. It is nothing to us if we just hear that God loves us and then go on with our lives. The love of God has the power to transform us – to save us, to give us life. But we must accept it. We must let the King of kings be the King of our hearts. We must put our trust in the baby born in a manger, for He was born for that purpose – for us. If we don’t, then we miss the true amazement of the Christmas story.

On top of showing us God’s love, Jesus’ birth also shows us the fulfillment of hope promised from the very beginning. From Genesis 3:15 onward, God had given glimmers of hope to His people. Promises to bring One who would make all things new. All the brokenness and sin created by the Fall would be eradicated in Him. And in the manger, that hope was born. On the cross, hope looked lost, but in the resurrection – hope shined through like never before. And we now await the day when hope will be fully realized, when all things will be made right. We can have confidence that this day will come because the day did come when God sent us a Savior. He gave us Hope then, we can await the great day of hope with confidence now.

Glory to God, He has done this thing which He had promised. He has sent salvation. He has given us life. All in the most fitting, yet unfitting, and amazing, and most unexpected, mind-blowing, earth-shattering, life-changing way. He is born. Not the King we expected, but the King we needed. May we let Him rule in our hearts, may we let Him shower on us the hope and love that He brings. 
 


The People of the Christmas Story – Mary & Joseph

 

How do you become the parents of God? It is much like asking how you do the impossible. These were ordinary, everyday people. But in all honesty, there was no person – no matter how high or low – that would have found this easy. They would face ridicule and rejection. They would eventually have to flee their home because of a bloodthirsty ruler. They would have to face the question of how to even parent the person who created them. Their lives would surely be turned upside down.

And yet, though faced with the impossible, Mary gives the most beautifully humble response. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She surrenders. Joseph, the kind and merciful man he is, “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” He surrendered. 

How do you do the impossible? You surrender to the One who knows no such thing as impossible. 

And if you read Mary’s song, you can see that she didn’t just surrender to God’s plan – she was grateful for it. Grateful that God would use her, even if it was in a way she would not have chosen. She trusted that God’s ways were higher than her ways; His plans better than any she could have ever imagined. 

Mary and Joseph were used by God in the grandest way possible, not because they were grand, but because they were humble. God is still in the business of using people. He still calls us to do what seems impossible – what is impossible, for us. And in the face of that, we can look to the story of Mary and Joseph to remind us of a few key truths. 

First, it takes surrender. As Mary and Joseph both had to submit their own wills to God, we do too in order to experience His good plans for us. We must trust that He is giving us a life that is truly and definitely greater than the life we have planned for ourselves. 

Second, it takes a humble heart. We must remember that God is God, and we are not. Mary and Joseph both realized their place – they were servants of God. As they saw then, I hope we will see now that our lives are not our own. True life is found in humbly laying our own desires and wills down at the Lord’s feet. It takes a humble heart to surrender, but it also takes a humble heart to experience the fullness of God’s will for our lives. 

Lastly, it takes everyday hard work. Yes, God used Mary and Joseph in the grandest plan of history. But did it seem so grand when they were changing diapers, rocking the fussy baby to sleep, cooking and cleaning, going through the routine of everyday life? God has grand plans for each and every one of our lives; however, we might not see the grandness on this side of heaven. All we might see is the everyday hard work. Yet, God meets us there in the everyday and the routine. He meets us in the middle of the night. He meets us as we daily surrender to Him with a humble heart. 

He meets us in what might seem like the impossible, and He makes it possible. May we trust in Him. 
 


Advent Devotional #1

The People of the Christmas Story – John the Baptist
 
 
 

Jesus’ virgin birth is not the first miraculous birth in the Christmas story. Months before, another baby boy was born to parents who thought they could never have children. Their barrenness was not because they were unfaithful; no, it was because God had a greater plan – He was writing a more beautiful story than they could have ever imagined. And so a child was born, promised and delivered by God. 

He was to be the forerunner of the Christ. He was the prophesied return of Elijah. The one who would “make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 

Throughout the Old Testament, anytime the presence of the Lord was going to be made manifest in the people’s midst, there was much preparation. Chapters upon chapters are dedicated to the preparations for the Tabernacle and the Temple. This time, however, it was not a building that needed to be prepared – but a people. 

You see, the Jewish people, although expecting the Messiah for centuries, had expected quite the wrong type of Messiah. Therefore, they needed preparation. They needed someone who would lead them in understanding what they really needed saving from, what the kingdom that the Messiah was bringing in would really be like. John was sent as the one who would start turning the eyes of the people away from their own assumptions and desires, toward the glory that God was really bringing in – His presence made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ. 

This story can remind us of three things. First, like every other part of the Christmas story, the miraculous birth of John reminds us that God’s plan is better than ours could ever be. Oh, the years that Zechariah and Elizabeth must have waited and prayed. There were probably points where they looked at their lives and all they saw was disappointment and shame. But through it all, God had the most beautiful, joyous story that He was writing. It may not have been in the time frame they would have preferred, but it was all for a reason. These are truths we might hear often repeated, but let this story remind you of them again. God’s story is greater than we could ever imagine, even when we can’t yet see how it all works out. 

Secondly, let John’s message remind you to turn your eyes from your own assumptions and desires, toward the truth and glory that is in the person of Jesus Christ. Prepare your heart to receive Him this Christmas season. He may not be who you expect Him to be, and He may not do what you desire Him to do – but I promise that He is exactly who you need, and will do for you exactly what you need if you will only surrender to Him. 

Lastly, just as the people had to be prepared for His first coming, people need to be prepared for Jesus’ return. And who are called to prepare the way – the hearts – now? It is us, the Church. We are forerunners to Jesus’ second coming. We are called to go tell the nations. We are called to turn their eyes to the kingdom of heaven, the ultimate glory that God is bringing in through His Son – the new heaven and new earth. 

We must remember, it is not our way – our anybody else’s way – that we are preparing. It is the Lord’s way. It is His Gospel. His kingdom. His glory.  

And I trust that as the Holy Spirit prepares us, we will then prepare others, who will prepare others, who will prepare others…on and on until the Messiah returns. 

Is your heart prepared to receive Jesus and His blessings this season?

How are you preparing the way in your life right now?
 
 
 


The Beauty of Repentance

Read: Luke 15:11-24 

This story is a parable, but imagine for a second that this was a real family. A real father with his real sons. These sons would have grown up seeing their Father’s love and wisdom. They would have trusted him, seen his goodness. Heard over and over that he wanted the best for them.  

And yet, the younger son still wanted his own way. He chose to trust his own desires over his Father’s wisdom and timing. He ran away. He took the Father’s blessings and used them sinfully and stupidly. We repeat Proverbs 3:5 all the time – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” – this is what leaning on your own understanding looks like in our lives. It’s leaving the protection and provision of the wise and loving Father to try to do things our own way. And where does that lead us? Well, where did it lead the prodigal son? – to the pigsty.  

It’s the same thing that Adam and Eve did when they ate the fruit. It’s the same thing Moses did when he struck the rock. It’s the same thing that David did when he slept with Bathsheba. It’s the same thing we do every time we choose our own sinful desires. We trade the Father’s loving arms for the pigsty.  

And yet in every one of these stories, there is hope. For there is grace.  

The Father is waiting for us. His arms are wide open. We may know this, but we can so easily get caught up in the guilt and shame of running away that we don’t truly believe it. We doubt that He will forgive us and welcome us back.  

“Repentance should be a beautiful word to Christians.” This is something Pastor J.J. has repeatedly said throughout this sermon series we’re in, and it is something that has really stuck with me. Why do we often not see repentance as a beautiful, wonderful thing? Well, when our view of God is off – our view of repentance will be too. We must see God as our Father, full of grace, waiting with His arms open. The Father that will not only welcome us back when we get there – but actually runs to meet us where we are, bursting full of compassion and grace (verse 20).   

Yes, God hates sin. Yes, He will allow consequences for it. But He hates it because it hurts us. He allows consequences to draw us back to His loving arms and teach us to remain there. When the son returned, the Father didn’t ask him to do anything to prove himself. No, the humble, simple act of returning was all he wanted. It is what our Father wants from us, too. To turn back to Him, time and time again, trusting that His grace will meet us every time – and that it will guide us into deeper relationship and greater righteousness.  

The Father rejoiced because his son was “…dead, and is alive again.” The difference with us is that God our Father didn’t just think we were dead – we were dead. The pigsty we were living in was our slavery to sin and death. But because of His love, He provided a way out through the blood of Jesus. Because of His love, He rejoices when we choose life (Him). No matter how far we’ve run, all we have to do is turn to His open, loving arms – embracing the beauty of repentance. 



Our Anchor

Read: James 1:2-8  

As I’m writing this, I’m looking out at the sea. Well, the bay, but close enough. Over the past few days I’ve seen how quickly the waves can start to be tossed about when the wind blows or a storm comes.  

Here in James, we see this metaphor used to describe the one who doubts. The context of this verse is about prayer – asking God for wisdom. It tells us that the one who asks will receive. Why? Because our God wants to give us good things.  

How often do we doubt this fact? That our God wants to give us good things – the best things. It is the very first lie humanity believed. The snake in the garden tempted Adam and Eve by serving them the lie that God was holding back on them. That He wasn’t really, truly the perfectly good God that they thought He was. And when the devil gets us to believe that lie – to foster that doubt – the results are detrimental to us.  

For those who doubt will be like waves tossed by the wind. Everything the world throws at us – the trials, the evil, the worries and cares – will toss us about if we don’t anchor our faith in the goodness and greatness of our God. If we don’t reject the lie that our God is not trustworthy. That’s what faith is – it’s choosing to trust in the goodness of our God and His plan even when everything around us seems to be telling us not to. It’s trusting that our trials can and will produce steadfastness and sanctification, even when they just look like pointless trials.  

If you look at verse 1, you will see that this letter is written to the Jews in the Dispersion. These people were pushed out of their homeland, forced to go settle in new, foreign places away from all they knew. I don’t know about you, but I would call that a trial. And so we see why James says what he says next – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” These trials could have easily pushed them about like the wind with a wave. But if they had faith, just enough to trust God’s plan – they could not only endure these trials, they could come out on the other side with greater steadfastness. That they “may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  

Our faith in God’s goodness and His plan for our lives is the rock we hold on to when the wind does come. It is our anchor, keeping us from being tossed about. And it grows and grows and grows over time – as we learn more about Him, but ultimately as we come to know Him more personally and intimately. For as we come to know Him, we come to know His great goodness. Because that is just who He is. 



Fully Known and Loved

Read: Psalm 139:1-12 

Have you ever wanted to run and hide? Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, whether you like the spotlight or not – I would say there’s a pretty good chance that at some point in your life, you’ve wanted to hide. Wanted to cover up something that had been revealed. 

Why? Because nobody likes being exposed. That’s why there are so many cover-ups and lies in this world. That’s why we cringe in the face of being vulnerable. That’s why we constantly put up fronts and faces. – Because we’re scared of being exposed. We know the parts of us that aren’t appealing – the broken, sinful, messy parts. The evil desires. The embarrassing mistakes. And so, we try to cover those things up. Just like Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves after the Fall.  

Because opening ourselves up leaves us susceptible to attack and ridicule. To being left, to being unloved.  

In light of this, Psalm 139 seems at first to present a scary reality. The God of the Universe knows every single thing about us. All the broken and messy parts. All the sin. All the thoughts and words, before they are even thought or spoken.  

And if we try to cover all these things from other humans’ views, our natural reaction is to do the same with God. To try to cover our own sin. Try to clean up our messy, broken pieces. Try to put on a happy face when coming to Him. But He says “No child, I already know everything about you” – a fearful thought, until we are reminded of His character – “And yet, I will never leave you. My steadfast love endures forever.” It is too great and unbelievable a thought that we are completely, fully known AND loved by the God of the Universe. Loved so much that He died for us.  

And this is the beautiful truth that this psalm presents. God knows every single thing about us – and yet there is nowhere we can run from His presence, His love, His grace. We may feel like running and hiding, but the truth is – we can’t outrun Him…or His love. We can’t hide from Him, try as we might…and there is no reason to. For when we finally uncover our sin, our sin will be covered. When we finally bring everything (mess and all) to Him open-handed, exposed – we will find unending grace. We don’t have to fear attack or ridicule, being left or being unloved – for we serve a good and gracious God. One who encircles us forever. 
 



Seek First the Kingdom

Read: Daniel 1:8-20, Matthew 6:33 
 

It doesn’t take us long – when we look at the Bible, world history, ourselves – to see that humans have a natural tendency to be selfish. To look out for ourselves first. To run our own lives. This sin-natured tendency in us finds its origin in the very first sin. – Adam and Eve seeking to run their own lives, put themselves first, and chase after (what they thought was) their own good. It was them seeking first their own kingdom. 

Daniel had the same choice. He could seek first his own good by staying quiet and safe from the king’s wrath, even if he had to defile himself with the kings food. Or, He could seek first faithfulness and righteousness by saying no to disobedience to God’s law, even if that put him in danger. 

Daniel and his friends were exiles. They were taken from their homes and were now living in a foreign land, serving a foreign king. They could have easily convinced themselves that it was best for them to do what they could to stay safe and be successful – even if that meant compromising God’s law. They could have easily let their selfish and self-protecting nature take over. And yet, they stayed faithful to God. They put themselves in possible danger in order to be obedient to Him. 

Why? Because they knew who the true King was. And they held on to the truth that we aren’t the ones who know what “our own good” is. The serpent’s lie that Adam and Eve believed was that God was holding out on them – that He was holding back what was best. That is the lie we are tempted to believe everyday. That we are the only ones who have our best interest at heart and that we must look out for ourselves.  

Jesus knew this. The context of Matthew 6:33 is Him telling us that we don’t have to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear. We don’t have to seek first our own kingdom. Because we are not the only ones looking out for ourselves (we honestly do a very bad job at it anyway). Our Heavenly Father truly does know what is best for us, and wants what is best for us. We see that so very clearly on the cross. And when we stop worrying, stop pursuing our own success, stop seeking our own kingdom – and start seeking His – we find peace and provision.  

Provision because God gives us exactly what we need (even if it’s not what we think we need), and peace because we don’t have to worry about our own lives any longer. We are in His hands. We see this in the lives of Daniel and his friends (more than once), we can trust that it will be true for us as well: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  

What are you seeking in your daily life? 

Do you truly trust that God wants what is best for you, and will give you exactly what you need?