What Christmas Means to Me...

It's a little ironic how this entry is titled "What Christmas Means to Me..." and yet I will be borrowing many ideas...First shout-out goes out to my mannn - Søren Kierkegaard (Emily & Carlos' favorite philosopher) and second shoutout goes out to the writer & creator of http://paxetbonum.blogspot.com - I don't know them personally - but I thank God they wrote out the story of "The King and the Maiden" so that I don't have to!

So hopefully Kierkegaard's parable will help to illustrate my view of Christmas. I don't believe that the celebration of Christmas was never intended to be taken so lightly. It was never intended to be a time of pine trees & candy canes. It was never intended to be a season of stressing out and giving gifts out of obligation. And it was most definitely not intend to be a time, where people must LOSE THEIR LIVES over commercialism and consumerism (that's a whole other issue - that deeply disturbs me - maybe I'll delve more into that later.) My eyes are slowly opening to see that the "Christmas Story" is not a cute little nativity scene, it is the most beautiful LOVE story ever told. Emmanuel - God with us. Why would our omnificent God who dwells in the heavens ever do such a thing for man? Well...Hopefully this story helps to explain...Enjoy!
Søren Kierkegaard, a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, once pondered how the gap between God and humanity could ever possibly be bridged. He constructed an answer to that question in the form of a parable called The King and the Maiden. It goes something like this:

The King and the Maiden

There once was a king who loved a humble maiden. But there was a serious dilemma. There was a seemingly infinite distance between them. One, the king, was noble by birth and had great armies at his command and great riches for his delight. But the other was a lowly maiden, of lowly birth, with no riches whatsoever. Two people, totally different and separated by class, status, wealth, power and influence.

To anyone who looked at this situation, clearly the maiden appeared to be very lucky. After all, this might be the opportunity for her to finally make something of herself, to leave behind a life of menial work and enjoy wealth and power and prestige. What a great favor the king would be bestowing upon the maiden, one which she could never be sufficiently grateful for. But it was this very notion which enraged the king. And a great many courtiers were put to death for just suggesting it.

For the king realized that if he were to simply make his beloved maiden into a queen, then she would never be truly happy and their love could never be sincere. Would she be able never to remember what the king wished her only to forget: that he was a king and she had been a humble maiden? She would begin to wonder whether or not she could ever match the king’s royalty or nobility, and ultimately, whether or not she loved the king for the right reasons. And she would be lead to conclude that it would have been better for her to have remained a humble maiden, married to an equal, content in her humble cottage. And even if the king were to overcome this dilemma, suppose the maiden could not even understand him? We may suppose a difference of mind between the king and the maiden such as to render an understanding between them impossible.

Moved by love, the king is then resolved to reveal himself somehow to the maiden. His love is a love of the maiden, and his aim is to win her. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal, and it is only in equality or unity that an understanding can be effected between the two. But this love is through and through unhappy, for how great is the difference between them! The unhappiness of this love does not come from the inability of the lovers to realize their union, but from their inability to understand one another.

How does the king solve his dilemma? Perhaps the king could show himself to the humble maiden in all the pomp of his power, causing the sun of his presence to rise over her cottage, shedding a glory over the scene, and making her forget herself in worshipful admiration. But alas, this might satisfy the maiden, but it could not satisfy the king, who desires not his own glorification but hers. It was this that made his grief so hard to bear, his grief that she could not understand him; but it would have been still harder for him to deceive her. Not in this manner then can their love be made happy, except perhaps in appearance, namely the maiden's, but not the king's, whom no delusion could possibly satisfy.

Ultimately, the king and the maiden can come neither to union nor an understanding of one another, unless the king himself forgets his kingliness and becomes a lowly peasant like the maiden. It is only in this way that a true and authentic love can be forged between the king and maiden. And the king mustn’t just appear as a peasant or live as one for a certain period of time, but he must truly become a peasant in the most real sense possible. It is only in this manner that the king can solve his dilemma, for love is triumphant when it makes that which was unequal equal in love.

This is certainly a poignant parable to reflect on during this Advent Season, the season in which we celebrate that great mystery of God’s descent to earth and his assuming of our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. For certainly, this parable could easily sum up two thousand years' worth of teaching and understanding concerning the purpose and mission of Jesus.

It is the same with the divine and the human. The divine must humanize itself in order for us to be able to at least acknowledge it and engage it. God becomes one like us in order to understand us, to make himself lovable, in a manner of which we are capable. There is a long tradition in Christian thought of "the human" needing divinization. But thankfully Kierkegaard challenges us to think of this notion in reverse, of the divine needing to humanize itself.

Truly this is the real meaning and significance of Christmas, that God loved us so much that he desired to be one like us out of sheer love.


We have really sentimentalized Christmas. We've become so accustomed to the image of Joseph and Mary peering in at a beautiful little baby in a cozy stable. But Christmas is really not that cute! It's about God's dynamic, raging love, which drove him to descend to earth and set the world ablaze! If we don't get anything out of this season, from all the shopping, and gift-exchanging, and commercialism, then at the very least we should be reminded of our great God, who became one like us in order to understand us, to engage us, and ultimately to love us...




May your holidays be filled with love, joy & laughter and a new awareness of what Jesus Christ has truly done.

More thoughts on Philemon!

"Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul - an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus - I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains." Philemon 1:8-10

• Paul says that he COULD be bold & order them to do what is right, but instead he rather appeal to them on the basis of love...Which is of course a brilliant move - He is laying down his rights and entitlements for the sake of "letting love reign". In verses 12-21, he then challenges them to do the same. Even though they have ownership of Onesimus, he asks that they may lay down their rights and accept him back as a brother. Sometimes it gets so easy to label people a certain way- I see it all the time (and I'm very much guilty of it too). It is now the "norm" to leave your trash in the movie theaters, so that the employees can clean it up, because it is "THEIR job"...And for us 'christians' to leave our trash around, so that the custodians can "do their job". Philemon could have easily taken back Onesimus as a slave - he did in fact "belong" to him, so it wouldn't have necessarily been wrong. But God calls us to so much more - He calls us to love one another & treat one another as brothers and sisters, without the all the labels & categories.

"Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me" Philemon 1:11

• This is exactly what occurs when you have an encounter with the power of Christ - It happens ALL THE TIME. God is at work ALL THE TIME redeeming the bad to good - redeeming the useless to become useful. Giving us beauty from ashes. This verse gets me very excited! God has taken the life of this poor & lowly slave and has given it new meaning - Onesimus gets to be USED for God's purposes... As an instrument that becomes useful to the body of Christ! :)

Lord Father,

I thank you for the lessons you teach me each and everyday. Thank you for all the excitement and wonder that I get to participate in. I pray that you continue to reveal yourself to me, as I try my very best to live out my faith. May I continue to drink in deeply your words, so that I will be an overflow of love and encouragement to those around me. Help me to lay down my life for others daily, so that they will know how much YOU truly love them. God, I have so much on my mind...So much to do this weekend. I pray that your shalom covers all my fear & anxiety. Help me to live with YOU as the Lord in my life. I love you Lord! You da bomb! ;)

Some thoughts on Philemon

12.11.08 Devos

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul - an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus - I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me."
Philemon 1:4-11

In this short letter to the house church of Philemon, Apphia & Archippus, Paul both exhorts & corrects their behaviors - which is usually the purpose of Paul's letters :) It seems as though there is some "tension" going on about a slave that they used to have named Onesimus, who was taken under the apostle Paul's wing. Paul is now sending Onesimus back to the house church of Philemon...But with a challenge. The challenge to lay down their rights of "ownership" and accept Onesimus back as a brother, instead of a slave.

Random thoughts on this passage:
"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." Philemon 1:4-7

• v.4-5 Thankfulness...Am I thankful? No...I mean, am I truly thankful & excited about every praise report I hear? Is my soul re-ignited when I hear about people showing the love of Christ to one another? Do I remember to regularly pray for those around me?

• v.6 A full understnading of every good thing I have in Christ - oh boy would I be excited to gain that! But there is just too much, how do I even begin to understand something so deep? Paul says that if we are ACTIVE in sharing our faith, we will begin to find that understanding. We need to start living it out BEFORE it makes sense to us, so that in the end it will all make sense :) - Hmmm...that sentance didn't make sense.

• v.7 Love and encouragement - we all need it. We could all use a lot more of it in our lives! God has blessed me beyond measure and so I can honestly say that majority of the time - this joy that I have, I can barely contain it! The best thing about it though, is that when I show my gratefulness to God through my joy, He in turn INCREASES my joy by letting me be a source of love & encouragement to others. They in turn pass on the love & encouragement...and I get it back ten fold. I see the "refrshinging of the saints" happening all around me, on a daily basis. It's a wonderful thing....Almost like a CHAIN REACTION!

***A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. It is a chain of events. Thanks Wikipedia!

to be continued...

MY VERY FIRST BLOG ENTRY!

I am very excited to present to you my very first blog entry. It's been a long time in the making. I'm not sure if any of this will actually be read, but I am hoping that "blogging" will help keep me sane. So, this blog is ultimately for myself, but if you happen to be reading this - please enjoy :)

12.07.08 Devo

1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

Colossians 3:1-5 (NASB)

Ever since the beginning of my walk with Christ, Colossians 3:2 has been one of my favorite verses. I was obsessed. I would write it on everything in sight - in my notebooks, on my CDs, on my forehead...okay, maybe not my forehead, but it definitely was one of my favorites. However I wish that I would have spent more time looking at it in context (as I am learning to do now). The letter to city of Colossae addressed the struggles that they had with their philosophical speculations & false spiritual beliefs. The early church had many struggles with GNOSTICISM, which explains Paul's use of language - "you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." and "therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead". Paul is making a clear point to say "okay if you really believe your body is evil and you have no control over your sins, then consider your bodies as...well...completely DEAD. So congratulations, you are no longer slaves to sin. You are set free by Christ."

The other implications of these verses are just outrageous (in a good way). My mind can't even start to comprehend what verse 4 truly means - that we will be revealed with Christ in His glory? That's amazing! Verse 3 says that our lives are HIDDEN in Christ, then in 4 it goes on to say that when Christ is revealed, so will our TRUE selves. Personally, I cannot wait for the moment where that happens - where I am in the perfect state that God had created me in. And even though that won't fully happen until my earthly body passes, I feel the transformation coming upon me now. Layer by layer God is peeling off all the "opihis" I've acquired over the years, and my TRUE self is being revealed. It is truly a beautiful thing to feel so comfortable in my own skin. I can feel God peeling away the immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed all the idolatry and lies that I've bought into all my life. I definitely have a long ways to go, but I am determined to peel off ALL the "yucky stuff" and to seek, do, & speak ONLY what is good - only what is from my God above.


So those are just some thoughts on Colossians chapter 3 - verses 1-5. I firmly believe that God is at work in me & my life AND in the lives of everyone around me & everyone here on earth. Life is beautiful & God is awesome! cheehooo! :)