Just A Thought

 The past few years have been educational for us all. While navigating the pandemic, social unrest, and financial troubles, we have learned about ourselves, about social dynamics, about trust in God, and about the necessity of a genuine relationship with God - rather than just with doctrine or the church. As the entire world was shaken, the faith of good-hearted people matured, even as others have abandoned their faith. His story continues to unfold, just as prophesied in scripture. Believers are learning to walk a steep, foggy path by listening carefully for the voice of their shepherd.

The Christmas story reminds us that God is running the universe and that He can do what needs to be done, in spite of people and circumstances. God designed life so that people can play important roles in His story - but only if they want to. He also made sure that neither people nor devils can mess up His plot. For example, God invited Mary and Joseph to be guardians of the Messiah. They agreed. People misunderstood them. Circumstances seemed to work against them. The government caused them great inconvenience. A politician killed many babies in an effort to kill their baby. Mary & Joseph had no clue how to fulfill all the prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus. They just agreed to do their part, and live their lives to the best of their ability. God did the rest, and today most of the world sets their calendars to the day Jesus born, even if they don’t believe in the God who set it all in motion.

What many people don’t know about the Christmas story is that the circumstances of Jesus’ birth were much more God-directed that anyone realized. Not only was He born in the town of Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah 5:2, but He was likely born at a very specific place called Migdal Eder, as prophesied in Micah 4:8. This was a place where lambs were born – lambs that were destined to be sacrifices for sins. Jesus was not born in a random stable that just happened to be available because Mary and Joseph’s lives were being jacked around. When it seemed that their lives were being disrupted, God was really directing them to the exact town and location that would fulfill all the prophecies. Jesus’ life fulfilled at least three hundred prophesies that were written by multiple authors from many different time periods. He was born under a star that may have been the alignment of stars and planets. Mary and Joseph had no way to figure out how to make Jesus’ birth take place under a star not far from angels who would declare His birth to shepherds. All they could do is trust and obey. 

This year my my wife wrote a Christmas presentation called “The Lamb,” in which she shares some interesting things about the Christmas story that I have never heard before. It reveals just how intricate and beautiful God’s plan was, and how everything was fulfilled as God directed the cast. The presentation will be posted on our website by December 19th, in hopes that many people will be heartened that God will do what He has promised despite people and circumstances. His plot is unstoppable. 

Jesus’ birth was prophesied, and came to pass just as He planned, in spite of the adverse actions of devils and people. The same Bible also prophesied that there would come a time of trouble on earth that would include a one-world government and anti-Christian bigotry. We are seeing that part of the story fulfilled in our day. Thankfully, those prophesies also declare that, even as mankind becomes more stubborn toward God, there will be many people who will have their eyes opened, and will turn to God during those difficult times - in spite of the adverse actions of devils and people. As God continues to invite people to join His story, I pray that you will be one of those blessed people who embrace your role in His story and find peace and joy in obedience to Him during this season of celebration. His plot is unstoppable, your part in it is optional.

My wife, Carolyn Hanson, wrote a revelatory play explaining more; it can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1zeuuU9TZc

 We were just trying to help. Everyone had their best interest at heart - but they thought otherwise. Part of the problem was that some of us were city-slickers, and we underestimated our spooking power. Here’s what I remember:

 

It was branding day near Pompey’s Pillar, MT. My siblings, friends and shirt-tail relatives had been invited to my uncles’ farm to give them a hand. It was a hot but beautiful day. We could see fields of grain, sage covered hills, and the beautiful Bighorn Mountain Range. My cousins had already rounded up the cattle with their horses. The women had prepared lunch. The fire was hot, and we preteens and teens had the dirty, challenging, and fun job of wrestling calves to the ground as the grown ups branded them. There was plenty of help, so while some of us were waiting our turn to hold the calves down, we were asked to just make sure the adult cows didn’t get in the way. That is when we turned a simple branding day into a more complicated branding, roundup, and “fix the fence day.” 

 

I don’t remember whose idea it was, but when the 1,500-pound cows began moving toward the branding fire where their calves were calling out, one of us started waving our hands and shouting at them. This caused a minor stampede. They charged the nearest fence, which I was sure would stop them, because the corner fencepost also served as the gate post and was an 8 x 8 timber. But when that frantic cow hit the post, it snapped like a twig and, before anyone knew what had happened, a dozen cattle had sprung through the opening onto the dirt road. Now the cows were in danger, as were unsuspecting travelers. 

 

Looking back, I realize that the cattle had no idea that the branding, the fences, and the teenage sentries were all designed to keep them safe. When spooked, they resented all three, and sprang for “freedom.” It took hours to round up the cows and repair the fence, but I never forgot the lesson.  Neither cows nor people always recognize the value of fences and sentries. God’s moral laws are just such fences. They are there for our protection. We stampede them at our own risk.

 

 Cheri collapsed on the park bench near the monkey bars as her two vibrant children darted toward the playground. After retrieving a power bar and juice from her backpack, she sat back to enjoy a few treasured moments with her novel, while keeping one eye on the playground.

 

Moments later, she was jarred out of the make-believe world in her novel by what smelled like a dirty diaper, as a woman and her son piled their belongings on the other end of the bench. While the woman appeared quite normal, her son was a different story. His clothes were caked with dirt, his hair matted, and his skin looked as if he had been rolling in mud. When he smiled at her she could see his teeth were black and his gums bleeding. He scratched incessantly (as if he were a flea-infested dog) as he finished his candy bar and wandered over to the playground.

 

Not knowing quite what do say Cheri engaged in a few minutes of small talk before commenting, “I noticed your son was wearing a sweater. Does he usually wear sweaters all year long?”

 

“Oh, that,” the woman replied with a chuckle, “I don’t know why he does that. He does a lot of things I wouldn’t do.”

 

“Do you mean, you don’t try to influence his choices?” queried Cheri.

 

“Of course not,” snapped the woman defensively. “My husband and I swore not to push our beliefs on our children. We are going to let them grow up and make their own choices. My son doesn’t like to bathe, brush his teeth, or wear clean clothes. We don’t feel like we should push our preferences on him. When he gets older, he can decide for himself.”

 

At first, the concept just shared by this stranger was stupefying. How could a parent not impose their beliefs about personal hygiene and safety on their child. Most people would consider that approach to be irresponsible, at least, and child abuse, at most. Then it dawned on her, this was a philosophy she had heard many parents verbalize over the years - only from a slightly different angle. She had heard parents say, “We don’t take our kids to church or force our values on them. We are going to let them figure out what they believe when they get older. Of course, the philosophy is silly in both cases. If God is real and our moral choices dictate our future, then it would be negligence not to share with our children what we know about God and the moral choices they must make. 

 

I am so thankful for the many truths my parents taught me, even before I knew how to speak. Their wisdom and values saved me from many painful mistakes and introduced me to a loving God at a young age. They left room for me to make choices as I grew older, but I made most of the same choices they would have made, because the wisdom they shared with me proved to be the best advice available. They taught me how to live, and I will be forever grateful. 

 

 He wasn’t trying to be better than everyone else. It wasn’t an ego trip or a “privilege thing.” He simply recognized that his mother was right when she said, “you don’t jump off a bridge just because everybody is doing it.” So, he didn’t drink and drive or experiment with the drugs. He didn’t jump on every bandwagon or chase every new band or movie star. As a result - even as a teenager - he stood out from the crowd. In spite of an average IQ, his grades were higher. In spite of average health, he was a better athlete. In spite of an average personality, people trusted him and loved to be around him.

 

When someone asked him how he managed to stay out of trouble and do so well in college, he told them, “It’s pretty simple, I just take good advice to heart. Sometimes it takes a little courage, or some extra discipline, but taking advice is actually less stressful and more productive, in the long run. It’s not so much about what I do; it’s about who I am.”

 

Richard A. Bennett, a former basketball coach for Wisconsin-Green Bay and father of a son and daughter who also became successful college coaches, explained how he helped college students stand out from the crowd and become successful athletes:

I concluded some time ago that a major part of success of a team, or of an individual, has a great deal to do with the intangible qualities possessed. The real key is how a person sees himself [humility], how he feels about what he does [passion], how he works with others [unity], how he makes others betters [servanthood], and how he deals with frustration and success, truly learning from each situation [thankfulness], I believe those concepts are the essence of a good player, team, coach, or individual in any capacity in life.”

 

Here's some advice given several thousand years ago by another “coach.”

And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.  But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! (Ephesians 4:17-20 MSG)

 

God has been coaching mankind since the first couple was created. Most people have ignored his advice and chased temporal and unimportant things. Turns out, God wants people to live the best life possible. Turns out God’s advice benefits those who take it to heart. It may mean work, discipline, or saying no to some things, but it always makes for a more abundant life. Jesus summarized His goal like this, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10b nlt)