King in a Straitjacket

(for the North Huron Citizen, Dec. 24/22 issue)

            It’s an almost seemingly insignificant detail, but it’s lodged there in our memories through the traditional telling of the Christmas story. Almost a throw-away line – yet in some ways it symbolizes the essence of the unique Miracle Man’s ministry and purpose.

            “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7 KJV) Hearing this with our 21^st-century ears, we might respond, “How quaint! But what in the world are ‘swaddling clothes’?!”

            Again, as if to make sure we didn’t miss it, the sacred text repeats this small detail a few verses later. Apparently it’s one of the special identifiers by which the shepherds will be able to locate the birthplace of the Miracle Man – or so they are told by the heavenly messengers... “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12 KJV)

            All right, our curiosity is piqued. What’s this ‘swaddling’ about? Obviously it’s not a modern-day ‘onesie’ Mary puts the baby in, so what is it?

            An online dictionary gives this meaning: “To bind (an infant, esp. a newborn infant) with long, narrow strips of cloth to prevent free movement; wrap tightly with clothes.” The Greek word behind the English translation derives from a root “to wrap with strips”. Swaddling a newborn infant probably served several functions. It would help keep them warm. The confinement of cloth would give them a sense of security, and perhaps help prevent them waking up startled should involuntary arm ‘jerks’ happen. (which the young parents would appreciate!)

            A newborn infant is already vulnerable, dependent upon others for care, it won’t survive if left to itself. Yet it’s even more constricted if wrapped head-to-toe in strips of cloth it’s unable to dislodge. The equivalent for an adult would be a straitjacket! You’re helpless, immobilized, unable to make a move.

            Theologically, this is the last thing anyone would expect if God were to suddenly appear on earth. The Almighty Creator, who formed the heavens and the planets, the oceans and the mountains, has power beyond anything the material universe holds. But in Incarnation He does not burst on the scene as a mighty Titan, one foot on the sea and one on the land, towering above all human edifices. Instead, in Christ God took on human form at its most vulnerable point. (Though even somehow mighty and terrible King Herod found it impossible to snuff out this tiny baby’s life when the despot threw his military might against it.)

            Jesus’ whole ministry showed incredible restraint. He performed miracles of healing, yet declined to rain down fire from heaven upon Samaritan villages that refused to let Him and His disciples lodge there when passing through. Jesus drove demons out of a maniac and sent them rushing down a hill into a lake, yet when the townsfolk asked Him to leave their area, He did not object but quietly complied and went elsewhere. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but when this proved the last straw for the Jewish religious leaders who began to plot how to destroy Him, He did not ultimately resist them but stood silent against their trumped-up accusations and allowed Himself to be crucified as a blasphemer (even though His enemies were absolutely mistaken).

            Jesus in His earthly form would exit much the way He entered – wrapped in strips of cloth, embalmed hurriedly by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. He became weak in order to make us strong. He became slaughtered in order to provide us with new life. He became unjustly condemned and the innocent victim of capital punishment in order to take from us the burden of our sins and provide us with forgiveness. As was prophesied about Him many centuries before, “...He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)

            Being swaddled, straitjacketed (if you will), made powerless is a startling symbol of the style or posture of Jesus’ whole ministry. The Almighty subjected Himself to limitation, hunger, ridicule, and unjustified flogging and death for the express purpose of freeing us from our own bondage, our entrapment, to sin and death – to besetting sins, temptations, persistent addictions that would otherwise drag us down and destroy us. By His wounds (stripes), we are healed; by His strips we are loosed to walk free in the eternal love and light of our Heavenly Father.

            The Apostle Paul described Jesus’ whole attitude as one of pouring-out, giving up His own power and privilege for the benefit of others... “Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8 NASV)

     A ‘bond-servant’. May the binding of the Miracle Man in strips of cloth, becoming bound and restrained as a helpless babe, become especially precious to you this Christmas as you trust in Him and learn to walk with your Saviour in the eternal life and freedom He has procured for you. 

Keep Life Meaningful: In Search of the True Hyper-Human

Column for the North Huron Citizen, Sept. 9/22 edition

When society is breaking down and lawlessness increases, people become desperate in their hurting and deprivation. They long for a strong leader to emerge who will guide them back to safety and security. That could describe the nation of Germany back in the 1920s & 30s which was struggling to make reparations for its part in the First World War. A charismatic dynamic leader rose to popularity who proposed Germans had the makings of a master race, their potential was great, they could be leaders in the world. His name was Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist party turned the nation’s economy around and whipped people’s fervour and confidence to new heights through various programs and propaganda.

Hitler was embodying the philosophy of one of his heroes, Friedrich Nietzsche, a German (actually Polish-born) philosopher (1844-1900). When Hitler officially congratulated the Italian fascist dictator Mussolini, he gave him a copy of Nietzsche’s book! Nietzsche introduced the concept of the ‘ubermensch’ or what we might call the ‘hyper-human’. Nietzsche perceived that humans at large had killed God – hence he coined the phrase “God is dead”. But if there’s no God, that paves the way for nihilism (“the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless”). Now that would be discouraging! For life to be meaningless, pointless, no sense of right and wrong, good or bad. Nihilism leads to despair. To fend that off, Nietzsche proposed this ideal of the “hyper-human’ or ubermensch, the human that transcends others and points a meaningful way forward.

Do you see how this fed into Nazi philosophy, tyranny, and eugenics? Hitler would believe himself to be the “strong man”, providing leadership and direction to others in society. Relegate society’s misfits – the disabled, those suffering from gender confusion, non-Aryans like the Jews – to the gas chambers. His approach “worked” to the point that his fellow citizens largely granted him and his cronies increasing power politically.

In Paul’s second letter to the church at Thessalonica, he looks into the future and warns of another “strong man” or ‘man of lawlessness’ who will arise to prominence in a time of rebellion and proclaim himself to be God. What else would you expect, if God is in fact ‘dead’? That creates a huge vacuum, a meaningless environment people find hard to tolerate. But Paul foretells the destruction of this ‘strong man’ or ‘hyper-human’ by One stronger yet – God (i.e. Christ) may have been dead in a tomb three days, but rose again!

But let’s explore a more productive and positive angle. What is the ‘hyper-human’ God is calling us to become through faith in Christ? How is He transforming us mere mortals from fallen sinners into overcoming saints? Let’s see who, through faith, according to Paul and by God’s grace, we are gradually fashioned to be!

First, believers are selected saints. “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit...” (2Thess.2:13a) Jews in the Old Testament were designated God’s chosen people, picked to be witnesses for Him to the nations. Christians are chosen by the Lord similarly to let our light shine before others in such a way that they see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. The Holy Spirit indwells us and “sanctifies” us, making us holy, set-apart for God’s purposes, nudges us to increase in personal righteousness, living Jesus’ way.

Believers are truth-trusters. “...God chose you to be saved...through belief in the truth.” (v.13b) We are truth-trusters, putting our faith in the Gospel or message about Jesus – a message that will be shown to be true, according to reality, when Jesus comes back to gather us to him (v.1). Believing is key to salvation. As John put it in a most assuring way in 1John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Third, we are glory-sharers. The Holy Spirit is producing His fruit and gifts in our lives so we come increasingly to resemble Jesus, whose love and caring and peace drew people to Him magnetically. And when He returns, we will share His glory more overtly. Paul writes, “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v.14) The best beauty-treatment is to have the Lord’s joy, peace, and love bathing your heart and consciousness!

Fourth, believers are teaching-tethered, anchored in God’s instruction amidst life’s confusing messages and temptations. “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” (v.15) The phrase ‘passing on’ is akin to that in rabbinic Judaism where a rabbi repeatedly ingrained Biblical truth and sayings into the memories of his disciples. Also this hints that Paul’s teaching is not something he cleverly invented or ‘made up’ as he went along, but he was as a steward entrusted with a sacred deposit passing along to others the same teaching he had received – whether from Scripture, or others who followed Jesus before him.

Could you make it a personal goal to try to read the Bible and pray daily (even if it’s just for a short time)? That practice anchors your soul, gives you a solid base from which to construe meaning from life, and God’s voice will coach you on the path to take. As the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah put it, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (Jer.6:16)

Fifth, we are core-encouraged. Do you find life discouraging or challenging at times? Does it seem sometimes the world’s gone to pot, and things just keep getting worse instead of better? Has an endless stream of negative news started to make you cynical? Find encouragement in your Lord. “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts...” (vv.16f) There’s God’s ‘love’ for us again (see point 1 ‘Selected Saints’). The Greek root here for ‘encourage’ is a term Jesus uses for the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, Comforter, one who comes alongside to help. Is there someone you know who might benefit from you sharing with them the comfort and encouragement you find in knowing Jesus?

Last, we are goodness-giving. Paul notes, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father...strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (vv.16f) Our job is to share God’s goodness with other people, to dispel the rumour that ‘God is dead’ – or even worse, that God is malicious or a meanie. Would those who know you best describe you as someone eager to do good? Or, instead, eager to goof off and hog the remote, say?

Meaning is one of the four key things any worldview worth its salt must address (origin, meaning, morality, destiny). As society flounders on the verge of nihilism and the desert of value-bereft meaninglessness, the transcendent ‘hyper-human’ that can prove a worthy ideal drawing mortals forward is not Nietzsche’s ‘ubermensch’ (e.g. Hitler, Stalin, and their ilk) but the virtuous Christ-follower described by the apostle – Selected Saints, Truth Trusters, Glory Sharers, Teaching-Tethered, Core-Encouraged, Goodness-Giving. Our world will be better for it as we emulate Christ in those facets of character.

A God Big Enough to Care for Each One of Us

Column for The Citizen, August 5 2022

Have you seen any of the new images from the James Webb Space Telescope? Some of the pictures are truly breathtaking – stars and galaxies in the process of formation from very early in time. The instrument’s attention is concentrated on a very tiny portion of the sky. NASA tweeted, “If you held a grain of sand up to the sky at arm’s length, that tiny speck is the size of Webb’s view in this image. Imagine – galaxies galore within a grain, including light from galaxies that traveled billions of years to us!”

Scripture portrays a God who is the Creator of all that is, from one side of the universe to another, however many dimensions there may be. The prophet Amos declared, “He who made the Pleiades and Orion and changes deep darkness into morning, who also darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is His name.” (Amos 5:8) And the prophet Isaiah notes, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” The scientists behind the Webb Telescope project will be kept busy assigning names or labels to new stars they discover, but even the furthest ones have long been known to our Creator ‘by name’!

Jeremiah has a big view of God, His immensity: yet Jeremiah also realizes God is very personal and intimate in His dealings with people. For the ‘bigness’ of Jeremiah’s view of God, hear what he says in the midst of a description of man-made idols: “No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.” (Jer. 10:6f) Jeremiah recognizes how big God is. The end of Jeremiah 12 even describes how God is concerned with the nations around Israel, and will uproot or establish these Gentiles depending on whether they learn His ways and acknowledge Him. God is sovereign and concerned about other nations, holding them accountable, not just the Jews.

Yet this righteous, just, almighty God is also kind, loving, caring, intimate. Jeremiah confesses, “Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you.” (Jer. 12:3) Fascinating! God is not so big, so preoccupied with governing the forces of the universe or judging the rulers and nations, that He does not also see you personally and know you better than your closest friend. He ‘tests your thoughts’ about Him because what you think of Him matters greatly to the Lord.

We see this intimacy reflected in Jesus teaching His followers to call God “Our Father”, “Abba/Papa”. This is a Heavenly Father who ‘gives good gifts to those who ask Him’ (Matt. 7:11). This Abba/Papa knows the number of hairs on our head (Matt. 10:20). Now that’s detailed intimate knowledge!

Yes it’s a great big world, at times a scary and unpredictable world. There are plenty of hucksters and con artists and scalpers out there wanting to trip you up and scam you and profit at your expense, kick you to the curb even. But God sees you and knows you, He’s got you in His faithful care when you trust totally in Him.

The prophet Hosea described God’s care in terms of strong cords coupled with tenderness: “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.” (Hosea 11:4) The naturalist S. L. Bastian tells of a certain kind of spider that builds its nest in the branch of a small tree or bush. In this delicate enclosure the baby spiders are hatched. If the nest is disturbed in any way, the little spiders will all rush out in fright. At once the mother goes to their side. She is alerted to their potential danger in a most unique manner. Each of the young ones has a thin silky strand attached to it, and all of these threads are joined to the body of the mother. When the babies are threatened by an enemy, they naturally scurry off, giving their lines a sharp tug. This is instantly felt by the adult spider. Within seconds she pulls them back to the nest where they are protected from harm.

Mary Slessor served as a missionary to Nigeria. She would rescue babies who were in danger and dying, and often the infants filled her home by the dozens. How to care for them through the night became a problem, especially when one of them stirred and cried. Mary learned to tie a string to each little hammock, lay in bed at night, and pull the strings as each baby needed soothing.

Yes God is big – bigger than the whole universe, which He made – yet in Jesus He draws us to Himself through the cross. The gentle cords of His eternal love tug all our hearts and hurts to Him.

What are You Counting On?

[For The Citizen newspaper - June 23, 2022]

What are you counting on to truly satisfy you? Is it working?

“I can’t get no satisfaction” is the title of a song by the Rolling Stones, released in June 1965, their first ‘Number 1' single in America. The theme of their song sums up the dissatisfaction fed by our insatiable consumerism, addicted to advertising. The first verse of their song goes: “When I'm driving in my car / When a man come on the radio / He's telling me more and more / About some useless information / Supposed to fire my imagination / [I can’t get no satisfaction...]”

If we’re counting on worldly wealth to give us security, fluctuations in the markets and vagaries of the economy, complicated by global conflicts and supply chain issues, are enough to give us the heeby-jeebies. There will always be a newer model, better features, tempting us to upgrade. When will we ever reach ‘enough’? The Bible points out, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10) The millionaire John D.Rockefeller was asked one time, “How much does it take to satisfy a man completely?” He said, “It takes a little bit more than he has.”

In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus reminded us what’s really worth putting our trust in, what can truly satisfy and won’t finally disappoint us. “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” (Luke 12:16f ) Does the thought ever cross his mind that he might give some away? Be generous, because maybe others haven’t been so fortunate? Maybe their land missed a shower or two at seasons that were critical for kernels to set. Maybe their parents or ancestors fell into serious debt and had to sell their land. What an opportunity to be a big blessing to his neighbours! He could donate a truckload to the local community food bank. He could sell it and convert it into funds to buy food in war-torn or drought-hit areas on other continents through Canadian Foodgrains Bank. (Well, at least now he could!) Maybe back then it would take the form of donating more through the temple system, for Levites to distribute to the needy in their local areas.

But no, our fool doesn’t think globally, or even locally. All he can think about is himself! He narcissistically has an inner dialogue with himself. “Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” (vv18f ) Literally, “keep on” relaxing, “keep on being” merry – a protracted private party stretching on interminably into the sunset. At least, in his mind...

Here we see, in its rawest form, the selfish, grasping, insular mindset of our consumer culture, closed in upon itself. Sealed up so tight it can barely breathe. The unholy trinity of “me, myself, and I”. A person who’s all wrapped up in themselves makes a very small package!

The rich hoarder is in for a rude shock. Despite his best conjuring of a preferred future, it’s not to be. God is about to prick the balloon of his over-inflated selfishness. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” (Luke 12:20) The meaninglessness of having heaped up wealth, like Ecclesiastes said, is about to become abundantly obvious. The fool thought he was ‘all set’, but there are many things money cannot buy – and that includes long life.

Paul Lee Tan wrote, “There are many things that money cannot buy. Money can buy: A bed but not sleep. Books but not brains. Food but not an appetite. Finery but not beauty. A house but not a home. Medicine but not health. Pleasures but not peace. Luxuries but not culture. Amusements but not joy. A crucifix but not a Saviour. A church building but not heaven.”

Jesus’ closing line points in a different direction about what it means to be truly rich: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (12:21) Wow! Now there’s a phrase worth unpacking! What’s it mean to be ‘rich toward God’? How is the Master prodding us to redefine “rich”?

When we’re rich toward God, we put our trust in Him not in gold.

When we’re rich toward God, we say to Him, “You are my security.”

When we’re rich toward God, we fear Him most of all, we revere Him, we treasure Him, He’s dear to our heart.

When we’re rich toward God, we sense He’s pleased to give us the Kingdom, He’s looking out for our basic needs like food and clothes even more than He regularly furnishes for the ravens and the lilies as we seek His priorities.

Being rich in our relationship with the Lord must surely be reflected in time we want to spend with Him, listen to Him by reading His word, sharing our concerns and requests with Him through prayer, pursuing more depth about what it means to be a follower of Jesus through group study and fellowship with other believers.

Scripture suggests when we share with others in need, God perceives that as ‘richness’ in the sense of giving to Him. “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17) As has been said, “Do your givin’ while you’re livin’ then you’re knowin’ where it’s goin’!”

John Greenleaf Whittier wrote this poem about the blessing of giving... “Somehow, not only for Christmas / But all the long year through, / The joy that you give to others / Is the joy that comes back to you. / And the more you spend in blessing / The poor and the lonely and sad, / The more of your heart’s possessions / Return to make you glad.”