Christmas Day 2021 service - reflections

I had a sudden epiphany this morning during the Christmas Day service. My mind made a connection between two things that were discussed. One was an announcement of a Christian parenting program, and the other was the sermon message of how "God is Love",

Parenting is one of the most important 'jobs' in the world for which most of us receive little to no training. It was heartening to see that the Church is one of those institutions that recognizes this - I wish I had received some training on this, or to be more accurate, recognized my own limitations on this. To be brutally honest, my previous thoughts on this were that my parents raised me without the benefit of any such training and I turned out pretty ok didn't I? That was rhetorical by the way.

So I didn't think I had anything to learn. Never a good starting point. But that is not a new revelation to me. I had come to realize my mistake some time ago.

The connection I made this time was with regard to the message about how God loved us first. And how He continues to love us by constantly reminding us that He is there, waiting for us if only we would come to Him. There are people who share the Word, His gospel that He is love. We see the physical manifestations of Him, church buildings that beckon us in - and of course only if the actual 'church', the body which is us, are non-judgmental and willing to invite (or re-accept) the most wretched sinner in.

The truth is, we are all sinners and constantly live in the glare of both Christians and non-Christians alike. The only way we are reassured of God's forgiveness and love, is for the body of Christ to demonstrate it. It is of course not quite the same thing to compare our actions to forgive and love to that of God. Faith is a personal thing between us and God, but it can be shaken or broken by the church, the living body. A simple act of love, especially for those deemed the least deserving, is the best 'evidence' of God's love for us, and how it transforms us.

This reminds me of a Whatsapp chat I had once with a non-believer. I had shared an article about Christian love and he took issue with the message that love is the central tenet of Christianity. He said love is not unique to religion, and I agreed. However what differentiates Christian love from conventional notions of love is that God's love is 'proactive' (as pastor David put it). He first loved us, all of us, before we came to be. He continues to love us, no matter what. It does not mean He does not get angry or upset etc. It is not transactional (which is what modern romantic notions of love are mainly about) but unconditional. He  does not only love us if we love Him first, or love Him back. I did not go into the full details of the above, but simply told my friend that we are called to love even those who are unlovable. He did not respond to my point so I don't know if I had planted a seed there.

What has it got to do with parenting?

Well it is pretty much the same thing. Slight digression first to illustrate a point. I just recalled watching a funny Youtube video about kids who have been caught in the act (or aftermath) of some naughtiness (sampling some cupcakes, and then seen with frosting all over their hands and faces) but unwilling or afraid to admit to their parents about what they have done.

Why is that? I am sure that at least some of the children know that their parents love them. It appears to me that sin is an inescapable human condition - even kids know it when they have done something wrong and cannot bring themselves to admit it willingly.

This is not a theological dissection about God's forgiveness etc - I am eminently unqualified. But the sermon and the information about the seminar(?) made me reflect about parenting which would be relevant to you when you start your own families. It is not The guide to parenting, just some thoughts and observations arising from the sermon.

Just as God provides reminders of His love for us despite our sinful nature, so should parents. This isn't to suggest spoiling your kids (let us, the grandparents do that!). After all, God also shows His wrath but He makes sure that we know He has already forgiven our sins as long as we repent.

Staying put but not staying the same

"God may keep you indefinitely in the same place but if you walk with Him, you cannot remain the same person"  Beth Moore

This was pastor Raymond's first sermon of the year 2022 and this quote struck a chord with me on a few levels. The most direct impact of this is of course about our transformation when we accept Christ. Truly accept Him. We are warned that this transformation may not come easily in the parable of the sower - Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9 and Luke 8:5-8. Much depends on the circumstances we find ourselves, and whether we recognise our own role in this. It is useful to note in the parable that until things take a wrong turn, it is easy to believe that true transformation has taken place in most of the scenarios.

I have heard arguments that once we are truly saved, the transformation is in some sense, automatic. I held some version of this view once, but now think it is a little bit of a circular argument. In some respects it is akin to the 'once saved, always saved' perspective. I am no expert and won't go into it but will only say that it ignores the role of free will. There will be stops, obstacles along the way as we do not magically transform overnight. At various points, we are presented with choices and we will stumble because sin is still in us. This point about us still being sinners is I suspect one of the most difficult things to grapple with - indeed, if someone comes to Christ without acknowledging this basic fact, it will be a tough path ahead. The reason why there is a struggle with self-righteousness is because there is a very human tendency to mistake the process for the outcome. It is easy to believe the truth of the gospel makes us superior (or simply good as compared) to others who don't get it - and may explain why in the past I had rejected the message from people who came across in that manner.

I believe that in fact, the truth of the gospel should make us realise even more acutely aware of our sinfulness, and then for us to pray constantly for God to remind us of this. It must be a daily struggle, unless we are saints! We will falter but He is there, and we simply need to remember to repent, and thank Christ for our salvation.

The other reflection I had from the quote was how this mental picture of being kept in the same place was such an apt description of life in this pandemic. There are many people who lament that they are unable to travel, that somehow life has almost become unbearable because of that. There are those who protest against any kind of restrictions that cramp their lifestyles. Perhaps they feel they are less interesting people because of that, that they lead less fulfilling lives now that they can't do what they normally do. I can understand how leisure has become such an important part of our lives but would hope that the current situation helps us to refocus on what is truly important. But I guess, all of us are seeking to fill our lives with meaning. Some of us have found it in Christ.

But it is the second part of the quote that made this reflection resonate with me. With Christ, we need not embellish our lives with hollow achievements of 'been there and done that'. We would never remain the same if He is in our lives. Every day we would grow closer to Him. Conversely, if He is not in our lives, we could travel the world, enjoy all the riches in the world but it would not fundamentally change who we really are - wretched sinners who cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.

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The Case for Love

What is love?

I just watched "The Case for Christ" again and something in the story made me think.

Lee Strobel, whose life the movie is based on, is interviewed in the bonus features segment of the Blu-Ray and he said he started out being a skeptic and then becoming a cynic. I can understand how skepticism can lead to cynicism and how that might pervert our view of people but it does not have to.

Cynicism can in extremis lead to, a rejection and loss of faith when we only see the bad in people. But seeing only the bad in people is to be superficial. And seeing someone else as bad is inherently a comparative exercise. They are bad because we hold them to a standard. But what is the basis of that standard? Where do we stand? Where do we want to stand?

If we understand or try to understand why people are bad, it is more likely to lead to acceptance. If we understand that we are all in the same boat, that we are sinners, then we no longer judge. We accept that we cannot save ourselves, and God teaches us the only way is love. Love is I think the ultimate expression of compassion. We are compassionate because we empathize. We know what the other person feels, how he feels. We know because we have been there. So when someone is bad, we understand. We do not accept their behavior, but we can accept them. Love is the ultimate expression of that acceptance.

Therefore of all the complicated arguments you can find out there about faith, the real test of faith is love for others. I don't mean loving others with the expectation that they love us back. That's nice, that's a bonus but it isn't really love in the purest sense. That's the modern concept of romantic love. I am probably paraphrasing one of Timothy Keller's sermons brilliant sermons here - he says that kind of love is really about finding someone who will worship us. In other words, it is conditional. We love that person because they love us the way we want. And which is why people fall out of love - we find that person no longer loves us the way we want.

But pure love, the type of love God has for us, that in the movie is said to be the only reason why Christ sacrificed himself for us. There is no other conceivable reason. Pure love is when we do something for someone undeserving. Only God can do that in the most accurate sense - why? Because He is the ultimate judge and in His eyes we are all sinners and undeserving.

And we on the other hand have no right to decide who is deserving of our love. So in the great simplicity of His commandment, we are called to love everyone. If He could love all of us, the most wretched of us, then we must love each other.