In late November my family begin asking me the question “…so what do
you want for Christmas?” They tell me that I’m very hard to buy for! I baulk at
requesting a new electronic gadget, or a new set of fuzzy dice for the car.
Some would perhaps think that as a pastor I should probably be asking for a new
biblical lexicon or bible translation! I’m always assured though that they’ll
work it out and on the day I’m completely blessed by their thoughtfulness.
It got me thinking, if you wanted to gift me something as your pastor,
what would I request this Christmas? As I pondered a possibly endless list, I
settled for these three things:
1.
That you
make it real
Being a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, is more than a religious
observation. It is a choice that totally affects our lifestyle. It’s a belief
system, a worldview that affects every decision, behaviour, and thought
process. The bible calls it a
transformation.
Without that biblical
level of transformation it is impossible to successfully and consistently
carry out what Jesus saw as a basic
requirement when he confirms that we should:
“Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Luke
10:27 NIV)
When God decided to send Jesus it wasn’t a decision made on a whim or a
hunch. It was incredibly intentional with 100% dedication to the outcome it
would provide. His commitment to you was
completely backed by the quality of what He gave. His love was the real deal.
Totally genuine.
When
I travel to Vietnam I have the opportunity to visit some of the local markets.
They sell everything you could imagine at incredibly cheap prices. Whenever I
ask the question “…is this genuine?”
their world renowned response is “…same
same but different,” which
basically means it’s fake!
One of the three gifts requested from you would be
to not allow a “same
same but different” form of Christianity to draw you away from the real deal. Like the fake
merchandise we might buy in a foreign market – it won’t last. It looks good for
a time but it will never meet the expectations and durability of the genuine
article. If you need to, ask Jesus to help you walk in a way that makes it
real.
My second gift request would be that
you:
2.
Engage in
ministry with us
Being engaged in ministry with us is so
much more than simply attending church services. That’s a great
starting place. In fact, church services are meant to be places of celebration,
instruction, encouragement and support. They are meant to be the place where we
are launched out from to be ministers
and missionaries to our communities. We do that as parents, teachers, factory
workers and technicians, along with a myriad of other trades and professions.
Our responsibility is to engage
our faith with the community/society in which we reside. Jesus actually
commissions each of us to be the “salt of
the earth [and]…the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13, 14).
I couldn’t think of a more
impactful gift this Christmas than to have you commit to engaging in an area of
ministry with us that will see people lifted out of poverty; the isolated
brought into a caring family; Christian values presented to those who are
searching; all through the gifts that already lay within your life. No
training required, simply dedication to use and improve what you already have!
My final gift request is:
3.
That you
keep going
Some of the deepest sobs that come from my spirit emerge when I see
people simply give up. They walk away from the Lover of their souls because of
the challenges and trials they face. For some it is a catastrophic
situation that causes them to walk away, for others it’s like they’ve allowed a spiritual
erosion
to slowly bring decay to their faith, causing them to simply drift out to sea.
The big picture story of
Christmas is Immanuel – God is with us. No matter where we are. Even to
the end of the age. In hardship – He is with us. In joy – He is with us. In
loneliness – He is with us. In dismay – He is with us. We all face challenges,
trials and disappointments but some of our greatest and deepest maturing will
occur on the battlefield of life. We are not alone. We are never alone. Christmas
declares Immanuel – God is with us. And Emmanuel is calling you to keep going
forward.
My selection of Christmas gifts could be easily added to. But I
recognise that if only these three gifts were evident in
this community throughout the coming years, many more people will be sitting
here amongst us because of them.
Ps Jim Jung
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