Hey Church!
I am back from my COVID-Christmas vacation (Whee! What a season it’s been!), and it is so, SO good for my soul to be back in action and preparing my heart to worship with you all this weekend.
This week I was reflecting on the title of our new series, “He Gave Us Stories.” As I did, it dawned on me that the themes of Jesus’ parables, as well as the whole reason why He told them in the first place, really flows nicely out of the lessons learned during the Christmas season (no, we didn’t exactly plan it with that in mind). Think about it:
- On Christmas, the invisible God became visible.
- He revealed his unsearchable character and wisdom in word and flesh.
- The Kingdom of Heaven was inaugurated among earthly sinners.
- His good news defied the wisdom of this world, giving spiritual sight to the blind and revealing the blindness of those who claimed to see Him best.
In a word, Christmas shows us that His is an upside-down Kingdom, from our worldly point of view, perceived only by those who have faith in Him. And no other genre of scripture drives that point home more effectively than the stories Jesus tells in the Gospels.
Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke so often in parables, saying, “because seeing they [that is, those who rely on their human wisdom and have not the eyes and ears of faith] do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Like the Christmas story, parables make the incomprehensible mysteries of God known to our finite minds, the invisible God visible to our spiritual eyes, and His unsearchable character and wisdom intelligible. Thus the Kingdom of God is made visible to finite, sinful people. The meaning of Jesus’ stories frustrate the sharpest minds in the worldly realm but ring in the ears of faith-filled children with perfect clarity.
Most incredible of all is the answer to the question, “Why?” Why would God take such pains to reveal to us His nature, His Kingdom, the fate of wicked, the inheritance of the righteous, the secrets of heaven, the curses of judgment, and the difference between “wheat and chaff” (see Matt. 3:7-12)? What does that tell you about His thoughts toward us? It declares His love for His children is infinitely greater than even the most gracious earthly father; He strives with us from beginning to end, seeing that none whom the Father has given to Him will lack any of the riches of His glorious Kingdom (John 6:39-40).
What a beautiful, wonderful God He is! Has He not proven Himself extravagantly invested in your good (Jer. 29:11) and been your faithful Jehovah Jireh (provider)? Then take a breath! Be at peace! He’s got you and whatever else you’re carrying. The best thing you can do is worship Him with all you’ve got this Sunday. Because the band and I can’t do that for you! But we will be there, ready to accompany those who come with an expectant heart and a desire to seek hard after Him. I can think of no more important work than preparing to do just that.
Your brother,
Ryan