It's amazing and incredible just how ironic experiences in life can be! Take for instance, the recent Teddy Bear fiasco in Sudan. This is a good example of an irony based on common cultural experience. Naming the teddy bear "Mohammed" is no worse a situation than giving a child the same name. It happens everyday in Islamic countries, so why a fiasco when a group of young students decide to act on the societal norm and name their bear?
I admit that irony exists even in the Bible. Jesus Himself said that we must 'die to self' in order to 'truly live'. We die to our self, but in Christ we live eternally. The Christian life is always an irony: we pick up an instrument of death (the cross) and it brings us eternal life. We give up our lives but gain immortal reward. We sacrifice all, but receive everything
I'm so grateful to God that the hope of my own personal Christian faith is clear and plain. "Jesus loves me, this I know" ~ there is nothing ironic about that spiritual truth. It not only sounds reasonable and logical; it is a experiential constant, everyday of my life.
John 3:16 (MSG) ~ "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son."
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Christmas Symbols
While there are numerous types of decorative symbols on display that capture our mind's eye during this celebration season, consider these 'Christmas' symbols.
The first is a Cradle. There, in Bethlehem, were cradled the hopes and dreams of a dying world. Those chubby little hands that clasped the straw in His manger crib were soon to reach out open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears and still the troubled seas. That cooing voice was soon to teach men of the Way and challenge the status quo. Those tiny feet were to take Him to the sick and needy and were to be pierced on Calvary's cross. That manger crib in remote Bethlehem became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God.
Next, the Cross. There was joy with overtones of sadness on that first Christmas for, unknown to others, Jesus was born to die. Jesus, approaching the cross, said, To this end I was born and to this cause I came into the world. To Christians the joy of Christmas is not limited to His birth. It was His death and resurrection that gave meaning to His birth. It is in the cross that the world can find a solution to its pressing problems.
Finally, the Crown. Jesus, the King of Love, was born into completely humble surroundings. Yes, Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and He is coming back someday. He will come not as a babe in Bethlehem's manager. The next time He comes it will be in a blaze of glory and He will be crowned Lord of all.
Cradle ~ cross ~ crown - Let these symbols speak to you as you reflect this Advent on Christ's coming. Let the power of Him who came to us grip you again this Christmas.
Luke 2:12 (MSG) ~ "This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
The first is a Cradle. There, in Bethlehem, were cradled the hopes and dreams of a dying world. Those chubby little hands that clasped the straw in His manger crib were soon to reach out open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears and still the troubled seas. That cooing voice was soon to teach men of the Way and challenge the status quo. Those tiny feet were to take Him to the sick and needy and were to be pierced on Calvary's cross. That manger crib in remote Bethlehem became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God.
Next, the Cross. There was joy with overtones of sadness on that first Christmas for, unknown to others, Jesus was born to die. Jesus, approaching the cross, said, To this end I was born and to this cause I came into the world. To Christians the joy of Christmas is not limited to His birth. It was His death and resurrection that gave meaning to His birth. It is in the cross that the world can find a solution to its pressing problems.
Finally, the Crown. Jesus, the King of Love, was born into completely humble surroundings. Yes, Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and He is coming back someday. He will come not as a babe in Bethlehem's manager. The next time He comes it will be in a blaze of glory and He will be crowned Lord of all.
Cradle ~ cross ~ crown - Let these symbols speak to you as you reflect this Advent on Christ's coming. Let the power of Him who came to us grip you again this Christmas.
Luke 2:12 (MSG) ~ "This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
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