Waiting for Christ

In his book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, CS Lewis' characters step through a magical wardrobe that takes to a world where it is always winter, but never Christmas.  Through a series of adventures, Christmas comes to Narnia.  But Lewis hits on an important topic about Christmas.  The wait is worth it only because of the payoff at the end.  Nobody likes to wait, especially at Christmas time.

But the bible shows us that since the beginning of time, the whole world has been waiting for it's rescue, has been waiting for it's redeemer.

Genesis 3:15 gives us the first promise of one who is to come, and the whole Old Testament speaks of his coming.  Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and more are all pictures and promises of the one who is to come. The prophets speak of him, the patriarchs are shadows of the one who is to come. The drum is beat consistently throughout the Old Testament.  He's coming, He's coming, He's coming.

And in the beginning pages of the New Testament, finally the good news comes!  He's Here!

Behold I bring good tidings of great joy which shall be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you, you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

We now wait for Christ's return.  This holiday season, don't waste the wait!  Let it bring you towards Christ as we celebrate His birth and wait for His return!   

In a few days we will all gather around the table with family.  You'll have thanksgiving meal and maybe go around the table and list the things that you're thankful for.  But thankfulness is not just about remembering good things.

Being thankful is a state of mind, and a way of life, that reflects the life of Jesus on Earth.  

Psalms 126 gives us a glimpse into the life of a truly thankful person.  

 A Song of Ascents. When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream.  Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."  The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.  Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South.  Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.  He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psa 126:1-6

For a Christian, thankfulness and captivity are linked.  Because we know what true freedom is, we know what it's like to live in bondage to sin, we know what ture thankfulness is as well.  It's good to be thankful for family, freedom, health.  But in the life of a Christian these are all superficial things.  A life of thankfulness starts with knowing what we have been set free from in Christ.

The life of true thankfulness then spreads to those around us. They notice that we live differently, aren't bound in the same way the rest of the world is, and they make notice of what God has done for us.

But thankfulness also makes us realize that others are still bound by sin.  Thankfulness can bring sorrow when we see our family, friends, and community not living in freedom.  Thankfulness leads to work in that we have to spend time in prayer and petition for those who need Christ.

To live a life of thankfulness is more than a momentary prayer.  Thankfulness is not just words, but a life.  

Paul spends a long time telling us in 1 Cor 12 how the body of Christ is to be unified, have diversity, and recognize that it needs all it parts.  Paul lets us know that there is not one part of the body better than the other, even though some get more visibility.  Then he drops in this part in the closing verses  of the chapter.

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. [1Cr 13:1-13 NASB]



Paul says all are equal servants to God, although we serve in different ways.  But there is something better than all those gifts.  Love.  Love is better than all those gifts he says.  He goes on to describe love in a few different ways.

Paul says love is pre-eminet above the other gifts. Even if you can move mountains or speak in tongues, without love it is useless.

Paul says love is fuller than anything we can get from the world.  It is not empty, full of useless talk and chatter, but full of compassion, strength, and forgiveness.

Paul says love is permanent.   You might have other gifts, says Paul, but they are only partial.  We don't know the whole story.  But there will come a day when we know in full.

These three remain, faith, hope, and love.  but the greatest of these is love.

Using Gifts for Each other

Over the past couple of weeks we've looked at marks of a healthy church member:
1. Unity in Diversity
2. Dependent on God and on each other

This week we look at the next mark:  Using our Spiritual Gifts to build others up.

Spiritual Gifts are those things given to us by God that are to be used for pointing others to Christ and expanding the Kingdom of God.  They could be skills, aptitudes, attitudes, or anything else that it seems comes natural to us, or something we have become good at with a lot of hard work.

The word gift implies something that is for us!  Something that we could give to someone else for their benefit and enjoyment.  But a spiritual gift is not to be for us, but is to be for others!

The 3rd mark of a healthy church member is that they use their spiritual gifts to build others up!  To lift up and encourage other people in the body of Christ.  This means we must have an outward focus that reaches others, and pulls people toward Christ.  This was modeled for us by Christ.

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?  All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?  But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.  1 Cor 12:27-31