The Convergent Christ

A few years ago, one of my all time favorite vocalists, Kermit the Frog, released a song on a Muppets Christmas album.  I don’t remember the name of the song but I do remember the first couple of lines in the chorus:

“Christmas is a time to come together

A time to put all differences aside

And I reach out my hand to the family of man

To share the joy I feel at Christmas time

Each year at this time, I find myself asking God to give me something that will help me to remain focused during the holiday season.  Something in turn that I can offer people who tend to forget what they know about this time of year.

It’s really all about Christ.  How many times and how many ways to do we repeat this truth.

Christmas means that:

He descended that we might ascend (John 6:38, 14:3).

He became poor that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9, Jas. 2:5).

He was born that we might be born again (John 1:14, 3:2,7).

He became a servant that we might become sons (Phil. 2:7; Gal. 4:6, 7).

He had no home that we might have a home in heaven (Matt. 8:20; John 14:2).

He was hungry that we might be fed (Matt. 4:2; John 6:50).

He was thirsty that we might be satisfied (John 19:26).

He was stripped that we might be clothed (Matt. 27:28; Gal. 3:27).

He was forsaken that we might not be forsaken (Matt. 27:26; 28:20).

He was sad that we might become glad (Isa. 53:3; Phil. 4:4).

He was bound that we might go free (Matt. 27:2; John 8:32-36).

He was made sin that we might be made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).

He died that we might live (John 5:24, 25).

He came down that we might be caught up (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).

 -- Larry Farthing

It is a harried time of year.  I see people rushing to and fro scrambling for this or that and stressed beyond belief.  I ask myself, is this the birthday of the Prince of Peace?  And if it is then where is the peace, what’s wrong?

The lights go up.  And they are brilliant!  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were brilliant all year long?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we maintained our marriages and our families like we manicure our lawns?  Do you suppose if we invested the same amount of time and money developing our marriages or discipling our children that we spend decorating our homes, that our communities might be better places to live and our churches might be more dynamic?

The distance that we feel between ourselves and other people also reflects distance between ourselves and Christ.  If I seek to draw closer to Christ I must be willing to let go of the things that separate me from other people.

The degree of happiness that we find in the Christmas season will be related to our ability to draw close to the Prince of peace.  The more we can facilitate this in our marriages, the better holiday we will experience.  The more We can facilitate this in our families the better holiday we will experience.  The more we allow ourselves to be find our way to Christ the happier we will be.

1.   It was a time of great convergence

As I have thought of the birth of Christ over the past few days, it has occurred to me that it was time of great convergence.  There were otherworldly occurrences that were pointing toward the realization of a centuries old promise.  It would seem to be that if a person had any discernment they would have been able to sense that something was afoot.

·         It was prophetic convergence.  There were the Old Testament prophecies that pointed to the Messiah.  However, the people had lived for 400 years in prophetic silence and they had settled into a place of faithless religiosity.  The religious nature of the people was being faithfully practiced as it had been for centuries.  Everyone was doing their thing but there was no vitality.  The promise of their scriptures was shelved simply because nothing unusual was taking place.  It was the same old same old.  There were “star gazers” in the east however noticing the signs in the heavens above that pointed to the birth of the Christ.

" After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”" (Matthew 2:1-2, NIV) [1]

And so it was a convergence of prophecies both from the scripture and from the sages of the east that brought people together.  The wise men came from afar to worship the Christ with the people to whom He was promised.

·         It was as well a political convergence, the coming together of two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man.

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”

This is always a difficult thing because God’s kingdom is so much different than our own.  We want to hold on to the things that we have gained.  Our position, our power or ability to control and direct our own affairs.  God’s kingdom on the other hand involves the relinquishing of that control for something far better.  Often when we consider God’s desires for our lives we cannot see that He would like to give us much more than the meager possessions that we can gain.

God knows and we come to realize with time that much of what we want in life does not supply the deeper hunger that we have in our souls.  When we get what we think we want, we are still wanting.  This is evidence of a hunger for spiritual things that we are misrepresenting in our desire for material things.  One of the great disappointments of Christmas is that we look to celebrate something that speaks to our spiritual needs and our spiritual hunger in a material manner.  It just doesn’t work.

·         It was a people convergence as well.

" In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”" (Luke 2:1-15, NIV) [2]

God assembled citizens, shepherds and sages to witness the birth of His one and only son.  He has always been in the business of drawing people to himself and to one another.  People cannot be drawn to God without being drawn to one another.  You cannot come closer to Christ without coming closer to His people.

2.   The significance of the holiday season today is found in your relationship to the convergent Christ.

We would like to substitute other options to produce this but only Christ can produce this state of convergence or “coming together”.

Take the marriage relationship as a relational example.  Throughout the scriptures this is a familiar relational metaphor.

We enter into marriage thinking that compatibility is at the heart of successful relationship.  I know of many compatible people whose marriage have dissolved.  I also know of many incompatible people who have managed to forge a healthy marriage from their differences.  I really don’t believe that compatibility is at the heart of successful relationship.  I believe that incompatible people can come together to form a great church.  As a matter of fact, it is impossible to find a

church where the adherents are universally compatible.

Others believe that commonality is the essence of good relationship.  I can have a successful relationship with people who share my interests or opinions.  While commonality is important, we all know that the durability of marriages or the feasibility of relationships is not totally dependent on mutual interests.

Others believe that they have a commitment to the other person that will last a lifetime.  Too many find that the threads of commitment as noble as they are wear thin over time.  Commitment is the most durable of these but when it is merely a commitment between two people then it is human at it’s best and lacking.

I believe that it requires a focus or a commitment that takes us beyond ourselves if we want to have a marriage that works or relationships that are successful or a church that is empowered and dynamic.  It requires the Convergent Christ.  We must be brought together by the grace of Christ – otherwise we remain independent and disconnected from kingdom life and vitality.

3.   What happens when we make Christ the object of our worship and the center of the season?

§         We spend less time thinking about ourselves.  I have found that the more I focus on me the more prone that I am to self-pity or pride.  Either of these will make me miserable.  I will be conscious only as they relate to me.  People will disappoint me because they don’t treat me as I think they should.  I will feel slighted or unappreciated.  If there is ever a time in our calendar year when we tend to evaluate life from a selfish perspective, it is in the holiday season.  I was talking to someone the other day who is gearing up for a miserable season because they have begun to be overwhelmed by their circumstance – and their circumstances are not great.  Still we can draw apart from our concerns by drawing close to Christ and we need to regularly.  It’s not denial to do this, it is gathering strength and resource to reengage with the realities of my life.  Your troubles will not run away from you, - they will be there waiting for you and we all know that we cannot run away from our problems.

§         We discover the resource that God has provided.  If you want peace for the holiday or better yet, for life in general, you must find it in Christ.  You won’t find it in the world apart from Christ.

"“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”" (John 16:33, NIV) [3]

God help us to understand that Christ has not come to take anything away from us.  He has come to give.  If you want joy, you can find it in Christ.  You might not find it in your finances, you might not find it in your job, you might not find it in your family or any other individual.  I believe with all my heart that it can be found in Christ.

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11, NIV) [4]

The joy of Christ is for “all” people, - no exceptions.

§         Our relationships are transformed if we truly seek the Christ first and foremost. 

Our differences are minimized when we draw close to Christ. The pathway to spiritual maturity is the pathway to Christlikeness.  This pathway will lead us to any normal part of that process.  I cannot become like Christ and not know the experience of holiness, if holiness is a normal part of the process.  Therefore the pursuit of Christlikeness is an all-encompassing pursuit.  When I preach to you about Christlikeness I am speaking to you of holiness.  Any sermon that encourages a person in that process is a message of holiness.

If I am becoming like Christ then I am becoming different person.  I am growing and developing.  The more I become like Christ the easier I become to get along with, the easier I become to live with.

"You Ain't No Better Than Me"

by Ed Gilbreath

We thought the guy would be thankful for our kindness. We couldn't have been more wrong.

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…

It was a chilly December evening in downtown Chicago, and about a dozen of us from a suburban Christian college were Christmas caroling. My best friend, Uriel, stood next to me, his steady, strong voice carrying the group. A few people stopped to listen.

…O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem, Come and behold him…

A black man edged closer as we sang. He seemed to eye me, the only African American in our group. His head nodded in rhythm with the melody.

…O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

"Say, brother," he said, approaching me as the song ended, "would you please help my family? We ain't got no money and my baby needs formula."

He was probably in his 20s, but his tired and ragged appearance made him look much older. "Please, man. I need to get us some food."

I glanced at the others in my group. We knew the safest response was to politely refuse. Yet we were Christians. Weren't we supposed to help needy people?

"Would you please help me?" the plea came again. "Just a few dollars."

I looked at Uriel.

"We can't give you money," Uriel finally said, "but we can buy you what you need." If the guy was telling us the truth, it was something we had to do.

"My name is Jerome," he told us as we hiked toward a nearby convenience store. He lived in a city housing project with his wife and three kids. As we entered the store, I noticed that his eyes seemed to brighten. Maybe we'd brought a little hope into his life.

Soon we'd bought him baby formula, eggs and milk. This seemed a fitting conclusion to our evening of caroling.

As we handed Jerome the groceries and bus fare, I noticed his eyes had darkened into an angry stare. "You think you better than me, don't you?" he said. "You all think you somethin' 'cause you come out from the suburbs, buyin' food for the po' folks, but you ain't no better than me."

"No…" I struggled to find more words, but nothing came. I realized there was nothing I could say that would change his mind.

After a moment of awkward silence, Jerome grabbed his bag of groceries and walked away. Then he suddenly turned and said sharply, "Merry Christmas." It was not a warm wish, but a bitter statement filled with broken pride.

The December air blew colder. No one said a word.

There wasn't anything to say. Our holiday spirit had suddenly evaporated, and there was no way to bring it back.

We might have resented Jerome and felt justified. But was he wrong? We gave him a gift. He accepted it. Should there have been anything more?

That's sort of how it was at the first Christmas. Jesus wasn't born a helpless baby for applause. He didn't hang on the cross for the praise—those he died for made fun of him. Still, he gave selflessly and unconditionally. Why had we expected gratitude and appreciation for our gift to Jerome?

Strangely enough, Jerome gave us something far better than gratitude. He made us look hard at our selfish motives and gave us a sobering lesson on the real reason for giving.

We were expecting a pat on the back. Instead, Jerome gave us a glimpse into the true meaning of Christmas.

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[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids

[2] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids

[3] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids

[4] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids