Stuart Briscoe on Christmas

Found a Christmassy quote that is worth pondering:

'The spirit of Christmas needs to superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.' (Stuart Briscoe).

Happy Christmas.

"God can't look on or have anything to do with sin"

It’s a common evangelical cliché and throw-away line. But is it fair to say that ‘God can’t look on or have anything to do with sin’? I’ve heard a couple of people (festively) attacking this notion recently, on the grounds of the incarnation.

The argument runs like this:

• Jesus is fully God as well as perfect man;
• During his ministry, Jesus associated himself with sinners – he talked with them, worked with them, ate and drank with them;
• Therefore, the idea that God is totally against sin is false (as what can we say but that Jesus is ‘having something to do with sin’ during his ministry?).

Now I think that this argument is flawed for a number of reasons (for instance, it seems to imply a deistic and unscriptural understanding of a god that isn’t actively involved in creation apart from when physically manifested in the person of Christ). But let us put this aside for the moment.

It’s surely true that Jesus associated himself with those widely recognised by the religious establishment (and pretty much everyone else) as being particularly sinful (see Mark 2:13-17). Equally, the New Testament endorses Jesus as God (Colossians 2:9 and so on). But does this mean that we must come to the conclusion of the third statement above? Or in what sense, if any, is it impossible for God to look on or have anything to do with sin?

Clearly, as God in the flesh, Jesus looked upon sinners, in the sense that he looked at them. But in his grace he came not to endorse their sinful lifestyles (or even to say that their sin didn’t really matter) but to bring them freedom and forgiveness and reconciliation in his kingdom. When Christians (perhaps thoughtlessly) say that the God of the Bible can’t look on sin, they’re not saying that he’s somehow blind to the sinful reality of the world, but rather that his character as moral arbiter of the Universe is to call sin evil and wrong. The great news of Christmas is that, in Christ, he’s found a way of reconciling us to himself in his own body without compromising his character.

There is one question that remains. It’s this: if Jesus really was fully God, why did no-one (as sinful beings) burn up and drop dead in his presence? John 3:17 says that, ‘God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ This is the same Son of God that, according to John 1:17, came into the world with grace and truth. In other words, the Father would have had every right to send Jesus the Son into the world to immediately condemn it (and by implication each of us – for, as members of the world, each of us is sinful). But he preferred to send him instead as an atoning sacrifice to make reconciliation to himself possible. Peter perhaps caught something of this when he said (in Luke 5:8): “Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man!” Jesus had every right to condemn Peter, yet lived amongst sinful people in order to be the perfect sacrifice to make atonement for sinners.

I think that part of the reason that this debate has come up is that, in certain circles, Christmas is presented in quite a flat and tired way: it's just a necessary preamble for all of the stuff that followed later. We feel unable to say what it means to have our God as Emmanuel, God with us. The implications of the incarnation as an event in itself are sidelined and flattened (perhaps because we can’t fit it otherwise into 2 Ways to Live). And that is wrong and a symptom of wider illness in evangelicalism.

It’s right to look for and meditate upon the wider significance of the incarnation. (Indeed, I’ve been personally struck recently by the number of times that Hebrews draws real pastoral application from the incarnation and the humanity of Christ). However, in looking to say that the incarnation represents more than just a pre-requisite for Easter, we surely cannot say that it is anything less.

The heart of God through the Christmas message

At this time of year, as I reflect on the Christmas message, I love taking a mental step back and thinking about what the incarnation reveals about the heart of God.

One of my favourite hymns, I think, captures this excellently. Verses 1 and 2 capture the depths of humility and grace that the incarnation reveals, pre-shadowing the further humiliation and kindness that Jesus would ultimately show in going to the cross.

I commend thinking deeply about these lyrics:

1. Astounding grace, that God the Son should choose
to leave the Father's glory and refuse
to clutch his dignity, exploit his right
and make himself a no-one in our sight.

All praise Christ and his astounding grace,
all praise his name.

2. The word made flesh, the Son of God a man,
the timeless one clothed in a mortal span.
Now born of dust, and in a manger laid:
transcendent God in human likeness made.

3. Astounding grace, that we should enter in;
he tore the veil, and cast away our sin;
he saw our hate, our dark and desperate lust;
he bore our guilt, and then declared us just.

4. Astounding grace, that Christ should suffer death,
and know first-hand the grave's corrupting breath,
the Prince of life, creation's gracious Lord:
he paid the price that we could not afford.

Words: D.A. Carson
Music: Steve James & Philip Percival

If you've never listened to it, let me also commend Mike Cain's sermon on Philippians 2:5-11 to you this Christmas.

Audio Advent

My friend Gareth Leaney is introducing people to the true meaning of Christmas through his 'Audio Advent Calendar'. I think we must always be thinking about new ways to present the wonder of the Christmas message, particularly to those for whom it is all completely new.

You can join Gareth at his calendar at http://www.audioadvent.podomatic.com/.

So this is Christmas...

Well, for me at least, the Christmas season starts tomorrow, as I'm speaking tomorrow at an evangelistic event at Myerscough College.

There are, of course, incredible evangelistic opportunities that Christmas provides. I'm aware that some of the best chances to explain the gospel in recent years to friends and family have come at Christmas. However, I'm remembering again how difficult Christmas talks can be to put together. It's easy to sentimentalise, it's easy to inoculate people against the gospel message through religion and it's quite difficult to provide the context for the incarnation against the background of Old Testament expectations.

One thing that I have found helpful is a list that I believe the legendary Justin Mote of the North West Partnership put together of possible Christmas texts. It's been helpful to have some suggestions of passages rarely used at Christmas alongside some old favourites. Here they are:

Matthew 1:1-17, 1:18-25, 2:1-12, 2:13-23
Luke 1:1-4, 1:26-38, 1:39-45, 1:69-79, 2:1-7, 2:8-20, 2:22-36
John 1:1-5, 1:6-8, 1:14-18, 3:16
Isaiah 7, 9, 11
Micah 5
Romans 8:3
2 Corinthians 8:9
Galatians 4-5
Philippians 2:6-11
Colossians 1:15-17
Hebrews 1:1-3

... any others we could add to the list?

Joy to the world

OK, OK so I know that Christmas-speak is still forbidden for a few weeks more, but I know that many churches and CUs are already planning their carol services. I was asked to write a short article for the UCCF Transmission mailing to staff and Relay Workers, but thought it might be helpful for students too...

Carol services provide brilliant opportunities to present the gospel. Even a small CU not used to doing regular evangelism can often put on this sort of gospel event. Here are a few tips for ‘peace and goodwill’ on the night of your carol service!

1. KEEP IT TRADITIONAL. Students sometimes pressurised to do something ‘new’ in a carol service. They needn’t worry. Traditional carols played in a traditional way (with traditional refreshments afterwards!) are what most punters are after. Make sure there are copies of carol words so that all can join in.

2. ADVERTISING. Advertise widely in CU events for the fortnight preceding. The majority of non-Christians will probably be brought by CU members. Encourage them to bring people en masse! If they invite friends around for food beforehand, it’s often easier to bring them. Flyering is worth doing (maybe with mince pies) but rarely brings the hordes along.

3. VENUE. Because non-Christians are more willing to make an effort to come to a carol service, CUs may have a much wider range of venues to choose from. The event needn’t necessarily be restricted to campus – in fact, it’s often easier to create a traditional feel away from campus. Suitable churches can often be booked by CUs for a small fee. Students might also have ideas for venues. Ambleside CU held their carol service by candlelight a few years ago in National Trust caves: it had a novelty effect and was jam-packed. If there’s more than one CU in town, they might like to team up.

4. INVOLVE OTHER GROUPS. This can guarantee at least a few non-Christians hearing the gospel! Many universities have gospel choirs and chamber groups that might like to be involved. This works particularly well if there’s a few CU members in these groups. If there isn’t adequate musical talent within a CU, involve people from local churches.

5. BRIEF THE SPEAKER WELL. Unfortunately, many speakers don’t automatically think about how to pitch a carol service talk. Liaise with the speaker, clearly explaining what you’re after. A 15-20 minute talk is normally about right. If possible, find out which passage they are using, then make sure there’s a copy for each person. If you’re having a student testimomy (a good idea), then make sure they've gone through it with somebody beforehand.

6. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. Carol services are genuine British cultural events, so international students love them! Ensure they are made aware of the carol service. If the venue is off campus, make sure that there’s a map so those less familiar about town can find it.

7. FOLLOW-UP. Follow-up is notoriously hard after carol services. People unconnected to the CU may attend, and the timing of carol services means you may not see people again for weeks. Encourage the CU to talk with their speaker about follow-up. Will the CU give away literature to interested people? Will there be contact cards for people to fill out?