the greatest gift

When does it feel like Christmas to you? I mean, is there something that triggers that special awareness of the season?

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For me, it has to be after Thanksgiving (the last Thursday of November), and snow and carols. I need all three to kick it off for me. I found myself wondering how on earth people can get into the Christmas spirit without snow. That is a defect on my part, perhaps. After all, there probably wasn't any snow in Bethlehem on the day Christ was born.

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An angel told Joseph, "She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." -Mt. 1:21 (emphasis mine)

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I have heard it said that Jesus died to make salvation "possible for all." That is not exactly true. Such a phrase begs the questions, "Then why aren't all people saved?" and "Does Jesus save, or do we reach out to the Lord and save ourselves?" No, it is more accurate to say that salvation would be impossible apart from what Christ did, but through him, salvation is

1) a certainty, and not just wishful thinking

2) for those he came to save.

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No snow? No problem. The gift that came that first Christmas is bigger than that.

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Unfortunately, many people have not received that gift. Now, I can't decide which is worse, being without hope, or having a false sense of hope. So I ask, do YOU have absolute assurance that his gift of salvation counts for you? Is it something you hope for, but aren't quite sure about? Do you want to know more about this? Is there anything here that needs clarification? (Feel free to email me if you don't want your comments read by all.)

small voices; big choices

The 4th and 5th graders are a fun group to teach. They are young enough to respect adults, and old enough to understand when I teach.

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A mother and her daughter approached me Sunday, after church with a concern about the day's lesson. The mom asked, "Are you saying that if God does not choose a person, that a person cannot be saved?"

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Here's the backdrop: Last week's memory verse was John 15:16, where Jesus tells his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." And I began this day's class with a review and comments about last week's lesson.

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This is good though, and I am delighted about several things:

1. The child took the question to her parents. That is as it should be, because the parents are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the training of the children. It scares me to think what kind of things people are teaching our children, and much of it does not get to the parents' ears.
2. One of the parents spoke with me about it, thereby holding their daughter's teacher accountable, plus giving me an opportunity to discuss the doctrines of grace with them.
3. The other parent spoke with an elder/pastor. That is also a good move if someone has a theological question. Unfortunately, sometimes people forget to do the follow-up, or don't get around to it.

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Anyway, the little girl was nervously wondering, "What if God did not choose me?" What a great question!! I explained that someone who is not chosen by God probably wouldn't care about such a thing. The fact that she was concerned indicates to me that the Holy Spirit may be working on her heart.

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In the brief conversation that followed, I think I answered the question to the mom's satisfaction. I know that election is not always the most popular lesson, but the Bible teaches more than Noah's Ark and David & Goliath. So must I.

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The question now is, will there be an apple in the classroom next Sunday, or an empty chair?

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Related link: Frozen-Chosen at Voice of Vision.

Now, also at Blue Collar.

Pencil Sharpener closeup by Beernotbombs. Image found on Flickr.com.

merlin's sword

There is this legend about a sword that was magically embedded into a stone. Whoever removes the sword from the stone shall be the rightful king of the land. The people could try if they wished to draw the embedded sword, but alas, they could not. Only the rightful king would be able to do it, and when the right young boy came along, that's just what he did; he was able to draw Merlin's sword right out.

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Now that is just make-believe, but that's what came to mind in the previous post as we were talking about a particular verse.

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I am grateful for all the contributions to our conversation. Let me point us to one of the comments. In our last comment string, I like what Taliesin said in reference to John 3:16. He said:

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Whosoever will may come, but only the elect ever will. Just a few chapters later in John (6:44), Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

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Here's the whole verse: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

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As I read this, the sword in the stone came to mind. Anyone who believes shall not perish, but ONLY those who believe shall not perish. Just like the sword... anyone who pulled that sword out could be king, but only the one who drew it out would be king.

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Image by Vanita