Echoes of Christmas

Can you believe that Christmas was just over three weeks ago - three weeks which seem to me like three geological periods let alone units of seven days?  But there is an echo of Christmas if I stop long enough to listen:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6-7a)

This is a curious passage from a popular prophecy. You probably heard Isaiah 9:2-7 read out publicly at least once over the Christmas period.

I have a question: does it seem like the government of your country rests on the shoulders of Christ? It does not seem that way in my country...far from it.

And where is “the increase of his government and peace”? I don’t see it in Mali. I’m sure that if you read these verses to a Syrian, he would laugh derisively. Who knows what a grieving parent from Sandy Hook Elementary School would say.

It seems to me that the government mentioned in the prophecy refers to Christ’s government over the Kingdom of God (KoG). The KoG is not demarcated geographically. It is not bounded by rivers, mountain ranges, razor wire or mine fields. The KoG transcends borders, for its earthly territory is located in the heart of every person that follows Christ. Wherever a person prays “thy will be done”, Christ is enthroned as Lord, He is governing, and His Kingdom has come.

Having defined the government Isaiah is referring to, we must test our definition against the claim that “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end”. Let us begin by applying this claim at the individual level. Is it true to say that Christ’s government over your life is increasing with time? Are you allowing Jesus to take greater and greater charge over your life from one year to the next? Are you slowly becoming a more peaceful person? I hope we can all join with Joyce Meyer in saying, “I’m not where I’m meant to be. But thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m ok and I’m on my way”.

But peace and Jesus’ government must increase at a communal level. Jesus taught us to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This prayer is so important that Jesus put it near the start of His pattern for prayer, the Lord’s Prayer. God’s heavenly kingdom is manifest on earth in the hearts of those that pray this prayer, by those that want Jesus’ rule to 1) increase in their own lives and 2) be established in the lives of others.

God’s Kingdom must grow one heart at a time until the tipping point that triggers the return of Christ. Then – at last – the entire earth will ruled by Christ.

Sometimes, when I am feeling discouraged I turn to the book of Daniel where I read about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it (Dan. 2). Nebuchadnezzar saw a rock which was not formed by human hands. The rock smashed into a statue representing earthly kingdoms, crushing them to dust that was swept away without a trace by the wind. Then the rock became a huge mountain that filled the whole earth. What did the rock represent? It represented the Kingdom of God on earth. Daniel said,

 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." (Dan. 2:44-45)

We belong to this amazing Kingdom. We are called to extend the boundaries of this Kingdom. And in the words of a song by Tree 63: “There is a kingdom that cannot be shaken, a rock of ages, my firm foundation”.

I don’t know about you, but I want to play my part in extending God’s Kingdom in 2013. I want to see God’s governance over my own life increasing. I want to magnify the echo of Christmas, declaring the Good News by both word and action. Lord, please be my Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace today. I need you to help me extend your Kingdom. Without you I can do nothing. And may the government of my life be on your shoulders.

Cheers for now - Ian

Playing on the wrong fairway

When I was still at school, I used to go and hack around the Police Golf Course with my friends. We would take a dollar each: 50 cents for 9 holes and 50 cents for a Brown Cow afterwards. For the un-initiated, a Brown Cow is a Coke Float – equal parts coke and milk with a dollop of ice cream floating on the top.

I have some interesting memories from those days. This one time, my mom arranged for me to play with the nephew of a lady from her prayer group. The young man in question was visiting from the UK. As we teed up for the first hole, two things happened: 1) I discovered that he was a scratch golfer and 2) it started to rain.

I was pretty nervous.

Adopting a slightly open stance and preparing to pronate my wrists – according to some advice I had read in a little book entitled ‘How to Play Golf’ – I began my down swing. Unfortunately the grip of the club was wet and it flew out of my hands like a helicopter, landing about 20m further than my ball.

Another memory I have is of playing on the wrong fairway. As far as I can recall, this happened the first time I played at Police, and though I drove off the No 3 tee box, I ended up playing on the No 5 fairway.

This reminds me of something Steven Covey said a few years ago: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. I wonder how often we end up playing the game of life on the wrong fairway. I do it all the time. Suddenly, my Christian life is all about reading the Bible in a year or preaching like John Piper. Which fairway are you playing on? Has success in business become the most important thing in your life? Perhaps it is the approval of others?

But what is the main thing we need to keep the main thing in 2013?

In the middle of his teaching on spiritual gifts, Paul reminds the Corinthian church that to be motivated by love is the main thing (1 Corinthians 13). Without love, the gifts count for nothing. I would go so far as to say that without love, my life counts for nothing. Remember what Jesus said?

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matt. 22:37-40).

I don’t know about you, but I want to be productive, I want be something special for God, and I hope to receive an eternal reward for the way I have lived my life. According to Paul, however:

·         Without love, my preaching is as productive as a yapping dog (1 Cor. 13:1).

·         Without love, I am nothing special (v2). In fact, if I want to be something special in the Kingdom of God, I must “be the very last and the servant of all” (Mk. 9:35). And isn’t this what love is all about, in humility valuing others above myself and not looking to my own interests but to the interests of others?

·         Without love, I fail to gain anything of eternal value (v3).

The main thing that we must keep the main thing in 2013 is to be motivated by love. Perhaps it would help to carry out what I call a “love audit”. Choose a time and a place where you won’t be interrupted and then invite the Holy Spirit to work with you as you read through verses 4 – 7 of 1 Corinthians 13. Substitute the word “love” with your own name and ask yourself whether what you are reading is true for you in the areas of family, work and church. Then meditate on 1 John 4:7-21.

Cheers for now - Ian