Christmas Secrets

My siblings and I have a tradition of exchanging Secret Santa gifts every year. We draw names and don't reveal who-has-whom until Christmas Day when the gifts are opened. We aren't kids anymore, but it always makes me feel like one.

What is it about good secrets that are so fun and joyful? Secrets can be a bad thing that cause a lot of devastation and pain--but good secrets are the complete opposite. The subject of secrets can be found in the Bible more often than you may think. There are bad secrets like when David had an affair with Bathsheba and then sent her husband to the front lines of battle to be killed. He didn't get away with it and later penned these words of repentance: You desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. (Psalm 51:6) The word for "inmost place" can also be translated as secret.

Jesus, however, talked about good secrets. Secrets of The Kingdom. His Parables contain secret messages about God's character and ways, and He talked about having a secret-life with God in the areas of prayer, giving, and worship. Prayer is meant to be personal--confession, sharing your deepest needs, listening to what God has to say specifically to your heart.

Giving is also meant to be a secret activity. Not something to do for show or to impress others or gain praise. It's an act of trust between you and God. Giving to others with the belief He will provide for your needs.

At Christmas we talk about giving to Jesus--it's His birthday after all. But what Jesus wants is for us to receive what He has for us. We are in need of His grace. That's why He came: To save us. In Luke 9:23 He says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."  These words are often interpreted as, 'Put aside your own needs. Stop thinking about yourself. Carry the cross you are meant to bear and live your life for Me.' But that is not the heart of Jesus.

When He says, deny yourself, He means, Stop trying to be self-sufficient. You can't do life on your own, so stop trying. You can't save yourself so 'lift up' that heavy cross you bear and let Me carry it for you. Just follow Me--you don't have to figure out your own way. I'll show you.

This Christmas, share secrets with Jesus. Confess to Him what you need to confess and receive His forgiveness. Share your burdens, needs, and desires with Him, and then listen to the secrets He has for you. Hear Him say, "I know what you need more than you do. I know the secrets to a life of blessing, purpose, and joy. Just come to Me and I'll get you there."

"The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you." Mark 4:11

Girl Praying photo credit: Crissy Pauley (freeimages.com)

Hope Is Here

"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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Advertising is big business. Wikipedia defines advertising as "a form of communication used to promote or sell something". Most commonly this means that advertisers are trying to get us to buy stuff that we may or may not need. We see this all year round in our consumer-based society, but Christmas is a time when they go full-throttle. Special deals on products, one-day sales, limited-time offers, "the newest best thing your Christmas won't be complete without!"

It can be overwhelming. With so much demanding our attention, time, and money, it's easy to get distracted from what Christmas is all about. But I think we can also learn something from those who are demanding our attention during this Christmas season. Letting people know what is available to them and convincing them they need it is the key to good advertising. And advertising is not always bad if you have something that's worth sharing.

Advertising at Christmas is not just a modern-day practice. God is in the business of advertising too, and that's really what the first Christmas was all about. He had something that people needed, and He sent messengers to proclaim the good news of Jesus' birth. But He started way before Christmas Day. Even Black Friday retailers don't have anything on God's advance planning. Many of the Prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed a Savior was coming hundreds of years before Jesus arrived, and God sent an angel months ahead of time to tell Mary and Joseph all about the role they would play in bringing this Savior to the world.

On the night of Jesus' birth, more angels came to announce His arrival and proclaim, "Peace on earth and good will toward men."  But that wasn't the end of God's marketing scheme. He sent John the Baptist to "prepare the way for the Lord", and when Jesus began His public ministry, He was a walking advertisement of what God wanted the people to know: "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe this good news!"

 

Salvation has come.

God's mercy is alive and well. Hope is here!

I was doing some research on the word "hope" in the Bible, looking for encouraging verses to share with those who need hope because of difficult circumstances they are facing. In the Old Testament I found it 86 times, used in both positive and "I have no hope" ways; and from Acts to Revelation, it is used 80 times. But in the gospels, it occurs once—as a quote from Isaiah in the Old Testament, not from the mouth of Jesus.

Doesn't that seem odd? When the Old Testament Prophets and Poets talked about hope, they were talking about God bringing salvation to His people. Oftentimes they were talking about Jesus, the Savior who would come and deliver them. And the New Testament writers were speaking about Him too. And yet Jesus Himself never used the word.

I think the reason for this is that Jesus said it a different way. He was much more specific in how He described Himself and His role. He didn't say, 'Your hope has come. I have arrived,' and leave it at that. He said, "I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the good shepherd..."  I bring healing, forgiveness, satisfaction, peace, joy, and everything you truly need. He told them about something they'd had all along. Jesus didn't come to proclaim anything new, He just used different words. He came to say: 

You are loved.

You always have been, and you always will be.

The Prophet Isaiah proclaimed: "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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah was one of God's advertisers, and I see myself the same way. I "communicate to promote something".  But it's not just hype. It's not about greed or running a successful company or inventing the newest best thing. It's about sharing a basic truth: You are loved.

In John 17:26, Jesus says these words to His Father during prayer: "I have made you known to them, and I will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and that I myself may be in them."  What did Jesus come to do? He came to advertise God's love. He came to show us what we really need. And He never stops!

I encourage you to look for ways God has displayed His love to you. As you celebrate the Savior's birth this season, think about what God's love really means for you. What difference has God's mercy and love meant to you in the past, and how can it make a difference today?

 

Photos by Rick Jemberg, jaylopez, Billy Alexander, César Rodriguez, johan van den berg, Yarik Mshini (Freeimages.com)