Today we finish a year, the book of Luke, and Song of Songs. It's kind of hard to digest all that at once. To me, the highlight of today's sections is Jesus seeming to enjoy the surprises he's bringing people. As he seems to playfully talk to the Emmaus-bound journeyers, as he appears in the room when they recount their story, he seems to really be bringing his disciples some pretty memorable stuff. It really shows the human side of Jesus: he didn't just come to distribute information. He came to leave memorable stories.

Christ is risen! Being present at that first resurrection morning must have been really confusing. Before we get too angry with Jesus' friends, it's useful to put ourselves in his shoes. If you have never seen anyone rise from the dead, how easy would it be to believe?

Much can be seen about a person's life by their death. As Jesus is led to the cross, it's intriguing the story characters that Luke includes. Certainly, there must have been a crowd. From all the accounts that must have been told of that day, Luke includes that of two women who Jesus expresses pity toward (probably concerning the destruction of Jerusalem to come a few decades later), and the help of Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross. In the midst of his own execution, we see compassion from Jesus and the inclusion of an outsider. Hopefully we will reflect the same attitude in far less dire circumstances.

It's interesting that at his trial, Jesus is content to let the testimony of those conducting the inquest serve as the evidence of his lordship. If ever there was a time to sermonize, this was it. The religious leaders had him where they wanted him, and they used all their influence to sway the Roman leadership to go their way. Surely he could see where this was going. But he didn't argue, nor did he toot his own horn. Today, he does the same thing. Our testimony is what confirms his lordship.

Whatever hardships we suffer, Jesus has suffered with us. Not just the ridicule and physical abuse of today's passage from Luke, by by his presence with us in our daily lives. He is a suffering Savior because he does abandon, us, he remains at our side through every struggle.

The day after Christmas, it's a bit difficult to think about Jesus' betrayal and arrest. We may not have even opened all our Christmas presents yet, but we we are rushing him off to crucifixion. And yet, this is why he came. To live a live that we should model, to show us the way of sacrifice, and to give himself up, a sacrifice for many. But maybe I'm getting too far ahead of myself. In this moment, let us be like the lovers in Song of Songs: aching for our beloved, seeking him where he may be found.

Merry Christmas! Glory to the newborn king! Of course, today is one of the most important days of the year: we remember that God became a man, lived upon the earth, and became the living Word before the eyes of men. May the Word so live in our hearts that it becomes living and vibrant among all those we encounter.

Bodies matter. It's easy to spiritualize ourselves to the point that we focus on the unseen and the intangible, but the tangible is important. Just as Song of Songs brings bodies into the holy canon of Scripture, so Jesus presents his own body as the enduring symbol of God's commitment to his people.

It is difficult to come to terms with God's judgement. But could he be God without it? God cannot live beside corruption and sin, or He wouldn't be holy. If we are defined by those things, the Spirit cannot live within us. 

Not everyone who claims to be a believer really is one. This was true of Israel and it's true of the church today. We can be careful to follow our Savior daily, though, and to allow his work to transform our lives. When he does, we won't have to stop and consider how much we should give or if we know we're one of his people.