More Than Bread

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At the risk of sounding a bit too much like the creators of "elf on a shelf," in this episode we are going to ponder the question, "Where is Jesus this Christmas?" That's my question, "Where do we find Jesus this Christmas?" So in this episode we're going to look at three moments where people find Jesus. I'm not sure what's happening in your life or the life of someone you care about this Christmas, but I do know that sometimes it can seem like Jesus is hard to find, far away. But I want you to know that you're not far from Jesus and He's making himself easy to find, if you know where to look.

Join me as we answer the question, "Where is Jesus this Christmas?"

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In Luke 16, with all that we could focus on, we will end up focusing on a part of one verse that says, "The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed and eager multitudes are trying to get in!" I think what Jesus was saying is that the Kingdom of God is a treasure worth my life and when somebody really "gets it," with everything in their hearts they want to be a part of this Kingdom. They are eager to get in. So my question is, "Are we eager to get in?" Shouldn't we be?

As Dallas Willard writes, "Every longing you have...every ache in your heart when you think you desire more stuff, or more pleasure, or more success, or to be more attractive, or to have a bigger house, or more applause; what your soul is really crying out for, Jesus says, is for this Kingdom to come down into your life. 

Are you eager to get in? Where are the eager multitudes?

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Luke 15 contains three "lost and found" stories. There's a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. And with each story Jesus is telling us something deep about the Father's heart and what heaven celebrates! And in a way, he is reminding us of the "why" of Christmas. Jesus left home, so that the prodigals could come home! Jesus was born to show us the Father's heart. When God sees you what He feels for you is prodigal love, reckless, extravagant, unrelenting love.   

Here's what I believe. I believe that in this next year we are going to start seeing more prodigals coming home than ever before. And with everything that is in me, I am going to do everything I can to call us to be a church that celebrates their homecoming with all our heart. It’ll be like Christmas over and over and over again!

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In this episode I'm going to ask you, to ask yourself, two questions. First, do I live like I'm invited. Second, do I live like there's still room at His table?

In Luke 14, Jesus describes a great banquet and you might say that Jesus is really talking about Christmas. In Jesus day, the idea of a banquet or a feast was often used as a metaphor for the coming of God's kingdom.  The banquet was about the restoration of all things and the birth of a new community, a new movement of life. To eat at God's banquet was to receive fullness of life and joy. Who's invited to this party?  It's an open invitation. Do you understand that?  I don't care who you are, what you've done or what's been done to you. You have been chosen. You are invited to the world's greatest celebration with the world's greatest banquet, by the world's greatest host.

So ask yourself those two questions...because God is determined that there will be no empty seats at His table!

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In the midst of Luke 13, there is this moment where Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. And in part his message is, "Don't miss the significance of small seeds." This Christmas don’t miss the significance of small seeds; like a  baby born to a teenager in a manger. We like things big. I want a bigger house, a bigger car. More impact. Bigger church. More influence. Bigger dream. We are always looking for the next big thing because if it's not big it must not be God.  

I long for us not to miss this; to embrace the significance of small beginnings. What seeds can we plant this Christmas season? Seeds of kindness? Seeds of generosity? The seed of a smile or a kind word or a helping hand? Don't miss the signficance of small beginnings, this Christmas. 

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In Luke 12, one of the things that we will hear Jesus say is, "Guard against every kind of greed." Did you know there's more than one kind of greed? I bet you didn't know that. Do you know why? It's because greed is sneaky. We know when we are struggling with lust or pornography, lying or anger. But it's rare that we recognize our greed. Greed is sneaky. We often believe that greed is the biggest problem that other people have. Greed is so sneaky.

But what if this Christmas season, we all, all of we all, just assume that we have a problem with greed. I have a problem with greed. Say that to yourself and then listen to the antidote in this episode.

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The Jesus of the gospels was simply amazing. Crying one minute, knocking tables over the next. Confronting leaders and then pouring out grace on prostitutes. Cursing hypocrites and forgiving a woman caught in adultery. Healing the sick, doing battle against Satan, and speaking stillness to the storm. His power was amazing. His teaching was amazing. His love was amazing.  

But in Luke 11 we are going to find a moment when a religious leader was amazed by Jesus lack of religion. Specifically, he didn't wash his hands. Talk about a glorious adventure of missing the point. The creator of the universe, Savior of the world, healer of the sick and redeemer of crosses is sitting at his table and he just can't get his mind off the fact that Jesus didn't follow the religious ritual of washing his hands. Which led to a series of woes, spoken from Jesus to the religious leaders of his day. Some of the things he says, you've wanted to say.

But in the midst of the woes, is a challenge to focus on what's important, the heart.

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Luke 11 is one of my "core" chapters. I explain that a bit in this episode, but it's an amazing chapter for Christmas Prep. At first glance, Luke contains three separate, somewhat unrelated stories. They are about going on a mission, loving our neighbors and being with Jesus. I use these three words to summarize the stories; Mission, Formation, and Union.

But here's the deal, they really aren't just three unrelated stories. God not only inspired luke in the writing of the gospel, but also in the collecting and placement of the stories. In other words there is a reason why these three stories come back to back to back. What's the reason? God wants us to know...

If I want to do like Jesus, I need to love like Jesus. If I want to love like Jesus, I need to be with Jesus, and that leads to a very Mary Christmas!

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As I've been pondering Christmas, aren’t we all looking for a mountain-top  experience this Christmas? As I ponder what I need to do to prepare for Christmas, Jesus keeps making it clear that strategically speaking, nothing matters more than His presence. In this episode, as we look at Luke 9, we'll ponder a mountain-top experience that Jesus had with his three closest friends. Our deepest need this Christmas is that God would give us the gift of a mountain-top experience with His presence. The deep need of our communities is a church that will finally get tired of trying to change the world without the power of God that comes from the presence of Christ.

And that’s what I’m praying for all of us this Christmas. God would you bring us up to the mountain!

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Way back in Luke 1, remember the angel came to Mary, the future mother of Jesus and said to her, "You are highly favored by God." Don't miss this, in this episode you will hear me say, "That same favor is for you." The favor of God was not just reserved for Mary. I mean Mary was amazing, but Mary didn't get more favor than God will give you. How did Mary gain the favor of God? She said, "Let it be to me according to your Word." She surrendered to God's Word. She was saying, "If you say so God." Don't miss how quickly Mary goes from "how can this be" to "if you say so" God. 

If we want to lean into the favor of God, we need to get better at saying, "If you say so." And if we do, the favor of God is for you!