The season
This week is on Acts 4:18-21:
'Tis the season for political correctness, or something like that. It's "holiday season" or "annual shopping season" or "winter break..." Anything but the unambiguous day of praise for Jesus Christ: the whole reason we have a holiday this time of year in the first place! People would rather deny God than risk tipping their comfy boat by rocking it with the truth.
So that brings us to a time many hundreds of years ago: Peter and John had prayed for a middle-aged man who was crippled and God healed him. They told the reason why he got healed to the crowd that had gathered. How could you not? Is Jesus a secret? The political powers didn't like that at all. Every bit of praise for Jesus was a threat to their position. So, in order not to rock the boat, they made a small request of the Apostles: You can preach, but just don't mention any of that Jesus stuff, OK?
Peter and John weren't having it. If the topic of Jesus Christ comes up, and the only answer to the questions people have, like "how did that guy get healed?" is Jesus Christ, how do you not talk about Jesus? The crippled guy didn't get healed by "a higher power" or "thinking thoughts" or "sending vibes." It wasn't just a miracle. It was Jesus Christ, God Almighty, who personally intervened into his situation. (Besides, Peter had already denied Christ once. He wasn't going to do it again!)
In a lot of ways, as Christians in a modern secular state, we find ourselves in the same situation, with powerful people telling us to practice our faith without mentioning this inconvenient Jesus character: "Worship the evergreen tree, not the God who created it." "Give gifts to one another, but don't mention what it represents." "Just spell it x-mas, so nobody asks any questions...X: like you're signing a check..." And it doesn't end after Christmas is over.
Pagan roots or not, Christmas is a time for us to take a moment and be thankful for Jesus's birth at a very inconvenient time of year. There are plenty of ways to be sensitive to others' faiths and traditions, or to their insensitivity to ours, but hiding the truth isn't one of them. John and Peter risked their lives and their position in their community to tell the truth about Jesus. All we risk is some scolding and maybe being looked at as insensitive.
God has made himself as plain as day to us. Much as we can't deny the sun, we can't pretend he doesn't exist, or that he isn't part of our lives. During the month where Christ's name is written on every calendar, and ignored, try to acknowledge him and what he's done for us.
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.
'Tis the season for political correctness, or something like that. It's "holiday season" or "annual shopping season" or "winter break..." Anything but the unambiguous day of praise for Jesus Christ: the whole reason we have a holiday this time of year in the first place! People would rather deny God than risk tipping their comfy boat by rocking it with the truth.
So that brings us to a time many hundreds of years ago: Peter and John had prayed for a middle-aged man who was crippled and God healed him. They told the reason why he got healed to the crowd that had gathered. How could you not? Is Jesus a secret? The political powers didn't like that at all. Every bit of praise for Jesus was a threat to their position. So, in order not to rock the boat, they made a small request of the Apostles: You can preach, but just don't mention any of that Jesus stuff, OK?
Peter and John weren't having it. If the topic of Jesus Christ comes up, and the only answer to the questions people have, like "how did that guy get healed?" is Jesus Christ, how do you not talk about Jesus? The crippled guy didn't get healed by "a higher power" or "thinking thoughts" or "sending vibes." It wasn't just a miracle. It was Jesus Christ, God Almighty, who personally intervened into his situation. (Besides, Peter had already denied Christ once. He wasn't going to do it again!)
In a lot of ways, as Christians in a modern secular state, we find ourselves in the same situation, with powerful people telling us to practice our faith without mentioning this inconvenient Jesus character: "Worship the evergreen tree, not the God who created it." "Give gifts to one another, but don't mention what it represents." "Just spell it x-mas, so nobody asks any questions...X: like you're signing a check..." And it doesn't end after Christmas is over.
Pagan roots or not, Christmas is a time for us to take a moment and be thankful for Jesus's birth at a very inconvenient time of year. There are plenty of ways to be sensitive to others' faiths and traditions, or to their insensitivity to ours, but hiding the truth isn't one of them. John and Peter risked their lives and their position in their community to tell the truth about Jesus. All we risk is some scolding and maybe being looked at as insensitive.
God has made himself as plain as day to us. Much as we can't deny the sun, we can't pretend he doesn't exist, or that he isn't part of our lives. During the month where Christ's name is written on every calendar, and ignored, try to acknowledge him and what he's done for us.
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