The cost of following Jesus

The Christmas story tells us of the worship, love and adoration shown to the baby Jesus by the shepherds and later the wise men, but what is our response? 

My mind immediately goes to Christina Rossetti’s carol In the bleak midwinter: 

What can I give Him, 

Poor as I am? 

If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb, 

If I were a wise man I would do my part, 

Yet what I can I give Him, 

Give my heart. 

Or more recently Chris Tomlin’s beautiful modern carol Adore: 

Wise men bring their treasures,

Shepherds bow low, 

Angel voices sing of peace on earth, 

What have I to offer To heaven’s king? 

I’ll bring my life, my love, my all. 

We’ve known from childhood that there is nothing we can give to Jesus that is of greater worth than ourselves, our hearts, our lives. It’s a sobering thought that even all the treasure in the world counts for nothing compared to our lives. That is the greatest treasure because that’s why Jesus came - to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19: 10). That was his commission and that was me until Jesus pursued and won me with his love. I was lost. 

The reality though is that to give Jesus our love, our life, our heart is incredibly costly to us because it means giving up everything – my time, my emotions, my money, my possessions, my thoughts, my words, my preferences, my opinions, my choices – everything has to be laid on the altar and for sinful people like you and me that is hard – very hard. 

Jesus gave it all up for us – glory, majesty, power and he calls us to the same path – following in his footsteps or discipleship. Jesus said, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me'. Like everything of the Christian faith that is hard, it is also worth it. 

It’s fairly easy to put our hands in our pockets with our tithes and offerings, do works of service (and I am not knocking these) but a life of yieldedness to Jesus means giving up a lot more than money and time. It’s all in. 

But the result is the greatest love affair of all time. It means walking in love with Almighty God, knowing his abundant life poured into our lives as we yield and give way to him. It’s the adventure of a lifetime. Mary, Jesus’s mother walked this path; the highest privilege and the greatest pain but when we get to see her in eternity, I am sure she will say something along the lines of 'It was worth it but don’t worry about me, worship my Son, give him your all, – he is worth everything'.

Glory to God in the Highest

I have frequently written about how Mary might have felt when Jesus was born in a stable and her precious baby was placed in the only cradle available, a manger, a feeding trough for the animals. However this unusual circumstance became a sign for the first group of visitors. 

You might imagine that the religious leaders or the synagogue rulers of Bethlehem would be first to visit the baby Messiah but no. God chose shepherds as the first visitors; uneducated, straight from the fields, probably dirty and smelly working men. 

But God loves shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and now his Son who would become the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5: 4). Jesus spoke of himself: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10: 1 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10: 14 – 15 So it is not surprising that the shepherds were the first to hear the news and what a way they heard the announcement. 

This is surely one of the great events of history. Here we have shepherds possibly looking after the temple sheep (more symbolism) and suddenly into the darkness an angel appears with the words, ‘Fear not.’ The Bible is full of angels telling people to ‘Fear not.’ Obviously a glorified angel is a terrifying sight. These men would have been used to fighting off wild animals, rescuing silly sheep from their own predicaments, even dealing with sheep rustlers but an angel appearing – and they are terrified. 

The angel then made the royal proclamation. Today, a baby has been born, a Saviour, the Messiah. The shepherds were given the sign. This baby would be found wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. However there was more. 

A royal birth requires the royal choir of heaven to rejoice over the Son of God entering the world of men. Suddenly – I love God’s suddenlys. Suddenly heaven was torn open and the heavenly choir stepped forth. What a sight that must have been! A choir of angels singing glory to God. How amazing! You can imagine the shepherds either lying terrified face down on the earth or standing with their mouths hanging open.

When the angels had gone back into heaven, the shepherds decided to investigate. You can hardly imagine them settling down round the fire again. They ‘hurried off’ and found everything as it has been described to them. What Mary and Joseph thought of this group of uneducated, uncouth men turning up to coo over the baby we do not know but whilst the shepherds went out and evangelised the whole area with the good news of the birth of the Messiah, Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2: 19). She didn’t need to tell the world that her baby was the Messiah, the shepherds did that. 

Jesus wasn’t born in a palace in splendour to come and spread beneficence to his lowly subjects. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1: 14). Literally it means the Word tabernacled amongst us – just as God had done with the Israelites in the desert ‘dwelling’ in the midst of the encampment. 

Jesus didn’t come to hob nob with the rich, the famous, the religious. He came and dwelt with ordinary people – shepherds and fishermen, tax collectors and sinners. And he will come and dwell with each one of us – if we will only ask him. Then we will be those ‘on whom his favour rests’ and we will know his peace – ‘the peace that passes all understanding’.

The cost of Christmas

 The birth of Jesus was a shocking event.

Mary, a beautiful virgin betrothed to Joseph, was found to be pregnant before they married. This would have been a major scandal in small town Nazareth. It is hard to realise today just how shameful and disgraceful it was in that culture to be an unmarried mother. 

However the criticism would not just have been reserved for Mary but also for her parents. People would have thought her parents had not brought her up correctly nor had they watched over her. I expect Mum and Dad were hugely disappointed in their daughter. They would have hoped she knew better. Her parents would have greeted with great suspicion the story that she was still a virgin and that this baby was conceived by the Holy Ghost. It was certainly not something to share with the neighbours. That would have added ridicule to condemnation. 

Joseph was also no doubt sceptical about tales of an immaculate conception. In fact he was mindful to divorce Mary quietly to avoid further public humiliation for her until the intervention of the angel. Having confirmed that this baby was indeed conceived by God, Joseph being righteous, married her. This would not have stopped the wagging tongues though. It would just have pulled Joseph into the public disgrace as everyone would have assumed the baby was his. 

Four people would now have been criticised and suffered public humiliation even though no one had done anything wrong. In fact they had been selected for the highest honour of all - being parents and grandparents to the Son of God. Who would believe that? 

I wonder if as Mary and Joseph discussed the upcoming birth they deliberated if they would have to go to Bethlehem. After all that is where the Scriptures said the Messiah would be born. It doesn’t appear so because it took the intervention of an ungodly Roman Emperor to get them to the right place at the right time. They left for the weeklong journey to Bethlehem when Mary was almost full term, not recommended in any culture, let alone one with modest health care facilities. 

I am sure Mary and Joseph were optimistic that God would provide somewhere suitable for the baby to be born. If nothing else, they must have both had extended family in Bethlehem. Perhaps there was no room anywhere because news of the pregnancy outside marriage had gone before them? We can only imagine the disappointment turning to despair when all they were offered was a stable. 

So Mary gave birth to her precious first born, the Son of God, in a stable with the animals. Under any circumstances that is shocking. 

I think it is all too easy to romanticise and sanitise the Christmas story as we lustily sing our favourite Christmas carols. However it is good to remember how much it cost the key players to fulfil their destiny so that God could become Man and live amongst us. 

Today there are many, many Christians suffering for their faith all over the world. For many becoming a Christian can mean being ostracised by their family or even society, losing jobs or access to good education. Just like Mary all those years ago, too many Christians today are treated shockingly. Let’s remember and pray for them as we celebrate again the wonderful Christmas story.

Worth fighting for?

 

As Covid starts to spread through our societies again with yet another variant, I don’t know about you, but I feel disappointed that we are still not through this virus. We seem to get through one phase, optimistic for the future, and then we are knocked back by the latest development. This virus has certainly changed everything in our generation. 

There is hardly a corner of the planet that has not been impacted by it, and every time we think normality is returning, something challenges that. There is a new variant, the vaccines are not proving as effective, we must wear masks, socially distance, in fact everything we hoped we might never have to do again. 

It always reminds me of my parent’s generation who had to fight through the Second World War in the prime of their lives. It must have seemed to them that this War would never end. Instead of getting married and creating a home, starting families and developing their careers, they had to lay aside every personal preference to fight literally for their lives and their nation. For six years, their lives were completely turned upside down and society was never the same again. Whenever I feel like having a little pity party, I remember my parents’ generation having to wave their loved ones off to fight, see their children separated by evacuation, run to the shelter, eat a very limited diet, bath in a puddle and in every way have their personal preferences laid aside. 

I never imagined that at the end of 2021, we would still be battling with virus issues. I hope it won’t take six long years before we overcome this virus or rather it dies its own natural death. But if it is, how will my faith come out of this? 

The nations may be irrevocably changed but our God is unchanging. This last week or so the phrase And He shall reign for ever and ever has been resonating in my spirit. Leaders, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, even dictators come and go but our God reigns and he will never be overthrown. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and he loves us, and has all our best interests at heart – the rich, famous, infamous, poor, extremely poor, displaced, refugee, alien, he desires all should know him. 

 I am challenged today to stop worrying about my discomfort and inconvenience, my change of plans and instead start aligning myself with what God is saying in this day. Are my prayers, service and finances bringing about His plans and purposes? Like a small child crying for the moon because they realise they may not get what they want, can I stop crying for my way of life that may never return but instead realise that God’s plans for my life, your life, the planet is worth fighting for. God is calling his Church to fight to come out of this viral war stronger, more focused on him, better equipped in every way, changed irrevocably for Him.