Christmas - What is Jesus Up To Now?
The Earth’s orbit around the Sun has once again brought us to this place of celebration. A place where we set aside a few days to remember and embrace the joy of the arrival of God on Earth as an infant.
When I was young, it was always Merry Christmas; Season’s Greetings came along more recently. Christian or not, it seems everyone pursues the fruit of the Spirit of God with a bit more enthusiasm this time of year: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
There is another point in our orbit where we celebrate the resurrection of this same person, Jesus. This celebration is pretty much limited to believers only. When I was young, it was Happy Easter, now it's Spring Holiday. Christian or not, almost everyone gets a day off.
The human life, death, and life again, of Jesus on earth was the most impactful event in all of human history. Even those who call Jesus a liar will admit this fact. There has never been anyone before or since who has rocked our world like Jesus. Christmas is a time to remember, a time to celebrate!
God knows that we humans are not particularly good at keeping what is important at the top of our love order. He has forever been injecting all sorts of periodic feasts into the calendar of his chosen to help us. He didn’t have to do this for Christmas or Easter. Christ’s birth and resurrection were so impactful that we have put these feast days in the calendar all on our own. These special days are in the annual calendars of the vast majority of nations and cultures. They proclaim the Good News every year. We are reminded to put our love for God at the top of our love order, where it belongs.
One day, Jesus in the flesh on this earth said goodbye to his students and left. A few days after that, the Holy Spirit arrived, as promised, to indwell all those who believe. That would include you. Let me tell you how you can be sure of this. The next time you are trying to figure out what to do about something, stop trying. Instead, in your mind, ask the Holy Spirit for his suggestion and then listen. A course of action will come to mind. Double-check that this thought is consistent with his word, the Bible. The more you read and know the Bible, the better this works.
We have the Holy Spirit here and now. In the meantime, what is Jesus up to? The Bible tells us he has returned to his rightful place on the throne. He is interceding for us. That means he is praying that we have ears to hear his teachings, believe them, and choose to obey his commandments. In obedience, we can abide in him, and he will abide in us. We also know that Jesus is the Word, and through him all things were made, and all of creation is sustained. It seems Jesus gets around and is very busy while he is seated at the right hand of the Father.
This is no problem for Jesus. His ways are higher. He is God, remember. Plus, the scriptures mention that God is omnipresent and omniscient, and Jesus is God, along with the Holy Spirit and the Father, one God. We are talking some serious horsepower here. The answer is that Jesus is up to whatever he wants to be up to. He is the Word, the original creator, and these days, the re-creator.
Since the fall in Eden, God has been orchestrating our comeback. Our return to an intimate relationship with him, which is what he made us for in the first place. We get to be members of the cast of Eden II, The Sequel.
It is endlessly surprising to me how all this makes sense to us Christians, but sounds entirely wacky for non-believers. Believing and understanding the story of God’s original creation and today’s re-creation is usually a step too far for unbelievers. That is why we are gifted with the simplicity of believing in Jesus. Believing results in our receiving the Holy Spirit, with whom we can begin the journey of understanding and getting to know our Creator, and living the life he intended for us from the beginning.
If you're reading this and not a Christian, it is no accident that you have found these words. Jesus is interceding, praying, and reaching out inviting you to believe. Be comforted that you need not grasp and believe the supernatural grand plan of God. Just take the little step to Jesus, then you can get started living the life you were made for, and the mysteries of the kingdom of God will begin to make perfect sense.
For those of us already through the narrow gate, our words of greetings this season will be Merry Christmas, along with that look in your eye that shouts, “I know Jesus and so can you.” It’s always Good News Season!
