His Light at Christmas (Part 2: Being Conformed To His Image!)

In our last post, we talked about how we, in response to Christ's Light-- are to be visible and unblinking lights for his glory. In this, we will continue to consider how we may do this.

In Response to His Likeness— We Are Being Conformed To His Image!

As we continue to consider Hebrews 1:3, building on the outshining of the glory of God in Jesus, and our Being Lights For His Glory we focus on the phrase, that Jesus is “the exact imprint of his nature” (ESV). Leon Morris commented,

"The exact representation of his being" is the fourth of the statements about the Son. "Exact representation" translates charakter, a very unusual word (here only in the NT). Originally it denoted an instrument for engraving and then a mark stamped on that instrument. Hence it came to be used generally of a mark stamped on a thing, the impress of a die. It might be used figuratively, for example, of God as making man in his own image (1 Clement 33:4). In its literal sense it was used of the impression on coins; RSV's "bears the very stamp of his nature" brings out something of this meaning. Here the writer is saying that the Son is an exact representation of God.[1]

Since Jesus is the express image of God’s person that means that when we wonder what God is like we can look at Jesus who accurately reveals the nature of God. Similarly, Colossians 1:15, 19 says that “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…”

He was made like us in every way so that he could take our sin upon himself (Hebrews 2:14-18) and we could receive his righteousness, becoming like him. As a result, we should be continually more conformed to His image (Romans 8:29) and to His way of shining light to the lost and to each other.

As a small child, putting up the Christmas decorations was really quite easy. I simply watched my Dad do everything and tried to stay out of his way. I have since learned that, as an adult, putting up the lights is not necessarily easy. I remember one sad year which came after my Dad had left our family, and I had to put up our Christmas lights by myself. I remember going out in the December rain, lying down on our cold wet roof, and hanging out over the edge to put up our outdoor lights. I confess to muttering. Then the Christmas tree that was dropped off had a trunk that was too big to fit into our stand and I didn't have any adequate tools to cut and mount it. I confess to growling a bit. Finally, after getting the Christmas tree in the stand and into the house, I found that the tree lights were severely tangled. After hearing a neighbor’s politically incorrect comment about my Christmas decorating skills... I confess to steaming. No wonder I stayed out of the way in previous years while my Dad was putting the lights up! I eventually had to kneel down behind an old wingback chair, right there in our living room, and seek a spiritual "attitude adjustment." For Scripture says,

"Do all thi­ngs without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of Life . . ." (Philippians 2:14-16)

Because we are to shine in his likeness, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us how we are to shine.

We Should Shine as Attractive Lights, Not an Obnoxious Glare

The light we shine needs to be tasteful and courteous, rather than rude and overbearing. I think of the classic Charlie Brown Christmas special where both kinds of lights are seen. Snoopy's obnoxiously decorated doghouse contrasts sharply with the humble little tree that the whole Peanuts gang helped to decorate (after hearing Linus quote the Christmas story as found in Luke 2). The world is dying and needs us to shine as Jesus did, not in a loud, tacky, rude, uncaring manner, but in a simple, sincere, spiritual way. We can read in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 about how we should shine to the world.

"And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."

Our light should gently, consistently, beckon people home, as warm and invitational as the light to which we once responded. The Lord is kind in all his ways. People shouldn’t have to rent a family for the holidays when there is one really big one ready for them through the work of Christ.

The saying that “the Holy Spirit is a gentleman," falls so far short that it makes me cringe. However, we do well to recognize that though often perceptive and bold, truly Spirit-filled witnessing (light-shining) is never rude or pushy, but courteous and gently persistent, centered around a sincere and reconciling relationship. 

We Should Shine Together as Different Colored Lights in Harmony
 

His likeness, as expressed in the Church, is not limited homogenously to a specific ethnicity or culture, nor style or method, as many different parts make up the body of Christ. We are all different and the "colors" of our lights vary (yet all the colors are still light), and we all look good together. Opinion alert: I am not a fan of plain white Christmas lights. While the icicle lights can look good on a house, or a star, if the whole neighborhood is white it tends to make it look cold and sterile. At the same time, the newer LED lights—while beautifully colored—often seem so dark and missing the warmer tones that really brighten the yard and neighborhood. (I still rock the traditional multi-color C-9 bulbs on the house. I am dogmatic about my lights, stressing that those mono-chromatic or even two-color strings of lights are boring and less than beautiful.)

Thankfully, the idea is spreading that the local church should look like their community—reflecting the multi-ethnic and multi-economic make-up of their area—in both their members and leadership. To the extent that we do this, we not only more completely reflect the image of God, but the character of his [one] heavenly kingdom,

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
 and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
 from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
 and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-19)

Not only are we to embrace the various ethnic and cultural colors of our origins as expressing a facet of his likeness, but we also need to be enthusiastic in our varieties of operation as well. If we understand the nature of the Church, we realize we don't have to require others to shine exactly as we do. As long as we give off His light in His likeness as He chooses to use us, together we are on the right path. In Romans 12:4-8, Paul talks about the different “colors” that we as individual members of the body of Christ shine forth. It is written,

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Similarly, we can read in 1 Corinthians 12:4-21, that the body consists of all the parts together. The church is not the church if it is missing someone.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Let’s shine this Christmas, and in the New Year to come, with his likeness bringing a glow to our life, a smile to our eyes, and a song to our lips!

Angels from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o’er all the earth;

Ye who sang creation’s story

Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the field, abiding,

Watching o’er your flocks by night,

God with us is now residing;

Yonder shines the infant light:

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Sages, leave your contemplations,

Brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great Desire of nations;

Ye have seen His natal star.

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Saints, before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear;

Suddenly the Lord, descending,

In His temple shall appear.

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Sinners wrung with true repentance,

Doomed for guilt to endless pains,

Justice now revokes the sentence,

Mercy calls you; break your chains.

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Though an Infant now we view Him,

He shall fill His Father’s throne,

Gather all the nations to Him;

Every knee shall then bow down:

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

All creation, join in praising

God, the Father, Spirit, Son,

Evermore your voices raising

To th’ eternal Three in One.

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

                    Hymn Angels From the Realm of Glory, by James Montgomery (1816)

 

It is a wonderful truth that God uses us in personal and individually appropriate ways. As we allow the gospel light to shine through us in evangelism and service, we wisely acknowledge our inability to shine with our own power. We need a power source. We testify to the fact that we are plugged into the power source.

Next Post: His Light at Christmas (Part 3: Being Plugged Into His Power)

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[1] (Frank E. Gaebelein, Edt., Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12, [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981], 14)

His Light at Christmas (Part 1: Being Lights For His Glory)

I would like to share my “famous” Christmas light sermon with you all in three short installments. The first one is free. The next two installments will be provided when you comment. OK, you probably know I will post them anyway...

I will be using the metaphor of "Christmas Lights" to call us to a more joyous, welcoming, and authentic witness this season. In the process, I will also indulge some of my own Christmas lighting biases—strictly for educational purposes! 

I pray that this Christmas season is one in which we experience the remarkable freshness of Jesus' joy and peace as perhaps we never have before, for His greater glory and name's sake as we shine forth the light of the gospel. 

During this season, as I think of "the light of the gospel" and as I see the many houses and trees that are decorated with beautiful lights, I am reminded that when Jesus came, he was really the first "Christmas light" to the world. 

And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

 the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:13-16)

Of course, Christ's coming as the light of the world and now our calling, as his followers, to become lights (witnesses) in the world is probably not a new topic to you. 

Yet, I would like to share three characteristics of Christ's exemplary light, hopefully in a fresh way, using the metaphor of Christmas lights.  It is written, in Hebrews 1:3, that God now speaks to us through His Son Jesus, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Let's examine this passage for what it teaches us about Jesus, the Light of the world, our example, and power as we now are called to participate in being light to the world.

I have wonderful childhood memories of each Christmas season when my Dad would put up our old C9 Christmas lights, both outside the house and on the tree.  When he was done, we would go outside in stocking caps and mittens to drink hot chocolate, look at the lights, and "ooh" and "aah". It was a good feeling. But Christ's light is more than a good feeling, though it brings great joy. It is a matter of life and death. 

If we are going to bring the healing, warming touch of God's love to others effectively, we do well to focus on the following three things not just at Christmas but all year round... his Light, Likeness, and Line.

Being Lights For His Glory!

In response to Christ's light, we are now lights for his glory. How can we do this? There are two things I would suggest for starters: we should be visible; and, we should be unblinking. Let’s consider these two lessons drawn from the Christmas lights I grew up with.

We Should Be Visible Lights

As Jesus was the radiant light of God's glory, so, too, we should shine as lights of Jesus' glory. When should we be a light for God's glory? All the time!  Jesus said to his followers,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

This verse makes me stop and consider what kind of works might cause those outside the church to glorify God in heaven. I would think that it would be something selfless and sacrificially loving.  Letting our light shine doesn’t mean we are putting on a show, or doing good things so that people can see us. I think that generally defeats the point. The Christian’s works of love are not done for personal glory but for the glory of God. They are often done in profound anonymity yet cannot be hidden forever.

So I wonder, what kinds of things can we do that allow people to see past us to the glorious love of the Father? One thing that is always trotted out as an objection to God is the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Christians, so I would think that authentic, consistent, humbly Christ-like living would be key. Another key to our being visible lights for Christ is joy. Are we chronic complainers, faultfinders, and whiners or do we overflow with the joy of our salvation even during difficult, even painful circumstances?

Because we are called to be consistent, continuous witnesses, we should not only be visible, but steadfast. The Jude warns us about “wandering stars” that do not give an accurate witness. Which brings me to my second point…

We Should Be Unblinking Lights

I know that blinking LED lights are trendy these days, but to me, they don’t seem very authentic, restful, or welcoming. I call them “Vegas lights” because they seem to somehow advertise themselves. The first blinking Christmas lights I can remember were the ones on Snoopy’s over-decorated dog house in the classic Merry Christmas Charlie Brown television special.

Even then Charlie Brown thought that even his dog had sold out to the commercialism of the season. My incarnational metaphor reminds me that since Jesus was not a blinking “Vegas-light”, neither should our witness be an "on-again, off-again" kind of light. Our light must be a reflection of his light.  It comes neither from our self-will nor our hard work. It is sourced in the love of God poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It is also written in James 1:17, that, "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with who there is no variation or shadow of turning."

People living in the dark are drawn to the light. But it's not enough just to light. There is actually a proper way in which to be a light. Thus, simply shining is not enough. We must shine in the way that Jesus would shine.  We are not free to denigrate or coerce others as we see fit. Jesus values people rather than objectifying them. He identifies with them rather than despising them. We are his ambassadors. We represent him. Our light should be unblinking in the sense of consistency, but also in the sense of courage. We don’t close our eyes and turn away from difficult issues and problem people. The thought that we are to face what comes with the eyes of Christ always seems to drive me to my knees in dependence. I can’t give what I don’t have. I don’t have a visible, unblinking light in me without the Christmas gift of God’s love in Christ through the Spirit.

I am reminded of the enlightened words of Isaac Watts’ great Christmas hymn, written about 350 years ago, that we can still sing and live with vigor!

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.

Next Post: His Lights at Christmas: In Response to His Likeness

Who Do We Represent? (Ambassadorship Part 4)

Are we Tourists, Businessmen, or Ambassadors (Part 4)

The term “representing” has come to be used in a much more marketing-focused way in recent years. You hear the phrase “way to represent” used in reference to the things we wear, say, and do to show our support for an apparel company, Alma mater, music group, sports team, political perspective, or even a church program. So who are we representing today? 

By way of review, last week we discussed the “how” characteristics of the Ambassador model for cultural engagement for Christ as opposed to the tourist and businessman models.

·        Ambassadors are invited guests who have a posture of humility and graciousness. They are not in it for their own interests but represent the one who sent them.

·        Ambassadors don’t expect people of “other lands”—different sub-cultures and faith traditions both here and abroad—to learn our “Christian-ese” insider lingo. Instead, they learn how to contextualize Christian concepts to the other person’s ways of speaking.

·        Good ambassadors come to stay until removed by the one who sent them. They listen, are soft-spoken, and literate both linguistically and culturally. What does it mean to be literate in their culture? We must be willing to learn

·        Good ambassadors are compassionate, conciliatory, communicators of God’s grace…without compromise. They bring added value to all they engage.

Where in that post my focus was on how we are representing Christ, this week I would like to focus on the “who” it is that we represent. This question is huge. An ambassador should be an accurate and approachable representative of the community that has commissioned him/her to go. This is problematic if the ambassador is representing a country or group known for duplicity, injustice, and a desire for power. An ambassador is only as good as the one he represents.

Is the Christ that we are striving to represent the Jesus Christ of the Bible, some personally shaped lesser deity, or is he a construct of our Western socio-cultural environment? Everyone on the street has an opinion about who Jesus Christ is and what he is like. These opinions have been formed, shaped, and influenced by various sources, both good and bad. We who aspire to be ambassadors are no different. Our view of who it is we are representing will shape the how.

I am a strong believer that we are not at liberty to shape idols in our own image and call them “Jesus” any more than the ancient Israelites were at liberty to make a golden calf or two and call it Yahweh (Exodus 32; 1 Kings 12:25-33)…yet we do it all too often. The Jesus of the Bible created all cultures and works within them, but is not constricted by their constructs. If we want to know who we represent, we need to read the Bible through regularly, or rather, allow the Bible to read us regularly. What does God say about himself in the words of the Old Testament? What does God say about himself in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, in the four gospel accounts? What does it mean to live as ambassadors of Christ, as the New Testament letters encourage us?

To answer the first question, regarding what God says about himself in the Old Testament, I submit Exodus 34:5-7, where God came and proclaimed his name (i.e., stated his essential character) to Moses,

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

This same idea is repeated throughout the Bible (See also à Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; 4:2; Nahum 1:3). Most people today would probably not realize this truth about God in the OT. Might we have misjudged Jesus as well? I will leave the second and third questions for you to answer for yourselves.

If we are to get past our lesser views of Christ, we must acknowledge that we have them. Our understanding of who Jesus is can be colored by our own fallen desires and the biases of the culture we are part of. It is important that we subject all of our views of Jesus to the witness of the Scriptures themselves, looking to that “Original Communication Context” (OCC) for interpretive clues instead of assuming it was written within a Western/American cultural filter (because it wasn’t).

If we are ambassadors for Christ, what is it about him that we should be communicating? I would like to go further, but will stop here and ask three serious questions:

“In reading the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)…

1.    What two or three emotions do we see most often in Jesus?

2.    What three to five character qualities do we see used most often to describe Jesus?

3.    What are the four most common verbs that describe Jesus’ actions?

Having answered the three questions above, try one more… 

       So, as Ambassadors for Christ, are we representing the right Jesus?

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash