John 3:31-36  - A Christmas Carol

        Charles Dickens' (1812-1870) famous novel, A Christmas Carol, is a wonderful tale of redemption through truth.  It's a magical tale but in it, we find biblical truth.  Though hard-headed and hard-hearted the protagonist eventually responds to a warning of the reality of what his future will hold if he doesn't change his ways.  Dickens shows us that all the signs of God's goodness and grace - even biblical signs built right into Scrooge's home oven by the Dutch manufacturer, were there all through Scrooge's life.  But Scrooge got farther and farther from God, and from goodness.  And like his doomed partner, Marley, Scrooge was on the precipice of disaster.  In the tale, Dickens uses Jacob Marley (Scrooge's deceased business partner) and various ghosts in dreams to provide the warning - like a prophet crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3-8).

        It's Thanksgiving and Christmas Season in the USA.  But wherever you find yourself this morning, rest confidently in Jesus Christ.  God gives good gifts.  All we have is from God.  God gives us freedom and every warning conceivable of how to live and what to do with this short life.  We take nothing for granted.  We rejoice in the goodness of life.  And we do not begrudge others any benefit or privilege or place of prominence.  Anything good people have is from God's bounty, His harvest.  And each man must account to God - you and I included.

        We are here to build and grow and to make disciples with the resources we have and the abilities God gives us.  We are more than thankful - we are privileged beyond belief to stand with our risen Savior in His work of building His church.

        John the Baptist - Jesus' cousin, a prophet, and a martyr for righteousness used his God-given faculties and fearlessly preached the truth without apology.  By earthy standards, some may sneer and say his life was wasted - an executed prisoner - no great family, no empire, no 401(k).  He had a depleted band of followers before a tragic painful end.  We will see someday that John reigns with Jesus in heaven - we will hear the truth about the value of John's life and what Jesus has to say about him.  John's life was not wasted and these treasures, these words in this chapter about John's testimony of who Jesus is show us that John used his free will with courage to take on the responsibility given him by the Father to lead people to the Son.  

        Let's be like John.  Be filled with joy when other Christians succeed and especially be filled with optimism and hope at the success of the growing church and the promises of Jesus' return.

        God the Father loves us.  Unfathomable.  Shocking.  Humbling.  God asks ordinary people like us to be His dearly loved children.  Every person can experience eternal life - saved from God’s judgment on those who reject Him.

        We are quick to pounce on other’s sins to disqualify them.  But what about the log in our eye; let’s be honest in our evaluation of ourselves.  You may strongly disagree with me, so be it.  But I believe the Bible is quite right: every person is a sinner - guilty of evil thoughts and actions produced by our own fallen human nature.  Your experience may be quite different.  Perhaps you are perfect.  I am not.

        God’s way is not the way of the Pharisees - Jesus could not stand those hypocrites and legalists (there is no fun in the self-righteous fundamentalist).  You can’t earn your way into eternal life.  You cannot be born again by trusting your dad, good looks, religious system, pedigree, or credentials.  You can’t buy your way into heaven, nor hire a high-powered law firm to argue you in.  And wailing, begging, and pleading may be a strategy - but please don’t put much hope in it.

        You may say, ‘Nonsense, humbug.’  Many say that.  ‘Christian jibberish - foolish talk of the uneducated Saskatchewanians.’  You may contend that there is one life and one only.  Get while the getting’s good, eat, earn, compete, and trounce on those suckers not as crafty as you.  Like Scrooge, you may say, ‘Be good at business for the business of this life is the only prize.’  But is it?

        What if Jacob Marley was right to warn Scrooge?  Maybe Scrooge, albeit reluctantly, realized that spiritual things are real because they are?  What if the sun setting on your earthly days is just the beginning?  God designs us to ponder these things.  There is no satisfaction in anything without God for a reason.  Some theological systems go to great ends to convince us that we can’t be convinced.  They argue and attempt to persuade us that it’s impossible to be persuaded.  I disagree.  The Bible disagrees.  We have God-given faculties and abilities for a reason - God very much is drawing you to Himself this Christmas.  While He won’t force us, He will warn us, coax us, and persuade us.

        Be open-minded.  Maybe there is something to the Christmas Story.  Maybe God did send His one and only Son to earth to save people - not to judge people (not yet, that comes upon Jesus' return) - to be lifted up so that everyone can believe in Him.  Maybe there is something to the story of the Rich Man in Hell who begs Father Abraham to send the sickly poor man Lazarus to come to relieve him for just a moment from the agony of being eternally separated from God.  In that story, the Rich Man goes on to beg Abraham and pleads to be able to warn his brothers about the realities of eternity (Luke 16:19-31).  The Rich Man in that story is very much like Jacob Marley.  Maybe the prophets sent from God to Israel to warn them about the truth and consequences of idolatry and adultery were telling the truth?

        What if the business of this life is a gift from God to grow in His character and to be about the welfare of His children?  What if the Good News is Good and the Bad News of God’s judgment is as horrible as the Ghost of Christmas Future says.

        Each of us has to decide these things for ourselves.  Who will be our Marley, or our Moses?  And what opportunity will God give us today to testify about the truth?

        We are children of God not because we are smarter or better than anyone else or because we have a special ability to understand spiritual things.  We are children of God because Jesus died on the Cross for our sins and was lifted up for us to believe.  He died for all people (John 3).  When we accept Jesus’ testimony, when we believe in Him that is when the Holy Spirit mightily and mysteriously, like the wind coming from an unknown direction, works in us to give us spiritual life (3:6 and 36).

        We seek no Hall of Fame mention.  We are sinners saved by Jesus.  Christmas is about the Son coming down to earth from Heaven on a rescue mission of love and grace.  As we prepare to celebrate let’s increase our faith through the Spirit of Christ.  Just as John says in these ancient words Jesus is greater than anyone else.  The Father put everything (including our futures) in the hands of Jesus Christ.  Anyone who trusts in the Son has eternal life (3:36).  And, as tragically as any story that was ever written, anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment (3:36).

        Thank you, Jesus, for the message of John the Baptist.  We accept his testimony.  And we accept Your testimony.

        Pray earnestly today, for exhilarating days are just ahead.  Pray that God blesses His church worldwide so that they can be effective ministers of His grace this Christmas.

        Lord Jesus, You know those who are contrite and lowly in spirit - You know them and You can revive them today.  Thank You Jesus for the warnings of the Bible.  Thank You for free will and the ability to respond to Your Good News.

        Thank You for the way people use their creative gifts today to share the truth of the Good News.  Increase our creativity we pray.  We are so thankful for every gift of our Father.

        Please bring us to rest this Thanksgiving and prepare us for the celebration of Christmas.  Please unify Your church - help us expose evil and reject darkness and false doctrines.  Thank You for the Cross.  Amen.

Our sons, Benjamin, Solomon, and Abraham when they got baptized.  Clearwater, Florida, 2011.