Tim Basselin - December 1, 2019
Wanting the Right Things
The Christmas season is in full swing! With Black Friday behind us and the steady march toward Christmas Day begun, our wanting engines are warming up. But how do we know what the right things to hope for are? Isaiah invites the people of Judah to want God's justice and salvation: a gift for the whole world!
From Series: "Christmas is for Dreamers"
The Christmas season is full of joy, of lights and parties and festive decor. But the reality for many of us doesn't live up to that cheery facade. The prophet Isaiah knew what it was to live in a dark world hoping for light. His dreams of the coming savior help us celebrate Christmas exactly where we are... as we dream of the perfect world that is to come!
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I’ve been working on a theory for about a year now that concerns what we mean when we try to instill balance into our lives. Attempting to balance is as old as civilization. The Greek poet Hesiod (c.700 bc) wrote, ‘observe due measure; moderation is best in all things.’ We are taught moderation as the proper way to live modestly.
However, I assume according to the box office results, that most of you have seen Wonder Woman. Was there any place in the film where you wanted Wonder Woman to act in moderation? Try to imagine some moderation slipped into the scene where she storms from the bunker into the town and ends up on top of the church.
If you were one of the townspeople, if you are an oppressed person seeking justice, you aren’t hoping for it in moderation.
I have a 10 month old baby at home. When I see him after a few hours of being away, he begins to kick with his legs and with his arms and smiles and coos and lights up the room. I pick him up and hug him, and then he pulls back from my face with his mouth open showing his two little teeth, and he grabs both my cheeks and looks at me with that same bursting smile and then buries his forehead into my face, which is how he hugs.
And then … I pull back and say, “Everything in moderation child. If you love too much, you’re bound to get hurt.”
No. I do not quell his excitement in order to instill moderation or balance. Nor do I temper my response. Instead, I become a fool myself, shaking my arms and legs and making silly faces and then holding him as close as his his tiny body can handle. Balance is not my goal.
Today, we’re not going to try to balance our understanding of Jesus as both God and human. If we did, we would inevitably end up with a Christ who was 50% human and 50% God.
