The danger of losing the heart and soul of Christmas

It’s that time of year when we’re all so busy rushing about Christmas shopping that we fail to stop and think what it’s all about – that Jesus is the reason for the season.

We’re caught up in a whirl of almost mindless acquisition that mirrors much of Western society. But we can’t take any of it with us (to the next life), so why are we so frantically running after those mostly material things?

As I write, my dear mother, aged 95, is clearly seeing out her last days during which we will be doing all we can to bring comfort and peace in the midst of her pain. And I’m so glad that, in his official role as ‘curer of souls’, her vicar has been round to pray with her.

There’s nothing like such times to help us focus on what really matters – a person’s soul. That is now our chief concern, as it always is for our family, friends and neighbours.

Be Rich Towards God

Several members of my far-flung family have lost money in business in recent years, and are no doubt struggling to come to terms with that.

Similarly, much of the virtual civil war over Brexit revolves around the issue of finance. City-slickers and others who thrive on trade with Europe care little for the nation’s soul, its health, its sovereignty; they seem more concerned about the depth of their pockets. But neither staying nor leaving is likely to be a cure-all for our economic ills.

It is foolish to ignore the spiritual side of your life and leave your Maker out of the picture.

Jesus told the parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns to store his surplus grain without considering his soul or consulting his Creator. His goal was “Eat, drink and be merry!” The result was disaster. He may have been rich, but suddenly he had nothing – and God said to him: “You fool! This very night your soul will be required of you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

Jesus adds: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God” (Luke 12:16-21). Indeed, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
It is foolish to ignore the spiritual side of your life and leave your Maker out of the picture. As with my family, financial hardship is already hitting a growing number of Westerners who have relied too long on a life of plenty. Further financial icebergs are sure to sink our misplaced hopes and dreams. But if you place your trust in the Lord, you will avoid hitting the rocks (see Psalm 46:1-3; Matt 7:24-27; Isa 54:11).

Trust in Him

The company for whom I worked most of my full-time career in journalism has just gone into administration. I had suspected something was seriously wrong when my pension fund was taken over by a ‘protection’ scheme. “So is my pension secure?” I ventured to ask the new owners. “Yes or no?”

Not surprisingly, the long-winded legally-phrased answer left me none the wiser. So, with pensions apparently going pear-shaped, I’ll keep trusting God – that’s certainly the best pension plan!

With many of us in the West finding far too much comfort and solace in material possessions of late, it’s no wonder we’ve lost focus on our souls, perhaps stopped meeting with other Christians or even forgotten the staggering glory of the Christmas story that tells of how God came down to live among us and be our comforter and strength. His name is Jesus, which means the One who saves, but he’s also Emmanuel, which means God with us.

With many of us in the West finding far too much comfort and solace in material possessions, it’s no wonder we’ve lost focus on our souls or even forgotten the staggering glory of the Christmas story.

Stay Heavenly-Minded

The slaves who worked the cotton fields of America’s Deep South had little solace in this life as they literally slaved away for hours on end under a hot sun. Instead, Heaven became their hope and comfort, even while they were still on this earth, as they sang of a brighter day and a better tomorrow: ‘Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home’ with reference to the way the great Prophet Elijah was taken up to Heaven as he was going about his earthly business for the Lord (2 Kings 2:11).

The song is now more usually associated with England rugby matches as fans stir up their swashbuckling heroes at Twickenham. It was adopted as the national team anthem after it marked a turnaround of their fortunes 30 years ago, following a long losing run in what was then the Five Nations Championship.

With the apparent help of boys from a Benedictine school, who sang it whenever a try was scored following a tradition at their school games, England turned a 0-3 half-time deficit into a stunning 35-3 victory over Ireland.

And by the time the national team returned triumphantly from the 2003 World Cup in Australia, their plane was dubbed Sweet Chariot.

But the song surely needs to become the cry of all our hearts; and not just at rugby matches. For such heavenly-mindedness is bound to make us more earthly use as we spend time worshipping God, loving our neighbours and keeping a loose hold on our material belongings.

Be Still and Know

In the midst of the hurly-burly run-up to Christmas, I can think of no better way to conclude than by quoting today’s (12 December) More Precious than Gold devotional written by Mother Basilea Schlink, founder of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, a German-based international order set up in the wake of World War II specifically to bless the Jewish people.

Heavenly-mindedness will make us more earthly use as we worship God, love our neighbours and keep a loose hold on our material belongings.

The verse on which she focuses is Psalm 46:10 (CEV): “Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God!’”

Mother Basilea adds: “Only in quiet waters does God cast his anchor. God only draws near to a soul that enters quietness, a soul whose thoughts and feelings have been stilled. So avoid all loud behaviour and agitated speech, for they drive away the presence of God. Let everything be still within you and, where possible, around you. Then God will draw near and speak with you.”

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Into The Land' by Mike Dwight (2016, RoperPenberthy)

This is another challenging and forthright book by Mike Dwight who draws once again on his extensive personal experience in the mission field and leadership training ministry. As in his first book, Out of the Desert (reviewed here), he combines this practical knowledge with insights into God's character and purposes as revealed in Scripture.

Previously Dwight explained how the desert can be regarded as training ground and a place where it is possible to have a fresh encounter with God. Now he emphasises that the desert cannot be a permanent residence. There must be a moment when the decision is taken to go 'into the land'.

The key questions will always be, 'Will we recognise such moments?' and 'Are we ready?'

God's Time vs Our Time

Dwight provides an excellent appraisal of the two different Greek words for 'time', chronos and kairos. We tend to be followers of chronos - watchers of the clock, counters of days, hours and minutes.

But this can make us oblivious to God's kairos moments, to the immediate 'now' opportunities that are on God's heart.

Dwight emphasises that the desert, though a training ground, cannot be a permanent residence. We must at some point 'go into the land'.

Regarding time from God's perspective rather than ours will make us more in sync with him. Kairos is that 'time' when God advances his purposes, when he moves. We need to be more aware of this than of any human time or timetable. These are moments when it is essential to heed God's commands and directives immediately, whether it is convenient or not.

God's Complete Renewal

We often talk of God doing 'a new thing' or of God's 'new day', but Dwight wants us to understand that 'new' can mean two different things: new in quality (kainos) - in contrast with the old - and new in time (neos) - that which is more recent. He asserts that "The God who loves to do new things will combine both of these" (p79). As such we should be looking for a complete newness or renewal rather than just the next thing on a list. He gives plenty of scriptural examples to back this up.

Dwight's main argument throughout is that God must change us before he can use us, though we might prefer this not to be so! To be ready to enter the land requires us to take a good look at our spiritual lives. Dwight has not been afraid to do this for himself and he is willing to share what he has learnt, especially from his personal trials when starting out as a missionary.

We need to be more aware of God's timing than any human timetable.

Being prepared to present ourselves to God regularly (in fact whenever he requires it) is a pre-requisite of entering the land. It is essential if we are to re-align our heart to his and serve him effectively within a spiritually dark and threatening environment. As Dwight states, "The temptation to breeze in and out of God's presence with little sense of His majesty is very much part of our microwave society" (p65), but we must do better than this.

Defining the Walk of Faith

How are our lives defined - desert wandering or entering new land? We settle too easily, seeking the comfortable middle ground rather than "living on the edge of impossibility" (p29). This is not just for the eccentric few. It should be normal Christianity, as defined by a walk of faith. But in addition to this challenge, Dwight reflects on those central qualities of God which make all this possible – his grace and mercy. If we sense God is moving, and if we desire to go with him, then we need these more than anything else. But they are readily available.

Dwight declares "I have been in awe of Moses and his leadership" (p98). That much is very clear in this book! For some time, God had been challenging Dwight to focus on Moses and Israel's preparation to leave the desert and enter into the land of Canaan. His book looks at the challenges and lessons of this journey. Its aim is both to encourage and sharpen us as we prepare for the coming of God's new day. We may have been in the desert a long time but we can leave it behind.

If we sense God moving and desire to go with him, we need his grace and mercy more than anything else.

This relatively short book has a potential impact far greater than its length might suggest. It can be read in a single sitting but will also reward being dipped into again and again in order to keep its message fresh and its readers ready for moving on. To this end, the book concludes with a useful recap in the form of bullet points to help us with the question 'What do we do, then?' One of the strengths of this book is that we are left in no doubt about this.

'Into the Land' (100 pages) is available from the publisher for £6.99 + P&P.