Why we should be excited about Christmas

As a child I loved Christmas... well I loved the presents, I loved seeing my grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins, I loved the feel of it.

But as I grew older my love for that time of year faded. I no longer got to see a lot of my extended family which meant Christmas day would be quiet with just me and my parents, it felt really sad.

When I properly became a Christian I didn't really understand at first why Christmas was made such a big deal out of, surely Easter should be the one to shout about?! That's when we celebrate Jesus dying and coming back to life and taking the rap for our sins - why are we paying so much attention to His birth? Everyone gets born, why are we meant to get so excited about that?!

But I have been reminded time and time again of just why exactly we ought to get flippin well excited

Why we should be left in childlike awe at the Christmas story

Because it is not just the story of another baby being born into poverty, being born in difficult circumstances that is not the whole story of Christmas

It is about the Kingdom of God, the gospel narrative

It's about the all consuming, fierce, extravagant, wild, over the top love of God

It's about the price God paid to have us as His own

It is about all that Jesus gave up for us

Allow me to attempt to explain it as best I can think to do right now:

From the beginning God was there, one God, three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit

From everlasting to everlasting

Enjoying all the joy, glory, goodness and complete satisfaction of heaven

But His heart ached for the world, he saw the brokenness and all the hurt and rubbish that surrounded people

He gave them laws but they were too much for them to bare, the things they were doing were not good, because God was so perfect and Holy, these things that were so imperfect and unholy tore the people away from God, their sin soaked lives could not bare the presence of God and they lived in what seemed like inescapable shame.

Even when they worshiped and sacrificed and repented, God kept forgiving them, but they would keep going back to their destructive habits.

He knew that a bigger sacrifice had to be made

He knew He had to go in

He knew He had to become the weakest thing man could perceive, He would be tested, persecuted and tempted in every way that we are yet remain sinless. He would be the example of perfection.

But this example we could never live up to had to live the life we could not live and die the death that we deserved so that we could share in what is His. As C.S. Lewis puts it in Mere Christianity: 'The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God' 

This is the staggering proposition of the nativity that God came to earth, that God came to us in the most unlikely way, that God gave up all the comfort, goodness, joy and glory of heaven, that complete perfection and satisfaction to be born in what people perceived as suspicious circumstances, to be born as a refugee, to grow up under the occupation of a cruel empire and to die a death designed to be slow, shameful and painful

All this so that we might share in His reign, so that we could be with Him forever

He became poor so that we would share in the treasures of heaven

He was despised so that we could know His love for us

He became weak so that His strength could live in us

He was alone so that we might never be alone

He was accused so that we would be safe from every accusation forever

He was shamed so that we could be honoured

He was rejected so that we could be embraced

He was torn apart from the Father so that one day we will be one with the Father

This is Emmanuel

This is God with us

This is good news

This is Christmas

أمين تعال أيها الرب يسوع 

Amen, come Lord Jesus

He is good all the time

Merry Christmas

Caris

The UK

The Lord is not finished

In June I started a new job

It's a job where I get to hear everyday about the amazing things that God is doing around the world, the amazing things that He is doing in and through His church, even in the darkest places we could ever dare imagine

But what has also amazed me is what I have observed God doing within the church in the UK

It is a genuine blessing

I got this job after a year of feeling somewhat disillusioned with the church. Growing up within the church as a pastors kid I have seen first hand how the people closest to you and closest to your family will be the ones to cause you and your family the most hurt and damage.

For the last year and a half I have been going through a phase of seeing a lot of well meaning churchy people and assuming that their apparent niceness, kindness, warmth and care was fake, just for show. I hated hearing the twee Christianese cliches that came from the mouths of the middle class British church and I felt that no-one could really be trusted.

The short version is, I was disappointed with the church and couldn't stand to be around the nice churchy facade that so many people seemed to hide behind.

And then I got this job

This job where most of what I was doing was talking to people about what God was doing around the world and then offering to pray for them.

And God started to show me that He was still doing what He always does, it was something he had been challenging me with for a while as he took me to some pretty crazy places and showed me some of the things He was doing in these areas... and I was encouraged, I was encouraged to hear of what He was doing over seas in warzones, refugee camps and prisons. I was convinced that He was still at work in those dark places, utterly convinced.

But if I'm honest I was not as convinced that God's power extended to the country I was born in. Honestly, I had not seen even half the miraculous mind blowing powerful works in the UK that I had seen in other countries.

I had sort of given up on the UK church, maybe it sounds a bit dramatic and yes it probably was pretty dramatic but I sort of did

I couldn't wait to leave the UK and go to a place where God was really at work and if I'm honest I still kind of feel that way a little

But the more I spoke to people all over the UK on the phone, prayed for them and with them, the more I was amazed and encouraged that the Lord is doing far more than we could ask or imagine even in this nation.

I loved hearing from people who God had used to plant churches completely made up of refugees, hearing from people who had set up youth groups and seen families and communities being brought into the Kingdom, hearing from those who God had burdened to pray for years for specific places and things and hearing of how the Lord had powerfully answered their prayers even if it had taken years, hearing of people who has given up everything to move into drug dens and red light areas to love these people and point them to Jesus, I loved praying for little old ladies who had smuggled Bibles and spent most of their lives working in faraway places telling people about Jesus and seeing revival

There is nowhere where God is not at work. Though it seems like everywhere is writhing in pain from all the evil that ravages the earth and it seems like the whole world is so far from God, He is at work. He is not far from us.

The first few chapters of Habbakuk have spoken deeply into my soul recently. It begins with Habbakkuk crying out to God saying

'All I see is violence and bloodshed and godlessness. There is nothing good happening anywhere, only evil. God what are you doing? What could you possibly be doing in this situation? Why will you not intervene?'

And God's reply is basically 'I am doing more than you could ever imagine in these days. If I told you all the plans I have, all the ways I'm working this situation for good you would not believe me.'

There is no situation that He cannot work for the good of His people, the building of His kingdom and the glory of His name.

And we live to experience that Kingdom, so it means ofcourse we will experience that glory in all its fullness one day... but we will also experience the suffering that comes before that glorious day.

But do not be discouraged

I have been hugely encouraged

For the Lord is not finished yet

The Lord is not finished with His church, He is doing far more than we could have ever asked or hoped regardless of what meets the eye

Though to some it feels like this nation is getting further and further away from God, I will not despair for there is an army of faithful warriors who are acting as instruments in God's Kingdom and who the Lord is accomplishing the most glorious things through

I will not lose heart, the church is still being made ready for the day when Jesus returns. There are faithful witnesses all over the world who are awaiting that day and who are seeing God's kingdom come as a present reality, in the UK, in Iraq, in Syria, in Iran, in Somalia, in Nigeria, in Kenya, in China, in North Korea and in every other nation.

From every tribe and tongue they will be gathered before the throne

And the folly of church politics and selfishness and the general nature of what happens when broken people try and convince other broken people that they are well held together good Christian folk... all that brokenness and rubbish and hurt that has been bruising the church will be no more because the Bible says that the bride of Christ will be spotless and without blemish

The lamb wins, He is not done with His church

أمين تعال أيها الرب يسوع
Amen come Lord Jesus

God is good all the time
God is good and that is his nature

Reflecting Again on Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, 

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 

the holy habitation of the Most High. 

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; 

God will help her when morning dawns. 

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Selah

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; 

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Selah

Since a trip to the borders of Turkey, Iraq and Syria earlier this year this verse has not failed to give me goosebumps.

It was what I read when I was afraid, when I was frustrated, when I didn't understand the suffering that I was seeing in the refugee camp I worked in

It was what I read aloud when the building I stayed in shook as bombs fell in the streets, gunfire surrounded us and tear gas poisoned the air we breathed

It was what I screamed at the top of my lungs as I prayed for Iraq and Syria and wept for those nations

It was what I remembered when I was left in awe of beautiful mountains and rivers that caressed the landscape

It was what made me feel peace in the lonely moments

It was what I sang in praise to God through tears of joy when I witnessed the glorious things He was doing in this area where there was no church.

It's what I've read since coming home when I'm feeling overwhelmed and need some perspective

The reason this verse seems to speak to me in every circumstance I feel is very simple. 

It reminds me of who my God is.

It really is that simple.

I have a real hard time attending most Christian women's events, hence why I will often try to avoid them. Mostly because all the ones I have been to in the past have almost always been about 'believing you're beautiful' and 'knowing you're fearfully and wonderfully made' and saying very little else. Indeed there is a time and a place for that kind of teaching I'm sure, but that cannot be all we ever feed the women in the church. And don't get me wrong, I know there are plenty of women in the church and beyond who do need to hear those things 

But me? Hearing that all the time only encourages me to look at myself - and I definitely don't need any help being more self obsessed.

What I need when I'm afraid, angry, irritated, arrogant or hating everything I know, I know I need to look at Jesus

Not myself

Saying to myself 'Caris, it's ok, you're beautiful.' does not offer anyone anything when I don't understand why these people I have been working with have seen most of their families beheaded or sold into slavery at the hands of ISIS.

But reminding myself that God is beautiful on the other hand, and looking to Him, reminding myself of who He is...

My Almighty God who created heaven and earth,
who is a very present help in time of trouble,
who forgives me
who does mighty and awesome things even in the midst of devastation,
who is the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords,
who is working all things for the good of those who love Him,
who is ferociously and fiercely defending the church,
who has marked me as safe from Satan's accusations forever and who will, who absolutely will be exalted among the nations - on that day every eye shall take in His beauty and majesty and every knee will hit the ground and from every voice we shall hear that Jesus is Lord!

That's what will make me get out of bed each day. That's what I can cling onto when the pangs of death are encompassing me. That's what will sustain when caught up in the middle of a war zone. That's where the authority to trample the darkness comes from - looking to God, reminding yourself of just who's on your side, who's behind you, who's going before you, who's holding your right hand.

He is so glorious
Just so glorious!

And He and He alone is what we ought to look to, because nothing else will do.

May our minds be so fixated on who He is that we wouldn't even think of looking elsewhere for comfort, may we not even need to tell ourselves what a ridiculous idea that would be, because we have made Him our ultimate desire, we have fought to fix our eyes on Him so our ADD souls don't look to the billion lesser things that the world throws our way

'In all my sorrows Jesus is better
Than any victory Jesus is better
More than all riches Jesus is better
Than any comfort Jesus is better
Make my heart believe'

God is good all the time
God is good and that is His nature