Movement to The Manger

Bring It {Day 9}

The Christmas story is one that is full of gift giving.  Jesus...the gift of the Father to a lost and dying world.  The wise men bearing precious gifts as they approached Jesus a few years later.  It's hard to think about this time of year and not be consumed with gifts.  I have a 4 year old daughter and she reminds me daily that she wants a "Wee Wee Lion Cub" for Christmas.  It's just the culture, the anticipation and the world that is....Christmas.

I remember vividly back in 1990 when Sandy Patti came out with "Another Time and Another Place." The truth is, I didn't like Sandy, but I did like JoAnna (my wife now) who loved Sandy.  So when I listened to Sandy I thought of JoAnna.  I wanted nothing more than a Sound Design Stereo and Sandy Patti's classic CD on Christmas in 1990.  I remember waking up around 3 a.m., rushing to the living room and finding my "long awaited" stereo and CD.  I listened to it with headphones non-stop until mid-day....falling more and more in love with Sandy and JoAnna.

A funny thing happened a few weeks later. My gift no longer felt new.  I was no longer waking up early and subjecting myself to inconvenience in order to engage in the gift.  I didn't feel the same way about the gift. This is the nature of receiving earthly gifts....they get old.  They wear out.  They don't motivate us after a while. Newer models and trends expedite the boredom process.

Are you bored with Jesus?  Are you motivated the way that you once were by Him?

I wrote on my personal blog here about the concept of the "hothouse."  The process of cultivating heat in order for growth. The process of framing the conditions so to contend with the things that contend with growth.

Question: 
How are you stirring your heart concerning the gift of Jesus this Christmas? 
What are some areas of your life where the gift is no longer motivating?

Application: Write your Jesus story.  Reminisce about the day you opened the wrapping paper and found Him.  Remember the days where time with Jesus satisfied the "long awaited" desire to be known and to be loved. 

This is a great way to rekindle the fire of the Christmas story.  Enjoy the warmth!

Rich Butler

Bring It {Day 8}

Big Jim

My dad made Christmas magical for me and my siblings growing up.  Mom was awesome at getting the presents together and laying out all of her decorations.  However, my dad brought that sparkle and shine to Christmas.  I have so many memories that flood through my mind as I write this.  It’s hard not to cry even as I type these words.

One year I wanted a set of golf clubs so bad that I convinced my dad that it was God’s will for me to have them.  The problem is that Christmas morning came and went and I had no golf clubs.  I tried to hide my disappointment.  I truly tried not to let my parents know how depressed I was.  Right before brunch my dad asked me to go in the garage to get something.  As soon as I went in there, I went crazy.  I had my first charismatic experience as I danced around those golf clubs like my life depended upon it.  The old man had the golden touch.  It was the little things he did to make Christmas so special.  Even the way in which he would clap when we opened presents was special.  I can still hear him saying, “This could be the big one!  This could be the big one!”  Even when you opened some worthless bag of socks, he made it fun.  He made it exciting.  My dad helped create memories that I will have with me throughout all eternity I hope.  Memories.  The older we get the more precious they are.  As a teenager, you don’t think about these things much at all.  Only when you realize how fast time is flying by do you really hunker down and recall all of those memories from the past.  Memories.  My dad, “Big Jim” has always said to me, “Son, you have to make your own memories.”  Memories.

I’ve thought about how I can make some Christmas memories for my kids and it all boils down to one thing right now.  Bonfire.  Sounds strange I know.  I am not a outdoor type of guy.  I want to be one so bad but that is just not me.  I would love nothing more than to kill a bear and drag it back to my house with my bare hands but it’s just not in my DNA.  One thing I can do however is make a great bonfire.  During the Christmas season we are going outside in my backyard for bonfires quite often.  Me, Wendy, Sam, and Ruthie love hanging out by the bonfire.  Me and my son are trying to figure out where Santa will land his big fat sled.  The reason that I bring this up is that Sam brought it up to Wendy the other night and how much he loves our bonfires.  Memories.  Maybe Sam will never think about them thirty years from now.  Maybe Sam will look back and equate Christmas with bonfires.  Who knows, perhaps Ruthie will have fond thoughts of us out by the fire.  Memories.  The point is that at least I’m trying.  I’m trying to give my family some Big Jim type of memories.  Go ahead and let it rip.  It really does not even matter what the memory is one day as long as it is a great thought of you and your family during the holiday season.  Memories.  Go make one this season.

Question: What memories do you have of Christmas growing up?  Do you have anything in your life right going on that you think will be a great memory for your family?  Even if you are not a parent, you can do something that will be a special memory for the entire family.  Go ahead and try! 

Chad Norris

Bring It {Day 7}

I sat in utter amazement as I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics this past year. What a display of creativity and passion and power? I mean how long could it have taken to synchronize those men and women in perfect movement? How much practice must have gone into those guys beating on drums at exactly the same time? Who would ever have dreamed that a guy could run around the top of an entire stadium as if he was walking on air? And those fireworks—how in the world could they pull off that many fireworks with such exact timing? Oh—that’s right, they didn’t.

While the opening ceremonies left most of breathless as China made an unforgettable statement of power to the world, it was the days after that we learned the fireworks were faked. Computer generated fireworks gave us a show in our homes that wasn’t exactly what you would have seen had you been there live. And that wasn’t the only thing that was faked. The little girl who we thought was singing wasn’t actually singing. She was lip synching because apparently the girl with the pretty voice didn’t have a pretty enough face. To be honest at first it bothered me. But the more I thought about it, it also gave me a little hidden joy inside to know that not even China could pull off what we thought China had pulled of? It let me know that everything wasn’t the picture perfect scene that I had been led to believe it was. It just felt good to know that under the surface, though hidden at first, was enough chaos and cover up to remind us that we all need make up from time to time.

I bring that up this week, because the first time I found out that the Wise Men weren’t actually at the manger, it bothered me the same way finding out the fireworks at the opening ceremonies were fake bothered me. I mean how many nativity scenes and Christmas presentations had I been to where it all seemed so nice and put together? The shepherds arrive at just the same time as these guys who had traveled from way far away did. It was all so nice and quiet—perfect skies, perfect animals, Mary with make-up on and the Wise Men with their neat and tidy gifts showing up the shepherds who had come to the party and forgotten to bring a present. Yes, for a long time Christmas for me was absolutely perfect.

And then the make-up came off. The manger smelled different than I thought it should have. It was louder than it seemed it should have been. And the Wise Men showed up way too late—most scholars think about 2-3 years into Jesus’ life. It bothered me that God couldn’t get the timing right, that the manger smelled and that Mary didn’t have make up on. It just wasn’t the same story that I was use to.

But to be honest, the older that I have gotten the more I have come to find a little hidden joy with the fact that the nativity scene was not the picture perfect place that I had in my mind as a child. In fact, there is part of me that finds comfort in the mess of things. I even revel now in the idea that it was most likely a little less dramatic than what we have been led to believe. It gives me peace now to think that God gets messy. And I think it’s because to be honest most of my life is messy. Two kids are messy. Ten years of marriage though beautiful is also a little messy. Ministry is messy. I am messy (just ask my wife). I’m rarely on time. Life is not as dramatic as I thought it would be. Yet, God is still there in the mess of things asking me to come to a messy manger and find meaning for my life. So, this week let’s listen in to the tale of three Wise Men (or should we say Magi) and know that all may not be what we thought it was once we dig below the surface. Things may even stick out to you that never have gotten your attention before. In fact, just this one statement may make you wonder if the Wise Men may not actually have lived up to their name.

   

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem…” (Matthew 2:1)

Question: What messiness is in your life this Christmas? What would it take for your to “BRING IT” to the manger? How does the messiness of the first Christmas give you hope that there is room at Bethlehem for you?

Dave Rhodes

Bring It {Day 6}

Yesterday at CRCC we looked at the first of four characters in the Christmas story: The shepherds… What did they bring? Fear of the unknown

(Luke 2:9)  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

The black sky exploded with brightness as the thunderous surround sound rumbled from the voice of angels…to a ragtag group of average, ordinary, peasants called “shepherds”.

When they make their way to the manger and stable, it dawned on me that they would have been MOST at home in this type of setting than practically any other type of person! This was their “crib” – where they would hang out day in and day out. The stench and smell of that stable was probably just a normal aroma for these guys…

After seeing the PROOF of the angelic birth announcement, they Bible says “they returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen.”

What did they take AWAY from their movement to the manger? 
                             PASSION and PRAISE

Wow…As we move to the manger during this time of year, let’s make sure to fill our hearts and lives with music and the song of season. Ring the bells – CHRIST IS BORN!

Question: What fears can you bring to Jesus right now? What is it that tends to stop and paralyze your spiritual growth? Leave it with Jesus… Can you lift your voice RIGHT NOW in a song of Christmas praise to Him? Just do it!

Application: We want YOU to bring it – each week – “COATS AND CANS”
Bring any winter coats and canned goods that we can donate to Heritage Baptist Church in the inner city of Greenville.

Steve Keyes

Bring It {Day 5}

LET IT SHINE! Christmas is the season of LIGHT – I’m sure the electric companies LOVE the month of December! Bonus wattage bonanza for them.  My wife and I view the use of Christmas lights with quite a bit of difference. I’m more of a “simple is better” person and she’s more… well let’s say, likes to use a lot more lights than me.

Not only do we light up the tree, but we light up rooms all over our house. I have wondered why we light up our bedrooms, but there are some questions best left unasked! One thing I dread every year is going into the attic to bring out the “outdoor lights” – spotlights and small lights to go around the flowerbeds. Each year I look at all the tangled cords and bulbs and wonder, “Who put this mess away last year in this condition”? The answer is always the same… “ME”!

For the life of me, I can’t ever get them all plugged in to work together. I can sometimes get them on three different “runs” of twisted, mangled extension cords… (No where close to “code” I’m sure!)

Then the magic moment arrives – all the switches are fired up and… WOW, it is a beautiful sight to behold! It’s not a “Clark Griswold” moment, but it’s still pretty good…

(John 8:12)  When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Question:
* Why do you think Jesus was called “The Light of the World”?
* Do the Christmas lights remind you of this amazing truth?
* Do Christmas lights help get you in the “mood” for the season? Why or why not?

Steve Keyes

We'll see you back here on Monday!

Bring It {Day 4}

Most of the time when I think about the Christmas story the words "no room in the inn" come to my mind.  Probably because I remember the poor kid who played the shameful inn keeper in my 1st grade play who rudely turned Mary and Joseph away.  The truth is, however....there was no room.....bottom line.  Commerce and great business principles would tell you that charity and revenue don't always mix.  I think we can be really hard on the Inn Keeper. Don't you think he deserves some props for giving Mary and Joseph access to the stable?

It's easy to fall prey to the "inn keeper" syndrome (running out of room from good things at the expense of making room for the best.) This time of year reminds us of family, shopping, Santa, Clark Griswold, light shows, Christmas shoes and the like.  These are all good things that unfortunately often contend for the greatest thing.....the gift of Jesus to the world.

I would love to have a Fox News interview on tape of the Inn Keeper explaining his side of the story once the wise men had arrived bearing gifts.  His jaw would have hit the floor and regret would have flooded his demeaner I'm sure.  He would have frantically explained that his actions were based on his own wisdom and not a result of a malicious heart.  After all, you can't attribute malice to what can be explained through ignorance. We can learn alot from the "inn keeper." We now have the full revelation of the manger.  Let's push past the crowded conditions, the search for the "right gift" and all of the tinsel to make room for the King this year.

Matthew 15:1-3 "Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!
Jesus replied, and why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?'"

Luke 10:38-42 "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?'' 'Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha', the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."'

Questions:
What areas of your life lack margin?
What good things this Christmas season have contended with the greatest thing?

Rich Butler

Bring It {Day 3}

Where is Jesus?

How many times have you heard the phrase, “Make sure that you don’t leave Christ out of Christmas?”  If I’ve heard that once I’ve heard it a thousand times.  It sounds like a big fat cliché.  This cliché ranks right up there with “Boy, time sure flies doesn’t it?”  As a child I really had no idea what this meant.  How in the world do you leave Christ out of Christmas?  I did not have a clue to how a person could leave God out of Christmas.  I figured it was some slogan that a seminary professor made up to give some of his students something to preach on.  That was until my wife and I started a family.

I was standing in our garage last Christmas season and made the comment, “Christmas is not supposed to be this stressful!”  Let’s think about this for a second: You start budgeting for gifts around October and you head out into the madness of what is called “shopping.”  I call it war.  I would rather someone beat me in the head with a boat paddle than go shopping during the holiday season.  It’s pure madness.  People are on edge big time!  Just this past week in New York, a person at Wall Mart was trampled to death as consumers rushed over him on their way to buy a gift.  This is insanity at its best.  This is what we call Christmas.  Madness.  Money.  Traffic.  Stress.  Busyness.  Maybe that Cliché that I mentioned earlier is relevant.

As Wendy and I try to raise three children, we are becoming more aware that the Holiday Season is about many things and if we are not strategic, Jesus can be totally left out of the whole month if we are not careful.  I sound like some old school preacher here but I have to admit that if the Norris family is not intentional, we will go an entire Christmas season without truly focusing on the birth of our Eternal King.  I don’t want my children growing up with memories of Christmas being about everything but the Lord.  I want my children to look back on their Christmases and remember the times that we had together being thankful for the one who laid his life down for us.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not the guy that thinks we need to shoot Santa clause and all of his elves.  I don’t want to go to the other extreme where we don’t buy presents and all we do is read the Luke narrative over and over.  Not at all.  Balance is what I’m talking about here and my sneaking suspicion is that most of us who follow God with our lives are tempted to leave him out of Christmas. 

So the question is how do we do this?  How does a person focus on Jesus during this season that is supposed to be centered on him?  I think it is the small things that matter.  Just simply telling yourself that you are not going to get caught up in the madness.  One of those “draw a line in the sand stances.”  It’s simply a decision and after it is made, stick to it.  If you have children, maybe you should consider telling the Christmas story either from the bible or your own version.  Have fun with it.  Here is a novel idea; maybe we should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in how to be focused on the Lord during this busy season.  Not in some legalistic way at all but in a way that honors him and reminds us of what the whole thing is about anyway.

Question: What is Christmas really about to you?  Do you ever find yourself leaving the Lord out of this season?  If so, what do you think you can do to ensure that you don’t go through the month of December without thinking about him much?

Chad Norris

Bring it {Day 2}

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for shepherds. I know that sounds a little odd, but as someone who grew up in church and probably heard the Christmas story more than any one person deserves to, it was the shepherds that I always identified with. Now, it wasn’t because I necessarily wanted to identify with these guys. In my church they were not the high profile role of the Christmas presentation. In fact their greatest contribution to the Christmas play at my church was the “s” at the end of their name. See, that little “s” meant that there could be as many shepherds as was deemed necessary in our little drama. And that was good news to whoever was handing out parts. I mean, you can only have one Mary, one Joseph and three wise men. But shepherds could be everywhere. All you needed to be a shepherd was your dad’s bathrobe, a towel with a belt or headband wrapped around your head and the biggest stick you could find. Yes, anyone could be a shepherd.

You might not find it surprising to know that more times than I can remember I was a shepherd. It was the place where all the “wanna be” actors who were a little less talented than the main crew got thrown. And so I was there, year after year after year. Sure, I was jealous of the guys playing Joseph and the wise men, but I reasoned with myself that at least it was better than being one of the angels—the only other role that ended in an “s”. At least being a shepherd you got to be on stage for pretty much the whole presentation. And sure I had no real lines except the one all we shepherd’s said together, but at least I didn’t have to wear wings. And there was more than enough garland on our Christmas tree—I didn’t need it doubling as a halo around my head. And so, the more I played it, the role of the shepherd just began to feel right. I liked my dad’s blue bath robe. I liked the group of guys that were shepherds just like me. I liked the stage time without all the preparation of memorizing lines. But even more I liked there was room for me at manger.

This week Steve will be talking to us about the shepherds and their role in the Christmas story. If you look closely at these guys I think that you will find that they are a lot like you and me. They have lots of our same fears. They have a lot of our same anxieties. And they are just normal enough for us to see ourselves. But here is the good part. They weren’t left out of the Christmas story. See, right from the beginning the gospel wasn’t just for high profile people. In Bethlehem that night there was room for the normal guy. And as normal guys and girls that gives each of us hope. It gives us hope that God might also want to show up in our lives. It gives us hope that God might also want to use us. It gives us hope that God’s order of importance might not look the same way our world values things. And even more it gives us the opportunity once we see Him to walk away with passion and praise. Think about that as you read these verses again:

“And there were shepherds (love that “s”) living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’…So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:8-10, 16, NIV)

Question: Why not come to the manger this week? Why not come with all your fear and anxiety? BRING IT! And who knows you might even leave with passion and praise.

David Rhodes

Bring It {Day 1}

WELCOME to our 2008 Christmas Blog! The theme for our holiday season is “Bring it – Our Movement to the Manger”. It’s built on the question: “What does God want YOU to BRING to Him during this season?” Our great and glorious God BROUGHT IT when He sent His son, JESUS into our sin-cursed world. Now we confront Him in the manger… we come just as we are… but the good news… we can leave “CHANGED”! This will be for our good and God’s glory.

Through God’s love, Jesus became what we are (human) that He might make us to be what He is! (Holy and divine) This story, the Christmas story, is really OUR story as well. It doesn’t “end” at Bethlehem. God’s desire is this: “EVERY heart a Bethlehem where Christ can be born”.

During our series, we’ll examine the four main characters in the Christmas drama, Shepherds, Wise Men, Joseph, and Mary. We’ll dig deep to see what did they BRING to the manger and what did they TAKE AWAY after being there.

I don’t remember being as excited about teaching a Christmas series as I am about this one. Four awesome services to see the ancient story again….with FRESH eyes!

Luke 1:35  The angel answered,The Holy Spirit will come upon you,the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. 

Matthew 1:20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:

Question: The people had waited for “Messiah” to come for thousands of years. Are you still waiting on God for something… an answer to prayer? How would you rate yourself as a “waiter” on God?

Application: We want YOU to bring it – each week – “COATS AND CANS”
Bring any winter coats and canned goods that we can donate to Heritage Baptist Church in the inner city of Greenville.

Steve Keyes