REFORMED WITNESS
December 1992
Grace Abounding
Article by Rev. C. Hanko from the December 15, 1980 issue of The Standard Bearer.
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"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." II Corinthians 8:9
Also in this issue: Marking the Christmas Season by Rev. Koole
Awe-inspiring word!
Stand in awe as you consider that name: Our Lord Jesus Christ! He is Jesus, the Savior, the only Name under heaven whereby we can be saved. He is Christ, the eternally anointed One, Who is ordained of God and qualified by the Holy Spirit to be Jesus, the Saviour of His people. He is Lord as He stands eternally before the face of God. See Him as He describes Himself to us in Proverbs 8:30, "Then I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." See Him as the disciples did when they beheld His might works and cried out, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!" But above all see Him with an eye of faith as exalted Lord to Whom is entrusted all power in heaven and on earth as Lord or Lords and King of Kings. Then confess as you bow before Him in deepest humility and fear: "Our Lord Jesus Christ." He became poor. At this time of the year we celebrate our annual Christ Feast (how much better that sounds than Christmas), commemorating the birth of the Savior. Let us go to Bethlehem in our imagination to visit the lowly home of Mary, the young woman who was engaged to be married to Joseph. One would hardly recognize in this maiden the royal blood of David that flows in her veins. The very fact that she lives in an insignificant city of despised Galilee is sufficient evidence that, along with the dying remnant of the royal house of David, the remembrance of David's throne lies buried in the dust. One would certainly not look for the most blessed among women so far removed from Judea, so far from the royal city and the temple. Indeed, the glory was departed from Israel. The hope of Israel's deliverance had all but faded away. By the amazing providence of God a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus, to which Mary, with Joseph, responded by going to Bethlehem to be registered for taxation under the Roman law. There in the city of David Mary found no ready welcome, no reception of any kind, not even as much as shelter in the hour of her great need. There was no hospital, no layette prepared for the Child, no royal bed, no robe. Jesus was born in abject poverty as the poorest of the poor. The shepherds found Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger in a cow barn. This was plain indication of what His life would be. He never owned a parcel of ground or a roof over his head. His food and clothing and sandals were donated. He could say in all honesty, " The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." He experienced the day when these donated garments were roughly torn from Him and His naked body hung exposed on the cross. He watched while greedy soldiers gambled for His cloak. His last resting place was a borrowed grave. Consider our many possessions and even luxuries, for even the poorest among us has so much more than our Lord ever could claim as His own. That is one aspect of His poverty. Another aspect, which we have already anticipated, was that He came unto His own and His own received Him not. Israel's spiritual life was at a very low ebb. The priesthood was corrupted; the temple worship was for the most part a dead formality. The teachings of the scribes served only to deceive the unwary. Even the awakening caused by John the Baptist had left most of the people coldly indifferent. The glad tidings which the masses were looking for was the announcement of a mighty hero who would crush the power of Caesar and restore the earthly kingdom of David. Therefore Jesus was hated before He ever saw the light of day . His parents had to flee for His life before He could care for Himself. Was it ever any different? He remained a stranger to His brethren and an alien in His mother's house. His own disciples failed to understand Him and were often offended by Him. He was despised, rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Every one hid his face from Him and gave Him over to His loneliness. He was taken prisoner, condemned as the worst of criminals, beaten, spit upon, crucified. Do not fail to note, that we did that to Him. The divine reason for all this was that He came into the flesh to surrender Himself as friend-servant of God to the divine wrath of God against sin. Christ became like us in all the weakness of sinful flesh; only the element of sin was excluded. We confess with trembling, that He became sin, the very embodiment of the sin of His people. All their sins were charged to His account. All His life the curse of God rested on Him, the Righteous One in God's Sight! None of us can imagine what that meant for our Savior, that all His life long and every step of the way He knew the wrath of God would come upon Him in an ever-increasing measure until He entered into the torments on the cross. Every moment He deliberately and obediently walked the way that led to that final hour when, in the three hours of darkness, all the waves and billows of God's wrath would overwhelm His soul in anguish and isolation and separation from God's favor. Whisper the confession: For our sakes! Shame floods our souls as our sins arise before our consciousness to testify against us. OUR sins, OUR guilt was laid upon Him. Our curse He bore. Our wrath swept over Him until He had borne it all away. The judgement that rested upon me and still stings my conscience He took upon Himself to deliver me from it. What a marvel of love, of mercy and compassion, that He suffered from our sins even while we were still enemies. All eternity will not be too long to give praise to our God for that great sacrifice: He became poor for our sakes! Our amazement only increases as our text reminds us, that "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor." This does not mean, as is sometimes taught, that Jesus had been rich and laid off all those riches to become poor. Scripture does not say that. Nor is it true "Though he was rich," means that, even while He retained His riches, He became poor. He was rich, yet He was poor. That is the paradox. That is also the wonder of our salvation. Jesus is God the second person of the Holy Trinity, eternally and inseparably one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Who can describe those incomparable riches that Jesus possessed even when He was poor? Can we by searching find out God? Shall we venture to stammer a bit about those riches? The Son of God is Good. He is Light and Truth. Holy and Righteous. Love and Mercy, full of compassion and long-suffering. He is almighty, eternal, omnipresent, unchangeably perfect. He was all that even while He tabernacled in the flesh, ever dwelling in the bosom of the Father, in intimate fellowship of eternal covenant life. Here is where the mystery of our salvation reaches its full dimension. Jesus never ceased at any time to be God. The Son of God formed His own nature, body and soul, in the womb of virgin Mary. God lay in swaddling clothes, drank at His mother's breast, grew up as a child among His brothers and sisters, and increased in wisdom and stature, obedient to His parents. God walked among us, talked with us, bore our weaknesses, and finally died our death and was among the dead of all ages in His grave. He preached and performed miracles. He allowed Himself to be hated and cast out, He surrendered Himself to His enemies, allowed Himself to be bound , led away like a criminal, tried with cruel injustice, condemned and crucified as one not worth to live among the inhabitants of this world. Imagine that, with all its implications! He stretched out His arms to be nailed to the cross, He bore the reproach of His mockers, He committed Himself to torments of hell. He did all this for our sakes, for your transgressions and mine, that He might reconcile us to God and merit for us eternal fellowship with Him in glory! "Ye know..." Yes, we know our Lord Jesus Christ, and we also know His grace. We know Him intellectually because it has been our privilege to be instructed from His holy Word at home, at school, and in church from our earliest infancy. We know our Savior also experientially, for we know Him by a living faith which unites us in living fellowship with Him, whereby we confess: "our Lord, Jesus, the Christ." We know our Lord's grace, His adorable splendor as the eternal Son of God, Who dwells in the bosom of the Father eternally. We know the Son as the revelation of the Godhead, as He tabernacled among us in the flesh and as He reveals the Father to us in the Holy Scriptures. In eager anticipation we look forward to the day when we shall see Him face to face as the full and complete revelation of God. Through Him we shall see the Father and have eternal fellowship with Him. That is sufficient to fill our hearts with eager longing. We know His grace as God's favorable attitude toward us in love. God laid His Son upon the altar of the cross and plunged the knife of His wrath into His heart. The Son, likewise, willingly surrendered Himself to that divine wrath until He had borne it all away. He gave His life for those given to Him of the Father. Wonder of wonders, we are numbered among those for whom He bore His poverty even unto the isolation of hell! We stand at the cross with shame and contrition. We know the gifts of His grace. We have a risen Savior, to Whom is entrusted all the affairs of history and of our daily lives, to direct all things to the coming of His kingdom and our salvation. We have an Intercessor with the Father, through Whom the Father bestows every blessing of salvation upon us. We become rich, rich in Christ Jesus, as a reward of His poverty. For it is through His poverty that we become rich. We who deserve everlasting hell in torments of wrath against our sins, become sons of God with the right to eternal life. Wondrous mercy! Boundless grace! for we are by nature uglier and more abominable than the cow barn in which He was born, yet He makes our hearts His dwelling place. He renews us as temples of the Holy Spirit, saints in Christ, preparing us for our own place in His glory. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift! May our Christ Feast be an expression of that thanks in love to God. We can best do that by extending a word of comfort to the weary, a hand of mercy to the distressed, a token of love to the lonely and aged. Our love to God expressed in love to His children finds a response of love in their hearts, whereby God is praised and glorified.Grace abounding!
Marking the Christmas Season
Article by Rev. Kenneth Koole from the December 15, 1991 issue of The Standard Bearer.
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The topic assigned me is for a special issue on Christmas. It strikes me that it is made to order for the rubric "When Thou Sittest In Thine House..." which deals with the Christian family and home. If there is one notion that we associate with Christmas it is that of family get-togethers. And if there is one fear we have, it is, I should think, the adverse effect that the world's celebration can have on our children (some might even say, the adverse effect the CHURCH'S celebration of Christmas has on our children). So this article will serve double duty. We are raising children and directing our families through the treacherous currents of the late 20th century. And one of the most powerful currents in our present-day society is the holiday madness, the Christmas season. It touches on the lives of every one of us. It certainly bombards every one of us. It certainly bombards our children. Drive down the streets; they are festooned with decorations and lined with lights. Turn on the radio; the Christmas songs fill the air. Turn on the TV, or open your mailbox; and advertisements for a veritable mountain of merchandise will bury you like an avalanche. As your children look at the catalogs confronting them with every delightful toy imaginable, their eyes become large with expectation. You and they cannot ignore it. The arrival of the Christmas season shouts at us from every corner. Weighty issues are involved both for the church and for the individual believer and the Christian family. The latter is our concern in this article. The question arises, to what extent ought we as heads of homes permit our families to be involved in the "holiday" festivities at all? Should there be any indication that we have even noted the season? Perhaps no presents, no trees, no colored lights, no wreaths, no sending greeting cards, and maybe not even getting together as family with relatives? Or maybe the latter could be permitted, with a few cards sent out, and possibly even a wreath...but no more? And here, of course, is the problem. You make your choice, I make mine. But whose observance (or lack) thereof is the standard? At this point, appeal is commonly made to Christian liberty. You do not intend to mark this time of the year with a tree, lights, or gift exchange and will not permit your family to do so. I can respect you for that. But does that therefore mean I ought not? There is a sin in these things? Says who? You choose to buy gifts for your children on their birthday, we for ours when the relatives get together during the Christmas holiday. The one is wrong, the other is not? A person is going to be hard pressed to forbid altogether the marking of the season with any "seasonal" activities. The appeal to Christian liberty is certainly legitimate. Still, it would be foolish to say that an appeal to Christian liberty is an adequate answer for all the abuses of our day and age in this area. One may say, "You may not legislate how I and all other Christians mark the holiday season!" (Which is true), but it borders on sheer folly not to recognize practical dangers. The question arises, by marking Christmas in so many ways, as our society does (the world!) with trees, and lights, and presents, are we not succumbing to the spirit of the age? And what are we teaching our children? Marking Christ's birth simply becomes the occasion for the thing that really interests them, namely, getting all those gifts. The wonder of the Incarnation is buried and lost amidst the onslaught of materialism and greed. The ones who profit most are the merchants. The least? The saints. So it seems. Isn't it high time we lay all this yuletide business aside, and cease trying to sanctify the profane both as individuals (families) and as churches? What is our response? First of all, we do well to listen to those who remind us of the dangers. Those dangers are not to be minimized. There is the gross materialism. It is not only children that get lost in the maze of gifts and presents. Adults do. Parents may feel compelled to prove their love, not only by buying for the child far beyond what is good for him, but also by spending far beyond their means., Families end up in debt because of all the gifts dad and mom felt they had to buy to keep their children happy (and to avoid being called a "Scrooge"). This is not unknown in Christian families. It is sin, that's all. It is that, first of all, because the child begins to think he has a right to a multitude of presents; his happiness hinges on it. And if this year's "haul" is less than last year's, he has a legitimate complaint. And we have promoted this attitude by catering to their "I wants." What they need is instruction about Christian happiness and contentment, not an excess of this world's goods. But such is sin also because there is sinful stewardship involved. The child gets the unnecessary gifts...and what goes begging? The kingdom causes, the church budget, the school tuition, the benevolence fund, and the special causes. Or though we give to those cause, we contribute far less than we should have because so much has been spent buying the presents. What has been violated is nothing less than a central biblical principle, namely, seeking first the kingdom. And the holiday eating and drinking so often gets out of hand (especially the drinking!). How can you relax and be merry without consuming generous amounts of "speakeasy"? It is party after party and everything is funny. It is "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow...??!" And the conscience is salved by singing a few "Silent Night(s), Holy Night(s)" before the guests disperse, some of whom do a bit of weaving as they head down the road. And thus the season is sanctified! No, I think not. But still, for many, so it goes. And we are not immune. So what is the solution? To scrap it (that is , our marking of Christ's birth in December, or at least all the holiday trappings that go along with it: lights, trees, gifts, and family get togethers) and to take a vow of austerity? While I well understand the sentiment, I cannot agree with the solution. Do not get me wrong. Heads of homes may do this if they please. But whether they will accomplish what they intend is another question. Suppose the church decided, due to the world's abuse and the holiday's pagan origin, to cease marking (in December) Christ's Incarnation in any ecclesiastical way. No worship service, no programs, just silence. What then? Things would change? That would be the end of trees and wreaths and gifts with us ? I doubt it. But more seriously, would the church have the right or ability to enforce such a thing in the homes of her members? What if my dear fellow saint next door decides to put a tree up anyway with a few lights in the window, and they exchange gifts? In February it would be all right? What if Jr. announces at that time, "We do it now rather than at Christmas"? Declaring that every marking of the season is transgression and carnality is neither right nor wise. You have here an area impossible to legislate. And in the end the church would have to make absurd distinctions as to what is permissible and what is not. A Christmas tree is a matter worthy of discipline or rebuke? Then what about a wreath? All right, I am going to buy my wife two poinsettias, What can you say about that? And what if there is more frequent reference in December in the prayers of some to the wonder of the incarnation than, say, in early spring? That is a sign of unspirituality? Less reference in December to this wonder would be better? This would help our children? We are going to listen for it in each other's prayers and measure spirituality accordingly? Let us beware legalism. This is not to say that nothing should be done by our families to guard against the world's abuses at this time of year. There are things which must be said. That which has to do with Santa Claus is to be condemned. Our children must understand the red-suited elf does not exist. To them he certainly is "believable". They have no more difficulty or disinclination to believe that he exists than to believe that the devil exists, who they have never seen either. The evil? To the "omnipresent, all-knowing" Santa is attributed divine attributes. "He knows when you're asleep, He knows when you're awake...". For their behavior during the past year children are answerable to him. So they say. He will punish or reward. This is no innocent, childish fairy-tale. This is humbug, rubbish, and evil. Mr. Claus is set up as a competitor to our children's all-knowing, caring heavenly Father. We are remiss if we permit this confusion in our children's minds. Santa Claus is not a matter of Christian liberty. In the second place we are to teach our children not to partake in abuses and excesses of our materialistic age, especially as that comes to extravagant expression during the holidays. In my judgement one can accomplish this better by practicing the principle of moderation in holiday "customs" than by attempting to ignore the festivities altogether or to remain completely uninvolved. Why? Because you can practice a consistent moderation and restraint, but you are not going to be able to practice a complete severance from all marking of the customs in any consistent way. Someone is going to give you (or your child ) a gift or two. Are you going to give them back? Relatives are going to have their get-togethers inviting your family. What better time of the year than when fathers have some days off? You are going to be in a group that sings a few "carols." You cannot sing "Silent Night"? What about the Hallelujah Chorus? And some grandmother will not be able to endure the thought of not giving your children (her grandchildren!) gifts while she give gifts to the rest of them. You will deny her and your children that joy? What if, to be fair, she gives the gifts to them in January anyway? Far wiser it is, in my judgement, to teach our children the principle of moderation in all things (which is a lesson of lifelong value). The "Christmas" season is a good time to teach them this, not simply in word, but by our deeds. Gifts? Fine, but let them be within our means, not leading our children to equate happiness with extravagance. And let the same restraint show itself in our eating , our drinking, in holiday decorations, and in all the rest. We must do what we can to keep the common from burying the sacred, the spiritual. For instance, in our home we do not "open presents" on Christmas morning, but a few days prior to it. Why? In our circles the saints have agreed to come together annually the morning of December 25 to contemplate the wonder of the incarnation and to worship. I want as little to intrude into that worship as is possible. Presents just opened beg to be played with. I want my children's minds to be on the Word of God (made flesh) rather than the toys they cannot wait to get back to. A small attempt to keep the focus where it ought to be. You must do what you think is wise. In the Old Testament, at the time of harvest, the saints spontaneously gathered together and rejoiced in the good things of God and in the company of families and saints, and that under the benediction of God (cf.. Ruth 3). We may do likewise in December; but let our celebration be with true joy, unmixed with the world's superficial merrymaking.
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