Wednesday - Change It - The Night That Changed the Powerful
Yesterday we saw how King Herod was clinging to power using violence and fear to rule. Such times were described in book of Isaiah, prophetically, as a time of great darkness.
But contrast him to Jesus. Jesus also claims to be King of the Jews. But for him, that is a position he has not taken by force or manipulation, but by right. It is a position he hangs on to not by violence and fear, but by peace and love.
This is why he’s described by the Prophet Isaiah, 500 years before Jesus, as the light rising in the darkness.
What a contrast!
Herod has gone down in history, Christian and otherwise, as a brutal tyrant, a false king who never belonged in power.
And by contrast, Jesus is still known as a king. The sign above his cross – king of the Jews. Sing this Christmas: glory to the newborn king.
Then he got in the way of a different kind of power – the religious power of the scribes and Pharisees, and eventually Rome, who had him executed. And yet, Jesus is still known today as alive and active in people’s lives.
Jesus scares the powerful, because he is truly power. He is the source of all power and authority in the world. All power is given by God. All the ways people exert power rely on God having created and sustained world in the first place. When people who are abusing those means encounter true power, they are afraid. Like an employee who has been claiming to speak for the boss will suddenly shrink when the boss actually enters the room.
Jesus had that kind of true power, he scared those with false power.
The question is how will we respond to Jesus? Will we cling to power like Herod, or do everything we can to find and worship him, like the Magi?
Question: What do you think true power and authority looks like? How would you recognize it?
Reminder: We have a great Christmas event coming December 14th, 2013: The Original Christmas Party. Hope you’re coming!
Read the Bible in Sync Today
Loading Content...
Share a Link to this Message
The link has been copied to your clipboard; paste it anywhere you would like to share it.
Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host of the Daily Challenges. Today’s Wednesday, so it’s the day we try to let our thoughts be challenged and transformed by the words of the Bible that we saw yesterday.
We’re exploring how following Jesus resets our views of family. We acknowledged that family is a mechanism for providing good things: shelter, food, care, etc. But when a life is reset by Jesus, family becomes much more, it becomes a place for others to learn to follow Jesus themselves.
It’s here that family members learn, in a “lab” setting, what Jesus said was most critical: Love god and Love neighbour. At the baptism we had a few weeks ago for some Redeem the Commute members, I asked those who’d gathered to support an infant being baptized the following:
Today we are trusting God for her growth in faith. Will you pray for her, draw her by your example into the community of faith and walk with her in the way of Christ? In baptism she begins her journey in faith...You speak for her today. Will you care for her, and help her to take her place within the life and worship of Christ's Church?
That’s a good vision for any family who are trying to follow Jesus – the parent(s) and their community gather around the child(ren) in discipleship. In no particular order, here are some ways that might happen with various Christian values:
Sacrifice: Involve in kids decisions around activities (compromise), spending, vacations, etc.
Love: Children learn love from parents, learn father’s love for us. Uniqueness.
Pray/Worship: Pray for your kids, teach them to pray. Grace. Bedtime. Then special needs won’t be the only prayer they ever hear.
Practice Peace & Love – Teaching about hitting, lying, gossip, etc.
Compassion: Bring them to hospital, downtown, etc. Talk about what you see, how you react, how and why you help others or not.
Communion: Eat meals together when you can. Talk about your day, and pray in response.
Stewardship of body: Exercise, eat healthy, etc.
Stewardship of money and possessions: When money comes, teach them how you save & spend & give.
Christian Community: Give kids as many heroes as possible. Our own church community will be meeting in person soon.
Forgive: Can’t run away from family, ignore for very long. Hurts need to be dealt with through forgiveness or an unending cycle of vengeance. Teach them forgiveness.
Question: Think of your current schedule and activities as a family. What do they communicate is most important in life?
