Measured by the Manger and the Cross
While meditating on the polar ends of Jesus’ life, his birth and death in Luke’s Gospel, I was struck by the fact that trumpets and fanfare are best left in the hands of angels.
The most-humble BIRTH, in a crude, donkey’s feeding dish, and the most-humble DEATH, on a despised, criminal’s cross, for the most exalted figure ever born, shows just HOW God presents his Son, the royal Messiah, and Savior to us: on a stage of lowliness and humility, announced by trumpeting angels.
How God presents the Royal Savior to us—in crude, abject humility--is a striking contrast and major indictment of how the church presents Jesus to the world, especially at Christmas: Disney-like performance, expensive staging, Las Vegas showmanship, snappy images on a screen, dazzling lights, artificial smoke, a Six-Flags-over-Jesus atmosphere, performers who advertise THEIR talents, and hero worship. Wait a minute. What ever happened to God’s method?
How does a Disney presentation of Jesus pass the test of humility? How does it measure up to God’s humble way of presenting his exalted Son and Savior to a needy world? Well, it doesn’t. It contradicts. Attractional worship, regardless of whether you call it a “Christian concert” or a “worship gathering,” is only entertainment, nothing more. Why? It fails to pass God’s test--measured by the humble manger and the despised cross.
God’s method of presenting Jesus to us is divinely inspired, an integral part of the message itself. You cannot with integrity and consistency present the message of a lowly, humble Savior by singing “Behold the Lamb” using a Disney-like, staging performance. It is a hypocritical contradiction.
Do we know of any man or woman, husband or wife, gripped by entitlement and pride, who has actually grown into the lowliness and humility of Jesus as a result of feeding their cravings to be indulged and entertained over the years? No one comes to my mind. You? Why? The entertainment model and method of presenting Jesus feeds fresh oxygen to our innate entitlement and pride. We might as well expect our dog to lay an egg or our chickens to bark. It will never happen. The method of presenting Jesus contradicts God’s message and method of a humble Savior and will only push entitlement and pride deeper into the soil of our hearts. God’s method and message are inspired. Why do we keep indulging our people and our families and and then expect divine results?
Trumpets and fanfare are best left in the hands of angels.
Thank you for reading.