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Dismantling Christmas
I need to tell you a story…it seems half real and half dream. It happened after Christmas, on a day just like today. My story is called: “Dismantling Christmas.”
Dismantle? That’s a strong Word. It’s from the late 16th century, from the Old French word: desmanteler. Des expresses reversal, and manteler means “fortify.” It means to destroy a defensive capability or fortification.
You see, woven right into our post-Christmas tradition is an opportunity to celebrate dismantling. Maybe it is better to say that we can celebrate the power of brokenness.
There’s a common tradition that many of us usually put off…it’s taking down the Christmas tree…it’s dismantling Christmas.
The day finally came when it had to be done…to be honest it happened when I was in a mood. Not a good one at all. The Christmas spirit had gone awol…no sugar plum fairies…no aroma of chestnuts roasting…the figgy pudding was gone! I was not happy to be taking down our Christmas tree.
It wasn’t at all like when we decorated the tree. Our Christmas tree decoration comes with great fanfare. There was a fire crackling and music playing…”It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!”
We had hot chocolate and special cookies. I love finding Aunt Mary’s antique ornaments and placing them in just the right spots for the greatest visibility. I love the ornaments that bring back memories of our children and trips that we’ve taken as a family.
Decorating the tree is all joy…taking down the tree is…NOT…
You can imagine my surprise when I wasn’t alone in our living room with our tree. You can choose not to believe this, but Jesus was there, standing by the fireplace. It looked like He wanted to help me dismantle Christmas.
In fact Jesus climbed the small ladder and reached to the top to take down our star. I don’t know whether it was the glare from the recessed lighting, or a ray of sun from the window…but I could barely see his face as he reached for that star.
He was brilliant…radiant…a light Himself.
As he took that star in His hand, I squinted just so that I could see His face. At once I remembered that He came to this earth as a light and the Bible says that men chose darkness instead of the light.
I started thinking about other men…really bad men…like Hitler…
But then I remembered my own choices. I felt that inside of me, there is a love for darkness.
I didn’t dwell there long…I didn’t want to.
I pushed those feelings down…built up my fortress. I thought about all the good things I’ve done…and I started feeling strong again.
I took the star from Jesus and placed it in its box. Jesus didn’t even pause. He went right for the ornaments. I watched Him reach for the red Christmas ball in the center of the tree. It was my favorite. It was old, but beautiful. He took that red ball off the tree with care, it’s almost as if he knew it was Aunt Mary’s.…
I watched him with the red ball…it was like everything went in slow motion in my mind.
I started to see flashbacks to a very different scene. From reaching from the red Christmas ball, to the garden of Gethsemane.
I could see Him kneeling in that garden. He was in agony as He wrestled with the reality of the cross. “If there is any other way…but not my will but Yours, Father, be done.”
I remembered that in the Bible it says that Jesus sweat was like great drops of red blood that night in Gethsemane. I also remembered how alone He was that night. If only His friends had stayed awake with Him in prayer. I thought about my own weaknesses in prayer….
Fortify Richard…don’t let Him see your weaknesses…
Before I knew it, Jesus was done with the ornaments and ready to take down the strings of garland strung around the tree. As he reached for the top strand on our tree, I could see the form of His back in the white robe he was wearing. He tossed the first four feet of garland behind him and as it landed on His back, I could actually hear it…the crack of the whip the guards used after Christ’s mock trial.
As Jesus pulled down the garland, I could see the stripes that were put on His back. The violence made me turn away. I had to pull it together. I focused on Graham’s toys and thought about other things. It was beginning to be too much. I really didn’t want Him there any more.
But I heard the scripture that I knew so well…
“By His stripes you are healed.”
By the time I could get it together and refocus on our tree, Jesus was reaching for the lights.
As He circled the first string of lights in his hand, I could not believe how much they looked like a crown of thorns. I saw the wicked men pushing down that crown onto his brow. I saw the blood streaming down His face. I was now taking each scene very personally. I felt like I was in them with Him.
Jesus now invited me to participate with Him. I reached into the tree to move it outside. He reached for the top of the truck, while I reached in to the bottom of the trunk. As I did, I felt the prick of a needle on my hand.
I just let the visions happen now. I couldn’t fight it anyone. I became defenseless.
His hands were stretched out onto the beam of the cross. The sound of the massive hammer hitting the steel was relentless.
I looked with disbelief into His eyes and I shook my head. I caught a glimpse of His hand on the tree trunk. It was there, the mark of His suffering.
While at the base of the tree, I saw how empty the bowl under it was. It was once filled with water, but now completely dry.
I heard His cry: “I thirst”
We took that tree outside and laid it on our lawn. Was that the same tree that glowed on Christmas morning?
It looked so much smaller…some branches were completely void of needles. It was lifeless.
As I stared at that lifeless tree, I saw in my mind the Pieta…the statue by Michael Angelo of Jesus lifeless body in the lap of His mother.
I don’t know how long I stayed outside, I lost track of the time.
When I walked back into the living room, I was alone again. I stared where the tree had been. Back in the corner, under the corner of the skirt that covered the base. I saw something shining. A small box with silver paper and a bright red bow.
It was an unopened gift…it had been hidden by all the decorations. No one had seen it until Christmas had been dismantled.
I wept as I held that gift. I thought that is how salvation comes…
Our fortifications must fall…
Our self-interest must be stripped away…
Our boasting must be broken…
Our defensiveness dismantled.
The real gift of Christmas comes in the dismantling.
I wondered how many missed the greatest gift of all because of all that decorates Christmas.
I’ll never look at taking down the Christmas tree the same. The fortified Christmas must be dismantled to get to the real reason for
Christmas. Once you clear away the ornamental, you can see the real gift.
You find the beauty in brokenness…
Beauty in Brokenness – Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Well…it’s been a great 7 season run without canceling for the weather. But today we just be meeting together virtually on Facebook Live. You can join us here at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/avalonbeachchurch/
Tania and I pray that this week is filled with “visions of rapture bursting on your sight!”
We are all set to begin our 7th season of Avalon Beach Church on June 21st at 9am. The New Jersey governor has raised the number for outdoor gatherings to 100 people effective immediately and he plans to increase that number to 250 on June 22nd and possibly to 500 on July 3rd. We will be asking families to maintain social distancing not only for your health but our witness as well. (https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/06/nj-coronavirus-stay-at-home-order-lifted-by-murphy-as-state-reopening-moves-forward.html)
HERE IS OUR THEME FOR THIS SUMMER: 2020 – VISIONS OF RAPTURE NOW BURST ON MY SIGHT!
Many of you will recognize that last phrase from the much-loved hymn “Blessed Assurance.” The hymn writer also penned this line: “Watching and waiting, looking above. Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.” Sight is at the core of this great hymn.
The irony is that Blessed Assurance was written by Fanny Crosby. As a little girl, because of the mistake of a doctor, Fanny lost her sight. But she was able to see what many miss…visions of rapture…intense joy!
THAT IS OUR “VISION” FOR ABC 2020! CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO JOIN US!
Bring your beach chairs, invite some friends, help us spread the word. We will be on the 30th street beach at 9am on June 21st.
Who knows what will burst on our sight!
How should the church in America respond to the Covid 19 Crisis?
#1. Let’s embrace this crisis as a sabbatical reset for the entire globe.
In the physical realm, the animals and the atmosphere are being renewed. This can be a season of renewal in the lives of individuals and communities in the spiritual realm as well. This can be the “year of the Lord’s favor,” this really can be “Jubilee!”
Read: Luke 4:18-21 and Isaiah 61
#2. Let’s recognize this crisis as a warning shot to get perspective for the end of this age.
In what is known as the Olivet Discourse, Jesus describes calamity on the earth as the beginning of birth pains. Birth is not something you want to stop…you want to move through the pain because of what you know is coming. The church exists to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. Jesus said, “Then the end will come.” We must wrestle with the question of how we might continue to be in mission when ministry structures that have existed for decades are closed down. What would our missionary endeavors look like if we believed that travel could be shut down worldwide?
Read: Matthew 24
#3. Let’s use this event as a catalyst to develop the two-winged ability that caused the first-century church to soar.
There is no doubt that the reason Christianity grew spontaneously and eventually conquered the whole Roman world was the power of corporate worship (one wing) and house to house worship (second wing). This dual experience in worship was not only necessary, but it was also effective. People really loved one another. The Body of Christ was activated in spiritual gifts instead of simply consuming as spectators. It is interesting that in John 16:32, Jesus describes a time when “you will be scattered each to his own home.” That is certainly a foreshadowing of what has already taken place in Asia and what certainly could take place around the globe. Small groups of people meeting in homes may not just be a reality imposed on us by persecution. We have seen a new reality in this global pandemic. We must make ourselves ready.
If ever there was a time when we should be willing to meet together for worship in home groups, it is clearly an essential move now!
Read: Acts 2:42-47; 5:42; 20:20; Matthew 18:20; Colossians 4:15
#4. Let’s believe and declare the absolute sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
When the promised land was being divided up, the Levites (the priestly tribe) did not receive anything. Why? God declared that He would be their portion. This pandemic is going to wreak havoc on the economy. This is a test for believers. Is Jesus really enough? Those who love Christ have become the “priesthood of believers.” We bring God to the people and bring people to God. In this economic pressure cooker, we are being tested as to whether Jesus really is enough. Do we believe in the Lord’s Prayer that we have been praying all of our lives? Is it enough to have “Daily Bread?” Are you OK with Jesus as your portion?
Read: Deuteronomy 10 & 18; Colossians 2
Steps for us to take right now:
#1. Receive renewal, be sanctified. Read: Galatians 2:20; 2 Timothy 2:21; 2 Peter 1:2-4
#2. Establish SCOPE in your home.
We’ve got worship songs with lyrics on Youtube, and a plethora of Bible Studies and sermons available to us. Do this with your family now and when you are able, invite some friends, neighbors, and others from your church family to join you. This is how the church will soar at the end of the age.
#3. Don’t allow yourself to ease back into what was normal before this pandemic.
If this warning shot from God is going to be effective, we will have to say “no” to things that don’t have eternal value and “yes” to things that will further God’s mission in this world. Practice the sufficiency of Christ.
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