A Christmas Song

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7 ESV)

Born in a Manger

© Edd Russell, Christmas 1994

 

CHORUS

C              Am

Born in a manger;

F           G                 C              Am

     Our Lord could not find a bed,

F         G              C                          Am

     No pillow on which to lay His head.

F                   G               C - Am

     He could not find a home,

F                    G               C – Am – F - G

     He could not find a home.

 

VERSE 1

C                                          Am

What will you do with our Savior,

F                    G               C                   Am

     Will you give Him a room in your home?

F        G                    C                 Am

     A pillow and a place to lie down,

F                          G                C - Am

     Or leave Him out in the cold?

F                                    G               C – Am – F - G

     Will you leave Him out in the cold?

 

Modulate: Em7 Asus A

VERSE 2

D                             Bm

I come to You, my Jesus,

G                    A                 D                 Bm

     I come to give You a room in my home,

G      A                    D                Bm

     A pillow and a place to lie down.

G                             A           D - Bm

     Come live with me my Lord,

G                             A           D

     Come live with me my Lord.

Everybody Loves a Freebie

We were looking for a place for a meeting that had both coffee and food. There is one place that we like, but it is usually closed when we want to go there, and this day was no different. So as we drove past that coffee shop, I remembered seeing a place on Google maps not too far from there which had the English name "Coffee Slow & Steak Sloth."  The Thai name listed on Google maps (เชื่องช้า-สโลว์บาร์ (กาแฟสด)) translates "Slowly Slow Bar (Fresh Coffee)." Google maps also showed a photo of the front of the restaurant which said "Coffee & Steak." Armed with this information, we decided to try it, but had no idea what to expect.

The Wooden Plates Were Marked With Another Version of the English Name:
Steak-Sloth Slow-Coffee

The main dining area was open on three sides. On the one wall, they had placed some rustic signs, some in Thai and some in English.

Rustic Signs on the Wall

I was particularly drawn to one old sign for a garage. I'm not sure what one would have had to pay for, because the following services were listed as free:

    -  Beer & Ice
    -  Flats Fixed
    -  Oil Change
    -  Advice



Everybody likes a freebie. I think of all the advertising where they have the word, "Free!" in big letters to get your attention, but then you have to get close and read the fine print to find out if what they are offering is actually worth your effort. One sign I've noticed in various places around Kamalasai has the word, "free," (in Thai). The sign is posted by a well drilling outfit and goes onto say that if they don't find water when drilling for a well, you don't have to pay. It does not say whether they may refuse to drill a well it the local groundwater map does not show any groundwater. Or if you have to pay if they find water, but the water is too salty to use for anything. I'd be sure to ask about those things if I were to call them.

Well Drilling - No Charge if it Comes up Dry
In other words, "nothing" is free

At Christmas, we celebrate the ultimate freebie. God saw that we humans weren't good at much besides making things worse. Even when our intentions were good, we often ended up missing the mark. Our sins and karma kept catching up with us. So God decided we needed a Christmas present, long before the word Christmas was ever coined. This Christmas present had two aspects to it. First of all, God thought we could use a better idea of what he is like. Secondly, God wanted us to have a way to be free from the power of sin.

Matthew, quoting Isaiah 7:14, writes
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”   (which means, God with us).
(Matthew 1:23 ESV)

God with us. If we want to know what God is like, we just have to look at the life of Jesus. Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 ESV)

About thirty years ago, someone came up with the idea of Christians wearing rubber bracelets inscribed with WWJD, meaning What Would Jesus Do. The idea was that if we wanted to know how to behave in any situation, we should look at the life of Jesus. This was actually a great idea, except that people were a bit selective in how they applied it. We looked at Jesus through our personal and cultural filters and made our decisions based on that. After all, we wouldn't want behaving like Jesus to cause us too much inconvenience or make us change our behavior too awful much.

But when Jesus came, it was a great inconvenience to Him. Here he was, a participant in creating the universe with God the Father, and now He has to put all that God-power aside for 30 years while he comes to earth as a newborn child and grows up until he is mature enough to be received as a teacher by human standards. And he had to deal with all the issues that come with having a human body. One of our famous Christmas carols talks about the baby Jesus that somehow "no crying he makes." Really! Somehow I don't quite believe that. After all, he was a normal baby that needed to nurse at his mother's breast. And while in one circumstance, Jesus quoted Old Testament scripture about man not living by bread alone, He did actually eat bread and fish. And I'm sure His mother made him eat his vegetables, too.

In coming to earth, Jesus was able to show us and teach us what God is like. He modeled for us the perfect way to live. He taught us about the Kingdom of God and what it takes to be a citizen of that Kingdom. But just as important was what he accomplished at the end of his earthly life, which leads us to the next point.

The second part of Christmas had to do with freedom from sin. The angel Gabriel, while explaining to Joseph what was going on with his fiancee, said to him,

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
(Matthew 1:21 ESV)

Jesus put it this way, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36 ESV)

Pau mentions that this freedom means not being considered someone's slave, but instead, we are like their children. In this case, we are childen of God.

Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, and if you are his child, then you are also an heir through God.
(Galatians 4:7 CEB)

A bonus that come with this freedom from sin is another great freebie, eternal life. Paul puts it like this.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESV)

Jesus made this gift possible for us by offering up his life as a sacrifice for our sin and karma. Jesus endured a brutal death so that we might have an abundant life. "I came to give life," Jesus said, "life that is full and good." (John 10:10 ETRV)

So, this Christmas, if you want to give me a gift card for beer, tire repairs or oil change, that's great. But the best Christmas gift ever is eternal life in heave that we have because Jesus came to dwell with us on earth that first Christmas day. It's the ultimate freebie.

A Christmas Symbol

What is the symbol of Christmas? A Christmas tree? Santa Claus? A snowman? A stocking? A manger scene? An angel?

On the first Christmas there were shepherds abiding in the field—at least that's how the King James Bible puts it. Some modern translations render it like this: "there were shepherds living the fields." (Luke 2:8) Anyway, there are a bunch of men hanging out, perhaps sipping wine out of goatskins telling stories of heroic sheep rescues from lions and bears and such. Or maybe they're telling of close encounters with vipers. But then the darkness is suddenly broken. An angel appears, and the glory of the Lord shines around them. It's an awesome light, enough to scare a bunch of men, toughened by years of protecting sheep from the hazards of the wild. This angel tells these men that a Savior has been born and is lying in a trough filled with hay in nearby Bethlehem. "Go check it out for yourselves," the angel suggests.

Glorious Light.

Meanwhile, in a country far to the east, a group of nerds is hanging out together. Rather than trying to impress each other with their acts of bravery, perhaps they are sipping wine out of goatskins while playing brain games to see who is the smartest. When, suddenly, up in they sky they see a star shining perhaps a bit more brightly than usual. This is not your ordinary star. Or perhaps it is just an ordinary star with extraordinary meaning. Somehow they knew that the appearance of this star meant that a new king of the Jews had been born.

Starry Light.

About a month after the Savior-King is born, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus into Jerusalem to present him at the temple. While they are there, they run into an old man named Simeon. God told Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah—the Christ. And then Simeon sees baby Jesus and God tells him that this infant is the One. Simeon breaks out in praise:

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
  according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
  and for glory to your people Israel.
Luke 2:29-32

The Savior-King is also Messiah/Christ

Light of revelation to the Gentiles.

About 30 years go by, and we don't hear much more about the light. But then John the Baptist makes his appearance, followed by Jesus. After Jesus is baptized by John and passes his wilderness exam, He begins his ministry with an announcement. He quotes the prophet Isaiah, written some 750 years earlier.

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
  the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
  the people dwelling in darkness
  have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
  on them a light has dawned.
Matthew 4:15, 16

A Light that dispels the darkness.

Later on, Jesus tells us more about who He is. He says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

A life-giving Light.

By believing in Jesus, the light of the world, people become children of light. Jesus said, "While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” (John 12:36 NRSV)

Eventually Jesus ascended to heaven, but He didn't want people to be without light. He called on his followers to take on His role of being light to the world. He said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world," (Matthew 5:14 ESV)

The apostle Paul reiterated this, "that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:15 ESV) And again he says, "For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness." (1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV)

And the way we are to light up the world is by loving people. The apostle John writes, "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling." (1 John 2:10 ESV)

Light, then, seems to be an appropriate symbol for Christmas, and love the demonstration of that light. I'm not saying we throw out the Christmas tree or cease putting up longer and longer strings of lights (though it might be environmentally friendly to do so). But if we decorate our houses and fail to love one another, we miss putting up the true symbol of Christmas. For the mark of Christmas is not so much what shines out of our windows, but rather what radiates from our hearts.

Streets of Gold

And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
Revelation 21:21b (NLT)

I was exploring a new path on my morning bike ride, when I glanced to the side and spotted a farm shed at the end of a dirt track. It looked photogenic, but I was moving fairly quickly, so by the time it registered in my brain, I had already passed the sandy lane and had to turn back.

I parked my bike at the beginning of the field road, and walked a bit closer to the shed. As I got to where the grass on the side was a bit taller, it looked almost ablaze in the morning sun. The colors were a bit redder than usual because of the low sun angle combined with all the smoke in the air from the seasonal burning of the recently harvested rice paddies. The gleaming gold ribbon of tinsel lining the sides of the modest track immediately reminded me of John's description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation, where he writes about the streets being made of gold. (The colors may be a bit exaggerated in the photo, because I was trying to adjust for the washed out image taken through the age-worn lens of my phone camera.)

The gold also is a reminder, a few days before Christmas, of one of the gifts brought by the Magi to the young child Jesus in Bethlehem. Gold marked the beginning of Jesus life on earth and will also be present at the beginning of His reign in the New Jerusalem.

While we may not have the experience of a white Christmas here in Thailand, at least we can have a golden one.

This Christmas season, you may find yourself surrounded by white snow, green grass, or even desert sand. Your Christmas tree may be a spruce tree or a palm tree or a branch painted white, like we used to see in Haiti. You may find yourself surrounded by family and friends or you may be all alone. These trappings are just reminders of the time when God chose to identify with the humankind He had created by sending Jesus into our world as one of us. And this same Jesus will one day return to be among us while we walk the streets of gold.

What's in a Name?

A popular thing to do for exercise in Kamalasai is to go for a walk. The government encourages this by putting in walkways around some lakes and even putting some fitness equipment along the way.

Fitness Equipment at the Pond East Side of Kamalasai

There are three lakes of various sizes around Kamalasai with walkways and fitness equipment. The largest is on the west side of town. It's 3.6 km (just over 2 miles) to go all around it.

Lake on the West Side of Kamalasai

The lake closest to us is on the east side of town. The walkway there is still under development as they reconfigured the pond this past year.

Sunset Over the Lake on the East Side of Kamalasai

The lake that seems to be the oldest, based on the nature of the trees growing around it, is on the south side of town. The name of this one is Sa Bua, which translates "Lotus Pond." Sa Bua is the smallest of the three lakes.

Sa Bua or "Lotus Pond" on the South Side of Kamalasai

One thing you may notice in the picture is the dearth of lotus plants growing in the lake. As far as I know, there aren't any. Maybe at one time there were some of the pink blossoms dotting the lake, but there aren't any more. The only pink blossoms to be found are those of the water morning glory. A type of morning glory that not only grows in land, but in water where it will develop swollen, air filled stems that enable them to float.

Water Morning Glory Plants in Sa Bua

It's not like lotus plants don't grow in this part of the world. The Sacred Lotus is commonly planted. In fact the sacred lotus is a good source of food. The inflated stems and seeds are eaten.

Lotus Blossoms in the Lake East of Kamalasai

A few hours drive from here is a water body called Red Lotus Lake. At least that place lives up to its name.

Red Lotus Lake in Udon Thani Province

It's interesting how names often seem to be based on some fantasy dream rather than reality. We used to live on River Mist Avenue in Bakersfield. The house was in a subdivision called "Silver Creek". Good luck finding that glimmering stream of water. There was no river there. We were three miles south of the often dry riverbed of the Kern River. And that was Bakersfield, California—a place that qualifies as a desert with an average annual rainfall of less than six inches. No river. No creek. No mist.

At least Lotus Pond may have once had lotus plants in it.

In the Bible, names often have significant meaning. God gave Abram a new name—Abraham—which means "Father of a Multitude," because he would have many descendants (Genesis 17:5) When the nation of Israel came to a place where the water in the springs was bitter, it was named Marah, which means "bitter". (Exodus 15:23) In Hosea's prophecy there is a place mentioned called Beth Aven (Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5). Beth Aven means "House of Wickedness" and some think this is a sarcastic reference to Bethel (which means "House of God") because of the idol worship that was happening there. Even Hosea's children were given significant names. For example, God told him to name is second child, a daughter, Loruhamah which means "No Mercy," because God was not going to show mercy to Israel (Hosea 1:6). Imagine having to go through life with a name like that!

Soon it will be Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The child is given the name Jesus, which means, "God saves," because He would save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) Jesus is given the title Christ, which means "anointed one" because Christians recognize this Jesus as the anointed one or Messiah predicted to come in the Old Testament.

When Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah who was to come, he listed the following names for Him (Isaiah 9:6):
Wonderful Counselor
Almighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace

-Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor—He has the best advice as to how I should live my life.
-Jesus is Almighty God—He is no ordinary person and He has extraordinary power with which to do miracles.
-Jesus is the Everlasting Father—even though He is called the Son of God, He existed from the beginning with God and will live for all eternity.
-Jesus is the Prince of Peace—He makes it possible for us to be reconciled to (at peace with) God, even though in the past our sins made us enemies of God. (Colossians 1:21). And through the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in all believers, we are able to love even our enemies and be peacemakers in the world. (Matthew 5:9)

God, thank You for sending us a Savior, Jesus, who is a Wonderful Counselor, the Almighty God, an Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.

White Christmas

The other day I was dreaming about dreaming about a White Christmas. Then I noticed it was on Netflix. The movie, White Christmas, that is. So after a brief hiatus (the last time I saw the movie I think all the original cast were still in show business) we watched the movie. I think it was the first time Ingrid saw the movie.

I long since stopped associating Christmas with snow. Palm trees are a fine substitute for spruce and fir, in my mind. And if the evergreen tree outside my front door happens to be a mango, that's okay, too.

Many years we've had our white Christmas due to the fog. And I was hopeful because we've had some really thick, persistent fog earlier this week—even hanging out into the evening so much so that we couldn't see the "Christmas Star" phenomenon on Monday. But then, the Grinch conspired against us with a low pressure system to take away our white Christmas.

So he thought.

Because I found a White Christmas in our front yard. No shovels, blowers or baby Deeres needed (that last one is for my cousin).

White Chrysanthemum

White Rose

White Narcissus

Merry Christmas

Christmas Confusion

One of the memories of my childhood was winters with lots of snow.

Christmastime in New England

At Christmastime, we would go to the Christmas tree farm down the road and we would wade through the snow to find a tree as tall as my dad.

Our 6-Foot Tall Tree

My brain still associates Christmas trees with snow. And so when I see the Christmas tree in the house where we are now staying and the golden leaves on the mulberry tree through the window behind it, I get a sense that something is off—something is out of place—something is not as it should be. I see both fall and winter at the same time, and my brain is confused.

Christmas Trees and Yellow Leaves

This year I think the whole world has felt that way. Whole economies are shaken by COVID-19.  Social distancing has redefined how we do relationships. Systemic racism has given rise to protests and riots. US Elections have turned into a political circus. Like my snowless Christmas tree, something seems very off. Can we please just have some normal?

Christmas is the time we remember Jesus coming to tell us that same message—that something is off—something is not how it should be. The world is marred by sin. Everything is affected. All relationships suffer from sin's poison in our lives. We weren't designed for this. We were designed for an intimate life with the Creator in a world unstained by sin. We were designed to have relationships without conflict and worlds without war. But everything is broken and needs to be fixed. So God sent His Son, the Prince of Peace, so that we can have a restored relationship with God and with each other.

For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
   and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

So if things seem unusual this year—if things seem out of place—we need to remember that the world has always been that way. It's just that this year many things have happened to remind us of just how broken this world really is.

Christmas comes at a good time. We could use a little reminder that Jesus came into the world to show us how different things can be. We may not attain to it in our lifetimes, but when Jesus comes back, He will show us what normal is really like.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
   and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
   and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
   their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
   and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;
   for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9 (ESV)

Traditions

Family traditions.

We grow up with family traditions. Without thinking, we assume we will carry these on all our lives. When we marry, we have to figure out how to blend two sets of traditions, which can be a source of conflict. Then we end up adding our own spin on things and figure we will pass these new traditions down to our children.

Christmas tree from the early years
before Alan was taller than the tree.

One tradition I remember is that on one of my brother's birthdays (December 15th), we would drive down the hill to a Christmas tree farm. Dad would go pick a tree his height and we would cut it down, bring it home, and decorate it.

On Christmas Eve, we were allowed to open one gift.

On Christmas morning, we kids were up early. We were allowed to open our stockings early, while our parents were sleeping. Then we would have breakfast. The staples of Christmas breakfast were scrambled eggs, Brown 'n Serve® sausages and Pillsbury Pop 'n Fresh® cinnamon rolls—two kinds: orange glaze and caramel topping. To drink there was orange juice and hot chocolate served in Santa Claus mugs.

Modern version of traditional Christmas breakfast

Ingrid's traditions were a bit different. Christmas Eve was a time to celebrate in the church, where the children would receive a Christmas Tüte, a brown paper bag with treats inside. In her house, the parents set up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve while the kids were out of the way.

I remember our first Christmas together we had to work out what our blended family traditions would look like. What things would we like to pass on to our children? Even the Christmas cookie offerings had to be figured out. From my childhood there were almond snowballs, Starlight mint surprise cookies,  thumbprint cookies (yuletide gems), and peanut butter blossoms. Ingrid brought Pfferneuse (which for many years Ingrid's mom made and sent to us) and Stöllen into the mix. Both of us were used to the sugar cookies and cookie-press cookies. A sister introduced us to almond Rocha.

But then there were no children. No one to pass family traditions down to.

And then we ended up living places where we could not get the things we associated with family traditions.

So we improvised. One year, some friends sent us some coconut-based fruit cake. They did this for several years and eventually we started making our own. A new tradition was born, added to the various cookie receipts we inherited from our families.

Many years I ended up making my own cinnamon rolls. Brown 'n Serve sausages were seldom an option, but usually we could find some other kind.

When we lived in Haiti, after breakfast on Christmas Day, we would drive two hours to our mission's main office to have dinner with the other missionaries. Then we would head to the beach house in Montrouis for a few days. There they had palm trees naturally decorated with green, coconut-shaped ornaments. Now that's my kind of Christmas tree.

Montrouis, Haiti, a nice place to spend Christmas

One year we spent Christmas Eve in Morro Bay. In our hotel room on Christmas morning we turned on a television station that had a video of a burning fireplace with Christmas carols playing. Lunch was a picnic on a cool, misty beach with smoked salmon and crackers.

But this year, things are really different.  In addition to the usual busyness of Christmas outreach events (one of which was on Christmas day), we are preparing to leave for the US for a few months shortly afterwards. So our theme for presents was things that took up no space and had no weight. There is also a lot of prep to do before traveling back to North America. Add to that all the stuff to do for visa renewals.

Who has time for Christmas? Not much time for tradition. No Christmas cake this year. Limited variety of Christmas cookies.

No tree this year—not even our tiny artificial one. But we did take out some manger scene ornaments and set them out on a table.

Christmas Eve was mostly working. So for Christmas Eve dinner, we picked up a cooked ham leg at the grocery store on the way home from rehearsing music.

I did not make homemade cinnamon rolls this year, as we are trying to empty our cupboards and didn't have all the ingredients. But there was some leftover sticky rice in the freezer from some Khao Lam someone gave us a couple weeks ago. How about we add some cinnamon and coconut milk to that? And there were some British-style sausages in the freezer, too. No orange juice, but fresh oranges instead. Thus, Christmas breakfast is born.

On Christmas Day, I told Ingrid that as I thought back over all of our Christmases together, there is only one constant tradition—that we spend it together.

I was never one for much in the way of Christmas decorations, and this detachment from tradition makes that tendency even stronger. But this year even I felt myself missing some of the trappings of the season.

Some may decry me for lack of "Christmas spirit" since I don't buy into all the glitter and glam. But, on the other hand, I think I have even more "Christmas spirit," for what makes Christmas special is not a tree, or stockings, or a fat man with a long white beard in a red suit. The Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate on this day.

Here in Thailand, many think that Christmas is Santa Claus' birthday. That is probably more true than I like to admit, because December 25th is more closely associated with Santa Claus than it is with the actual birthday of Jesus. I actually don't have a problem with separating Jesus from this celebration of   stuff that happens each December, because I don't think Jesus is all too happy if we get the latest toys and tech gadgets and then let those things take us further from Him. The greatest Christmas present of all time was wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.

It makes no difference if we have the greatest nativity scene in town and then live our lives as if Jesus doesn't exist.

We may not have much in the way of Christmas traditions, and even if what we do have should pass away, I pray that my heart, like a manger, will continually be a place where the Spirit of Christmas dwells.

The angel said,

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:10, 11

What does Jesus Look Like To You?

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."           Luke 2:11-14 (NIV)

Earlier this month, while we were in Connecticut, we went to the Abbey of Regina Laudis in
Bethlehem, Connecticut. It seemed appropriate to visit a village by that name during the Christmas season.

At the abbey, they have a Neapolitan crèche dating from the 18th century.  The crèche is interesting in that it tries to depict how the people of the time would respond to the birth of Jesus.  So there is a large village scene, with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and company in one part, while much of the rest of the village goes about their business.






Then, this past week, we had the opportunity to visit Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta.  Each year the church puts on a display of nativity scenes that people have collected from around the world.  There is a great variety in both the construction of the nativity scenes and how the characters are represented.






The baby Jesus ends up with various shades of skin tones.  While normally he is pictured laying in the manger on His back, some scenes depict him on his stomach.  One display has him in a canoe instead of a manger.



There are even some displays which use animals instead of people, and in these sets he may end up as a mouse or a moose.




One wonders why God chose to send Jesus at a time when technology was such that no one really knows what he looks like.  If God were to have sent him in this day and age, his birth would have been quickly recorded for all on social media.  But maybe it’s better that way.  With no photographs or realistic paintings to depict what Jesus looked like, we can focus more on other aspects of His life like his activities and teachings.  For in the end, it is not so critical as to what kind of facility the manger was in and exactly who and how many people were present.  The more important thing is, as depicted in the nativity scene at the Abbey, what are we going to do about it?

What are we going to do now that Jesus has come into the world?  What are we going to do about His teachings?  How will we respond?  Will be believe the testimony of the shepherds and angels?  Or will we just go about our lives as if nothing of consequence has happened?  Will we believe and obey?  Or we celebrate the season of materialistic indulgence that Christmas has become?

Thailand is not historically a Christian country.  Few people there could tell you what the real meaning of Christmas is.  Yet all the malls are full of Christmas carols and Christmas displays.  Christmas has become a money-making opportunity for merchants.  Unfortunately, this commercial Christmas is the first one many Thai people learn about.

It’s probably not much different in North America anymore.  There is Santa Claus and Christmas trees and reindeer, but I don’t think most children are learning the story of the first Christmas—the story of when God came to earth to show people what He is like.

It is up to us who believe in Jesus to celebrate Christmas like God did.  To go about humbly demonstrating the love of God to people who are desperately in need of it while telling them the good news that the Kingdom of God is here.  To focus less on stuff and more on the people around us.  To be less concerned with ourselves and more concerned with others.  For Jesus came not to accumulate things in this world but to lay down His life for others.

This, I think, would be the best Christmas present we could give away—and not just one day per year.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 (ESV)

Honoring the King

Monday, December 5th of this week was the birthday of the King of Thailand. 
In Thailand, the King’s birthday also becomes Father’s Day, as he is seen as the father of the Thai people.  His birthday this year was an important one as it was his 84th—which is a multiple of 12.  The 12 year cycle has astrological significance.  So this year was his 7th cycle birthday.  Though the king has little official power in the Constitutional Monarchy here in Thailand, he has earned a great amount of authority because of his love for his people and the country and the things he has done for them.

In honor of the King’s birthday, there were many celebrations throughout the country.  The King himself made an appearance at the Grand Palace.

We joined the festivities at Queen Sikrit park.  This park was named in honor of her 5th cycle birthday.  It is a beautiful park—my favorite in Bangkok—because it has a wide diversity of plants.

For the King’s birthday there were many things going on—there were performers putting on shows and vendors selling plants and food.

The day culminated with fireworks throughout the country.  From our 22nd floor balcony we could see about a dozen different sets of fireworks throughout Bangkok—including one from the temple grounds next to our apartment building.

In December we also honor another King’s birthday.

Christmas is a day when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.  In recent years I have been less and less into celebrating Christmas because the holiday in many places has been turned into a celebration of self and wealth.  Even here in Thailand the Christmas displays seem more designed to draw you to the shopping malls than to make you think about Jesus.  The holiday has little to do with Jesus anymore and in my home country it is almost illegal in public events and institutions to associate the holiday with the person it was named after.

But this celebration of the King’s birthday in Thailand has got me wondering—do we citizen’s of Christ’s Kingdom celebrate and honor our King as much as the citizens of Thailand do their King?  I realize that there is more to this than just throwing a big party once a year.  In fact, Jesus himself talked down public shows of faith in lieu of day-to-day honoring God with the way we live our lives.  He was not impressed with those who made a big show of their prayers (Matthew 6:5ff) and giving (Mark 12:41-44).  Though he did allow people to worship Him in an out ward fashion such as the woman who washed his feet with her hair and anointed him with expensive perfume (Luke 7:36-50) or when he went to Jerusalem for that last time in an event we now refer to as Palm Sunday (John 12:12-14).

Instead Jesus’ teaching seem to make it clear that the way to show our great love for Him of to show great love for others—especially those who can’t reciprocate. (Matthew 25:31-46 is just one example).

So how will I celebrate the King’s birthday this year?

Fireworks viewed from our apartment

Chinese magicians perform

Clown getting directions

The tallest Thai person I've seen :)

Mailbox for birthday cards for the King

Coconut sherbert served in the shell.  I'm wearing a bracelet to commemorate the King's birthday

    

Sounds of Christmas-the Shepherd

One of the sounds both Ingrid and I associate with Christmas is that of the bells ringing as the angels twirl around powered by the heat of the candle flames.

This Christmas decor is one of the few things we kept as Christmas memories when we got rid of most of our belongings last year in preparation for moving overseas.  And because we hope to make that move soon, this may be the last time we enjoy the melodic sounds this side of the Pacific Ocean for a while.

As Christmas draws near, we think of the sounds the angels made on that first Christmas as they announced the birth of Jesus to a bunch of rugged shepherds.

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

Luke 2:13, 14 (MSG)


And so this bunch of shepherds leave their sheep to go check out this newborn child lying in a feed trough somewhere in the town of Bethlehem.

Would I have done that?  Would I jettison my tough shepherd image to go see a cute little baby boy?

These shepherds did.  And in so doing they met the ultimate shepherd.  The one who would one day gently lead millions of sheep.

¹⁴ "I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me.
¹⁵ In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary.
¹⁶ You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd.
¹⁷ This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again.
¹⁸ No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father."   John 10:14-18 (MSG)


So as I listen to my Christmas chimes this year, I will remember the good shepherd who was born that day and who leads me today.