“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And called his name Jesus.”–Matthew 1: 20b-24a

              Christmas is that joyful time of year we set aside to focus on the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Incarnation means, ‘in flesh.’ We must not take for granted the astonishing goodness of God to send His only Son, Jesus, to live in humility with us. He came as the long awaited and long foretold Messiah. God with us, Immanuel. The prophecy quoted here by Matthew is from Isaiah, written approximately 800 years before Matthew wrote his gospel. The faithful in Israel never lost heart in hoping for God to send a Savior, one who would fully and truly make a way for the sins of God’s people to be forgiven. But there was mystery. How could a virgin bear a child? How could the fearful God of Moses who often displayed His presence as fire in the Old Testament, come and live in our midst?

              Yet, at the appointed time, there was a shift from waiting for, to accomplishing God’s will. Everything began to change. An angel appeared to Zechariah. Elizabeth pregnant in her old age. An angel appeared to Mary. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. Suddenly, the normal patterns of life are altered by the Lord breaking in to accomplish the salvation of His people! I want us to see the continued pattern of the Lord to involve and work through normal faithful believing people to accomplish His perfect will.

              Who were Joseph and Mary? They were not exalted special people. They were not at all the type of people that any of us would choose if we were writing this story! They were poor, working-class people, from a little-known town, from families of no particular importance during their lifetimes. They were not people of great learning or great accomplishment. How is it that God chooses to send the mighty angelic messenger, Gabriel, to visit young Mary and proclaim to her, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” Mary is naturally terrified of this angelic messenger, but also seems confused, trying to understand what this all means. She doesn’t see herself as one greatly favored of the Lord. Nothing about her physical life indicates that she is greatly favored of the Lord.

              Why is the eye of the Lord, which is constantly looking upon the earth to see and strengthen the righteous (2 Chronicles 16:9), turned toward this betrothed couple of no earthly account? From the accounts of Joseph and Mary we learn a number of important things about them. First, they were poor. They had no earthly wealth to give Jesus, such that He was born in the poorest possible situation – with animals in a stable. Shortly after the birth of Jesus, according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary present Jesus at the temple for “purification.” They present two birds, instead of the prescribed lamb. This is a permissible sacrifice, but the sacrifice prescribed in Leviticus 12:8 specifically for the poor, who cannot afford a lamb.

              Second, Jospeh and Mary had no earthly status. Though Joseph is in the linage of King David, to fulfill prophecy, but at the time of Jesus Joseph is far from royalty. Instead, he is a working-class man. We assume that Joseph was a carpenter because Jesus was trained as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). Joseph is a working craftsman, who teaches Jesus to also work with His hands. Third, Joseph and Mary are not people of any educated status. Throughout the ministry of Jesus the crowds marvel at His theological learning, because he did not come from a background of formal education.

              If nothing about their lives points to worldly “favor,” why are these two people so blessed of the Lord? The overriding answer is that they are appointed by God for this task, but in that appointment, they live out what is most valued by God. Jospeh and Mary are both humble, devout, godly, and pure people. The Lord does not look to the outward appearance but looks to the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). First, the heart of Mary and the heart of Joseph, are both earnest in their love for the Lord. Their earnest godly hearts are proved out in the same way as every other truly godly person. Their devotion is proved by their obedience, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” For Mary, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). By faith they believed and obeyed the Lord. Second, the various passages about them speak directly to their sexual purity. Part of their obedience to the Lord before this calling was their obedience to the sexual morality that the Lord had commanded. This purity was part of why the favor of the Lord was upon them.

              In the same way that the favor of the Lord came to Joseph and Mary for spiritual reasons, the favor that was granted to them was of a spiritual nature. In the birth and life of Christ, earthly favor does not seem to be upon Joseph and Mary. They lived a working-class life, with a large family (Mark 6:3), in a small town, and apparently Joseph died before Jesus’ ministry began. Gifts worthy of an earthly king were only given once early in Jesus’ life. The rest of the time there was daily work. There was no palace. There were no servants. There was no luxury and ease. The kingdom of God is not of this world.

              It’s likely that Joseph never understood the ministry of Jesus, but he believed and obeyed. We still now struggle to understand the spiritual work of Jesus in our time. We naturally want to see a very visible work, a work that fully transforms the here and now. But now as then, the work of Jesus Christ continues to be primarily a spiritual work. The salvation of Jesus is a work that begins in soul, transforming that most important part of us – the seat of our person. From the salvation of the soul the entire person begins to change. That change is certainly real, and the salvation of the soul changes all our priorities. Whereas once we were people of a worldly mind, loving the things of the world, we become by the grace of Jesus, people who awaken and look to heaven with new eyes. By the Spirit of the Lord, we understand new realities and live in a new direction. The Lord promises to provide our physical needs, but accumulation of what the world offers is no longer a priority. The Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, beginning so small and only much later growing into an overwhelmingly large reality.

              As we look to Christmas this year – over 2,000 years after the heavenly visitation of Jospeh and Mary, long after the birth and ministry of Jesus – is the Lord still accomplishing His saving work? We have been met late this year with unsettling news of dramatically rising violent crime, the lowest per capita attendance in Christian churches that has ever been recorded, young people abandoning Christianity, the lowest rate of marriage ever recorded in America, fear of disease, fear of war, and fear of crumbling social structures. And yet there is the promise of Jesus, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

              In the midst of the struggle of our time the Lord Jesus continues His spiritual work of salvation! Not among the rich and powerful, but in our very midst. Amidst the struggle of my life and yours. For such a time as this the Lord Jesus has formed our local church. A local church where many people may hear the good news of the salvation of Jesus in the midst of endless angry rhetoric. A place where people may experience the real peace and safety of Jesus in the midst of rising turmoil. A work that has more than doubled in the past year instead of fading away. A work that displays the power of the Lord instead of the weakness of humanity. A work where youth gladly proclaim, “Jesus as Lord” and are not ashamed to live for Him. A church where marriage is held in honor and sought after (I’ve performed five weddings in three months, and as a church, we have four more on the horizon. Rejoice!). A church that is pressing outward to new places to new people. A church that loves the weak and is not ashamed of the poor. A church not characterized by fear of the world and division, but one filled by the fruit of the Holy Spirit which brings love and unity and joy.

              Yes, the salvation work of Jesus continues in our time! Come near. Be a part of what Jesus is doing in our time!

May Jesus be exalted in our hearts this Christmas,

Pastor Vic

Thanksgiving

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

              I have recently been inspired and encouraged reading the short biographical accounts of US immigrants written by former president George W. Bush. In his book, Out of Many One – Portraits of America’s Immigrants, Bush recounts story after amazing story of people coming to the hope of America from every country imaginable. The stories have common themes of tenacious hard work, help from friends and family, faith in the Lord God for a better future, and deep thankfulness for the opportunity to live in the United States of America. On Thanksgiving Day, I offer to you this excerpt about the life of Thear Suzuki. May we each be reminded of the goodness of God and that it is His will that we be a thankful and content people.

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              Thear was born in Sokunthear Sy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in either 1972 or 1973—she doesn’t know. “The first eight years of my life were spent in war and refugee camps,” she explains. “Upon their victory of the civil war, the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime led by Pol Pot, drove millions of people out of cities and into the countryside, where men, women, and children were forced into labor camps.” The crazed, craven dictator tried to reset time to “Year Zero” when he seized power. By year four, he had presided over the deaths of two million of his people. “The Khmer Rouge wanted to turn the country backward into a socialist, agrarian society where all citizens were expected to work for the common good, living arrangements were communal, and meals were rationed,” Thear says. “They persecuted the educated, outlawed schools, and targeted Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims.”

              Thear’s family of seven managed to survive the genocide, which took place on sites across Cambodia now known as the Killing Fields. They worked in forced labor camps and lived in the jungle for years before escaping to a Thailand refugee camp in 1979. After two years bouncing from camp to camp, they found support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Service, which sponsored their move to the United States. “They helped us find housing, secure food stamps, find jobs for my parents, and register us into school in Dallas.”

              Thear’s family only needed the food stamps for three months before becoming independent. “My father and mother worked minimum wage jobs to support our family,” she remembers. Her dad spent twenty-five years working as a janitor at Bradfield Elementary. Her mom took jobs at a local restaurant, Highland Park Cafeteria, and as a maid at the Mansion Hotel. She learned English by watching The Price is Right. The five kids pitched in by rooting through trash and redeeming cans for a nickel and bottles for a dime. They wore clothing donated by Bradfield Elementary families and dresses sewn by their mother.

              Like so many immigrants, Thear struggled with the new language and the strangeness of the food. She remembers repeating a grade to get a better grip on English and scrapping the toppings off her pizza. Eventually, she mastered the language and even took a liking to fried chicken.

              The family initially lived in housing projects in West Dallas, where they feared for their safety. “We often received phone calls telling us to go back to our country,” she says. “We moved out as quickly as possible.” Others in the new community were more welcoming. Thear’s parents had “heard the Good News” in a Thailand refugee camp and converted to Christianity. In Dallas they found a church that embraced and supported them. When Thear was a teenager, Ron Cowart, a police officer who patrolled their neighborhood, got her involved with a scouting group he had started for Southeast Asian students. The program, Exploring, taught Thear about community service and helped her study for her citizenship exam. She aced it and became an American on June 16, 1992.

              Thear credits her third-grade teacher, John Gallagher, as another inspiration. “He helped me through my formative years and helped my family rebuild our lives. Through his kindness and advocacy for my education, my life was completely transformed.” When Thear graduated from Skyline High School in 1992, after serving as student body president, Mr. Gallagher nominated her for a scholarship to Southern Methodist University. “I have been able to achieve some level of success because so many have helped and took a chance on me,” Thear says.

              With her degree, Thear went on to work as a technology consultant at Accenture for sixteen years. She’s currently a principle and talent leader at Earnst & Young. She serves with more community organizations than there’s room to list. She and her husband, Eric, are raising their four boys. Thear says, “We have come full circle, from receiving help from others when we were in need, to now serving others in need. My father has dedicated his life to sharing God’s Word and building disciples. He led the efforts to translate the first Cambodian study Bible. My mother has built water wells and churches in Cambodia, and at age eighty-one, she still goes on mission trips.”

              “Being an American means I am free,” she concludes. “I have rights. I can believe what I want and make choices for my family. I can use my skills and resources to help others improve their lives.”