Where's the line to see Jesus?

There's an immensely popular youtube music video out right now called, "Where's the line to see Jesus?" [Beware: it does contain violations of the second commandment!]  Its main character is a Christmas shopper, who, after seeing a line of children hoping to see Santa Claus, is approached by a young boy that asks her, "Where's the line to see Jesus?"  This question causes the woman great angst as she, presumably, recognizes that had been ignoring "the true meaning of Christmas," which is about the birth of Jesus instead of gifts and Santa Claus.  This tension is resolved at the end of the video, when she sings Christ's praises and speaks of His atoning death on her behalf, keeping Christ in Christmas.

While those that wrote the song are, no doubt, sincere in their desire to honor Christ (a wonderful thing that I don't wish to disregard!), I think it's worth engaging with it due to its popularity and the pervasive mindset that it represents.  You see, the video assumes that the 25th of December has some sort of inherent meaning related to Christ and his birth.  It does not.  God never instituted the day we call "Christmas."  It was originally a pagan festival on which Christians began to celebrate Christ's birth.  A person may use it as an extra opportunity to reflect on Christ's birth; I'm not going to get in the way of that.  It is important, however, not to confuse a man-made tradition with the only holy day instituted by God, namely, Sunday.  When we make a man-made tradition "Christian" (i.e., set apart to God), the error of the Pharisees has crept in.  But when Christmas is kept in its place, i.e., when we don't think it has some sort of inherent meaning that we need to fight for, we guard the significance of Sunday and avoid fighting pointless battles, e.g., "keeping Christ in Christmas."  If someone wants to truly honor Christ on the 25th of December, that person should assemble with the saints to hear the word and receive the sacraments.  This year, the 25th of December will truly be set apart for the celebration of Christ's birth because it will be a Sunday!

I think it's worth suggesting some answers that this poor, distraught woman could have given the young boy, though.  Here are a few I think could work (remember, the question is, "Where's the line to see Jesus?"):

1. Dear child-who-appeared-out-of-nowhere, you cannot see Jesus.  After he rose from the dead, He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.  Jesus foretold that we would not be able to see Him (Jn. 20:29).  Peter also wrote, "Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).
2. Dear child (nice hair, by the way!), you cannot see Jesus in a bodily way right now.  But after you get older and make a profession of faith, you can get in the line to take the Lord's Supper.  The bread and wine are pictures of Christ's body and blood.
3. O child, at first your question really threw me.  You see, there will be a line to see Jesus one day.  Presently, He sits at the right hand of the Father.  After He returns, we will all be judged by Him.  If you have not trusted in Him for your forgiveness and righteousness, you won't want to see Jesus!

Interpreting parables

People I know have a "love/hate" relationship with New Testament parables.  Some people find them easier to understand than others.  In spite of this difference in opinion, there is still real commonality in the way most people view parables:

1. There is only one key point in a parable.
2. They are illustrations of heavenly/spiritual things with common things.
3. They are straightforward and unsurprising

This understanding of the nature of parables was put forward by Adolph Julicher in 1886 and is now commonly assumed to be true in many Christian churches.  But is it really a helpful and accurate paradigm?  Recent scholars like Craig Blomberg and Kenneth Bailey have demonstrated that it is not.  Consider, for example, the parable of the Prodigal Son.

1. One key point?  The "prodigal" tells us of our sin and the way a sinner may be freely reconciled to God.  The father tells us of God's extravagant love and grace.  The older brother depicts the dire situation of the legalist; they rely upon their goodness, cannot stand grace, and stand outside the loving fellowship of God.  It seems that there are a number of key points to the Prodigal Son, not just one.
2. Are all things illustrations of heavenly things?  Surely, God is being illustrated by a "father".  But how far do we push this?  Does the pig stye become something spiritual (e.g., the existential experience of a sinner before conversion?) or is it simply a part of the story?  Does the road back home refer to the inward journey of the soul?  What about the fact that the calf was fat?  Does it refer to the sacrifice of Christ in the fullness of time?  Caution needs to be taken in assuming that everything has a spiritual meaning.  Characters in a story should be allowed to use props without us drawing massive interpretive conclusions.
3. Are they straightforward and unsurprising? Isn't the father's hiking up his garments and running surprising?!  What about the fact that he actually gave his son his inheritance early?!  The surprises are there for a reason.  They inform us of what we are to read into and demand our interpretive focus instead of unsurprising elements like a road.

[I derived these insights from SM Baugh's class "Gospels and Acts" at Westminster Seminary California]

Two books on church planting

I'm far from an expert on church planting, so I feel unable to give a critical review of these books.  But I am able to say that they have been some great food for thought over the past couple of weeks.  The thing I found to be most helpful is their commitment to working within their confessional Reformed traditions, even though there are many practical disadvantages of doing so.  Working under the oversight of other churches, training elders and deacons, and prioritizing the confessions in church membership scream out "Inefficiency!"  Yet, their contributors prioritize biblical principles over pragmatics, most notably in the area of ecclesiology (doctrine of the church).  For that reason alone, they are worth reading if you're interested in church planting.

Click these links for more information:
Planting, Watering, Growing: Planting confessionally Reformed churches in the 21st century
Planting an Orthodox Presbyterian Church  (read it free online)

What's the deal with Harold Camping?

If you would like to learn more about Camping and his recent predictions, I encourage you to read the five part series by the president of my seminary, W. Robert Godfrey.  You can go here to find all five posts.  He gives some background to Camping and his departure from Reformed orthodoxy to his present state, wherein he denies the validity of any organized church.  Stories like this are a lesson in what may happen when we put too much weight in our personal abilities and interpretations, undervalue the history of the Church's interpretation, and fail to respect church offices (e.g., ruling elder and minister).

Wise words on an upcoming tragedy

If you and the people around you have missed all the apocalyptic speculations raised by Harold Camping, you're fortunate.  Don't read any further.  It's not worth your time.  Continue with your normal life.


But if the "impending rapture" is the talk of your town (even Ohio State sports blogs are commenting on this one!), I encourage you to read the WHI article, "Cleaning up after Harold," in order to prepare yourself to serve the broken-hearted.  Surely, this will be yet another reason to mock the faith, but what we may miss is the hurt and pain this will cause those that believed the predictions.

History teaches us that previous generations caught up in eschatological fervor often fell away from Christ when their deeply held beliefs about the end of the world didn’t pan out. While Camping must answer for his false teaching at the end of the age, Reformational Christians are facing a pastoral problem come Sunday morning: how can we apply the salve of the Gospel to the wounded sheep who will be wandering aimlessly, having discovered that what they thought was true (so true they were willing to upend their lives over it) was not? If this isn’t true, they might reason, then what other deeply held beliefs and convictions and doctrines and hopes might not be true?

A Reformed Dream

This Saturday, the Reformed Ecclesiastical Dialogue (RED) will be hosting a very special event.  Dr. W. Robert Godfrey will be giving an address called "A Reformed Dream 2.0".  Dr. Godfrey is President of Westminster Seminary California, a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America, and the author of numerous books and articles.  In 1997, he published his first version of "A Reformed Dream" in Modern Reformation.  In it, he set forth a vision for what a united Reformed and Presbyterian denomination in North America could look like.  As the title suggests, his talk this weekend will expand upon that topic.

If you're around Escondido, please join us in the Westminster Seminary California chapel at 6:30pm Pacific time.

If you're nowhere near, you can watch Dr. Godfrey's address via a Live Stream that will be at the REDchurches website.

How to paint Christ

Words of wisdom from William Perkins in his Commentary on Galatians (3:1) [I've modernized the English and spelling.]

Are images necessary in the congregations of the people of God?  Answer:  There are Christian images and pictures, and they are very necessary.  And these images are sermons of Christ and the right administration of the sacraments.  For in them Christ is described and painted out unto us.  As for the painted and carved images of the Papists, we utterly detest them as idols... where the lively preaching of the word is, there is no need of them. 

Why may we not paint Christ in our churches with colors as with words in sermons?  Answer:  There is only one painting that the Lord allows, namely, the description of Christ in speech.  But the carving or painting of images in churches, and that for religion use, he condemns, Exod. 20:6.