Merry Christmas from the Freys
“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father”. Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)
This may not be a typical Bible passage to put into a Christmas newsletter, but I believe that this is the very essence of the meaning Christmas – the mystery of the incarnation. It is exactly this which has so amazed me over these past weeks as we entered the Advent and Christmas season. Emanuel. God is with us. The Divine, Sovereign God became flesh – a human being!
I think that my very favorite Christmas song is “Mary Did You Know” written by Mark Lowry. I must admit that the beauty of the images expressed in it choke me up every time I hear it;
Merry and Bright
“Mary did you know…
when you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you’re holding is the Great, I Am.”
All of this is possible only because Jesus;
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”
No wonder the Apostle Paul bursts out into spontaneous praise in Romans 11 and shouts:
“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!… For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”
This is the message of Christmas – GOD BECAME FLESH. He is with us. All glory to him forever! Amen!
The other day I was reading from a special Christmas addition of the “Our Daily Bread” and encountered something that I would like to share with you. In this particular devotional reading the author, Dan Schaeffer, pointed out that in our world important people tend to associate with other important people, and being seen with the right people in the right places can advance you a long way. It is because of this, he points out, that it is with no little confusion that we see God humbling himself so drastically before us as he did (when he became incarnate in human flesh). Schaeffer then went on to say: “When someone greater than us humbles himself before us in some way, it is a powerful gesture. We are amazed and moved that a person of such stature and status would do such a thing.”
When I read this I thought of something that my daughter, Laura, told me. Laura and her husband, Dustin, live in Japan along with their three little children. As you are no doubt aware, it is the custom in Japan to bow when you greet and honor someone. It is also important that bowing is done correctly – that is to say, the one inferior in rank must always be sure to bow lower than the other person in respect and honor of their higher status or age. Laura told me of an incident that happened to her once that startled, humbled, and confused her.
One day she was met and greeted by the brother of a very close friend of theirs. Both their close friend and his brother are much older than she is – indeed by many, many years. Further, he is a very respected person, and honored in the community. What happened at their first meeting and greeting shocked Laura, and she didn’t know what to do within the Japanese cultural setting that they are in. Instead of this respected, elderly man giving her a formal bow while she bowed much deeper and lower, as should have been the case within the culture, he lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head and hands to the floor. He used the most humble and respectful of bows in order to show his deep gratitude and thankfulness to her for what they were doing for his brother
Isn’t this a tiny glimpse into the mystery of God’s incarnation when Jesus became flesh and took on humanity for us? We deserved nothing but condemnation and death, but Jesus humbled himself before us. Not only did he prostrate himself and bow in humility, but he took on our sin and death and the cross in order to forgive, and to make our cleansing possible with the Father.
So, as I look out the window at the scenery around me (or lack thereof) here in the wind-swept wastes of western Texas and see the endless tumble weeds interspersed by cactus plants with nothing but endless oil well pump jacks and the occasional crude oil bulk storage tank on the horizon, I have to admit that there is little, if anything, to make me “feel like Christmas”.
But what does it mean to “feel like Christmas” anyway? I wonder how much Mary and Joseph “felt like Christmas” on that first Christmas as they desperately looked for a place so that Mary could give birth to her soon coming baby boy. I wonder how much the reeking stable and the filthy manger were they had to lay the new-born baby made them “feel like it was Christmas”. I doubt that there were spice-scented candles burning on beautiful brass sconces and lovely crystal bells tinkling above the manger. I am sure that there was no spiced apple cider or even sugar cookies in heaping plates set around the stable, and certainly no plumb pudding served with sauce. In fact, I am very sure that there were none of the accouterments of Christmas that we feel so very saddened if we cannot have and enjoy. They didn’t even have family and friends around them that they were celebrating with. They had none of the cheer and goodwill of the season. But they had the ONE of the season wrapped in a swaddling cloth lying in the dirty manger in front of them.
May we too find the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord, Jesus the Christ to be more than sufficient for us. Oh, there is nothing wrong with the “feelings of Christmas” and the joy that comes with the festivities surrounded by family and friends. But that is not Christmas – that is a feeling. My hope for all of us who do know Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord is that we will be amazed anew by His incarnation. If there is anyone reading this blog who does not know Him as Savior and Messiah, my prayer is that you will allow the profound mystery of this season to open your heart to Him.
With all of this preamble, I will get to what I had originally sat down to do in this blog – to write a Christmas greeting to each of you, and to wish you not only a joyous season, but a happy and Christ-filled New Year.
Theresa and I are finishing off our eighth month in the oil-field work. We will be overjoyed to be able to hand over the baton at the end of April 2016, but we are also determined to run the race well, and to finish strong. We are both well, and want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. We love each of you, and would dearly rather be with you than here. However, that will all happen soon enough.
It also brings me incredible joy to tell you again that everything is moving forward very well with the work in Mexico with the Bible Institute, the Missionary Training Center farm (Casa del Obrero), as well as with Project LAMBS. Besides this, Javier and others in the leadership there, along with the team of disciples that they are training are working hard in expanding the Kingdom of God in the local hospital and rehab center. They are also planting churches and evangelizing in the outlying communities and colonias, as well as working hard within their local churches. God is at work through these brothers and sisters. Please remember to keep them in your prayers.
To borrow from my good friend Dan Bumstead, founder of Love’s Door for All Nations (http://lovesdoor.org/), when he wrote in his last blog entitled Looking over the Garden: “We cannot brag as if anything is of ourselves, for it is ALL from His Hand. We are so much less than He deserves, and daily we are reminded that if He had chosen more capable soldiers He could have done so much more. And yet we cannot shrink back because of our weaknesses, but must be faithful to keep our hands to the plow”.
Amen, Dan, Amen!
Oh, how often I feel exactly what Dan has expressed so well. How very, very gracious God has been in that, despite my weaknesses, he has put together a team of wonderful, impassioned soldiers for the Gospel, and he has allowed Theresa and me to be a small part in the formation of this work. To God be all of the praise!
So, again, Theresa and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. May your days be merry had bright, and all of your Christmases whiter than ours will be this year.
With all of our love,
Steven and Theresa
