Apples of Gold

The time change seemed abrupt this year. It also seemed like it brought an unusually rapid change in the arrival of darkness. More than once I have asked if it is bedtime yet, only to be told it was barely 5:30! I do like to call it a day rather early but not quite that early. I love the sun. I am frequently found on the back deck basking in its warmth. Sunlight energizes me and brightens my mood. The extended darkness of winter does the opposite, making the season seem a bit long and dreary. December twenty-first is the longest night of the year. It also happens to be my oldest daughter’s birthday. So I celebrate Chelsea and the blessing that she is and I also mentally rejoice that starting tomorrow each day will have a little more light.

During this time of darkness I find myself drawn to the Christmas lights that are scattered throughout our community. The steady, warming, glow cuts through the thick darkness bringing peace and comfort. Those lights also serve as a reminder of perhaps the most important event that has ever occurred, the birth of our Savior. Jesus’ birth changed everything. God was now on Earth in a human body, living among us. His birth signaled a chain of events which would make it possible for people to have an intimate relationship with God.

Jesus experienced so many of the things we do during His life on earth. One of the reasons this is so important is that Jesus can identify so closely with the things that we go through. Hebrews gives us some very encouraging words:

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same the things we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:14-16

It is difficult for my mind to grasp Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, mercifully understanding my flaws and failures, but still wanting me to come confidently into His presence. Paul tells us that we can’t totally comprehend the depth of God’s love.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made compete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:18-19

One of my favorite passages of Scripture contains a prayer-but not just any prayer. It is sometimes referred to as the High Priestly Prayer and it contains some of the most precious words of Jesus. One of the reasons I am drawn to it is that Jesus specifically says that He is praying for me-and you of course!

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. John 17:20

Many passages in the Bible contain historical accounts or letters written to specific churches. These certainly have lessons for us and applications for our lives but this chapter doesn’t simply have an application. This wasn’t merely a recorded interaction between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus was talking to the Father about us.

As we read through this chapter Jesus is revealing what He desires for our lives.

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one-as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the word will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! John 17:21-23

I’m not sure that we are living in the unity which Jesus wants the church to know, in fact, I’m pretty sure we are not even close. Notice one of the reasons He wants us to be in unity is not just for us, but because that unity ignites belief in those who observe us. Why? 1 John 5:8 says God IS love. When we live in unity and put others first, a reflection of love is seen by all who observe us. Since God is love, when they see love in us, they can also see God.

Tucked into these verses in the High Priestly Prayer we find a phrase that many of us gloss over without actually absorbing what Jesus is saying. I had read this passage many times but never really noticed it until I heard it emphasized in a Bible study. In verse 23 Jesus says that the Father loves us as much as He loves Him-Jesus. Just let that sink in for a few minutes. Get your Bible and read it for yourself. It’s really there! So many of our concerns would melt into nothingness if we really allow this verse to impact our lives.

As you celebrate the Christmas season take time to embrace the love that transcended time and space, piercing the darkness in order to be able to identify with your struggles. His offering was, and is to this day, the purest sacrifice of love so that you can be united with Him forever.