There is this one Christmas song I've been listening to that I really like by a guy name sufjan stevens. The song is "It's Christmas let's be glad."

Lately I've been trying to figure out why I like Christmas so much. Or maybe more accurately how best to understand the holiday. Just a few minutes ago I was praying and playing through Oh Come All Ye Faithful. In the midst of that, I had a thought. Maybe we should approach Christmas like we do Palm Sunday. In case you and I approach Palm Sunday differently I'll explain. 

Maybe Christmas is a very simple holiday. Maybe we are just supposed to come and shower worship on Jesus. For one short little time everything stops and we call Jesus who he is, sing to him, remember him. I mean the day is coming where all of life will center on Jesus, but right now we can only manage that for moments. Maybe that's Christmas...Jesus Son of God, really good guy, worthy of my time, my nice clothes, my good cheer, my songs, my praise. Pretty simple. 

Merry Christmas everybody.

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
~ Leonardo Da Vinci

It was 5:00 somewhere when it hit me. It was Wednesday. I was tired and to be honest, a little cranky. I get that way after long days. Tuesday was a very long day. I was at the YMCA at 5:30a and didn't get home until 12:30a after a late night meeting with my India team. (No pitty please, I'm the goof who wrote all the appointments into my Microsoft Outlook.) So with confirmation time quickly approaching and knowing that I still needed to pick up the pizza beforehand, I was confronted with the opportunity to go home for a quick nap or go to the Y for a swim. I really, really wanted a nap. I knew I needed to get some exercise. I got in the car and wallowed in the endless quagmire of self-pity all the way to the lockerroom. I swam. Actually, I swam farther than I have swam in a long time, 2000 yards to be exact. Nothing my Michael Phelps standards but pretty good for me.

The reason I swam so far is because I spent so much time thinking. It's amazing how peaceful a pool can be. No noise. Nothing to do except think and not drown. I thought about my schedule. I thought of all the things that I don't like doing. I thought of all the things that I would like to do. I thought of all the things that I should do. I asked God for clarity. I think we all need to take some time to ask the question, "what am I doing with my dash," that little line that seperates our birth date from our death date.

I know what God wants. He wants us to go. Go and share with the world that a Savior has been born. Go and share. Go and give. Go and help. Go and live. Go and love. Go and learn. Find out what God is asking you to do and go. Just do it.

So I heard a story earlier this week about a famous Pentecostal pastor who recently decided that there was no hell. That any god who would "suck people" into eternal burning is a monster..."worse than Hitler." He just could not believe that the God who sent Jesus could be that way--there must not be a hell.

The story really hit me. I mean I felt for the guy. As he began to write books about and preach this false teaching he lost hundreds, maybe thousands, of members more friends money and prestige. The change in thinking occurred to him as he watched a story about families dieing in a struggle in Africa. His heart ached for lost people, knew he couldn't save everybody, and felt sure that God did. 

For me this hits on a fundamental contradiction in Christianity. I mean, it is true that Jesus' sacrifice counts for all people of all time. It is also true that God is willing that none should perish but all come to eternal life. It is also true that the time is coming when Jesus will come back and separate the sheep from the goats, and that he tells us: there is one name under heaven by which all men shall be saved. 

The heart that want's there to be no hell, connects to the compassion of God; that desire is righteous. At the same time, somehow I think there will be people who don't want anyone else to pay for their sins (or to admit to sin) and God won't force it. Followers of Jesus are in a tough spot. I suppose we just trust in the goodness of God to resolve it in the end, and try to proclaim the same thing Jesus did and the scriptures do. There is salvation for those who know Jesus as their savior, and eternal separation from God awaits some after this life.

This weekend I mentioned to people how cool it was that there used to be people who knew people who knew Jesus. That the Christmas story started not as a movie or a children's play or even as Luke 2 but as this story about how a guy was born. That thought occurred to me while reading about Mark's gospel, and I found a quote from a 4th century historian quoting a 2nd century church leader.

The first history written about followers of Jesus dates around 326ad by a guy named Eusibius. We still have copies of that book. There are some crazy stories in there, but at one point he quotes a guy named Papias. 

Papias lived from around 70ad to around 155ad. He was a bishop in the church, and collected stories (people still do that today...collect stories I mean) from people that knew Jesus. He wrote a book called the sayings of Jesus. We lost that book, the only way we know it existed is because Eusebius quotes it. 

"For I did not take pleasure as the many do in those who speak much, but in those who teach what is true, nor in those who relate foreign precepts, but in those who relate the precepts which were given by the Lord to the faith and came down from the Truth itself. And also if any follower of the pastors happened to come, I would inquire for the sayings of the leaders, what Andrew said, or what Peter said, or what Phillip or what Thomas or James or what John or Matthew or any other of the Lord's disciples were saying. For I considered that I should not get so much advantage from matter in books as from the voice which yet lives and remains."

Instead of reading things that had been written about him, Papias would listen to stories of people who knew people who knew Jesus. 

I love hearing things like that because it reminds me how simple Christianity is. Jesus came lived, died, rose, ascended then sent his spirit. Since then people have been following his teaching, and encountering his spirit. 

My little brother Jakes is out on this sort of epic journey around the world with four or five other people. They are experiencing a lot and telling people about Jesus. Last I talked with him he had just finished a scavenger hunt through the streets of downtown Hong Kong. Since then he has taught english in a chinese boarding school and climbed the great wall in China. Now he is with this pretty amazing tribe of people in africa call the Turkana people. I googled them and found some pictures. Looking at them first made me think of the "its a small world" ride at magic kingdom: just the thought of people who look so different, with such a different experience of the world...it's a neat reminder that they're out there. But then I was struck by their smiles. Their smiles look familiar. People all over the world smile the same. 

Lately I have been looking at pictures of past Christmases. My wife smiles so well in every one and I look goofy in every one. I have been thinking a lot about why we smile at Christmas. I mean there is always a lot of stuff packed in to this time of year, but what do we mean by "the spirit of Christmas."

I haven't figured out exactly why yet, but I do like this season...it makes me smile.

ben hoyer