猫咪头条

Monday,聽December 16

Isaiah 11:1-9; Numbers 16:1-19; Hebrews 13:7-17; Ephesians 2:1-10

During the year, we tend to look forward to enjoying our freedoms and diversity in Christmas holiday traditions. As a child, I can remember spending time with my grandparents on Christmas. Their house would be filled with random acts of love, verbal praises to Jesus Christ, blissful concord, sweet aromas, 鈥淭he Temptations鈥� Christmas music playing in the background, and lastly the house was filled with a modesty which had become the children and grandchildren鈥檚 new skin. Nevertheless, we expected gifts with tags in my grandma鈥檚 cursive handwriting to be sitting under the Christmas tree. As I look back on those times, I smile and realize I anticipated something new, gifts I hadn鈥檛 earned. I didn鈥檛 quite understand piety or the spiritual influence of deeds and faith. All I knew for sure was that I had an invitation to show up, eat, drink, and be merry. And I held no disagreements. I was clueless, in fact, that I was a beneficiary of God鈥檚 grace.

In Paul鈥檚 epistle to the Ephesians, he reminds us that 鈥渨e are saved by grace which is a gift from God and not by works, so that no one can boast鈥� (2:9). Simply put, in God鈥檚 light, my grandparents were physically demonstrating God鈥檚 spiritual actions in them.

In our Christian journey, Paul reminds us to 鈥渞emember our leaders, who spoke the word of God to us and to consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith鈥� (Hebrews 13:7). 鈥淭he Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms鈥� defines leadership as 鈥渁 gift that is also given to us by God.鈥� So let us unite in obedience and go as one body in Christ to do God鈥檚 good works. For we know that when any functions of the body are malfunctioning those remaining are challenged to distribute and carry a heavier load. Paul says, 鈥渇or we are God鈥檚 handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do鈥� (Ephesians 2:10). In this, let us avoid projecting acts of disapproval like the generations before us (Numbers 16:3).

As we freely receive this Christmas holiday season, celebrating the birth of our King Jesus Christ, let us widen our measure of deeds and faith by encouraging and proclaiming God鈥檚 free gift of grace to all those around us. And if we dwell in the sole mind of Christ, let us openly unite and increase, 鈥渉aving confidence in our leaders (parents, grandparents, professors, pastors, and elders) and submitting to their authority, because they keep watch over us as those who must give an account. Doing this so their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to us鈥� (Hebrews 13:17).

This Advent season, let us be known for proclaiming God鈥檚 grace to others. Through grace, we become heirs to God鈥檚 immeasurable love and to His promises of restoration.

Brandie E. Bruner
School of Divinity Student