HEARTLAND | Donald S. Whitney
Editor’s note: The following article is adapted from a bulletin insert available at biblicalspirituality.org. The author is former Illinois Baptist pastor Don Whitney,
Many of us struggle to make conversation at Christmas gatherings, whether church events, work-related parties, neighborhood drop-ins, or annual family occasions. Sometimes our difficulty lies in having to chat with people we rarely see or have never met. At other times we simply don’t know what to say to those with whom we feel little in common.
As Christians we want to take advantage of the special opportunities provided by the Christmas season to share our faith, but are often unsure how to begin. Here’s a list of questions designed not only to kindle a conversation in almost any Christmas situation, but also to take the dialogue gradually to a deeper level:
1. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you since last Christmas?2. What was your best Christmas ever? Why?
3. What’s the most meaningful Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
4. What was the most appreciated Christmas gift you’ve ever given?
5. What was your favorite Christmas tradition as a child?
6. What is your favorite Christmas tradition now?
7. What do you do to try to keep Christ in Christmas?
8. Why do you think people started celebrating the birth of Jesus?
9. Do you think the birth of Jesus deserves such a nearly worldwide celebration?
10. Why do you think Jesus came to earth?
Of course, remember to pray before your Christmas gatherings. Ask the Lord to grant you “divine appointments,” to guide your conversations, and to open doors for the gospel. May He use you to bring glory to Christ this Christmas.
Don Whitney is Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Senior Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn
Families looking for a break from the holiday hustle and bustle might escape to movie theaters for two faith-themed films, one out now and the other set for a Christmas Day release.
“The Life of Pi,” [PG] is about a shipwrecked Indian boy left with only one friend – a similarly shipwrecked tiger. Critic Phil Boatwright calls it “the most visually stunning film of the year,” and also commends the film’s director, Ang Lee, for making a movie that deals with faith. The movie “doesn’t promote one religion over another,” Boatwright said. “It does, however, what so few films do: It suggests that we become aware of spiritual matters and rely on our faith when the conundrums of the day overwhelm.”
Overwhelming circumstances are also the subject of another, perhaps more clearly Christian, story set for cinemas on Christmas Day. The highly anticipated movie musical “Les Miserables” has A-list stars and a trailer that’s already gotten serious buzz. And the story is a classic redemptive tale: Jean Valjean steals a loaf of bread to feed his family, spends several heart-hardening years in prison, gets out, and spends the rest of his life trying to live up to the kindness shown him by a forgiving minister.
“Les Miserables” is rated PG-13 for grown-up themes and some language, and is likely unsuitable for younger kids. But for adults who choose to see it, the themes of forgiveness, generosity and sacrifice will likely spark many conversations this Christmas season.
Your turn: What movies are you excited to see this Christmas?
Other news:
Economy could make adoption harder for some
From Baptist Press | With Congress embroiled in debate over the so-called fiscal cliff, many in the adoption community are concerned the adoption tax credit set to expire at year’s end could be forgotten, even though immediate action is needed. The tax credit that provided last year a maximum of $13,360 to each adoptive family has helped countless low- and middle-income families afford the costly endeavor. Read more.
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From Gallup.com | Nurses have the highest ethical standards of any profession, according to Americans surveyed in Gallup’s annual study on the honesty and ethics of various vocations. 85% percent of those surveyed ranked nurses as “high” or “very high” on the ethics scale. “Clergy” ranked 8th on the list, with 52%; journalists were ranked highly by 24% of respondents; and car salespeople were last on the list, with 8%. Full list.
HEARTLAND | Nate Adams
It’s been several years since we sent our first son off to school. But it was a fairly traumatic event in our family, so I remember it clearly.
The trauma actually began the night before when we were reviewing with little Caleb the details of what would go in his school bag, when the bus would pick him up, what his teacher’s name was, etc. His mom was reassuring him, and herself, that everything would be OK and that he was ready for this important new adventure.
She had just told him about the wonderful, mid-morning fruit snack he would enjoy, when he looked up with helpless, pre-kindergarten eyes and asked, “But Mom, who will peel my banana for me?”
This of course sent Beth into a frenzy of self-doubt. How could we send our little boy off into the world without banana-peeling skills? How many other parenting deficiencies had we overlooked?
The next morning, things only got worse. Caleb insisted on wearing his favorite, familiar, but tattered T-shirt, and Beth and I disagreed on how well that would represent the family. His younger brother Noah started whining and then crying that he didn’t want Caleb to go off to school. When it came time to go out and meet the bus, Caleb literally held on to the front doorknob and starting crying. That triggered his mom’s tears.
Fortunately a young lady that I now refer to as the best bus driver in the world rescued us. She pulled up, swung open the doors of the big yellow bus, and cheerfully called out, “Hi Caleb, ready for your first day of school?” It turns out she had driven the route the previous day, and learned all the names of the new kindergarteners. She directed Caleb to a special seat in the front row, and said some reassuring words to Beth and me. Like I said, best bus driver in the world.
So before I knew it, Caleb was on the bus and I was in my car on the way to work. And it was there that I found myself asking, “What just happened here? Why was this so hard?”
I began to pray. And it was then I found myself asking some different questions. In eternity past, had there been an event like this for God? Was there some kind of moment when he looked upon His own dear Son, and instead of majestic robes saw swaddling clothes? Doesn’t Philippians 2 tell us that God more or less watched from heaven’s front step as Jesus left home to do what had to be done, and what only Jesus could do?
I realized then why this first day of school had been so heart wrenching. I had just experienced a faint reflection of what God experienced in His own heart that first Christmas, as He sent His own dear Son for the ultimate good of the world and the people He created.
There was a very happy ending to that traumatic first day of school for us. Caleb returned home bubbling with joy at the new friends he’d made, and how much he liked his teacher, and how the banana peeled just fine. He went on through many years of grade school, high school, and college, and made many new friends. Next month we will send that same little boy off, not to kindergarten, but to marriage.
And the story of Christmas has a happy ending too. God released His omnipotent, heroic Son to become a frail human baby because He knew that in doing so Jesus would also return home, having completed His mission at the cross, and having gathered many friends around Him as well. Sending a son is not easy. But it sure can have a happy ending.
Merry Christmas.
Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.
HEARTLAND | Meredith Flynn
“Hey man, it’s Jesus!”
The young man and his friend walked by the nativity scene recently unveiled in the Illinois State Capitol, pausing for a split second before moving on.
A small group had gathered to officially open the display with short speeches and Christmas carols, but they were hard to hear over the crowd echoing through the rotunda. I was there to photograph the scene for the Illinois Baptist, and to satisfy my own curiosity about how these two worlds – faith and government – might look right next to each other. But what was even more interesting to watch were the reactions of people walking by.
Hundreds streamed by the nativity during the ceremony, many pausing to look or take photos. Some parents wielding cameras and smart phones sent their young children to stand in front of the wooden lean-to, next to a Mary and Joseph who stood at about their height.
A woman in a colorful floor-length robe and head covering posed for a cell phone photo. A large group wearing “highway safety” buttons moved by the display in twos and threes. Onlookers lined the Capitol’s balcony, leaning over for a glimpse of the baby.
But then they all went on their way, back to meetings or rallies or conversations that had been interrupted by the unusual site of this particular family.
Jesus gets people’s attention. As was evidenced in the Capitol that day, they notice Him. Sure, some of it is simple curiosity, or an opportunity to post an interesting picture on Facebook. But people’s fascination with Jesus and His story, especially during the holiday season, gives Christians an opportunity to talk about Him we might not have any other time of year.
As I watched the crowd, this thought started nagging at me: Would I stop and look? I know who Jesus is, I know His story. And more than that, He’s the reason I have any hope at all, at Christmas or any other time of year. But how often do I think about that hope – and look for opportunities to share it – in the hustle and bustle of Christmas?
I attended a Christmas party recently where we sat in a circle and read pieces of the Christmas story to one another. (To be honest, it was part of a game where we later “stole” presents from one another, so don’t get too lofty an opinion of us). After one friend read her verse from Luke 2 for the fifth or sixth time, she said with a smile, “It never gets old.”
Lord, please let that be true this Christmas. Let us never get too busy to stop and look at You, and to notice that others are looking, too.
iB2 News 