Young children (and sometimes those not so young) get very excited each year as Christmas approaches. They "can't wait!" There is an almost tangible joyous anticipation in the air. Even old fuddy-duddies seem to mellow a little. Admittedly, though, the thing that children most look forward to is the presents that they will receive at Christmas.

When Jesus was born, an angel appeared and announced that he was bringing "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Then a whole host of angels appeared and praised God saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Over 2000 years have passed since Jesus walked the earth. Joy has not yet gone to all people. There is no peace on the earth. And even good will seems to be in short supply. We are still waiting.

The book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ given to him by God. Jesus' last words in this book are, "Surely I come quickly." One translation puts it, "I am coming soon." These words are followed by what Philip Yancey calls "an urgent, echoing prayer: "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." But the prayer remains unanswered. He has not yet come. Christians have tried predicting over and over and over again when Christ would return. There is a very poor record of such predictions. He has not returned and, as he told us, we do not and will not know in advance the time of his return.

So many unfulfilled predictions and disappointed expectations have produced many skeptics. Even many in the Christian church no longer take the return of Christ literal or really expect it any longer. Peter warned that this would happen. He said that in the last days, some would scoff. "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

But things have not gone on in the same way as always since the beginning of creation. God is working His work in and through individuals creating a new creation. A spiritual temple is being built. God's Christmas gift of grace is functioning to form the body of Christ. A bride is being prepared to be united with Jesus when he finally does come again.

In a German prison camp in World War II, American prisoners secretly built a makeshift radio. One day the exciting news came that the German high command had surrendered. The war was over. But because of a communications breakdown, the German guards did not yet know it. As word spread among the prisoners, a loud celebration broke out. For the next three days the prisoners' behavior changed dramatically. They sang. They waved at their guards. They laughed at the German shepherd dogs. They told jokes over their meager meals. On the fourth day, they woke up and found that all the German guards had fled. The gates were unlocked. They were free. Their time of waiting was over.

Christmas comes. Children receive and open their gifts. We, as Bible believing Christians, are waiting for Jesus to return. We have faith that it will happen. We await the gifts that will be given at that time. But how are we waiting? Why do we often respond to world events with fear and anxiety? Why do we get so concerned about the state of political, economic, moral issues in the world around us? Why do we become discouraged by trials, illnesses, life's disappointments? We claim to know how history will culminate. We should, like those Allied prisoners, act on the good news that we believe. We should even now be giving God the highest glory and praise for the grace we have been given. We should revel in the peace that we can now experience, knowing it will extend to all mankind eventually. We must act on and live out our faith now. We have good news! Let's act like it!

The hundreds of sheep were quiet now, except for an occasional bleat. Night had fallen, stars were sharp in the nippy sky, and shepherds reclined on a steep hillside above Bethlehem, watching their flocks. The men talked quietly, their low voices soothing to the animals. The shepherds now fell silent, and tugged their heavy cloaks about them to shelter them from the cold wind. Their eyes were accustomed to the blackness. Every few moments they would look up to scan the hills for wolves or thieves. They weren't about to lose sheep by carelessness.

All of a sudden their hillside was flooded by the light of a thousand bright lamps, blinding them with their intensity. When they could finally see, a man in shining apparel stood before them. "Do not be afraid," he declared in the ringing voice of a herald. "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of Bethlehem a Deliverer has been born to you. He is the Lord's Messiah."

They could scarcely comprehend what was happening. Good news! Great joy! In the city of David, the Savior is born this night. The Lord's Messiah! The shining man, glowing with the very glory of God, had just declared it. So it must be true!

The angel continued: "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." Now the shining angel drew himself to full height, and as he opened out his arms, the radiance and glory upon him began to spread until it covered multitude after multitude of angels, the heavenly host, the army of God Himself -- more and more, company after company, battalion after battalion, began to fill the sky. And now they began to chant, to shout in unison. "Glory to God in highest."
"Glory to God in the highest," they chanted in unison, the overwhelming reverberation blotting out everything else and infecting the shepherds with its utter joy. These hosts of God overcome with awe at the archangel words, now shouted again, "Glory to God in the highest! And on earth Shalom -- peace -- to those whom God has favored."

Again and again the waves of praise rolled over the hillsides, until finally the voices began to fade, and only in the distance could the shepherds still hear shouts of "Glory, glory, glory," that finally diminished to silence at last. The brilliant light, too, was fading, like the final streaks of light as the sun disappears below the horizon.

Old Elias the oldest shepherd was first to speak, "Praise the Lord, dear friends. We have witnessed what the prophets only dreamed of." "Angels, they are the hosts of God's army," another shepherd interjected.

"Something greater still," Elias said. "The chance to see the Lord's Messiah with our own eyes. You heard the angel. He's here, in Bethlehem, and we must find him. The angel told us how -- a baby, wrapped in the swaddling bands of a newborn, lying in a manger.... A manger," repeated the old man.

You could find dozens of cattle troughs if you searched all the outlying farms, but a manger with a newborn lying in it – that was the sign! In Bethlehem itself, Elias could think of just one -- inside a cave at the very edge of town where travelers' animals were quartered. The old man darted down the hillside at a pace that left the younger shepherds breathless. He was ahead of them now, almost running to the cave behind the inn.

When they finally caught up, the old man was standing at the doorway to the cave, tears running down his cheeks. “The Son of God”, he was saying, "The Lord's Messiah. Our Deliverer has come." The shepherds moved inside and knelt at the manger, peering at the sleeping baby boy, all tightly wrapped in swaddling bands. The younger shepherd explained to Mary, the mother, "An angel told us," he stammered, "and then thousands, millions of angels filled the sky, lit up with God's light.’ Glory to God,' they shouted, and we joined them until we were hoarse, until they were gone."

Then Elias addressed her. "Young woman, mother of this blessed Child. You are one of the favored ones of whom the angels spoke, upon whom God's glory and grace is resting tonight." The old shepherd went on, "The angel told us that your Child is God's promised Messiah, our Deliverer." Then the old man was silent. He just knelt there for a few more moments. Finally he arose, took the mother's hand, and pressed it with his own. "God has entrusted you to raise his own Son, my dear. Our prayers are with you."

He motioned his companions towards the door, and they got up, leaving the cave and its manger with the child sleeping peacefully. Now these shepherds were not silent about what they had seen. They spread the good news far and wide.

Then they went back to their flocks, and carefully tended lambs that were destined for sacrifice on Passover. And though they could not know or understand it, the baby Deliverer in the manger would not challenge the Roman oppressors with His army of angels, but instead deliver mankind from the sin and death that oppress us all. For these lamb-herders had seen God's Lamb, born to be a Passover sacrifice for the sins of the entire world!

Ebenezers
A Letter From Meshach
Daniel 1-3

To Whom it May Concern:

They call me Meshach now, but that wasn’t always my name. Before the Babylonians invaded, I was from Judah. I was brought captive to Babylon and given a new name. Upon my arrival here, a few of us were chosen to be schooled in Babylonian ways. Their goal was to use me to help assimilate my people into their culture. They did this with all the peoples they conquered.

For myself, I must say, their goal would not happen because I am a Jew who worships the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will never forsake what the God of Heaven has given me. Ohh, they could force me to come to Babylon, but they would never make me a Babylonian!

Now, one thing they tried to get me and my pals to do was eat the same foods as Babylonians. Looking back, I feel sorry for Melzar. You see, Melzar is the guy who really tried to get us to eat the king’s meat and drink the king’s wine. He could not understand why we didn’t want to eat their top-of-the-line food. It made no sense to him. Yet, we were convinced that vegetables and water was the best diet for us.

So, anyway, after a lot of haggling, we were able to strike a deal with Melzar. Ten days we’d eat our way, and they’d eat their way, and we’d see who was healthier. Let me just say; we won and continued our vegan diet.

Then, after three years of schooling, they put our whole class into a discussion group with King Nebuchadnezzar, who was very impressed with us. Why? Well, they say you are what you eat, and we were four cool cucumbers. Actually, it’s just not that hard to impress when you’re up against magicians and astrologers. The four of us know the Living God of Heaven and it’s common knowledge: truth will always ultimately triumph over baloney.

Time passes, and the king has a dream which he can’t remember. He’s obsessed with the meaning and heads will roll if he’s not satisfied. Nobody has a clue, but Dan said, “God knows.” So, we all prayed and God gave the knowledge to Dan. Dan told Nebuchadnezzar all that he wanted to know, and the king was totally blown away. At first, the king bowed down to worship Dan, but Dan quickly explained that the knowledge came from the God of Heaven, to which Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed Daniel’s God to be the God of Gods, a Lord of Kings, and a revealer of secrets. You know, up until then, I’d never specifically thought of God as a revealer of secrets. Yet, among all the gifts the king bestowed on me, the one he gave me then is the one I treasure the most. You see, Nebuchadnezzar made Dan Chief of Governors, and Dan requested that Shadrach, Abednego and I be made governors.

Things were really going well for the king and as time passed, he became more and more powerful. There’s an old adage: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Sure enough, at the height of his power, Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance came up with the brazen idea of a ninety foot tall idol covered in gold. When it was completed, the law said that when the music played, you had to bow down to that golden idol or be thrown in a fiery furnace.

Well, you guessed it! There was no way the four of us would bow down before that dopey heap of gold. Now, many people have asked where Dan was on the day the three of us were arrested for not bowing down. Well, let me say this, Dan would never bow down to that idol, but on that particular day, he was out of town.

Back to my story, Nebuchadnezzar had painted himself into a corner. He really liked us, but we had to bow down like everybody else. So, he gave us a second chance to bow down. Again, we declined, and he took it as a personal insult and became enraged. He ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual. It was so hot that the three soldiers who threw us in died of the heat. We were thrown in bound, yet we arrived in the furnace unbound and unharmed. We started walking around in the fire, only to find we were not alone.

Well, the king and many others saw what had happened, and we were ordered front and center. The three of us walked out of the furnace, totally unharmed and even our clothes smelled springtime fresh! After a while, Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed is your God, who sent his angel to deliver his servants who trusted in him.” Again, the king had said something I will always treasure. Praise the God of Heaven!

Love,
Meshach