The Christmas Story - a New Dad's Perspective by Chad Hess

On October 26, I saw my only son, Ethan, enter this world. This initiation into parenthood has given me a new perspective on how God may have felt when Jesus was born. Susan and I began planning for the birth immediately. We found the right doctor, we checked out the hospital, we read books, we registered for our baby shower, we painted and decorated the baby’s room, and we packed our bags. As the time approached, we made sure we had everything ready, and we waited in anticipation. When we went to the hospital, we made Facebook updates throughout the labor for our anxious family and friends. When Ethan was born, we called and celebrated with all our loved ones, and we posted pictures online to share.

I’m sure God made a lot of plans for Jesus’ birth as well. I’m sure he gave a lot of thought as to who Jesus’ mother and father should be. He considered where Jesus should be born and how everything should happen. And I’m sure when Jesus was born all of heaven was bursting at the seams with excitement. But no one on earth cared. No one noticed. I’m not sure even Joseph or Mary fully grasped what had happened. The angels finally found some shepherds, and they let out their joyful celebration!

My son was born in a great hospital, delivered by a very competent doctor and nursing staff, with more family present than could fit in the delivery room. My Savior was born in a small village, in a barn, with no one but Joseph and Mary to deliver and care for the baby. And no one to celebrate with. We had soft blankets and warm arms to welcome my son. My Savior had prickly hay and a feeding bin. We had a whole community of family and friends glued to Facebook in anticipation. My Savior had a whole world of apathy and disregard.

I don’t understand why God chose for Jesus to be born the way he was. As a Father, I’m sure He wanted so much more for His Son. But I have to wonder, how much has Jesus’ situation changed? Are we still apathetic towards Him, or are we exuberant? Do we excitedly share Him with our family and friends, or do we just sit there and wait. Do we offer Him our best, or are we content to give Him hay?

Chad Hess

It's a Wonderful Life by Tami Cinquemani

It’s a Christmas standard – watching Jimmy Stewart’s portrayal of George Bailey in the 1946 holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life.” There’s not another movie that gives you such a wonderful feeling of warmth, satisfaction, and the sense of what it means to be known and valued.

George thinks his life is worthless and, by a miracle from God (and a little help from Clarence the misfit angel), he is shown what life in his part of the world would have been like if he were given his wish of never being born. It doesn’t take long before he discovers that fame, wealth, and adventure can’t hold a candle to the richness of a life filled with family and friends whose life you’ve touched and who understand their time on this earth is the better for having known you.

To know and be known – what could be better? I think Frank Capra gave us a masterpiece of insight into the heart of God and His great desire to convince us how valuable we are. But God didn’t send a 2^nd class angel to do the job. He sent His Son – the Creator, the Word, the Alpha and the Omega, the Great I Am. Sent to a poor couple to be born in a dirty stable for the sole purpose of affirming our value in His sight.

I’d like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. May you truly understand the personal interest God has in you and your inestimable value in His sight.

Tami Cinquemani

Defending the Faith by John Monday

I recently read an online Newsweek article by Jerry Adler. The article was an initial reaction to an upcoming book written by Dinesh D’Souza that claims to provide proof that there is an afterlife. I haven’t read the book, only the article. The writer of the article clearly did not hold a traditional Christian view and was fairly dismissive of the book. The article itself was OK, but nothing particularly great.

What interested me was the reaction to the article. It was posted as an MSN.com front page article and, as a result, got hundreds of comments within a few hours. I didn’t read them all, but I did sample a large portion. There were Christians and religious adherents of many varieties making comments, as well as a large number of people that either hold to no particular religion, or hold all religion in disdain. Sounds like a great venue for an interesting conversation, right? Wrong.

The comments were, by-in-large, harsh short attempts to compel someone else to adopt the commenter’s view. There was little logic, little reason, and little sensitivity. There were a number of anecdotal statements, but very little reasonable discourse. It appeared that few people were interested in hearing what someone else thinks, feels or believes but rather wanted to judge, belittle and correct everyone else. Sadly, many of the most judgmental, dogmatic, harsh and – yes - stupid comments came from those professing a Christian orientation.

I may be more critical of the Christians’ comments than others; I do expect a higher standard from my people, but there’s more to it than that. Many of the Christians seem to have little desire to speak kindly or intelligently. Simply saying to someone that I’m right and you’re wrong carries no weight. Saying, “well the bible says…” to someone who doesn’t believe in God will never move a heart or a mind. Telling someone that they’ll find out just how wrong they are sometime after death displays none of the love personified in Christ. More importantly, these methods do not honor the God of the Bible, the God who says, “Come let us reason together,” the God who says love your neighbor, and love your enemy, the God who from the foundations of the world arranged all the order we see in the universe, the God who hung on a cross and said, “Forgive them.”

I think I know where some of this comes from; it’s a war mentality. In war, every soldier knows that the outcome could be dependent on his actions. Whether it’s his personal heroic efforts or the combined effort of the platoon, company, or division (read denomination), my efforts matter, and if the enemy won’t surrender, then he must be destroyed. We have a deep-seeded sense that, if we fail in this battle, all might be lost. If we don’t defend God, who will?

We forget that the war is already decided, and God wins. We need never lob another grenade or ambush an unsuspecting atheist, Jew, Mormon, Buddhist, Baptist, Catholic, Secular Humanist, Adventist, Congregationalist, Episcopalian, Pagan or Presbyterian again. We have the best deal going, since the war is won and the matter is decided. Then all we need do is love people, listen to them, and tell them the reason for the hope within us. All of our success and failure is absorbed in Christ’s victory. We have total freedom to love without fear of loss, and drop our defenses without fear of defeat. If Christ is true, then we can’t lose; and if Christ isn’t true, then we can’t win.

C’mon guys, we can do better. If the God that we bear witness to actually exists, then He is the most reasonable and intellectual being in the universe. God is the author of reason and knowledge. We can listen to and love anyone with no fear that the truth will be lost. While we must stand ready to share our hope, we need never be defenders of the faith. To be a defender of the faith insinuates that the faith may be in peril if we do not adequately defend it; not so. Christ is our Defender, we are not His. Christ’s purpose will be carried out with or without our help. GOD WINS! He allows us to participate in victory and life with Him; He’s not quivering in his fortress hoping that we will prevail. We are free to listen, discuss, learn, teach, help, be helped, sympathize, empathize, comfort and love a world that desperately needs us. Let’s raise the bar and remember: God Wins.

John Monday

A Barrier to Revival . . . Me? by David Achata

I’ve been out of town this week, and I’ve had a chance to visit a number of church gatherings. This has caused me to think about what makes the difference between a church that is alive with the spirit of God and a church that is merely alive?

So, the day after Thanksgiving, I woke up early and listened to a sermon by Tim Keller called A Blueprint for Revival. I learned that, in the book of Acts, there’s a pattern for what happened when the early church experienced a revival:

1. The Church faced a great crisis
2. There was extraordinary seeking after God in prayer
3. A visitation by God happened
4. A community would be transformed

What I also learned was that there are four kinds of barriers found in scripture that can prevent revival from taking place:

1. Heterodoxy—people do not uphold the basic doctrines of the Bible
2. Orthodoxy—straight doctrine which has led to pride
3. Dead Orthodoxy—people have correct doctrine but have no grasp of how to live the Gospel
4. Defective Orthodoxy—over-concern for programs, too much talk about the gospel, and not enough doing or un-mortified sin

What struck me the most was the fourth barrier that prevents God from showing up among his people and transforming that community—Defective Orthodoxy. Tim Keller made a statement about Defective Orthodoxy that, “One man can sink the whole ship.” That really got me thinking—is it me? Am I the one man?

There’s a place in scripture where that same question was asked. If you’ll study the last supper, Jesus said, “One of you is going to betray me.” Yet, if you’ll notice NONE of the disciples said, “It’s Judas!—he’s always been shady . . . ” or, “It’s Thomas—he’s a doubter.” Rather, they ALL said, “IS IT ME?” Everyone questioned themselves. There was no finger pointing, no advice giving – only deep questioning of one’s own heart.

As I sat there on Black Friday morning watching the sun come up, I really searched my life. I don’t want to be the one man who sinks the ship. Do any of us really want to be that one person? I doubt it. Maybe it would be a good idea for each of us to spend some time praying, “Is it me?”

Imagine what our world would be like if everyone looked inward first before pointing the finger at someone else. How would your marriage, your family, or your church be different?

For more on this subject, download Tim Keller’s sermons A Blueprint for Revival, Parts 1 and 2 (http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/sermonlist/11). Also, study Matthew 26 and Mark 14.

David Achata

Branding Church by Jeff Cinquemani

I wasn’t old enough to appreciate the Hula Hoop craze that broke out in 1958, as I was just being born, but you can bet I was around to see most of the other crazes that hit us Baby Boomers between the 60’s and 70’s. It was an age of hard-hitting advertising and youth marketing that the world had never seen before. We watched Adidas, Calvin Klein and Izod take relatively cheap and inexpensive apparel and turn it into ultra high-priced, pretentious fashion statements. We saw companies like Winnebago, Harley Davidson, Ski Nautique, and Tupperwear not just make products, but form literal communities of loyalty and establish clubs formed solely for the reason of being with others who also loved that same product.

I think it was this kind of marketing exposure that gave me the idea to attempt my own “craze”: The AC Bike Company. It was pure genius. My friend Paul had bike part connections, and I had friends who loved biking. It was the perfect marriage. We would both build the bikes and then, because of our low overhead, sell them to all our friends at a margin that everyone would be happy about. As I shared the idea with my friends, I could tell by the look in their eyes that this idea had potential. Already I could see the anticipation of our new product line growing. By the next day my girlfriend at the time already had orders for five caps, fourteen t-shirts, and one pin, all with our “AC” logo. Could it get any better, I thought?

When I walked into his garage, the site where the proposed bike production would take place, I could tell Paul was less than excited. “What’s the problem?” I asked. “I don’t like it,” he shot back. “I don’t like the fact that we have people wanting to wear hats, and t-shirts and silly little pins but have no intension of ever even sitting on a quality AC bike.” My girlfriend was prepared for my “Purist” Partner. She began to eloquently explain the value of product branding and marketing. She tried to help him see that this strategy would pay off in the end as more and more people became familiar with the AC logo, but with each point Paul became increasingly hardened. Finally in frustration, she blurted, “Do you think that John Deere wants everyone who buys their little toy tractors, or caps, or ties to be a farmer? Of course not! They don’t care; they just want to make money, and they found out that their name makes money.”

That was all it took. Paul stated that he was out, and my dreams of being part owner of a huge bike company were over. Paul was not interested in selling a name or creating an image. He could care less about trinkets and flare. He wanted to build bikes for people who wanted the best, and anyone who would settle for less – in his mind – should not be part of that elite.

Now being a pastor, I see people like my friend Paul all over. I enjoy the conversations we have – some from a perspective of being a church member, and others from looking in from an “outsider’s” viewpoint. I think it’s important to wrestle with these issues, and though the church is not a company, we still must seriously consider the questions. “How far do we go to ‘popularize’ the church?” “Is there a point where our broad acceptance of others compromises our mission as a church?” “Does our brand loyalty to a particular church help or hurt us in the Kingdom of God?”

On one hand, I learned a lesson in image versus substance. On the other hand, Paul built one bike from this whole deal. It was a very good bike, but no one else has one.

Jeff Cinquemani

Being in Control by Tami Cinquemani

I am a control freak. This is not a surprising revelation to those who know me. I develop plans, and I make lists. I have a vision of how things “should” go, and I put great effort into accomplishing my goals. When disappointments and distractions occur, they are handled, and strategies are adjusted.

The holiday season is probably the time of year when my “condition” is the most apparent. The fact is, I love the holidays. I’m one of those crazy people that begin playing Christmas music in October, decorate before Thanksgiving, and if all goes as planned, have their shopping done and wrapped weeks before the actual event. And this year, my holidays got even better. It’s my turn to host Thanksgiving. That means my family from Chicago is flying down to Florida to enjoy a sunny southern Turkey Day! I couldn’t be more excited. I have made shopping lists. I have baked and cooked family recipes that are waiting in frozen anticipation. I send regular group e-mail updates between children, siblings, in-laws, and cousins. I am in my zone!

On the plus side – I’m very productive and reliable. On the other side – I can drive myself (and others) crazy . . . and be very annoying in the process. And then there’s the whole “letting go and letting God” thing. I don’t do that well.

Lately God’s had a lot of fun with me in this area. There are things I have been, and continue to, deal with that are causing me to consider the fact that I can’t control everything. My instinct is to stress out, regroup, and bring things back to the line I have drawn. But there is a part of me – a growing part – that sees the beauty of, and longs for the relief of, not having to be in control of every situation. I realize this means things won’t always turn out the way I have planned. I actually think I'm okay with that. Maybe it’s my advancing age and the realization that I don’t have the same level of energy I used to. I would like to believe it is also due to a maturing faith and a comfort in the trustworthiness of my God.

I believe there is a need and a place for those of us who find comfort in lists and plans. I’m just learning that place is in the arms of God.

Tami Cinquemani

A Church or a Country Club? by Chad Hess

Do you view the Hospital Church as a church or a country club? The question may seem strange – maybe even absurd - but there is an important distinction between the two. A country club is a place where people pay a membership fee in exchange for opportunities such as swimming, golf, tennis, meeting space, etc. Some clubs are exclusive and are often an excellent place to network with likeminded people. Some people treat their church the same way. They view church as a place where they expect to attend a worship service, to socialize with likeminded people, to give their money, and expect certain benefits in exchange. If they need help, the church should help. If they need space for a wedding or shower, the church should provide. These people think the church exists to meet their needs. I’m not saying that the church shouldn’t help its members with their needs, but there is a distinction that must be made in our understanding of church.

In Acts 2, the church was meeting each other’s needs. This is one critical distinction between a church and a country club. In a country club, the people belong to a country club, which is a separate institution. In a church, the people are the church. In Acts 2, it was not a separate entity caring for the needs of the people. It was the people who sold their property and gave it to each other, according to their needs.

Another important distinction between a church and a country club is that tithe and offerings are drastically different than a membership fee. We do not give our tithe and offering, we return our tithe and offering. We recognize that all our money comes from God, and we give it back to Him expecting nothing in return. Tithe also does not directly support the local church, but instead supports the larger organization.

In Andy’s sermons the last few weeks, he has challenged us to become engaged and take ownership in our church. It is the difference between going to church and being the church. He has also challenged us to find a place where we can serve expecting nothing in return. We do this because we recognize that we are the church. We do not serve because we think service is a membership requirement or a tit-for-tat exchange. If we are focused on the short-term reward for our service, we sacrifice the far greater eternal reward (Matthew 6). Our service is not done for ourselves or even for the local church, but rather for Jesus; the One who has given us far more than we can ever possibly repay.

Chad Hess