It Can Take Time to Connect the Dots

Did you ever play “connect the dots” as a child? Maybe you had an activities book with pages for coloring, word-finds, tic-tac-toe and other games. You’d turn to a page with an incomplete illustration; to determine what the object was, you’d draw lines to link the numbered dots. It might turn out to be a duck, a donkey, the Eiffel Tower, or an ice cream cone. You didn’t know what it was until you’d connected all the dots.

 

Life can be like that. As we’re going through it, it might seem like a random assortment of twists and turns, exits and on-ramps, with some unknown destination. It seems confusing as we plod through life’s circumstances one day at a time, but through the beauty of hindsight we can glance backward and find order in the chaos.

 

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, once observed about the course life takes, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." 

 

Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. A description for much of my life, particularly my working career, could be, “You can’t get there from here. You have to go someplace else first.” I was born in Germany, where my father was stationed in the U.S. Army. We traveled to the United States by ship and eventually settled in New Jersey. After high school I attended college in Texas, then transferred to a university in Ohio to study journalism. 

 

My 10-year career as a newspaper editor took me from a community newspaper in Ohio to a suburban newspaper in Pennsylvania, back to the Ohio newspaper, and finally to Texas. Next, I moved my family to Chattanooga, where I joined the staff of a Christian ministry, and 17 years later, a sister ministry with an international focus. After three years I became part of the team for a non-profit based in Atlanta. Can you see the convoluted path my career has taken?

 

All I can say in summary is that God has done “immeasurably more than all [I could] ask or imagine…” (Ephesians 3:20). During this journey of more than 50 years, some of the changes I made didn’t make a lot of sense. However, as Jobs said, even though I couldn’t connect the dots looking forward, I now can connect them looking backward.

 

As Christians all around the world prepare for the annual observances of Good Friday and Easter, we might apply the same “connecting the dots” principle to what we now know about Jesus Christ. The Bible’s Old Testament contains numerous prophecies about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ, all made hundreds, even thousands of years before God took on flesh and invaded this world. Here’s a handful of examples:

 

From the prophet Micah we read, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth from Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2). Jesus, of course, was born in Bethlehem.

 

The prophet Isaiah prophesied, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). In Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 1:26-35 we read about a virgin, Mary, who was pledged to marry Joseph. The angel Gabriel tells her that God has chosen her to be mother to the Son of God, and the passage states, “…they will call Him ‘Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

 

Isaiah 9:1-7 is one of the longest prophecies in the Old Testament, describing Jesus’ ministry centered in Galilee. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned…. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

 

Jesus’ crucifixion was prophesied in Psalm 22:14-16, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me…. Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evildoers has encircled me; they have pierced my hands and my feet…. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” Zechariah 12:10 says, “…They look on me, the one they have pierced….”

 

The crucifixion accounts are included in each of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. What’s especially interesting about the Old Testament crucifixion prophecies is they were made hundreds of years before the Romans invented that heinous, excruciating form of execution.

 

And Christ’s resurrection from the dead – also reported in each of the gospels – was prophesied in Psalm 16:9-10, “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices…because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.”

I wonder, as these prophecies were being made, if the prophets had any idea of how they would be fulfilled by Jesus in such spectacular fashion. Those men of old might have struggled to “connect the dots,” but we can today as we look backward with 20:20 vision through the pages of history. 

God Isn’t Distant or Indifferent – He’s Immanuel

Over the years many people have labored to express their perceptions about God. One common view is that even if He did set the entire universe in motion, He’s now like an absentee landlord. That God is far-removed in the distant cosmos, either totally disinterested in what’s happening on earth or passively observing without any desire for getting directly involved.

 

That perception – or misconception, because that’s what it is – finds no support in the Bible, the Word of God. In one of the numerous Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah, we’re told, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The meaning of this is clarified in one of the accounts of Jesus’ birth: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘…they will call Him Immanuel,’ which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

In the person of Jesus Christ, God took on human flesh to experience what we all experience, to teach and serve as an example of how to live, to die on the cross for our sins, and to rise from the dead to demonstrate victory over death so we can be assured of eternal life. But even after Jesus’ ascension, the Lord didn’t remove Himself from involvement in our everyday lives.

 

His last recorded words before ascending to heaven, He declared, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). How could this be possible? As Jesus explained to His disciples, He was giving them – and us – the Holy Spirit, whom theologians term the third Person of the Trinity.

 

He said, “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth…He lives in you and will be with you” (John 14:16-17). Then Jesus added, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

 

Among the many distinctions between Christianity and every other religion, one that stands out in particular is that God is not a far-off, uninvolved, detached deity. From the first book of the Bible to the last, we find the Lord very much engaged in the goings-on of His creation. 

 

He walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before their sin of disobedience. God instructed and guided Noah in the building of the ark. He assured childless Abram and Sarai that even in their old age they would have a son, fulfilling that promise after they had obeyed Him in leaving their former home. 

 

The Lord interacted directly with Jacob, renaming him Israel and making him the progenitor of the children of Israel. He gave the 10 commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai after delivering the enslaved Israelites from Egypt, and appointed Joshua to lead them into the Promised Land.

 

Scanning the Scriptures, there has never been a time when God has not been with us. As King David wrote so exquisitely, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there…. When I awake, I am still with You” (Psalm 139:7-18).

 

God spoke through prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea and Micah, and then came the glorious moment when the prophecy was fulfilled: “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

 

The human mind struggles to comprehend how an eternal, infinite God can also be omnipresent – everywhere. And yet by faith we can believe and know this is true. Someone once asked the eminent American astronomer Henry Norris Russell, “How is it possible for such a great and infinite God to have time for me?” Russell replied, “An infinite God can dispatch the affairs of this universe in the twinkling of an eye, thus giving Him plenty of time for you.”

 

The magnitude of God taking on human flesh, as a baby and then as a man, is greater than any of us can fully grasp. But knowing that it includes the assurance that God is with us – always has been and always will be – should fill us with joy during another season of celebrating Christ’s birth. 

Can’t Have Christmas Without a Cross

When we think of Christmas, many images immediately come to mind: Santa Claus. Flying reindeer. Christmas trees. Brightly wrapped and ribboned gifts around the tree. The traditional Nativity scene featuring Mary, Joseph, the Christ Child, shepherds, barnyard animals, maybe some Magi (aka wisemen). 

Increasingly, for me a cross must be included among these images – because if it weren’t for the cross of Christ, there would be no Christmas. No need for it.

 

If I were a painter, or even a sketch artist, I’d figure out a way to present a shadow of a cross cast across the makeshift crib in which the infant lay. Even if it seems a bit crass, especially in light of romanticized imagery of the humble surroundings for Jesus’ birth, His foremost purpose in taking on human form wasn’t not to teach, provide a living example, or perform miracles. It was to die.

 

The Gospel of John clearly presents the good news that was initiated with the birth of the Son of God. We’re told, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Another gospel, Matthew, expands upon that truth: “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

 

But a baby’s arrival the usual human way was just the start of what we understand by the term “God incarnate” – God in the flesh. If that’s all it amounted to, He could have simply arranged for snapshots to be taken that we could share and enjoy. Just as the birth of any child marks its emergence into the physical world, the birth of Jesus represented just the start of what’s been called by some, “the greatest story ever told.”

 

In John 3:16 we read the famous declaration, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” However, this love – and this gift – meant much more than the Lord being able to understand human existence. 

 

Because in another New Testament book we’re told, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This did not come as a surprise to God. In fact, it was part of His divine plan from time immemorial. 

 

We find this prophecy from thousands of years earlier: “But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). From the very beginning of time, humankind has had a tremendous problem – a sin problem. One for which we had no remedy. 

 

Romans 3:23 presents the bad news, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our sins have separated us from God, and we have no capability for doing anything about that. But a subsequent verse, Romans 6:23, tells us there’s hope: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Returning to the Gospel of John, we discover more about this gift. It says, “Yet to all who received Him [God’s gift], to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Any gift, regardless of its worth, must be received to be of any benefit. The same is true for this greatest of all gifts. It is available to all who will both receive and believe.

 

Imagine showing up for the family Christmas gathering and while gifts are being exchanged, someone folds his or her arms and smugly says, “I don’t want it.” The gift had been thoughtfully planned; effort was extended to acquire it; the cost was fully considered. It was perfect. Yet the chosen recipient refused to accept it, not even bothering to see what it was.

 

This, sadly, is what many people do with the offered gift of salvation, forgiveness, redemption and eternal life. They may glance fondly at the quaint and serene Nativity scene, but refuse to consider the cross and its immeasurable cost to God. That is the tragedy of all tragedies.

 

Perhaps this Christmas, as we gather in our churches to sing “Away in a Manger,” it would be fitting also to sing the words of “The Old Rugged Cross.” Because without it, the babe in a manger in a small, inconspicuous town in ancient Judea wouldn’t even be a footnote in history. 

 

But there was a cross. The Cross. Because of it we have this promise: “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Christ was born – and He died – so that we might live. Live for Him. That’s why we can truly have a merry and joyous Christmas! 

Little Town That Became Birthplace to Something Great

We’ve heard it said that big things often come in small packages. This time of year, that could refer to a towering inflatable Santa Claus for the front lawn, a cute little puppy that will grow into a humongous Labradoodle, or an engagement ring that leads to a marriage and five kids. And who can forget that from little acorns great oak trees grow?

However, for the true essence of Christmas, there’s nothing bigger to have come out of a small package than the quiet, obscure village in Israel called Bethlehem where 2,000 years ago a baby was born who grew up to become the Savior of the world.

 

Back then, for those who studied and analyzed biblical prophesies, Bethlehem becoming the birthplace for the promised Messiah wasn’t a total surprise. After all, this had been foreseen in an Old Testament book: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2).

 

And when wise men from the East arrived at the doorstep of a tiny house in Bethlehem where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus were still residing, they had determined their destination and timed their arrival in part because of what the prophet Micah had written. The fact that this long-awaited fulfillment of prophecy didn’t experience His nascent moments in a large metropolis, such as Jerusalem, didn’t seem to bother them in the slightest.

Frequently we hear of a legendary athlete who was raised in some humble hamlet, or a celebrated starlet who spent her youth in a nondescript town. But in all of human history, there never was any to compare with Immanuel – “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) – who was given the earthly name of Jesus, or in. the Hebrew, Y'shua. 

 

He grew up not only to become an unparalleled teacher and role model, healer and miracle worker, but also to perform the most selfless act of all time: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

 

Singing the beloved little carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, inspires visions of a small stable sheltering a young couple holding an infant swaddled in cloths that had been intended to protect sacrificial lambs, and some curious visitors – shepherds, barnyard animals, and perhaps a multitude of angels staying out of sight. But there was no press corps to cover the event. CNN, Fox News and the networks weren’t even figments of someone’s wild imaginations. Was this a miscalculation by God?

 

It was no mistake in the least. It was the perfect plan of the Creator God, desiring to rescue – redeem – His people from having to pay a price they could never pay. As Philippians 2:7-8 declares, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

 

Jesus’ incomparable, yet hardly noticed birth became the pivot point for all of humanity. He came not only to die in our place, but also to live in human form so that He, more than anyone else, would be able to say when we pray and share with Him our pain, struggles, adversities and fears, “I understand.” As we’re told in Hebrews 4:15-16,

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way – just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

And that is why we can all remember a quaint little town and say, with one accord, “Merry Christmas!” 

Crosswords, and Important Last Words

Being the “wordsmith” some people describe me to be, I find doing crosswords an enjoyable pastime. I have smartphone apps that challenge my word skills, and occasionally I work crossword puzzles in the newspaper. But this time of year, a different kind of “crosswords” comes to mind.

As Good Friday and Easter approach, our church presented a series of messages titled, “Crosswords,” exploring words of Jesus Christ linked to His crucifixion. In reviewing the biblical accounts, two “cross words” caught my attention in particular, ones that can be truly life-changing, if only we can grasp their magnitude both for now and for eternity.

         The words are: Forgive and finished.

Despite the excruciating pain and trauma of the cross, Jesus managed to utter several things as He endured His tortuous – and totally undeserved – execution. But in those two words He largely summed up His purpose in willingly enduring the cross.

As He hung from it, surrounded by a mainly angry, blood-thirsty mob spewing venomous insults and epithets, Jesus would have been fully justified in spitting at them, or returning their verbal abuse. Despite incomprehensible pain – coupled with great sorrow in being rejected by so many – He felt compassion instead, and called for grace. “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:34).

Simple words, “forgive them,” carrying volumes of meaning. Who among us has never yearned for forgiveness for wrongs committed? Sometimes we find it futile even to forgive ourselves. Also, who hasn’t struggled to forgive others for pain they’ve inflicted on us, intentional or not? Yet in saying, “forgive them,” even on the cross Jesus was interceding, asking God the Father to extend mercy, to offer what His enemies – including us today – did not deserve. Forgiveness, once and for all.

With those two words, Jesus was not only assuring each one of us that we can experience forgiveness from the God of all creation, but also was telling us that it’s incumbent upon us all that we, too, forgive. Pastor and author John MacArthur has made the observation, “Never are you more like God than when you forgive.” Many are quick to observe, “God is love,” asserting we should act in kind. But we’re not as fast to recognize the equal truth that God is forgiving – as we should be.

But Jesus was not quite done, even in His dying moments. Upon taking a sip of wine vinegar lifted to his lips on the stalk of a plant, Jesus’ last words were, “’It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

The word “finished” was not referring to the conclusion of His earthly life, but the culmination of His mission, His purpose for being God incarnate – “God with us,” as Matthew 1:23 expresses it. Some saw Jesus as a great teacher, or a prophet. Today some regard Him as a model, an eminent example of right living. But Jesus walked among us for much more than that.

He came to become the Savior of mankind, the propitiation for sins, the atoning sacrifice. John 3:16-17 informs us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” He was the promised Messiah who had been prophesied thousands of years before.

In coming to Earth, Jesus arrived to address an unsolvable, irreconcilable problem confronting humankind: Sin. We don’t often hear people talking about sin these days, even preachers, except in giddy conversation. But to God, there’s no humor in sin; not in the least. Sin was so serious, He took upon Himself its punishment, satisfying His justice and absorbing His wrath, while offering a singular way for men, women and children to experience an everlasting, living relationship with Him.

All that needed to be done was done, except for us to receive the free gift He offered.

Two “cross words” – forgiveness and finished. So, as we contemplate the gathering darkness of Good Friday, and the exquisite jubilation of Easter, let’s keep both in our minds, and on our hearts.