Kings
It has been written that:
If your land has no rain and the soil is dry, you spend your days irrigating it. If your land grows olive trees, you harvest olives. Yet, If your land is rich beyond history’s wildest dreams, you go shopping.
Soon, there will be Thanksgiving, and then comes Black Friday.
Now, I’m as cultural as the next person, and while I look forward to eating Turkey and pie on Thanksgiving, would you believe, I don’t look forward to shopping on Black Friday.
Oh, I’ve been tempted in the past, I’ve even had car keys in my hand… But let me assure you, less you think I don’t support the economy, I have bought something… every other day of the year.
But, you see, telling the people to buy into their culture, so to speak, is what got God’s country into trouble in the first place.
The book of Jeremiah complains that even the king and prophets (profits) were on a commercial kick, selling the country a bill of Goods which was good for the economy yet really bad for their spirituality.
What the people really need for Christmas, Jeremiah says, is not more shopping, but a king—not a new thing, but a new king- a king of kings
What they really needed, wasn’t simply a strong economy, but rather a good theology- the theology of true holidays- Holy Days, for they had forgotten what that meant.
But that was then, what does the Bible have to do with today?
Honestly, what is the difference between Black Friday and Good Friday?
Perhaps, while Black Friday begins the Christmas shopping season,
Good Friday shows us the true costs and God’s reasons for the seasons.
God gave his only son for Christmas, for Christians and for the world… it’s (by) buy his blood that we were bought for a price- a good price indeed, but a very high price for higher purposes…
“Through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”
Now, The cross isn’t Jesus’ selling point, it’s his savings point.
Jesus would rather save than sell.
The criminals next to Jesus would rather steal, the soldiers casting lots would rather gamble, and the leaders would rather ridicule; so what is a person to do before our king, or do we not fear God?
And what is a King to do above such people?
Well, Jesus the king, doesn’t say go shopping it’s Christmas-time,
Jesus the king, offers something that no person can buy, but which is the best thing we can have, and Jesus doesn’t have to sell it to us- he just gives to us God’s forgiveness.
The reason for the season is for-giving, not for shopping.
The reason for the season is forgiving which all begins with Thanksgiving.
So then let us give thanks to God our King of Kings
for giving us forgiveness, forgiving us- Forgiveness.
Thank God for “Thanks-Give-Kings”
