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Divine Time - Episode VI

The Gift

Yo, because it’s Christmas, I gonna take a break from tha Divine Time series an’ spittin’ ‘bout Lazarus, Martha an’ Mary, an’ focus a minute on some thangz about this week, thiz holiday many of us celebrate. In addition to puttin’ up a Christmas tree (usually a conifer whether we be in Upper Michigan or Florida lol), madd bakin’ all sortz ‘o sweet treatz, an’ singin’ holiday songs an’ carols, we give each other gifts. In fact, dat gift-giving iz prolly tha main thang that consumes most of our time an’ energy (an scrilla lol) at this time o’ year.

But, it’s not the mess o’ madd muliple gifts peepz give each other that’s the basis, the reason, why Christmas iz celebrated—originally a pagan holiday dat was “sanctified” centuries ago. Itz one Gift, a solitary Gift, thatz the “Reason behind tha Season” so to speak. It’s the Gift of God…Himself…to us.

At a decisive moment in history, a moment on which our entire history turns (and benchmarked) God entered into our world in a way He hadn’t either before, or since. God the Son, took on human flesh. He became a man, actually The Man. He walked in our shoez—er—sandalz.

One fact that astonishes the very life outta me iz tha way God entered into our world and our life. Being God, he had a gazillion wayz to enter into human existence. He coulda come az a rival Emperor to Augustus Caesar the Emperor…and…“Divinity” of Rome. Or if dat wuz too high an’ mighty, he coulda come az a Roman Senator or general; he coulda been a Greek philosopher, a wealthy Phoenician merchant or a deep Persian mystic. But, God rejected those optionz. Incredibly, he chose to be born into a dirt-poor Jewish family, who were so poor, they couldn’t afford even tha Bethlehem Motel 6 fo Christmas. They had to settle for a cattle barn, where Jesus’ first crib—in all senses o’ dat word—wuz, a feeding trough for cows.

An it didn’t get much better az Jesus grew from a baby to a young’un to a man. Fam, Jesus lived in tha ‘hood. He lived in tha barrio of 1st Century Palestine—Nazareth. Now, I don’t know a lot about the Nazareth of Jesus’ day. But I do know itz rep weren’t any too good. Yo, peep Nathanael’s reply to his bwoy Philip when P spitz dat he’z found Jesus “the Messiah” an’ He from Nazareth: “Can anything good come from there?” Yo, I like the The Message translation: “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding?!”

So, Jesus wuz a Hebrew homebwoy. An’ he prolly wuz also a card-carrying member of the Nazareth AF of L, cuz he apprenticed an’ worked az a carpenter fo’ tha first 30 years of His earthly life. He knew what it iz like to get onez handz dirty. He ill knew what “sweat equity” wuz like. Yo, God experienced the highs an’ lows, the warp an’ woof of human life on earth to da fullest.

In one part of the Bible, it spitz dat Jesus “was tempted in all points az we are, yet witout sin.” Yo, in ALL pointz. Erry wack temptation dat we deal wit, Jesus also felt an’ dealt wit. Early in Jesus’ ministry, he iz swelled on by the devil--full cholo--fo’ 40 dayz, without food or drink. An, dat wasn’t tha only or last time in His life, either. So, when some of us spit dat God “understands” or dat He “knowz what you are going thru,” it ain’t jus shallow spillage or pious babble. Jesus been derre. He knowz loss—his close homie John the Baptist got his head chopped off. He knowz misunderstanding an’ powerful katz sweatin’ him—the scribez an’ Pharisees were on His back from day one. He knowz what itz like to be on the outz wit—an’ abused by--da po po’z—He wuz arrested—an beaten--az he wuz ill prayin’ His heart out an’ chillin’ wit His set. He knowz betrayal—Judas Iscariot flipped an’ turned him in. He knowz the deepest, wackest inner pain—Jesus sweated drops of blood axin’ God the Father to take away the “cup”of the Cross. He knowz Death an’ Hell—cuz hung naked on that Cross an’ felt Total Rejection: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me.” Yeah, fam, Jesus knowz…

But, Jesus also knowz Victory over sin, death…and Hell…and He’ll share it—freely—wit anyone who will claim Him an’ jump in wit Him. Ya see, Jesus, God the Son, is God’s Christmas gift to us. We need only open the hands of our heart an’ grab onto Him. We need to claim our share in Him, in what He has done, and in what He offers to do for, and in, us. We take His Cross instead of our efforts to pay for our sin and establish eternal peace with a Holy God. We decisively reject sin, az we know it, and as He continuously shows us, for we are now in His clique. We entrust our lives an’ souls into His loving care, so He will get our backs forever, no matter what’z goin’ on or how wack tha drama--confident He will get our backs. In gratitude, we offer our lives to Him, to do with as He wants, so He will live in us thru His Spirit, an’ be Himself thru us where we are, to those around us.

If U haven’t already, are you gonna accept The Gift? Are U gonna let the Jesus of History—of Eternity—live His life in yours? Will you freely offer yourself to Him, Who offers Himself to you?

Yo, what a Christmas gift…to Jesus…that would be…

eliz Navidad y Feliz Ano Nuevo, mi familia.

Next week: Divine Time--Episode VII. I’m out. Peace.

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