Happy Christmas and New Year Dear Reader,
Sooner or later we begin to see that faith and following come
down to some very simple things. As we
move through the Twelve Days of Christmas we come to the simplest and most
complex of junctures. People have tried
to secularize Christmas both aggressively and passively. One cannot.
One can try to minimize or marginalize the presence of Jesus
in Christmas but the problem with this is obvious. The day is called CHRISTmas. The day is a celebration of Christ. Much of the world has successfully diminished
the celebration down to a day or two. Christ
is no longer the center of the celebration in most homes. What we must eventually face is the choice of
whether we honor and celebrate Jesus or not.
This binary choice leads to a never-ending path of binary
choices. This name, Jesus, changes
everything. We can pretend that it does
not but we lie to ourselves in doing so.
We forget that the babe in the manger becomes the Rock that will
eventually crush all evil. He is the
stone over which we stumble and must choose our path from that encounter. He becomes the stone that is our barrier or
he becomes the stone that is our foundation and cornerstone.
We have moved into an era where the name of Jesus is used
more as an epithet than a source of hope.
We have done a pitiful job of keeping his name out of the mire due to
our actions. Jesus, however, is
unstainable. He is still the one about
whom all the fuss is. He does not need
our acknowledgment to be who he is.
Today we are reminded of the power, splendor, and love embedded
in the name of Jesus. There will come a
day, Dear Reader, when everyone will acknowledge this. It will not be forced. It will be the natural response to understanding
who Jesus is. We get to choose if this
is a new thing or if we are used to it and have the joy of having done so all
along.
Our belief now will become scandalous to many. We already see that being a Christian is no
longer seen and a banner of good in the world.
This is as much our fault as it is those who oppose us. It is at the heart of why we must become
lovingly unoffendable in a world addicted to being offended. It is why our journey must be under the name
of Jesus and not some organization or label.
As we celebrate this season in preparation for the rest of the year, let
us remember that we carry the name of Jesus with us. I must see that as both a great honor and a
huge responsibility.
Scandalon
– Michael Card
The seers and the prophets had foretold it long ago
That the long-awaited one would make men stumble
But they were looking for a king to conquer and to kill
Who'd have ever thought He'd be so meek and humble
Chorus
He will be the truth that will offend
them one and all
A stone that makes
men stumble
And a rock that makes
them fall
Many will be broken
so that He can make them whole
And many will be
crushed and lose their own soul
Along the path of life there lies a stubborn Scandalon
And all who come this way must be offended
To some He is a barrier, To others, He's the way
For all should know the scandal of believing
He will be the truth that will offend them one and all
A stone that makes men stumble
And a rock that makes them fall
Many will be broken so that He can make them whole
And many will be crushed and lose their own soul
It seems today the Scandalon offends no one at all
The image we present can be stepped over
Could it be that we are like the others long ago?
Will we ever learn that all who come must stumble?
He will be the truth that will offend them one and all
A stone that makes men stumble
And a rock that makes them fall
Many will be broken so that He can make them whole
And many will be crushed and lose their own soul
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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