A Christmas Wish for my fellow Christians here on DA...

It is said that our Christian life is like a journey. The Pilgrim’s Progress comes to mind. I don’t see a lot of "Progress” today in our American church/culture though. It seems that we have our “new car”, a “new creation”, for our journey, but the only time we take it out is on weekend when we go back to the dealership from which we purchased it. We sit through a weekly seminar and learn about our car’s features. We learn how to maintain our new car. We decorate our car with the latest in bumper stickers and dash ornaments. We learn all about how those other cars from those other dealerships aren’t as good. We are indoctrinated in all the proper responses to hazards on the road. If we are really advanced, we may even have actually talked to the On-Star people or used the on-board navigation aids. Some of us may even train to be mechanics and learn every detail of every little thing under the hood. Ultimately though, at the end of the day, we head home feeling content and smug in our new car that, when we die, can honestly be said to be in great condition because it was only used to go to church on the weekends. So much for the journey…..

You see, it is far to easy for those of us that know what eschatology is or how to spell “hermeneutics” to get caught up in sermons or lectures that are more about increasing our knowledge than changing our lives. We are comfortable in our lives. We come home from church feeling well fed and like we really got into the “meat” of things with a better understanding of propitiation, but head-learning has become the pablum of the modern-day Pharisees. We have become a generation that either doesn’t care at all, or one that is more of a “come and see” one than a “go and tell” one. We need to stop trading LIVING our Christianity for LEARNING our Christianity.

So, my hope for each of you, as we approach this holiday season and a new year, is that you journey farther and faster than you ever have. What’s the point of having a new car if it stays in the garage? My prayer for you in 2008 is that your “car” be seen by more people than ever and that more people are drawn to the Car Giver, the Ultimate Caregiver, than ever before.
Daniel
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”