“Nana, is Papa showing pictures of his trip again?” It was the closing program for VBS 2000. The kids had been their predictable “cute”. The songs had been sung with great enthusiasm. The workers had been honored. The missions offering, being typically over and above the goal, had been wildly applauded. There was just five minutes left to go, and then the crowd would have cookies!
Having been asked to close the celebration with a simple gospel message, and wanting to make it visually clear, I had asked Travis Lockyer to create a few power-point images for me. As I stood to speak, Linda and Deborah rose to go get things moving in the kitchen. On the way from the back row to the Hospitality Center, five-year-old Deb, seeing my slides on the wall, asked, “Nana, is Papa showing pictures of his trip again?”
When you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder. That year we had been to Haiti. You cannot show enough portraits of poverty so as to effectively communicate the stench and despair. Nor can you verbally describe, in adequate terms, the experience of worshipping the Lord with those who have nothing, yet having Jesus, have the joy of having everything they need. And we had been to Greece to follow the path of the Apostle Paul; then onto Israel to “walk where Jesus walked”. Journal notes and albums of photos simply could not do justice to what we saw and heard. When you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder.
So the perfect description of the Baby of Bethlehem seems almost beyond reach. In fact, the Holy Spirit appears to wrestle with the language, trying to describe the indescribable. He chose at least 256 names for Jesus:
• “Wonderful”
• “Counselor”
• “Mighty God”
• “Everlasting Father”
• “Prince of Peace”
• “Lamb of God”
• “Savior”
• “King”
• “Lord Most High”
“And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” Luke 2:20
“And there was a prophetess, Anna (Grace)…and she was advanced in years…and at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38
Yet the Christ Child remains infinitely beyond description. No portrait does Him justice. No title says it all. If you have seen Him, can you explain Him? Indescribable, it seems, says it all. For, when you have personally seen and have experienced the awe of firsthand insight, it is a futile effort to try to explain in such clarity that others can grasp the wonder.
See you Christmas Eve, Church!
Pastor Tom
