By Jadi Rodriguez, FAITH RXD Board of Director, FAITH RXD Houma Chapter Director and Chaplain.
FITNESS WORKOUT
The Mindset
It is the most wonderful time of the year! (How many of you were able to read that without singing it in your head?) Let’s get into a mindset of glorification. That is what this message and this workout is all about! Pray before you start, pray while you exercise, and pray when you finish. Give praise and thanks, and keep in mind, “Immanuel!” as you move, “God with us!”
The Workout
2 RFT
95/65
21 squat cleans
21 chest to bars
21 squat snatches
21 toes to bar
21 min cap
FAITH WORKOUT
Reading
Luke 2:1-21
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Message
Christmas has always been a tough time of the year for me. In my past, as an atheist, it was annoying, angry, and sad. As a Christian, it is now joyful and splendid, yet, I lament because we are losing the cultural tug of war between followers of Christ and the enemy.
Allow me to explain.
We may not spell it X-mas, like my former atheist-self, but are we still guilty of removing “Christ” from “Christmas” as believers?
Before you answer that, let’s look at the above scripture reading and take a closer look. There are two things I want us to focus on. One, is the reaction of the heavenly host that was present with the angel at the news of the coming of Christ. Two, is the number of times we see the glory of God expressed during the story- three times to be exact.
- In Verse 9, “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.”
- In Verses 13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’”
- In Verse 20. “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
The glory of God is something that should be present at Christmas. Specifically, it should be overtly apparent in a believer’s Christmas.
So let me ask you, “Does your Christmas glorify God?”
I think the answer to that question requires a deeper dive into the word. Allow me to copy and paste from Wikipedia to emphasize what I am trying to teach:
The term doxa is an ancient Greek term (δόξα) that comes from the verb dokein (δοκεῖν), meaning ‘to appear, to seem, to think, to accept’.[1]
Between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE, the term picked up an additional meaning when the Biblical Hebrew word for ‘glory’ (כבוד, kavod) was translated by the Septuagint as doxa. This translation of the Hebrew scriptures was used by the early Church, causing the term to be frequently used in the New Testament. The term is also used in the worship services of the Greek Orthodox Church, where the glorification of God in true worship is also seen as true belief. In that context, doxa reflects behavior or practice in worship, and the belief of the whole church rather than personal opinion.
If you are really nerdy like me, you just totally geeked out how the word “glory” reveals the appropriate practice of Christmas. If you are a little more like my wife, you do not get excited about the complexities, and, instead, like things to be cut and dry, straight to the point. So here I go!
To glorify Christ in Christmas means to worship Him through behavior that reflects knowledge of God’s Word. Know what this reminds me of? The CrossFit athlete who claims they do CrossFit but sacrifices intensity for the sake of RX-ing every workout. The CrossFit athlete who cherry-picks workouts they do not like and only does the same things over and over that they are good at. The CrossFit athlete who does not uphold the standards of functional movements and refuses to fully extend or squat below parallel.
CrossFit is functional movement, constantly varied, at high intensity. So if you claim to love CrossFit and do CrossFit, how can you lack intensity, cherry-pick workouts, and not ensure the functionality of the movements?
Simply put, you are not doing CrossFit if you do not stick to the definition of CrossFit. In the same way, you are not glorifying Christ in Christmas if you are celebrating Christmas in ways that do not worship as a believer with knowledge of His Word.
So here are four ways I think we can glorify Christ in Christmas:
1. Make it a point to kick off the Christmas season.
Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
This year my wife and I agreed to start a new tradition in our home. We would withhold Christmas until after eating Thanksgiving lunch and immediately after the Cowboys won the game.
Yes, I know. The Cowboys lost. America lost. But the tradition won. The tree was put up, Mariah opened up through our Alexa in the living room with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” like Carry Underwood on Sunday night football.
Christmas could officially begin!
The decorations came out, the lights, the ornaments, the tree topper, the reef, the whole nine yards! It was a time to celebrate.
When we are intentional about carving out a difference between the time of the year when we were without Christ, and when we prepare for his coming, we glorify God.
Do you know what the culmination of the CrossFit season is? The Games. And yet, the Thursday of the first Open announcement is the biggest day of the season. Because we are kicking off a time where the community comes together to enjoy fitness.
Kickoffs are essential because they signal something new. I invite you to kick off Christmas next time with your loved ones, and do it with intention.
2. Meditate on the Christology
John 10:24-38
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Too often, Christians go through Christmas without giving the appropriate time to the miracle of Christmas. Too many Christians claim the faith and are not aware of Christology. That is the doctrine of God incarnate, in human form, Immanuel, God with us.
The Christmas story is not about baby Jesus being born from a Virgin and coming to the world like any other human. It is far more complex and should be given far more reverence. The story of Christmas is the story of the Creator of the cosmos making himself incarnate, flesh and bones, and humbling himself to come to dwell amongst His creation!
Jesus is entirely God and fully human. That is the mystery of Christology. It is something that should be in your minds and in your hearts at Christmas.
I want to go back to my story of my wife and me kicking off Christmas. In my house, with the tree, ornaments, and decorations while the music blasted. I had carved out a Christmas playlist on Spotify for us to play as we decorated the tree and got into the spirit.
- All I Want For Christmas Is You
- It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
- Jingle Bell Rock
Those are shamefully the first three songs on my playlist. And we were smiling and laughing and joyfully going about our new tradition. Until 15 songs later. Let that sink in. 15 songs later, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” came through our Alexa speakers.
Like a sword through my heart, with both tears of shame and joy, I thought about what had happened. In my furious intent to kickoff Christmas to glorify God, I had put the culture before Christology.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the songs mentioned above that played before “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” I’m saying that I missed the mark. It was not until I took a pause in our kickoff to meditate on the sweet miracle. My almighty creator became flesh for the atonement of my sins that I truly allowed Christ into our Christmas. Our playlist is going to look a little different next year.
3. Give! Make yourself an altar, and give your broken spirit and heart.
Psalm 51:16-17
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
I’m not going to dance around it. I loathe the consumerism of Christmas. There is far too much emphasis on giving lavish gifts, sitting around the tree, and opening presents. It flat out disgusts me. I have been part of family gatherings where I want to stand up and scream because the whole point of Christmas has been lost.
“How is God glorified in this?!” I want to scream at the top of my lungs.
I rather sit quietly and say nothing. Granted, you can see in my face that something is wrong. But for the sake of unity, love, and fellowship, I just sit there and choose not to participate in it. I wonder how one day I will address it. I don’t know; for now, I prefer to just be different and let our actions speak for themselves.
My point is this, be generous in your giving at Christmas. But not the giving of the world. Rather be generous biblically in your giving to God. THAT would glorify Him so much more!
Do not rob from Jesus to buy presents. Give to your local church. Support ministries that progress the kingdom. Above all, give your broken spirit and heart to the Lord. Come to Him, no matter how long it has been, no matter how far you have drifted.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
That is the best gift you can give Jesus this Christmas. And I promise, if you do, the consumerism and materialism of Christmas will have no room in your life. The rest will take care of itself.
4. Pray.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Praying gets our mindset right before we do anything. I recommend you always pray without ceasing. I mean, that is, after all, what scripture tells us. I highly recommend you pray before you get out of your car and head into a Christmas party that looks more like an X-mas party. I recommend you pray before you open presents. I recommend you pray as a family before heading to bed on Christmas Eve. I recommend you pray before you decorate the tree. I recommend you pray.
And I pray that this message finds you both broken and joyful. Broken in your convictions of the glory of God at Christmas, and joyful that our King forgives us for those same things. Joyful and hopeful for our first and last Christmas when we finally leave this world and go be glorified in Christ.
I pray.
QUESTIONS FOR GROUP DISCUSSION OR PERSONAL JOURNALING:
- What was the workout like for you? Did God reveal anything to you while you did it?
- What did you think of the four practices Jadi outlines? Is there one that stands out more than others?
- In what ways were you challenged by in today’s message?
