Puppet Show and Advent Wreaths

In the great mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, an aging rock band faces the reality that their popularity is waning. With a concert cancelled in Boston, their manager comforts them by saying, "Boston isn't much of a college town anyway." When they hear their song on the radio it is followed by a deejay who says the band is "currently residing in the where are they now file."

The best moment is when they are upstaged by another act. A marquee at an amusement park reads, "Puppet Show and Spinal Tap." When they arrive, the (new) manager complains, "If I told them once, I told them a thousand times. Put the band's name first, puppet show after."



I was reminded of this when I saw the Christmas decorations at a nearby university, a university with a Christian heritage. Find the Christian symbol among the competitors, if you can. (Hint: Don't bother looking for a manger scene.)





Clearly Advent has been reduced, by some, to the opening act for a range of holidays that celebrate a range of gods.


Yet far more powerfully, Advent is the opening act of the great moment in history when heaven came to earth, salvation came to the needy, and God became man. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus ushered in the fulfillment of promises made through the Hebrew prophets for centuries, and the fulfillment of all humanity's deepest longings. Not another religion where men would climb to God through great religious performances, but restoration and transformation offered by a God who forgives, redeems, and restores.


There is no other religion like this, nor will there ever be. There are indeed imitators, but these all reverse the message: men create God, find God, pacify God, reach God, become God. Some do this even in the name of Jesus himself, as he warned they would. Yet through Jesus Christ, the rescuing hand of God is extended outward to all who believe. God loves his enemies, saves them from themselves, and grants them true life.


If Jesus' birth was the opening act, the performance didn't end there - nor did it end with his death and resurrection. His promise to build his church continues to be fulfilled around the globe. In America, those who preach an unadulterated gospel - who make Jesus the main event rather than an opening act or sideshow - continue to experience growth. In places like China and Korea, the gospel witness is strong and the church has grown dramatically.


Jesus isn't content with popularity, however. In fact, he often resists it. He is much more concerned that his message be communicated accurately, even if that means losing a few fans. Because when that happens, people can hear for themselves...and be saved from themselves.