Merry Christmas!

I want to wish all readers of my blog a Merry Christmas! Two Christmas collects from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer: "Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen." "God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen." "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

A Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

O LORD, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

- 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My Dad, George Thomas Wingard, Jr., turned 87 today. He won't see this post because he doesn't have a computer. He toyed with one a few years ago, but I don't think he found much to like about it. So, I'll call him later today with birthday greetings.

Dad was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1923. This is one of my favorite pictures from the family farm (l-r: Dad, Aunt Martha, and Uncle John):

Dad is a World War II combat veteran. He fought at the Battle of the Bulge, which commenced on December 16, 1944 - his twenty-first birthday. I am very proud of his service to our country.

When I was 11, Dad returned to the ministry. His exemplary care for congregations at Smyrna and Rock Island, Tennessee contributed to my desire to become a minister. He was a model pastor, visiting, caring and praying for his flock.

I am grateful to God for a Dad who has encouraged and counselled me throughout my life and ministry.

Congratulations, Roy Hubbard!

Congratulations to Roy Hubbard, who was ordained to the gospel ministry on December 12, 2010 at Westminster's evening service. Roy will serve as Reformed University Fellowship campus minister at Alabama A&M.

2010 Huntsville Marathon

Saturday was a perfect day for the 2011 Huntsville Marathon. Thomas had a good time - 3:59. I rolled in about 2 hours later. As always, the Huntsville Track Club, Fleet Feet, and the Huntsville Police Department team together to support the runners.

A Prayer for the Third Sunday of Advent

O LORD Jesu Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

- 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Imitating Christ (2)

To have the mind of Christ is to imitate the incarnation (Philippians 2:1-11). To follow in Christ’s footsteps is to suffer injustice willingly for the sake of the gospel. Suffering for righteousness presses the claims of Christ upon the very hearts of our enemies (1 Peter 1:21-25). At his incarnation our Lord, who, being in very nature God, did not cling to his position of majesty, but made himself nothing. By setting aside his position of heavenly dignity, the eternal Son of God renounced his rights and assumed the very nature of a servant. God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, equal in power and glory with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, humbled himself and was made in human likeness. He loved the people he came to save to the utmost as he became obedient to death – even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Look at the self-impoverishing journey of our Lord’s life: from the heights of heaven he descends to Bethlehem, to a life of suffering for righteousness, to the cross, and to the grave. And all for our sakes! Through his poverty we come to share the riches of heavenly glory. Yet the message of the incarnation is not merely of historical interest. It calls us to a way of life. Christians are to imitate the incarnation. Imitating the incarnation lies at the heart of authentic Christianity. I wonder if we really understand that how we treat each other in the body of Christ depends on whether the profound truth of the incarnation grips our souls. Paul commands, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Because the Lord humbled himself to serve us, so we humble ourselves to serve one another. To be motivated by selfish ambition or vain conceit is to sin not only against the church, but to sin against the Savior of the church, the blessed Lord Jesus. At the heart, then, of authentic Christianity is the virtue of humility. To be sure, humility has its counterfeits. Neither self-deprecation nor service in pursuit of public recognition should be confused with genuine humility. On the contrary, humility is present when we consider others better than ourselves. We are imitators of our Lord’s incarnation when we look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3,4). Are you imitating the incarnation? Ask yourself: What is the condition of my thought life? When my thoughts turn to other people, do I consider others better than myself? Do I think not only of my own interests, but also of the interests of others? How do I treat those closest to me, especially my family? Is there an enormous gap between my behavior in public and my behavior when I’m alone with my family? Would my spouse and children view me as a person who imitates the incarnation? Do I consider the interests of others only when others will recognize and praise me? Do I prize the church as the body of believers for whom Christ humbled himself and died? Do I love the church? Am I willing to imitate the incarnation by giving myself in humble service to the church? When I look to the interests of others am I motivated by gratitude for Jesus’ own humbling of himself for me? Do I delight in fellowship with the Holy Spirit as I serve Christ’s people? Do I anticipate sharing in the exaltation Christ now enjoys when he comes again? Do you desire to imitate Christ more closely? There is no magic pathway to Christlikeness. We imitate most closely those we long to be closest to. Thus, there is great insight in Robert Murray McCheyne’s famous words, “What a man is alone on his knees before God, that he is, and no more.” But imitating Christ is not an endeavor undertaken in isolation. God’s people grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ as they assemble for worship. The ministry of the word and the nourishment of the Lord’s Table are the very means God uses to give us the mind of Christ. My prayer for our church is that we will make the gospel beautiful before the world as we imitate Christ. May each of us strive to walk so closely with Jesus that we can say with Paul, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

"Wholesale Returns of Conjecture"

My friend Lynne J. forwarded me this quote from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi:

“In the space of one hundred and seventy-six years the Lower Mississippi has shortened itself two hundred and forty-two miles. That is an average of a trifle over one mile and a third per year. Therefore, any calm person, who is not blind or idiotic, can see that in the Old Oolitic Silurian Period, just a million years ago next November, the Lower Mississippi River was upward of one million three hundred thousand miles long, and stuck out over the Gulf of Mexico like a fishing-rod. And by the same token any person can see that seven hundred and forty-two years from now the Lower Mississippi will be only a mile and three-quarters long, and Cairo and New Orleans will have joined their streets together, and be plodding comfortably along under a single mayor and a mutual board of aldermen. There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investment of fact.”

Sermons on Isaiah (7:10-17)

(A sermon on Isaiah, preached December 5, 2010.)

Isaiah 7:10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”

Packed into these verses are sublime Christian doctrines and life-altering truths.

Let’s begin with the cast of characters. Ever heard of a man caught between a rock and a hard place? That’s Ahaz, a king of Judah, Israel’s southern kingdom, where the descendants of David sat on the throne and where the faithful waited for the coming Messiah, David’s greater son. But Ahaz is in a tough place. The rock is the Assyrian war machine that is on the move, sweeping into Palestine. The hard place is Judah’s two northern neighbors. One is the rebellious, apostate, and morally decadent northern kingdom - often called Israel in the Old Testament - that broke away from Judah soon after the death of King Solomon. In this passage, the northern kingdom of Israel is also called by yet another name, Ephraim (Isaiah 7:17). The hard place is even harder because of Judah’s other northern neighbor, Syria. The kings of Ephraim and Syria forged a military alliance to push back Assyria. Because of Ahaz’s initial hesitancy to join the coalition, their scheme now includes overthrowing Ahaz, ending the Davidic dynasty, and replacing him with a king who will do their bidding. At risk in this passage is the Messianic line that leads to Jesus.

Ahaz sees two options. He can strike a deal with Assyria and repel Ephraim and Syria. Or, he can roll the dice, go hat in hand to Ephraim and Assyria, align with them, and together push back the Assyrian invasion – not exactly great options. The alternatives are little better than the inmate who has the choice of execution by lethal injection or hanging; the benefits to be gained by either option, minimal. In Ahaz’s case, he is more terrified of Ephraim and Syria than Assyria. After all, they are immediate threats to his border. Just how afraid is Ahaz? Look at Isaiah 7:2: “When the house of David was told ‘Syria is in league with Ephraim,’ the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” Therefore, Ahaz will try to save himself and his kingdom by submitting to Assyria.

Into this miserable situation enters the prophet Isaiah, who brings an unexpected third option. Don’t trust Assyria, and don’t trust Ephraim and Syria. Instead, “Trust God for protection, Ahaz, and you will be delivered.” Look at Isaiah’s assurances: “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria [Rezin is the name of Syria’s king] and the son of Remaliah [that is, Pekah king of Ephraim]” (Isaiah 7:4). Two centuries earlier God swore that one of David’s descendants would rule Israel forever, and he will not let these flickering, soon to be extinguished petty tyrants to thwart his purpose (2 Samuel 7:12-16). All Ahaz must do is trust God’s promises. But, the prophet cautions Ahaz: “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isaiah 7:9).

Our challenge is the same as Ahaz’s. Faith must be exercised in hardship, even when all seems hopeless. If personal, church, or national crises leave us shaking in fear, then we lack faith. But if our fear is replaced by patient waiting - if we wait for the Lord’s deliverance - then we are learning to walk by faith. In quiet confidence in his sovereign power, we press forward with life, and discover what it means to live trusting in our heavenly Father.

Ahaz will not believe; he will not trust. So, the Lord, speaking through his prophet, makes Ahaz a staggering proposition: “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isaiah 7:11). So serious is God that he will move heaven and earth to deliver his people from their adversaries. All Ahaz has to do is ask in faith; all he has to do is trust. How much of our life is wasted with needless cares? How much of our energy is expended by faithless worry? All because we will not trust.

Ahaz will not trust. “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test (Isaiah 7:12.)” God invites him to ask for a sign, and Ahaz refuses. He even clothes his refusal with the language of piety. “I will not put the LORD to the test.”

Like Ahaz, we cover our unbelief and disobedience with religious words. We say, “I need to pray more,” when what we really want to do is delay doing our duty. We don’t hustle for work, and when our family faces poverty, we say piously, “The Lord will provide.” We half-heartedly pursue a project, and when it fails, we say, “It mustn’t have been the Lord’s timing.” Beware of dressing up a lack of faith and obedience or just plain laziness with pious language.

The Lord’s patience with Ahaz ends. “And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?” (Isaiah 7:13). Verses 16-17 points to the consequence of Ahaz’s unbelief. Ephraim and Syria - so greatly feared by Ahaz - will be devastated by Assyria, which will also inflict unparalleled catastrophe on Judah.

Yet, in the midst of this prophecy of destruction, there is a declaration of unsurpassed hope. Unbelieving Ahaz would not ask for a sign, so God gives a sign that will instill hope in his believing people everywhere: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

2,700 years ago God promised to live among his people by the birth of his Son. Let’s move the clock forward 700 years to the time of Joseph and Mary. Joseph does not need to fear – he may take pregnant Mary as his wife “‘for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (Matthew 1:20-23) And in case our Hebrew has grown a little rusty, Matthew helps us by adding that Immanuel means “God with us.”

Two thousand years ago, the faithful remnant of Israel despairs, weighed down with their personal sins and terrorized by wicked men who oppress their country and malign their faith. At the birth of Jesus, God announces, “I am with you in Jesus Christ.”

To believing men and women today, God’s announcement remains unchanged: “I am with you in Jesus Christ.”

Let’s take a closer look at Isaiah’s prophecy: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”

Many professing Christians have expressed skepticism about the virgin birth. One writes: “[The virgin birth of Christ] is a doctrine which presents us with many difficulties; and our church does not compel us to accept it in the literal and physical sense. This is one of the doctrines on which the Church says that we have full liberty to come to our own conclusion.”

Sadly, this is unbelief. Thankfully, it is a skepticism that our own denomination will not tolerate in its ministers.

Earlier in the service we read from Matthew’s gospel. Could Matthew be any clearer? Three times he refers to the supernatural character of Jesus’ conception (Matthew 1:18, 20, 23). Matthew, along with Luke, undoubtedly presents the virgin conception of Jesus as an historical fact. And why should this surprise us? The Bible is filled with supernatural events, not the least of which is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Why believe any of the Bible’s miraculous events, if we cannot believe this one? From beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is the supernatural book of the supernatural acts of the supernatural God who announces that he is with his people, removing their sins and rescuing them from their enemies.

Five truths about the Virgin Birth:

1. The virgin birth demonstrates the humiliation of the Lord. The eternal Son of God lays aside the insignia of glory. He impoverishes himself, clothing himself in humanity, being born in a dirty stable in a remote, filthy, and impoverished outpost of the Roman world. My mind turns to 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." His poverty is our riches; his suffering, our salvation; his humiliation, our exaltation.

2. The virgin birth explains how the eternal Son of God, the second person of the blessed Trinity, became human. He did not change from God to man, nor did he become a new kind of creature, a hybrid being, half God and half man. Rather, at the incarnation, the One who is fully God remains fully God, and takes to himself a human nature, becoming fully man. A fully divine nature and a fully human nature, united in one person, forever.

3. The virgin birth assures us of the incarnate Christ’s complete sympathy. Like us, his life began at conception and ended in death. Therefore, the experiences we face he faced. This is why God did not send Jesus into the world as a fully mature human being. In every stage of life, he suffered the same trials and temptations we do, yet without sin.

4. The virgin birth makes possible Christ’s true humanity without original sin. Original sin does not mean the first sin; it does not refer to Adam’s sin. Rather, original sin refers to the results of that first sin – death and condemnation. Adam sinned and we sinned in him; sin, death, and condemnation spread to all men, as Paul tells us in Romans 5. All men are from the time of their personal origin – their conception – sinners. We do not sin and then become sinners. We are born sinners; therefore, we sin. We are not born innocent, and then corrupted by our environment. We are born guilty, members of a fallen human race. Christ our Savior comes from outside the natural descendants of Adam. He is holy, pure, and sinless, ready to meet the law’s demands as our representative and to offer himself as our substitute on the cross.

5. The virgin birth points to the missionary Spirit of Christ. Christmas is a rescue mission. "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). To love missions is to be near the heartbeat of Christ.

“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23). In the incarnation, God becomes physically present with us in Jesus Christ. And this advent I want to challenge you to be imitators of the incarnation. By imitating the incarnation I mean for you to be physically present with others for the sake of God and his work in the world.

First, be physically present for the salvation of others. In the incarnation, the Son of God took to himself a human nature in order that as a man, he might fulfill the law for us – and as a man, bear the curse of our covenant-breaking on the cross.

We, of course, cannot atone for our own sins or for the sins of others. But in our face-to-face encounters with others, we can declare the gospel with our lips and model its truth in our lives. We can demonstrate an earnest concern for the well-being of others. There is no substitute for a face-to-face relationship.

When I sold real estate, I was taught to use state-of-the-art PowerPoint presentations to move the sales process forward. The graphics were designed to impress potential sellers. I soon got rid of all of them. Nothing was more effective than to look someone in the eye and tell him, face-to-face, without technological distractions, what you can do for him. If you really care about a potential client, you don’t want to risk losing your personal connection by interjecting a series of slides, regardless of the quality.

Nothing commends the gospel better than Christians of integrity looking someone in the eye and earnestly expressing concern for their eternal well-being. Evangelistic tracts, books, CDs, and the like have their place, but they are a poor substitute for you placing yourself physically before someone who needs God’s grace, and speaking to her from the heart.

Imitate the incarnation. First, be physically present for the salvation of others. Also, be physically present for the joy and comfort of others. As we read the gospels, we find Jesus with the sick, suffering and needy. And, lest we forget, his first miracle occurred at a party. Although Jesus withdrew from the crowds at times, he routinely placed himself physically among people.

When we imitate the incarnation, we do the same. Whether gathering for Sunday morning and evening service, or in small groups, or visiting in homes or hospitals or prisons, Christians are to be there physically for one another. God with us in the person of Jesus is the profound message of the incarnation. The church is at its best when we are with each other and for each other in Christ.

What about distractions that hinder face-to-face relationships? David Gordon points out that our communications technologies are often biased towards distant communications, and against face-to-face communications. Each of us has only so much time a day to spend with others, and Americans are increasingly choosing to spend it, by cell phone and e-mail, with people who are absent. As a matter of fact, cell phone calls and text messages often cheapen the quality of the time we spend with those who are right in front of us. Think how often conversations are interrupted when we stop to field cell phone calls. People in adjacent offices or dorm rooms choose to do most of their communication by e-mail or Facebook. The potential for emerging technologies to disincarnate gives the church a sterling opportunity to present a powerful alternative culture of embodied presence.

I think of how many good things have happened to me while standing impatiently in checkout lines, an excellent time to whip out the cell phone and start talking. In one line, before the days of cell phones, I noticed a woman asking a cashier for discarded boxes. Unfortunately, all had been thrown in the compactor. I introduced myself to her, told her I was a Presbyterian minister, and if she wanted she could have the boxes in my storage closet. I guess I didn’t look too threatening, so she came down and got them. As it would happen, she was looking to reconnect with the Christian church after many years away, and just happened to be a good organist. I needed one, and she played at our church for the next few years. An opportunity in a checkout line, but I would have missed it chatting on the phone.

How many people do we fail to help because we are distracted, even though they are right in front of us? How many times do we miss enriching time with loved ones, because even though we were physically present, our minds were far away?

Be physically present for the joy and comfort of others. Let me quickly add the flip side of this point: Accept the joy and comfort of others. Too often we have the annoying habit of being quick to give encouragement to others, but reluctant to receive it. We don’t want to impose or we have a misguided sense of self-sufficiency or we’re embarrassed. Whatever the cause, we need to think carefully about our theology. God is with us physically in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to save; he came to serve. And the risen and ascended Christ continues to minister to his people through his embodied servants, the church. So, even as you are quick to serve, be quick to be served that together our lives might be encouraged and enriched in Christ.

We’ve covered a lot of territory this morning, Israel 7th century BC and first century AD, and 21st century America. We’ve met diverse people - unbelieving Ahaz, believing Joseph; the ascendancy of mighty Assyria, and the eclipse of Israel’s former glory. But spanning the centuries, and the nations and people who come and go, one thing remains unchanged - God’s determination to be with his people in the person of Jesus Christ – Isaiah’s hope and our reality. This advent, celebrate that in the incarnation, God is with us in Jesus Christ. As you receive his grace, endeavor to imitate the incarnation.

A Prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

- 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Ideals Make Governments

"Governments do not make ideals, but ideals make governments. This is both historically and logically true. Of course the government can help to sustain ideals and can create institutions through which they can be the better observed, but their source by their very nature is in the people." "The people have to bear their own responsibilities. There is no method by which that burden can be shifted to the government. It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation." - President Calvin Coolidge speaking on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Source: The Wall Street Journal.

Presidential Humility and Dignity

From a speech at Hillsdale College by Congressman Mike Pence:

There is no finer, more moving, or more profound understanding of the nature of the presidency and the command of humility placed upon it than that expressed by President [Calvin] Coolidge. He, like Lincoln, lost a child while he was president, a son of sixteen. "The day I became president," Coolidge wrote, "[Calvin, Jr.] had just started to work in a tobacco field. When one of his fellow laborers said to him, 'If my father was president I would not work in a tobacco field,' Calvin replied, 'If my father were your father you would."' His admiration for the boy was obvious.

Young Calvin contracted blood poisoning from an incident on the South Lawn of the White House. Coolidge wrote, "What might have happened to him under other circumstances we do not know, but if I had not been president . . .” And then he continued, “In his suffering he was asking me to make him well. I could not. When he went, the power and glory of the Presidency went with him."

A sensibility such as this, and not power, is the source of presidential dignity, and must be restored. It depends entirely upon character, self-discipline, and an understanding of the fundamental principles that underlie not only the republic, but life itself. It communicates that the president feels the gravity of his office and is willing to sacrifice himself; that his eye is not upon his prospects but on the storm of history, through which he must navigate with the specific powers accorded to him and the limitations placed on those powers both by God and man.

Mike Pence "The Presidency and the Constitution" Imprimis (October 2010), 3-4

Imitating Christ (1)

People imitate their heroes. A young baseball player imitates Alex Rodriguez’s batting stance. A little girl adores her popular older sister, and wants to be just like her. A young minister models his ministry after the pastor who led him to Christ. We imitate our heroes. I wish every professing Christian could say, “My greatest hero is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is our saving champion who came from heaven not to please himself (Romans 15:3), but to give himself for us. Nothing makes Christianity more beautiful than Christians who esteem their Savior so much that they desire is to imitate him as closely as possible. Paul was captivated by the example of Christ. He writes to one church, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Are you captivated by that same example? Can you say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ?” Two errors frequently hinder our attempts to imitate Christ. On the one hand, as author Dick Keyes observes, we tend to copy the trivial details of our heroes’ lives. For example, one shoulder of Alexander the Great was slightly higher than the other, and he tilted his head to one side. Some of his subordinates began to walk with tilted heads and stooped shoulders. Of course, tilted heads and stooped shoulders have nothing to do with greatness. Imitating trivialities is amusing, but unedifying. Much more serious is to confuse imitation of incidental details of Jesus’ life with deep spirituality. Some have noted that Jesus did not marry, own a house, or have regular employment. They conclude that imitating Christ means forgoing families, houses, and jobs. These relatively unimportant details of Jesus’ life are made the marks of true Christianity, even though they are not intrinsically virtuous. (Dick Keyes, True Heroism, 143) On the other hand, it is an error to seek “to imitate [Jesus] in the works which were proper to him as God” (Richard Baxter, Christian Directory, 80). To try to imitate Jesus by performing the miracles he worked is to misunderstand their uniqueness. Making them marks of true Christianity will inevitably lead to embarrassment, disillusionment, and – even worse – will detract from the true glory of Jesus. We are not commanded to imitate Jesus in the incidental details of his life, and cannot imitate him in the works that were proper to him as God during his earthly ministry. What, then, are we to imitate? We are to imitate the holiness of Christ. Consider the words of Jesus. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). What’s new about the commandment? That the disciples love one another? Certainly not. The Old Testament commandments to love our neighbors are quite clear (e.g., Leviticus19:18). What’s new is the commandment to love as Christ loved. To think that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, the One through whom the heavens and the earth were created, stooped to wash the feet of sinners is an example of supreme servanthood. We imitate Christ when we assume the position of servant in the church. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4:5). Whether speaking to thousands or to a solitary woman beside a country well, Jesus’ love for souls is transparent. Oh, that our heart’s desire might be to imitate him in a transparently earnest love for the souls of men and women! Imitating Christ is essential to true manhood. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). At the very heart of Christian marriage is the call for husbands to imitate the sacrificial giving of our Lord in the atonement. If men withhold that love from their wives, then they should not be surprised when their prayers go unanswered (1 Peter 3:7). Parents, can you say to your children, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ? Imitate my prayer life, my devotions, my habits of worship and my service to God’s people.” When invitations to imitate are devoid of pride and full of a profound grasp of God’s grace, they compel attention.