Six holiday and new year stress strategies from Jesus
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Dr. Jackie Schwartz, author of Letting Go of Stress, estimates "...that we are subjected to a hundred times more stress than our grandparents and great-grandparents."
While that number may be debated, most Americans would agree that pressures within the family and in the workplace escalate during the holiday period surrounding Thanksgiving and the new year which in itself brings the added stress of adhering to obligatory and often failed resolutions.
Jesus endured stress.
A quick check of Jesus' life shows He experienced much stress as well. Examples are many. As a baby in the womb He was bounced from 60 to 100 miles while His mother rode on a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. While an infant, His family was forced to flee from King Herod and go into hiding.
It is believed that while He was still a young apprentice His father died and Jesus became the family breadwinner. Mark 3:21 records that early in His ministry His family came to take custody of Him lamenting: "He has lost his senses," (NASB) or "He is out of his mind." (NIV)
While Jesus was training His disciples it is apparent that they either "didn't get" His message or resisted His reading of the Hebrew scriptures that the Messiah must be a suffering servant. As Jesus heads toward Jerusalem and the last week of His life, He reveals "I am pressed with anguish" (Luke 12:50). Additionally according to Luke 22:44 when praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, His sweat became like drops of blood.
In the 21st chapter of the Gospel according Luke, Jesus alerts His closest followers of impending troubles—wars and famines. In addition, for themselves personally they could expect hatred, betrayal by friends and even death because of their connection to Jesus.
Jesus begins His prescriptions: stand tall
Beginning with Luke 21:28 Jesus commands: "Stand tall and lift up your heads." These verbs are imperatives. Those who are baptized are given a new status/standing connected to Christ. At any age they become children of the Covenant. They are not simply Jesus' servants, but he calls them friends (John 15:15).
Catacomb renderings of Christians in prayer show persons standing with arms raised. An Ohio State psychology professor's research reveals that raising one's hands over the head mirroring a football official's indication for a touchdown serves as an antidote for depression.
Jesus' command to stand tall means we should know whose we are and who is in ultimate control. This new standing under Jesus means we have a certain delegated authority at least in the spiritual realm.
Your salvation is near.
The word salvation (GNB) is often translated redemption or to be set free. One of the key Old Testament words for salvation is yescha. It means to have enough space that one can see enemies or impending trouble far in the distance. Yescha is the root behind Yeshua, Joshua and Jesus.
The Kingdom of God is near.
This promise is found in Luke 21:31. In stressful times it often takes a discerning spirit or the "eyes of faith" to perceive that God's rule is making inroads. However, the Holy Spirit is as close as we allow and is always available.
The last prayer in the New Testament (Revelation 22:20) is "Come, Lord Jesus," with an imperative verb. David E. Aune in the Word Biblical Commentary on Revelation emphasizes, "This phrase is widely regarded as a translation of the Aramaic (language) liturgical formula maranatha…." When we pray, Jesus promises to come.
My Word will not pass away.
In Luke 21:33 Jesus' reference may be Isaiah 55:11 stating that God's word and promise will not return void of accomplishment. The French Christian writer Jacques Ellul assures us that for those in Christ the future is more certain than the present.
Be on guard.
The New Testament verb form in Luke 21:34 is again a strong command: You must continue to be on guard. We are to be as alert as a snake in the grass (Matthew 10:16).
Watch and pray.
Even though these words in Luke 21:36 are commands of Jesus, to our ears they sound a bit passive such as "sit and wait." On the contrary taking our place on the watchtower and peering through the fog propagated by societies and Satan is the opposite of apathetic passivity. James 5:16 corrects our thinking: "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." The world desperately needs our intercession and biblical discernment.
By observing these commands of Jesus as well as his other stress strategies of solitude, silence, Sabbath, and reveling in the Splendor of the Father, we can face the new year with God's shalom.
 | Jim Farrer is the founder of Vital Signs Church Consulting and a member of the Society for Church Consulting. A broadly-trained church consultant, Jim is also a veteran of ministry positions in Canada and the U.S., he has trained leaders from 18 denominations and led seminars and coaching sessions nationwide. His articles have been published in the Journal of Evangelism and Missions and the Great Commission Research Journal. You can reach him by e-mailing revup1@yahoo.com or calling 814 629-5211. Learn More » |
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