Act upon your Faith

Written for High Plains Journal.

“Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 4:11

It is that time of year that some may need a reminder of the real reason for the season. Interestingly, I did a little exploring on the BRAVE search engine just to see what pops up when you put in the phrase “reason for the season.” True to course, it retrieves a plethora of information about how we have lost sight of the fact that a Merry Christmas is not about getting and giving gifts for friends and family but it is about the birth of Jesus. I included the Bible verse that brings it all front and center.

Each year it seems that I go through some rendition about how the season brings us back to the scene that is very familiar for the farm and ranch families that make up this great nation. From the stable, to the manager, to the sheep and the shepherds, it is all of the wonders of God’s creation that enables life for all of us. It is clear to see, in today’s crazy world where most people are focused on death instead of life, why folks get lost.

This year, 2023, like never before when I reread that verse (Luke 4:11), the words that hit me the hardest were “has been born to you.” In case you have never really given much thought to what those of us in farming do bring, we bring about new life. Whether that be a plant or an animal, our sole task is to manage the environment to allow for rapid birth because, as more things are born and grow, life in the vision of God also grows.

Six months ago if I told you that the evil components of the world were trying to not only decrease the birth rate of new species to maintain life but there is also a direct effort to reduce the world\s population. This is a direct attack on Christianity itself. I remember the first time this really hit me as an issue was in 2017 as I spent a week in Japan. Folks were openly talking about the lack of birthrate and the nation’s population was in severe decline. Today, that data is looking grim all around the world.

It is widely reported that to maintain healthy population growth, each female must give birth to 2.7 kids in the course of their lifetime. Since 2000, that has been on the decline not only in Japan and the United States but in most nations in the world. Certainly, the top 15 states in terms of GDP all have birthrates below a rate necessary to maintain the population.

Naturally that brings about the discussion that our population growth has outpaced the productive ability of the earth. Anyone who states or believes that, simply does not understand the whole reason for the season. The BIRTH of Jesus Christ 2000 years was not simply about God’s son being sent here as a Savior for our sins and to provide for our salvation but it is also symbolic of the fact that all great things will continue to come through the birthing off all living things. I will never forget the time I was staying at a friends house when I walked up the stairs and saw a hanging on his wall that said “It takes great faith to plant a seed and expect it to yield fruit.“

That, of course, takes us to Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

You see, despite all the glitz and glamour, it comes back to simply having FAITH and then doing what we need to do to act in that faith. So, my closing suggestion for this Christmas 2023 is this:  as we gather with our loved ones, we have genuine discussions about the miracle of life and the importance of that birth toward acting on our faith.