(Occasion : Christmas Eve
Background : Christmas music
Place : my small-but-full room)
Several days before Christmas, a friend of mine had a sad & burdened heart. She felt that this Christmas is going to be miserable because her family can't be together like before. What striking me was her last sentence, "...I felt empty."
One night before Christmas, g membaca special edition ODB - Celebration From The Heart.
Tentang para gembala di padang yang bersukacita stl mendengar kabar gembira dr malaikat & membuktikannya dgn mata kepala sendiri. Melihat sang Bayi di palungan.
Once outcasts, the shepherds were now embraced. Once unfit for the temple, the now stood w/ prophets & priests to celebrate the arrival of the hope of the ages.
Simple men that were chosen by God - to convey the GOOD NEWS for every nations.
(1) Sukacita datang dari perjumpaan dengan Tuhan.
(2) Chosen to convey
Tidak dipilih untuk mendapatkan sesuatu u/ diri sendiri. Tapi dipilih u/ suatu maksud, yaitu membagikan kabar baik. Setelah menerima kabar Natal, the shepherds were still shepherds (tidak serta merta jadi priests/prophets, tetap dalam profesinya), but they "went back" (kembali ke tempat asal) & "glorifying & praising God". Kebayang dong bhw "glorifying & praising God" tidak dilakukan dgn diam2, silently --> pasti dikabarkan dengan pnh sukacita scr verbal & motorik.
We can't just hide JOY!
(3) Which leads to practical aspects :
# If we're truly have been saved, we would have that JOY, right? And we can't hide JOY,right?
Apakah kita sudah hidup dalam sukacita yang penuh itu setiap hari & membagikannya juga dengan setia?
Tough question for myself.
# Teologi Kucing&Anjing plus bk Purpose Driven Life pastilah mengandung kebenaran di dalamnya karena mereka sama2 bilang :
"Manusia diciptakan bkn u/ mns sendiri, tp u/ Allah - u/ memenuhi tujuan2 Allah & u/ memuliakan Allah."
Pernyataan diatas tidak berarti bahwa Allah butuh manusia. It's not that God needs us. We're the ones who need God. God creates us for His satisfaction, His purpose.
Is it fair? That God creates human for His own motives?
Sama prinsipnya dengan klo Thomas Edison menciptakan bola lampu. Ya tujuannya supaya nyala, bikin terang sekitarnya. Is it fair for the bulb?
It's not a matter of fairness, it is a matter of PURPOSE.
Bulb seperti apa yang "budiman"? Yang berpijar dengan baik sesuai kapasitas wattnya, sesuai keinginan penemunya.
The same thing happen to human - US.
Manusia seperti apa yang "tepat sasaran"? Yang memenuhi tujuan2 Allah u/ dia dan memuliakan Allah (baca: membuat nama Allah semakin mashyur).
(4) Practical aspects ke-2 membuat g berpikir lebih jauh lagi.
Heran mengapa Allah tidak menciptakan manusia as simple as bulb. Bulb won't complain, ga cerewet, ga kan bersungut-sungut, ga kan : banyak protes, byk maunya, suka ngelawan, tidak bersyukur, bodo, ngulangin kesalahan yang sama berulang-ulang....
Tapi memang bulb has no ability to connect w/ God, to interact, to have "free will", to praise God.
Berarti kudu bersyukur jadi "manusia" dengan bentuk begini, bkn spt bulb.
Berarti logis banget klo hidup manusia tuh shrsnya bikin seneng Penciptanya. Syukur bahwa Dia super kreatif dan super kasih. Syukur Dia jadiin kita kayak gini.
Kenapa "(Christmas) celebration comes from the heart"? What's to celebrate?
Balik lagi ke point no.(1) yang tadi belum dijelasin.
Encounter w/ God brings joy & reason to celebrate because by meeting our Creator, we finally find out the REASON why we're created.
Isn't it wonderful?
You wonder what on earth am I here for. You don't have any clue. And then Jesus finds u & tells u who you really are & why He created you in the first place.
That's....WONDERFUL! "Finally, I found out the reason why!" you would exclaim to the world & celebrate it.
I'm not saying that "the whole puzzle" will be solved instantly.
What I mean with "the whole puzzle" is that u instantly know your life from now on 'til end --> there's no fun in that (hahaha) (even though s'times we crave for that! "Let me know more of my future, Lord, NOW!)
Tp setidaknya yang paling penting - the reason why - sudah terjawab & it gives us security.
Real security (that can defeat emptiness) comes from our relationship w/ God (dan di dalam relationship pastilah terkandung unsur proses knowing God).
And beside it gives security, knowing the reason why gives us strength to endure life's process, to fight for it, to live it to the fullest measure.
Actually, we already knew the finish line - Father's home & we already knew that God would walk by our side. Jadi sebenernya hidup kita tuh udah sangat2 terjamin!! Uda tau ujungnya, uda ada guidenya (pake G besar bahkan) - Guidenya langsung yang punya Rumah (bkn pbokatnya/tetangganya/skdr org yg numpang liat rmhnya).
The big picture comforts us. Semuanya serba pasti dan jelas.
But most of the times, the details that make us anxious, afraid, not sure, confuse....
Day by day-nya yg suka bikin bingung & stress, padahal the big pic mah udah jelas banget.
Maka lagi-lagi balik ke masalah (&kebutuhan) mendasar :
personal relationship w/ God day by day
Dan jangan lupa, selalu ada kata sambung untuk semua berkat yang Tuhan berikan.
He loves me so much so that I can love others & show them His Love so that they can know God.
He gives me so much so that I can be a channel of blessing for them so that they will glorify Him.
Etc..etc...
Life is not meant for myself, my purpose, my dream, my will.
In the end, have a happy Christmas....
Remembering again the Nativity scene, the field scene (angels & shepherds).
Remembering again HIS great, big LOVE for men.
"And all comes down to LOVE....
...the biggest of the three is LOVE (agape)..."
Bandoenk, Dec 24th, 2009
--chris'--
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