Tag: Christmas

Enough for Christmas

By Ife J. Ibitayo

As the year winds down, I find myself growing increasingly reflective. I sit by the fire a little longer; flip through old photos a little more. I try to sum up the year via pithy, hashtag-able phrases like #imfreeof2023 and #thankGodwemadeit.

If my previous posts haven’t clued you in yet, it’s been a tough year. I feel like I’ve attacked the topic of “Coping with Adversity” from every angle my finite brain can concoct 500 words. But Christmas is only a couple of days away, and I would be remiss to not speak of “the reason for the season.”

He Was Enough Then

The wonder of Jesus’ birth over 2000 years ago is not just that the divine became earthly but that God Almighty became the least of all humans. To be frank, Jesus’ birth stunk—literally! Polished Christmas plays and immaculate live nativities have done a great injustice to the real noel. Without a doctor, nurse, or even a midwife, the Messiah splashed into a world filled with bleating animals and stinking feces. His first bed was a feeding trough where livestock had eaten, spat up, and reconsumed their last supper. His first visitors were dirty shepherds, who burst in on this already chaotic scene like garbagemen crashing a royal christening.

Jesus was born into the meagerest of circumstances (Luke 2:7), yet world leaders trembled at His arrival (Matthew 2:1-3). He was born at the worst of times (Luke 2:4-6) humanly speaking, yet He still arrived “at just the right time” (Romans 5:6) to save us from our sins. Before He’s recorded saying anything, Jesus had already dramatically altered the course of history. His mere presence changed everything.

He’s Enough Now

This is often how God chooses to operate today. With but a word, God can bring wars to a screeching halt (Psalm 46:8-10). He can still the tsunami outside of us with a mere whisper (Mark 4:39). But He’ll often walk with us through our storms rather than deliver us out of them. He will parachute down into our pain rather than airlift us out of it. He wants us to know that just as a little Jewish Baby was all that He needed to defeat the power of sin and death, His presence is all we need to make it through today.

Conclusion

As we celebrate Christmas and reflect on 2023, we’d do well to search for the telltale signs of God’s presence with us these past several months. Sickness may still linger in our bodies, our bank accounts may still be empty, and our relationships may look more ruptured than repaired. But God’s presence transforms every situation it enters, even if we can’t see it yet.  

“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”)”

(Matthew 1:23)

So You Want to Write a Script?

By Ife J. Ibitayo

The zeroth step of creating a comic book is writing its script. This document is where dozens of striking art panels and hundreds of clever speech bubbles are born. As an experienced science fiction prose writer, I reasoned that I would be well equipped to write a humorous historical script. But after a week of research into the subject, I was baffled by the amount of “unnecessary” structure that goes into screenwriting.

In the novelized form of Romeo & Juliet, Romeo sneaks into the Capulet’s family orchard. Placing his very heart in his hands, he lifts his head and cries to Juliet’s window, “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”

But in the script version, you have to first explain that the scene is “Capulet’s Orchard”. Then you have to describe the orchard itself. Then you have to denote that Romeo is speaking. Then you have to…can you imagine how such tedium can dam up even the most powerful flow?

Romeo and Juliet Script Excerpt
An example of the formatting that goes into the screenplay for Romeo and Juliet.
Source: Chandler Unified School District; Credit; Shakespeare

In prose, the inner thought life of your characters is visible, all extraneous details are implied, and the formatting is loose and simple. But in a script, all these rules are reversed. As soon as I opened a fresh Word document, writer’s block smothered me like a heavy blanket.

“Do I indent this line once or twice? Is this one bold or italicized?” I muttered my way through my first frustrating hour. And by the end of my maddening day, I was already ready to throw in the towel. I knew there was no way I would finish anything worthwhile at this rate.

But You Can’t Write It on Your Own

The creative side of my brain had already gone to bed for the night, but the problem-solving side was still wide awake. So I turned to Google convinced that there must be some software out there to hold my hand through this painful process. And to my relief, there was!

From scene setting to dialogue, parentheticals, and every other jargony screenwriting term I’d encountered, StudioBinder had me covered. And the very best news, it was free for my first script!

Let My People Ball Script Excerpt
Let My People Ball Script excerpt using StudioBinder software.
Source: Ife J. Ibitayo; Credit: Ife J. Ibitayo.

Conclusion

With renewed vigor, I spent the next three months writing Let My People Ball. On countless afternoons, I’d lay claim to my small cubicle at the library and tap away at my computer as I honed my story. I’d open my Bible to confirm important story beats, and I’d surf the web for credible historical information about Egypt’s New Kingdom—which was in power during the time of Moses.

When December of last year rolled around, just in time for Christmas, I gave myself the only present I really wanted—a finished draft! I excitedly sent it to a screenwriting friend of mine to ensure I hadn’t wasted a quarter of my year in vain. And with 2023 fast approaching, I began to search for the perfect illustrator to bring my project to life.

The Love, Loss, and Life of Christmas (What Christmas Gifts Mean to Me Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For “A Gift Worth Waiting For”, click here. For “A Salty Lightbulb”, click here.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It was tempting to end this article here. For this verse obviously speaks for itself. We’ve all heard it; we all know it; we all get it. Just like the famed holiday itself, a bit of the Christmas magic may have worn off this beautiful passage. But when I stumbled across this verse this week, I was struck anew by its power.

Love

“For God so loved the word…” When defining agape—the word translated in this verse as “love”—Wikipedia couldn’t have described it any better: “a deep and profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance.” The core of Christmas is the heart of a Father. When God wrapped up His son in flesh and delivered Him down the chimney of time, He expressed the fullness of His love for us. In Exodus, He shouted, “I love you so much that I will rescue you.” In the temple, He declared, “I love you so much that I will be with you.” In Jesus, He whispered, “I love you so much that I will become you.”

Loss

“…that He gave His one and only Son…” I recently read Mary Beth Chapman’s–Steven Curtis Chapman’s wife–Choosing to See about the death of their kindergarten age daughter. Therein, I saw the visceral destruction that the death of a child wreaks on a family. No parent will willingly part with their child. They will part with their wealth, health, and even their own life before seeing their dear son or daughter suffer. But the Father willingly gave up His Son for us.

As regifting becomes more socially acceptable, we’re growing ever more accustomed to giving gifts that cost us nothing. But the Father is not like us. As the Creator of the universe, He could give us the world quite literally, and it still would have cost Him nothing. But instead, He gave the only thing—the only One—that He could not replace with a snap of His fingers.

Life

“…that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus was born so that we would never die (John 11:25-26). His painful entry into a stinking stable in a fallen world was far more than a stocking stuffer. It changed everything.

And so, as we celebrate Christmas tomorrow, we must look upon this holiday with fresh eyes. Christmas is more than a holiday; it is a “holy day” where we should pause and consider the wonder of the love, the loss, and the life of our risen savior: Jesus Christ.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
(Isaiah 9:6)

A Salty Lightbulb (What Christmas Gifts Mean to Me Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “A Gift Worth Waiting For”, click here.

Shortly before he was rediagnosed with cancer, my former housemate gave me a Christmas present I still carry with me today. It was a lightbulb filled with salt. A strip of paper attached to it read: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” Many gifts remind us of who we were, others who we could be. But a select few affirm who we are.

Salt

When speaking about salt, Jesus said in full, “‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot’” (Matthew 5:13). Salt was essential in the ancient world because it performed two unique functions: 1. It acted as a preservative against decay. 2. It added taste to otherwise insipid food. And God has called us Christians to fulfill both roles today: moral preservers and experience enhancers.

Yet around every corner lurks an opportunity to sacrifice our unique, Christ-bearing nature on the altar of work, pleasure, money, or power. And if we bow before any of these, we may end up losing our selves in the process.

One of the most poignant verses of the famous hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” reads, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” We drift by nature. That is why Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (Matthew 11:29). We need to be tapped into God’s word and hooked up with His people if we don’t want to lose our saltiness.

Light

Secondly, Jesus said, “‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

I’ve been struggling with how to manifest my faith out here in Los Angeles. California is known as the godless state by us southerners. And I was terrified that I’d be eaten alive if I expressed my convictions. But I had a meaningful conversation with the Christian founder of a nonprofit. As I asked her how she navigated her faith and her work, she struggled to give an answer. At last, she said, “I just do. That’s just who I am.” No matter where we are or who we’re surrounded by, the world needs the light of Jesus. With earnest sincerity (and a fresh measure of humility and tact), we must let out core convictions shine through everything we do. Just as a lightbulb is useless if covered by a box, we are useless if we live as undercover Christians.

Conclusion

Salt and light don’t seem to associate well as a word picture, like sunshine and rain or oil and water. But I think that’s part of the beauty of the symbolism Jesus used. He was the only true salty lightbulb who walked this earth, able to both shine bright and sink deep, and by so doing He transformed the world He came to save. And now we walk in His footsteps by remembering who are in Him because of His gift to us two thousand years ago.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
(Ephesians 5:8)

The Power of An Unexpected Gift (New Angles on the Nativity Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I once lost my ID. I’d been hustling my way through the airport, trying to catch a flight, when I flashed my ID to a TSA agent. Somewhere in the bustle of unpacking my luggage at security and boarding my flight, my ID vanished. But I didn’t even know this had occurred until I received a mysterious letter in the mail.

I opened the thin envelope and found my ID card wrapped in a note. The stranger told me about how they’d found my identification and decided to mail it to me. They also shared the love of Jesus Christ. I was already a Christian at the time, but the gratitude that flooded my heart was close to a conversion experience.

The Most Unexpected Gift

I remembered this story as I was shopping for Christmas presents for my family. I realized that the best presents we receive are often things we never knew we needed, but once we receive them, we don’t know how we lived without them. The greatest example of that is the love of Jesus Christ.

Many of us walk through life with holes in our souls. Because of our relationship—or lack thereof—with our parents, we feel unloved and unwanted. Or discrimination we’ve faced on the job has blasted gaping holes in our self-worth. Or our sweetheart bitterly broke our heart this holiday season. We’ve tried to fill this hole with just the right present—fresh kicks, a new car, or a bigger house—or presence—a new lover, a new boss, or a new friend. But the hole within us hasn’t just remained, it’s grown larger until the whole of us is empty. But then Jesus crawls down the chimneys of our hearts lugging an unexpected present: a cross.

He left His home so that He could bring us home. He gave up His family so that He could make us family. And He sacrificed His life so that we could truly live. He gave the only gift that could truly fill our void: Himself.

Conclusion

Which brings me to my second story. This year, I knew a small group who wrapped Christmas presents for college students on campus. They spent over a month filling the boxes with goodies and writing personalized letters as they prepared for the day when they would hand deliver them to the students who would receive them. But at the last minute, they were notified that someone else would be giving those presents to the students. These young men never got the chance to see the impact their unexpected gifts would make in the lives of others.

But the power of an unexpected gift always carries wings. It will last for years in the memories of those blessed by it. It will spread from person to person, family to family, and even nation to nation as countless others share its story. And it will live on in our hearts just like the love of that precious baby boy who was born in a manger 2000 years ago.

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”

(2 Corinthians 9:15)

Mary’s Magnificat Faith (New Angles on the Nativity Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

In the space of less than six months, an incredible set of coincidences occurred. The same angel declared two separate miraculous births to two righteous people who lived less than two hundred miles from each other. These two people were the elderly Zechariah and his teenage cousin Mary.

The awesome glory of the angel terrified Zechariah as the being said, “‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John’” (Luke 1:13). Skeptically, Zechariah asked, “‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years’” (Luke 1:18).

The angel replied, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time’” (Luke 1:19-20).

Conversely, in this same chapter, the angel Gabriel told the virgin, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus’” (Luke 1:30-31).

She replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). And soon after she burst into song, singing her famous Magnificat (Luke 1:46-56).

Silencing Doubt

What separated Zechariah from Mary? Was it their age, their gender? Are old men more cynical than young women? Was it the fact that the promise Zechariah received was an answer to his personal plea while Mary’s was an answer to their nation’s prayers?

I pondered these questions as I poured over this chapter. I sympathize with Zechariah’s plight. After a lifetime of waiting, trusting, and hoping, probably long after he’d given up on his dream of being called “Daddy”, he was told his wish would finally be granted. But he’d have to wait nine months to find out whether the angel’s words would prove true.

Faith is hard. I’ve had faith for many things that fell through, from college applications to romantic relationships to job opportunities. A band I used to listen to has an album called, “How Do You Fix What’s Not Easily Broken?” And I ask myself that question daily as I try to salvage the shards of broken promises. How many more times had Zechariah had to ask that question at the end of his long life on this bitter earth?

But our lack of faith does not stop God’s faithfulness! God did not retract His promise to Zechariah in spite of his faithlessness. Instead, He silenced him.

Vocal Faith

Turning to Mary, we can see her childlike faith. When an angel told her that she’d be the first virgin to give birth to a child, she believed that Almighty God was well able to do what He’d promised. Therefore she believed in her heart and declared with her mouth, “God took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me’” (Luke 1:48-49).

Conclusion

Tellingly, when Zechariah’s tongue was loosed nine months later, the first words out of his mouth were praises to God as well. “‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them’” (Luke 1:68). When God makes a promise to us, He will keep it. So we can either praise Him now in faith. Or we can let our doubts silence us until He proves Himself faithful.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

(Hebrews 11:6)

Joseph’s Shame and Glory (New Angles on the Nativity Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

The most underappreciated character in the nativity story may very well be Joseph. This man scraped by for decades to earn enough money to afford the bridal price of a very special woman. He’d walked so uprightly all his days that the Bible declared him to be dikaios, meaning “righteous in the eyes of God” (Matthew 1:19).  And the time had finally arrived for him to become a husband and a father. Then, he found out that the love of his life must have made love with another man.

While he was still grieving his loss, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, “‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’” (Matthew 1:20-21). Joseph responded to this charge in two tremendous ways: obedience and patience.

Faith-Filled Obedience

Matthew 1:24 says, “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary has his wife.” For many believers reading the Bible today, his response seems perfectly natural. We think, “If I had seen an angel, I would have married Mary too.” But imagine trying to explain the situation to your buddies. “I married a pregnant woman because God told me that He’d impregnated her.” If they didn’t lock you up in an insane asylum, you’d instantly become the laughingstock of your entire village! Yet Joseph still believed what God had told Him.

Reading the Hall of Faith this past week, I was astounded by the strangeness of the activities men and women completed in the name of faith. A man left all he ever knew to go to a place he didn’t know to give an inheritance he’d never see to a son he didn’t yet have (Hebrews 11:8-9)! Another man built a boat to ride waves higher than the mountains and waited for a storm that didn’t come for over half a century (Hebrews 11:7). And now Joseph was being told to believe that his betrothed was bearing the literal son of God. In faith, Joseph accepted current disgrace so that he could embrace future glory.

Painful Patience

Secondly, Matthew 1:25 says, “Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until her son was born.” Most of us can’t wait to have sex until after we’re married. Imagine not being able to have it until almost a full year after that! But one of the most important lessons of the kingdom is that patience precedes promotion.

Joseph’s patience ensured that no one could call Jesus’ divinity into question on account of him. And more than that, it allowed him to become the adopted father of God Himself. The harder the season of waiting, the greater the glory of receiving. That is why apostle Paul says, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Conclusion

When we talk about Christmas, we often remember the person of Jesus. Then we celebrate Mary. But we neglect Joseph. This righteous man sacrificed all and waited long to father the Messiah of the world. If that isn’t a glorious example to emulate, I don’t know what is!

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

(Romans 8:18)

The Love of the LORD (Love Is… Part 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Love is Patient”, click here. For Part 2, “Love is Kind”, click here.

I hate my name. Let me explain why before my mom dials me with a very angry phone call. My full name is Ifeoluwa, meaning the “Love of the LORD.” In Nigerian culture, names carry weight. They describe who you are called to be from cradle to grave. And through my few decades of living, I can already see how short I fall of my own.

Loving Through Rebuffing

December 25, 2015 was my first opportunity to play a Christmas playlist I curated for my family. At 7 AM, I began blasting the great classics like “What Christmas Means to Me” and “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” If you don’t recognize those songs, don’t worry, neither did my family. And they gently asked me to put on some more traditional Christmas tracks.

I grated at their lack of appreciation and dragged my little brother downstairs, certain he’d value my awesome musical selections. Being slightly more interested in his Christmas presents, he didn’t, and I shoved him. I hadn’t ever laid hands on my little brother like that, and for me to attack for him something so trivial shook me.

Speaking of the Israelites as the little children in His life, God said through the prophet Hosea, “‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals, and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them” (Hosea 11:1-13 NIV).

God’s own children abandoned Him. They turned their backs on Him and spurned His loving care. They took His blessings but rejected His instruction. Yet His faithful love for them never wavered. He healed them graciously, deferred His wrath mercifully, and disciplined them justly. He was never fickle or petty. In other words, He wasn’t like me.

Loving Through Suffering

My college experience encompassed the most trying years of my life. I spoke of the loneliness I endured during that season in a previous article. But that was only a small drop in the toxic brew that made my experience so bitter. A large source of my pain stemmed from my relationship with a professor I studied under.

My first year with him, he was distant. I could count the number of times I had a private conversation with him on one hand. The next, he was too close for comfort. He’d reach out at all manner of day and night, demanding results and pushing expectations. His moods whipped with the wind, from sunny and jovial one day to stormy and irritable the next. The pressure of his demands drove me to my very breaking point, and his hurtful words stabbed deep into my soul.

Nearing graduation, I vowed to forgive him for everything he’d done, but I always remained on edge in his presence. And after I graduated, every time I thought of him, the old pain would resurface, and I’d have to turn my thoughts to other things.

Yet Jesus begged His Father while being murdered on the cross, “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:24 NIV). The God of love was able to forgive those who only took from Him, while I struggled to forgive a man who contributed to where I am today.

Conclusion

I am not Ifeoluwa. I am not the “Love of the LORD.” I am not Jesus. But my saving grace is that Jesus is Jesus. He loved me even when I hated Him. He will continue to teach me how to be more like my Father because He’s made me His son. And through His work on the inside of me, I’ll bear a little more resemblance to the tremendous name I’ve been given.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

(1 John 4:10 NIV)

The Hope of Paupers and Princes (Overtures from the Advent-ures of Jesus Christ Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on “A Pregnancy Delayed”, click here.

At first blush, the coming of the shepherds and the magi to see baby Jesus couldn’t be more different: the first were poor, the latter wealthy; the first were locals, the latter foreigners; the first entered a dark cave, the latter a well-lit home. Yet there are several surprising similarities in their experiences.

They Came

After the angels proclaimed the arrival of the Messiah with a holy choir, (Matthew 2:9-14), the Word says “the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off” (Matthew 2:15-16a NIV). Similarly, the magi told King Herod, “‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him’” (Matthew 2:2 NIV).

The shepherds left their sheep to see the Good Shepherd, and the princes left their kingdom to pay homage to the true King. They welcomed the interruption of God in their lives.

The Christmas season is supposed to be a chance for recuperation and reorientation. Yet many of us find ourselves frazzled and harried. We’re planning a Zoom Christmas celebration with our extended family while watching kids wrapping up their semesters while serving on a holiday church committee, or three. Like Martha we may have become worried and upset over many things, while missing the one thing that really matters (Luke 10:41-42).

They Rejoiced

On their way to see baby Jesus, the magi once again laid eyes on the star that had guided them thus far. And they were overjoyed (Matthew 2:10). The shepherds too left the holy infant, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard” (Luke 2:20). Taking the time to commemorate the birth of Life Incarnate should similarly lift our spirits.

They Worshiped

Lastly, both the paupers and the princes worshiped Jesus. Specifically with the kings, the Word says “they bowed down” (Matthew 2:10). They debased themselves before the true King.

Christmas is a season where it can be particularly easy to turn our focus inward: maximizing our vacation time, seizing the best holiday deals, and scarfing down the best food. But we forget that December 25th is not John-mas or Jill-mas but Christ-mas. It’s all about Him. And we’d do well to lay down our crowns at the feet of the proper Prince.

Conclusion

The story of the magi’s visit to Jesus ends with them presenting Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). These presents were of incalculable worth, befitting royalty. Yet their presents paled in comparison to the gift Jesus Christ gave them in return: Himself. As we down eggnog and share holiday cheer, let’s turn our eyes upward. Let’s never forget the Christ that made Christmas.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)