Christmas, 2008

[Dr. Manuel recently provided me with the Christmas letters he and his wife Linda have sent each year since 2001.
One of the annual letters will be posted each day over a two week period.]

Dr. and Mrs. Paul Manuel

Christmas 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

One of the hallmarks of our democracy is the way we determine our leaders, not by military coup but by national referendum. That process can be long and, at times, contentious, but the result is a peaceful and orderly transfer of power from one political administration to the next. The method we use to effect that change is called election, where people choose those who will govern them. It is not a unanimous decision, and debate can be spirited as the factions vying for position attempt to win people's vote. Having just completed another cycle of this process, many are glad to see it settled, at least for four more years. Nevertheless, it is cause to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy.

God employs a similar process, which the Bible also calls election. Like the custom here, God uses election to determine the ruler of His kingdom, yet with some significant differences.

• In the secular process, people make the choice and, because we do not know what the future holds, we cannot be certain how our decision will fare. In the sacred process, God makes the choice and, because He holds the future, we can be certain how His decision will fare, that it will be for our good.

• In the secular process, the choice recurs regularly (every few years), because a fallible electorate can make a poor decision and need to change direction. In the sacred process, the choice occurs once, because an infallible God will not make a poor decision or need to change direction.

Unlike the custom here, God also uses election to determine the residents in His kingdom, and with other significant differences.

• In the secular process, the choice is who will be administrators of the country, which often appeals to those wanting to promote their own agenda. In the sacred process, the choice is who will be admitted to the kingdom, which only appeals to those wanting to promote the Lord's agenda.

• In the secular process, the choice is competitive, because the openings for leadership are limited. In the sacred process, the choice is non-competitive, because the openings for citizenship are unlimited.

As important as the secular process is for our national future, it pales in comparison to the sacred process and its importance for our personal future.

One other difference that characterizes God's election is the timing. We decide who will lead the country on Election Day, just two months before that individual takes office. God decided who will rule the kingdom long before that individual takes office. An angel announced it when the messiah was born.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

Isaiah predicted it 700 years earlier.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. (Isa 9:6)

God's original selection came earlier still.

He was chosen before the creation of the world. (1 Pet 1:20)

This difference in timing indicates the forethought God gives to His election process. Unlike some people, who postponed their decision about which presidential candidate to support until the week before Election Day, God did not wait to determine the ruler of His kingdom. Likewise, God did not wait to determine the residents of His kingdom.

For he chose us...before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4)

Here is certainly cause for wonder and gratitude, that God chose us when He chose Jesus.

May this Christmas bring you new appreciation for God's election, and may you enter the New Year with renewed confidence in His commitment to provide for you, as He determined so long ago.

Pastor and Linda