Jehova zidkenu - The Lord Is Our Righteousness - The name of Jesus
The prophetesses and prophets excite the people with their dreams and interpretations. With their interpretive dance and melodic prayers and incantations. They're prophesying lies, from the deceit of their own minds? They make their plans and cause the people to forget their first love. It didn't seem like that from the seats, it seems good. It feels good. It soubd good. But why? Why is it so good? The lord says it's because they're fleecing the sheep. Which means the people are sheep being led by wolves.
And the Lord has made his own plans.
"I am about to attend to you because of your evil acts”—this is the Lord’s declaration..."Their way of life has become evil, and their power is not rightly used because both prophet and priest are ungodly,
even in my house I have found their evil."
Jeremiah 23
And at the same time that God was dealing out judgement for those corrupted adulterous Pastors, He established a righteous administrator of the truth and justice to come, and his name is Jesus. He didn't bring out a branch from the line of David that was coming to perform for the adulterers, and appease the feelings of the wicked.
“Is not my word like fire”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and like a hammer that pulverizes rock?" (23:29).
The Messiah wasn't coming to cajole the reluctant congregations with his love, affirmation and tolerance, he came to inspire them to repentance. While the prophets will tell them there's no danger, the Christ came to save them from the danger. While the developers of worshiptainment created a dreamscape production and called it spiritual food, Jesus gave them a sermon that explained the kingdom of God. And he sermonized about what St. Augustine said was "a perfect standard of the Christian life". And like the Grinch said, “It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.” Jesus came and he taught the congregation that the Christian life doesn’t come from a store. He taught that maybe living in Him perhaps means a little bit more.
Did they hear him and take it to heart?
Did you?
Food for thought:
Ya know? The Grinch didn't steal Christmas. He stole the glamour of Christmas. He stole the production. And yet it didn't stop Christmas.
Who sinned? The Grinch or the Who's that made Christmas all about the production?