The Baby in the King Cake

                                                                            


   Sometimes we hear talk about 'revival' in Christian circles. To 'revive' means: 'to make someone conscious, healthy, and strong again'. It means to bring back to life that which is languishing or even on the point of death. Certainly our nation, now having succumbed to neo-pagan socialism, is in need of revival, that is a reawakening to our spiritual roots. The key to revival on both an individual basis and on a corporate basis is the same. To understand how we are to experience revival, it is necessary to look at how revival has occurred in the past. The key is the same today for us to return to our first love for Jesus, and to the excitement and joy in God's love that we had when we first believed. To understand the path, we will need to take a look at 3 men and how they were personally revived and spread the fire of God's love to a needy world.

   St Paul: Paul experienced the fire of God's love and was dramatically transformed. He also was without a doubt the greatest herald and preacher of the Gospel who ever lived. The message of salvation transformed the world and spread throughout the Roman Empire. Dramatic encounters with the Risen Lord took place and men and women experienced the balm of the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. But it wasn't long before sectarianism, pride, and even immorality started creeping in and the love of many started growing cold. In Revelation Jesus laments that his people had left their first love and were dying spiritually.
   Paul dealt with this in the Corinthian church as well as others. And he spelled out the remedy plain and simple. Return to the simplicity of the Gospel. The Corinthians were full of knowledge and erudition, they had begun to complicate the Gospel and in the process two things occurred: pride and sensuality. They had made the Gospel complicated and lost their way. Paul spells out for them the truth: 'Jews seek signs and Greeks miracles, but we preach Christ Crucified' 'God chose
what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world..the source of your life is in Jesus Christ'. 1 Cor.1.22,27-30. He then spelled out his teaching in 1 Cor 15.1-11 'I remind you of the Gospel I preached and you received, in which you stand and by which you are saved, hold it fast..Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried and was raised on the third day...
THIS is what we preached and what you believed'.
  For Paul, the Gospel is simple. We are all sinners in need of Jesus. We come to Him AS sinners, and so we are healed and redeemed. We dare not bring anything before Him but our sins in all humility.  We lay them at the cross and look to Him and his forgiveness and love wash over us and we are accepted into the bosom of the Father's heart, and the Holy Spirit
makes His abode within us. This is the Good News.
  Paul did not go around preaching end time seminars, or preach about "writing your own ticket with God", or try to adapt the message to the spirit of the times. For him,  Jesus saves sinners, and the moment this message becomes obscured or made complicated, pride comes, then confusion and sensuality, and then Ichabod, the glory departs. For Paul, revival doesn't come through a new message or teaching. Paul's message to the Corinthians is, revival comes not through building up, adding new teachings or wisdom, revival comes only through TEARING down all accretions or complications to the pure Gospel. Revival comes by going back, not going forward.

  St Francis of Assisi:  A Catholic bishop once told me that the Church is like a wedding cake. Layer after layer of teaching and tradition rises to a beautiful edifice. St Francis too had this understanding until he had a real encounter with Jesus. Jesus said to Francis, "Rebuild my Church". Francis, being a simple man, immediately set about collecting stones and mortar and started working to rebuild the local church.  He didn't get it. Jesus then called him to a life of poverty, simplicity, and simple faith, shunning the things of this world, he became the "Herald of the Great King". He reminded Church leaders and all the people that the Gospel was the Jesus who embraced poverty, suffering, sacrifice, and loved simple people. The Gospel is a message of humility. Francis got down to business and began to preach, "repent, and believe the Good news" Francis discovered that the Church is only rebuilt by tearing down. It seems a paradox.
But to tear down everything that obscures the simple fact that we are sinners and Jesus saves us by the foolishness of the Cross, is the only way revival comes. On a personal level, we must rip up all the accretions, spiritual pride, and return to the foot of the Cross. Here the heavens are opened and the Holy Spirit comes to us. What joy Francis received the more simple his life with Jesus became!
  St Francis originated the nativity Scene. Instead of all the pomp and glory of the Church, he pointed people to
a baby in a manger, in the midst of barnyard animals. Behold your King! He comes to you meek and lowly. Learn of Him and you shall find rest for your souls.

  Martin Luther:

         Luther was a faithful son of the Church. In many ways the Middle Ages were glorious. The arts served the Church. beautiful Cathedrals filled the world, religion was an everyday part of life. But the Church had become too "busy'. Everywhere there were favorite saints, and devotions, religious orders, pilgrimages, and penances all pointing the way to salvation. The simple message of the Cross was becoming obscured by distractions, however noble or pious their intent.
  The message was no longer the one of Paul and Francis. Luther struggled with his conscience. He tried every sort of spiritual exercise, and devotion, read books, became a monk. His life was full of seeking. Then one day a light went off.
Jesus died on the cross for his sins. All this busyness and work of man was not soothing his conscience. Finally he came to the foot of the Cross and became not a seeker and a pilgrim, but a poor sinner. He need not trust his own efforts, running to and fro. He need only say, "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner". The heavens opened and all he saw was Jesus. For him, revival came through tearing down not building up. It came from pulling aside the veil of everything in this world and beholding the man upon the Cross. The simple, poor, lowly, Son of Mary. Here was His Savior!

The Lesson of the King Cake:

   The tradition of the King Cake originated in Europe. It was made to celebrate the Church feast of The Epiphany on
Jan 6th. This commemorates when the Magi visited the Christ Child in Bethlehem. A cake (more like a giant pastry) was prepared. Inside the cake a tiny figurine of a baby was placed to represent the Baby Jesus. The Magi are also referred to as the 3 Kings, hence the name 'King Cake'
  In the deep South where I am from the King Cake is made during Mardi Gras. It is brightly colored, often purple and gold to represent royalty. The person who finds the figurine of the Baby Jesus is said to receive special blessings. The finder of the Baby is also expected to prepare the cake the following year.
  For me, the Baby represents the essence of our Faith, the Incarnation. God comes to us in all humility as a little baby. He didn't come in splendor or majesty, but as a lowly child.  Here we find the Gospel in all it's simplicity. the fact that the finder of the Baby makes the cake the following year represents that whoever finds Jesus will desire to share the gift with others.
  When I stress the importance of a simple faith, I am not saying theological studies or systematic theology are not important. In speaking of the cake of tradition, I am not saying that rituals and devotions cannot be useful. And the arts,
architecture, indeed everything should glorify the Lord. The beauty of the Latin Mass and the Orthodox Liturgy certainly can inspire heavenly thoughts. Nor am I saying that meetings, seminars, or books cannot be beneficial.
  What I am saying is that when we no longer have God's peace, when our relationships are strained, when our hearts are no longer tender and full of love, when sin has found it's way into our lives, then it is time to dispense with EVERYTHING: the whole cake.
  To have revival one must come as a sinner to the foot of the Cross, to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We must come before Him, not as a saint but as a poor sinner, believing He died for your sins and loves you with every beat of His Sacred Heart. This is how we become changed. This is how we have revival. It comes from finding Jesus Christ in his simplicity, which is His glory and our salvation.

Jack