Monday

My thoughts on Christmas

This year during christmas I was yet again surrounded by the annual rush to get presents for everyone, the holiday signs, shows, and songs about what Christmas is really about (none of them had the right answer save for a few on the christian stations and even those were a little suspect) and of course the fiercely cheerful attitudes of consumers and customers, as if they're attitude was that of, be hapy and friendly no matter how badly you want to scream and kick because you weren't first in line.

It was a very productive two weeks indeed, and I had a great time with my family this weekend, despite all of that. But I had some thoughts about all that, some spurred on even by my own church, White Water Christian. They did a splendid service with all the children telling the story of when Jesus was born, in between some classic old songs accompanied by my girlfriend's beautiful voice and my own hopefully equally beautiful piano. It was followed up then by our Pastor reiterating what Christmas is all about.

So here's my problem. We know what christmas is about. We've had every church tell us the same thing year after year, every year our whole lives. What are we doing about it? I think it's great and necessary to lay the foundation of Christ coming to earth as a man, and what that means for us, but I feel it misses the point to only do that. Christ's coming to earth was a joyful and tremendous occasion, but it was also a no holds barred, extreme move made by a lover, desperate to regain the heart of His bride.

We were caught in the middle of an all out war between God and Satan, each fighting to win the heart of God's bride, the church, a passion play on which both sides are desperately trying to woo us and win us over. Satan, insane with jealousy over God's creations and His love with them because he is incapable of love, tries to lure us and seduce us, but in the end his love is a lie, a trick, and he would ravage us and leave us to die. But God offers us true devotion and affection, a love the enemy could not possibly understand let alone give. Somehow, we had gone astray, the enemy's power of seduction are astounding and his traps had lured us slowly but surely away from our Maker, and God could no longer sit by and watch his bride be lured to her death, so He stepped in. In a colossal, powerful moment, He threw himself behind enemy lines, into our world, and gave his life to this beast that had taken us away from Him to free us. But little did that beast know how powerful sacrifice is, and how much meaning there is in blood. Life-giving blood of Immanuel, God in the flesh. He poured himself out for us, and only for us, and in doing so he won us over, he pulled us out of the grip of evil.

Christmas is about more than a little baby who was born in an obscure place, in a quiet little town. Christmas was the beginning of the end, the final decisive blow to the heart of evil, forever changing our lives. Christmas was an act of war, a spy behind enemy lines at just the right place, and just the rigt time. Christmas was our passionate, desperate lover, Christ, throwing himself to the wolves so we could go free.

Why?

Because that's what love does.

7 comments:

  1. I love your thought process Brian!!
    I did not know until yesterday that the 25 days of Christmas actually starts on the 26th..which totally makes sense!! Why stop celebrating??? EVER????
    Love ya!

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  2. Well spoken my friend! I am proud of you for finding the words to say what we all have been thinking, even though some people will never admit they thought it.

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  3. Good thoughts and well said.

    It was definitely not a silent night...

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  4. LOL I meant the 12 days of Christmas. . . I was not promoting ABC family channels 25 days of Christmas!!!!

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  5. I agree! Once you have kids, you have to figure out how to teach them those same priciples and balance the fun too. Very tough. I'm not sure I'm doing it right, but we're working on it. We do more giving to to others who actually need it than we do to each other. It helps show the love. I hope...

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  6. I believe, however, Christmas serves too large a role in our calendar. Why do we only remember Christ's very coming to Earth, the laying aside of all things holy, one day out of 365? Two days even if you count the meditations of most on Christmas eve! I challenge us to remember the ultimate beauty of Christ's many sacrifices on more than just one day a year!

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  7. awesome thoughts guys! lol and I thought that's what you meant Angie, and Skye, sounds like a great way to express love to me, I think sometimes children understand the values of unconditional love far better than we do, and Troy, I absolutely agree, and thank you for the challenge, how great it would be if we showed that rememberance every day in the way we lived!

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