What’s it to ya?

Christmas.

It was outlawed by the Puritans for being too secular, and outlawed by the secular for being too religious. It has been villainized as a compromise with pagan holidays and memorialized as a symbol of true faith. It is alternately too materialistic, and yet not revered enough by merchants.

Perhaps for me it is summed up in the opening lines of the angel's greeting to those shepherds in that Galilean field on what ever day that was.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; Luke 2:8-10 (NASB)

Do not be afraid. What better way to introduce a Savoir. What better words from a heavenly messenger. What better gift to man than to calm his fears. The immediate fear of the supernatural. The general fear of the unknown. The next day’s fear of hunger and thirst. The fear of Herod’s wrath, or Roman “justice”, of wild animals and ferocious weather.

Many of those same fears haunt men today. But what greater fear has man than death? The ultimate unknown. Sometimes called “meeting your maker”, it sounds good on paper, but most respond as Adam did that day in the garden when he hid from the meeting.

Yet this day commemorates the appearing of a Savior who does away with that fear…

but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 2 Tim. 1:10 (NASB)

He appeared. Not in the rabbit out of a hat kind of way, but in the birth of a baby kind of way. I don’t know what the date was, but I know it brought about a rescue from fear at that moment in that field, as well as right now in our day. The world still swirls around us. Suffering, pain, diseases, hunger, unemployment and oppression may increase. In the end, however is “life and immortality”.

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Gal. 4:4-5 (NASB)

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Heb. 2:14-15 (NASB)

Through death he conquered death. But first came His birth, at which the angels proclaimed, “do not fear”. We are set free. Free from the greatest fear man has known. Free from the darkness of eternity. Free from the separation of sin. Free to love as we have been loved.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39 (NASB)

Hallelujah, He has appeared. Be filled with Joy at the great news. You are free.

…Nicks

Comments

[Rick]

Beautiful Nick... and especially poignant now with the news of Tony Dungy's tragic circumstance.

Thanks for posting it, thanks for your presence here at Brutally Honest.

[Redbeard]

He appeared. Not in the rabbit out of a hat kind of way,

That would have made for quite the nativity scene.