http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gal%204:4&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209:6-7&version=KJV
Beth & I watched a couple of movies on TV last Friday night. Christmas movies. That’s right. On November 4th we watched Christmas movies. Let me tell you that at first I wasn’t interested. It’s way too early for that kind of thing. But then I relented. After all, I was able to spend time with my wife. So, why not?
And the movies, the 2nd of which was a sequel to the first, were good. Heart-warming. The kind that give you a happy feeling inside. What’s not to like about Christmas movies? In every one of them some sort of miracle takes place. A reindeer returns to health. A son or daughter returns home. A couple who’s on the verge of divorce make up. Then there’s the children. What would Christmas be without them? Their innocence. Their excitement. Their faith.
As I watch these movies, like many others, sometimes I find myself wishing that the magical were true. That there was such a person as Santa who brings gifts to everyone. Especially the children. That there was such a thing as flying reindeer. And that if I were really, really lucky I just might catch a glimpse of them pulling Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. That there was such a place as the North Pole. And little elves. And talking snowmen.
Why do I wish for this? What is it about this time of year that brings out the fantasy in me? In reflecting on this I think the reason is that this is how God made me. And you. He made us to enjoy life. To live in a world without sin. And evil. And problems. A world where such things as love, peace, joy & happiness are experienced all the time. Instead of a fraction of the time. We had this life once. Back in the Garden. In Eden. A perfect world. Paradise is what it has been called. Perfect weather. Perfect people. No problems. No disagreements. No sadness. No pain, suffering or death. But we gave it away. We gave it away for an empty promise of becoming like God. Oh, why did we do that? Why couldn’t we have been satisfied with perfection? That is a very perplexing question.
Fortunately, Christmas happened. Not the commercialized, romanticized version that we celebrate now. No, the 1st Christmas happened. God's own Son, Jesus, was born in a manger in faraway Bethlehem. Almighty God wrapped in a tiny bundle of human flesh. At that point in time God, Himself, stepped into the human race. What a momentous occasion! No wonder the angels sang that night. Love, joy, peace and a host of other wonderful things entered our world.
And the movies, the 2nd of which was a sequel to the first, were good. Heart-warming. The kind that give you a happy feeling inside. What’s not to like about Christmas movies? In every one of them some sort of miracle takes place. A reindeer returns to health. A son or daughter returns home. A couple who’s on the verge of divorce make up. Then there’s the children. What would Christmas be without them? Their innocence. Their excitement. Their faith.
As I watch these movies, like many others, sometimes I find myself wishing that the magical were true. That there was such a person as Santa who brings gifts to everyone. Especially the children. That there was such a thing as flying reindeer. And that if I were really, really lucky I just might catch a glimpse of them pulling Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. That there was such a place as the North Pole. And little elves. And talking snowmen.
Why do I wish for this? What is it about this time of year that brings out the fantasy in me? In reflecting on this I think the reason is that this is how God made me. And you. He made us to enjoy life. To live in a world without sin. And evil. And problems. A world where such things as love, peace, joy & happiness are experienced all the time. Instead of a fraction of the time. We had this life once. Back in the Garden. In Eden. A perfect world. Paradise is what it has been called. Perfect weather. Perfect people. No problems. No disagreements. No sadness. No pain, suffering or death. But we gave it away. We gave it away for an empty promise of becoming like God. Oh, why did we do that? Why couldn’t we have been satisfied with perfection? That is a very perplexing question.
Fortunately, Christmas happened. Not the commercialized, romanticized version that we celebrate now. No, the 1st Christmas happened. God's own Son, Jesus, was born in a manger in faraway Bethlehem. Almighty God wrapped in a tiny bundle of human flesh. At that point in time God, Himself, stepped into the human race. What a momentous occasion! No wonder the angels sang that night. Love, joy, peace and a host of other wonderful things entered our world. Thirty plus years later, after Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humankind, something very wonderful happened. A way was opened to experience Christmas forever. It’s called Heaven. It’s the original Eden. Back to what we once knew. Now we can experience perfection once again. Hallelujah! All the deep longings that constantly tug at our hearts will be fulfilled. Never to be taken away again.
Yes, we have someone much greater than Santa Claus in our world. His name is Jesus. He is able to bring love, joy and peace to every human heart. He is able to bring a son or daughter home. He is able to cure a person of cancer. He is able to reconcile a couple who’s on the verge of divorce. And make their marriage the envy of others. In short, He can do the miraculous. And He always does it in the best of ways.
So the next time I watch a Christmas movie and find myself longing for some magic, I need to remember that it’s already here. The supernatural presence of God is already in our world. All we have to do is open our eyes. As Christians, the Spirit of Christmas is inside us. Transforming us into the very image of Jesus. The Holy & Righteous One. Someday He will reign over the entire universe. At that point our world will be bathed in His splendor. His glory. His love. His holiness. His wisdom. His strength. Never again will we long for Christmas. Because Christmas will live forever.
Lord, I thank you that Jesus is not a fantasy or a fairy tale. He is the greatest thing that has ever happened to our world. And to me. I thank you that as a result of His death for my sins on the cross that my longing for Christmas has been satisfied. I have all that ever need or desire in Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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