Christmastime is here. This evokes joy in the heart of some and, in others, not so much. However you feel about this season, most of us will at sometime hear the readings from the Gospels that describe the birth of Christ. Let's make sure we don't skip over the significance and implications of the incarnation. Let's resolve to make room in our hearts for all that Christ would do in us this Christmas season.
Light and Darkness
The theme of "light in the darkness" is very prominent in the biblical account of Christ's birth. The Bible talks about this world as a dark place. Open your eyes and you will see Scripture is describing our world truthfully. Each day brings a new horror or terror for us to hear about and discuss. Granted, it's not all bad, especially this time of year, but the darkness that our world lives in is unmistakable. In fact, we don't even need to look out into the world to see the darkness. We can look into our own hearts and find selfishness, jealousy, greed, and sin. The one thing humanity seems to agree on is how the world, ourselves included, is broken. There is a problem that needs fixed; a darkness that needs to be expelled.
Upon the Earth
The point is that we, and all our world, need salvation--we need a light to come to our darkness. The Christmas story tells us how that light has come. The Bible does not say that "a light has come from this world." It says, "a light has shone upon our world." The light we need so desperately has to come from outside this world--from outside of ourselves. We don't have what it takes. This means all of our efforts to fix the darkness, not only in ourselves but in our world, are futile. We need something brighter. We need something perfect. We need Jesus.
It Sounds Good
People are busy everyday trying to fix the darkness in the world. Trying to pinpoint the problem and execute a plan to resolve it. The Christmas story lets us know those efforts won't work. We hear commercials with messages that say, "If we all pull together we can make the world a better place." The incarnation of Christ says this is not true. If it was, Jesus would not have had to come. Christmas presents us with a realistic view and approach to the world. It's broken and we can't fix it. But Christ can. And he was willing to come and do so. Let him start in your own heart.