Fiction

We love fiction, don’t we? We love to see how in the middle of the fight between good and evil, when evil seems to prevail, a savior comes who defeats the enemy, rescues people, and makes life prosperous again.

Lately, there has been an increase in fiction movies and TV series, with plot lines which foretell the coming of a Savior who can deliver people from their oppressors. Usually the story goes like this: the characters are suffering, they’re fighting an enemy too strong for them, but they’re awaiting someone who can save them and defeat the enemy.

Saviors

That someone is usually pictured as the savior, whose birth is foretold and whose power is greater than anyone else’s, even the enemy’s, no matter how powerful the latter might be. Word of his existence, of his come into being, brings hope to a people who’s lost all hope, subjugated and despairing of life, with no way out. Hope that someone can help them, save their land and bring restoration and joy again.

The story then goes on showing a process through which the savior goes, of acceptance – of his purpose and power – and of action – fighting the evil forces and crushing the enemy, delivering the people and bringing joy to the land.

Why do we love the picture of a Savior? What makes it so attractive? I believe the answer is this: our own longing for a savior. Our heart’s cry is to be loved in spite of our flaws, to be accepted in spite of our imperfections, to be forgiven in spite of our mistakes. And most of all, to be forgiven our sins. We long for a savior.

Reality

We love this picture because spiritually we are in a helpless and hopeless condition. But a Savior has come in our dark world to be that! Jesus is the great Light that pierces our darkness! Look at this prophecy of old:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone (Isaiah 9:2).

We are those who walk in darkness, who dwell in a land of deep darkness, but on whom the Light has shone!

The Son of God, incarnated, holy and pure, came into a world of hatred and sin, which was once perfect but now is tainted by sin. The Light has shone on us! And the good news is that Jesus wasn’t just a man who was born, who suffered and died, but He suffered, died and rose again, who now has immeasurable power to rescue us and all those who walked before or will walk ahead of us. He is our Savior! He is the One whose birth was prophesied long ago:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

I pray this Christmas you’ll rejoice in the reality of the great wonder brought by the coming of the baby in the manger, who pierced our darkness and now lives victoriously! He can bring light into every corner of our being.

—

Oh come Emmanuel,
Come and fill
the void I feel,
the void that is too real
and always cries: “I’m here, I’m here!”
Oh come Lord Jesus,
For too long I sought
a place
to find that kind of love
that overflows
even in my darkest nights,
but could not attain its heights.
Oh come and take
my sinful thoughts
and what I cannot overcome,
the inner evil that comes out
because I’m a mortal one.
Oh come Emmanuel,
into my little world
and be the Savior
who can redeem and fill
what’s been lost for real.
Come and be my Light, my all,
Oh Savior of the world!

It’s at this time of year that we celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus, or to put it another way: the coming of God to earth as a human. The Nativity scenes that lie in churches across the world, and find themselves on the front cover of many Christmas cards, rightly depict Jesus as the helpless baby in a manager. Paul, however, paints Jesus in a completely different light and challenges us to remove all small thoughts about Jesus.

This is what the Apostle Paul wrote about Jesus in Colossians 1:15 – “He is the image of the invisible God”. Or, in the words of the carol: “veiled in flesh the Godhead see.”

The Most Real Thing

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see”. So said the train conductor in one of the most famous Christmas animations of all time: “The Polar Express.”¹

If we ever read only the Nativity story, it’s easy to imagine Jesus as more human than God. And yet, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the same human Jesus who is in the manger is also “the image of the invisible God”. Although “veiled in flesh”, Jesus really is “the most real thing in the world”. Jesus said “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The writer of Hebrews wrote that Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

No small thoughts allowed: The most real thing in the universe, the invisible God, put on flesh for all to see. That is who Jesus is.

Higher than High and Lord over All

Paul writes: He is “the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15).

Firstborn means “priority” and “sovereignty”. So Paul says that Jesus is first in order. In the Old Testament the idea was used for the eldest son in a family, the one who carried the family name. There was no one like them who was able to carry out the wishes of their father. This is why the psalmist wrote: “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27). We shouldn’t understand “firstborn” to mean that He is the first one created; It simply means that He is not outranked by anyone.

The second thing the word “firstborn” means is the idea of sovereignty. Paul says that He is sovereign over creation. He is not part of creation but sits outside of it and rules over it. J.I. Packer wrote: “The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man [that the second person of the Godhead became the “second man”] … determining human destiny … and that He took humanity without loss of deity.”²

No small thoughts allowed: He is the One who is the highest of high and Lord over all. That is who Jesus is.

Never Out of Reach

Paul then writes: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).

Are you starting to get a picture of who Jesus is? May I tell you something that will blow your mind? Paul is saying that Baby Jesus was not only the instrument by which creation was made but that everything that was made, was made from within Himself. For example, we take pigments of colour and blend them and organise them and call it a painting. We haven’t created anything. We take audio frequencies and organise them into patterns and call it music but we haven’t created anything. Even the most glorious Beethoven symphonies are just organised audio frequencies.

But all that exists, everything visible and invisible, Jesus made out of nothing.

Let me tell you why this is important: Paul wrote to the church in Rome and reminded them that since Jesus is the firstborn of all creation and the sovereign creator of all things that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Why? Because Jesus is sovereign over all those things. These things are all within the reach of Jesus … and so are you.

No small thoughts allowed: The moments and situations that seem out of control have Jesus sitting sovereignly over them. He is not out of reach and none of the things that seem to us out of control are ever out of His reach, or out of His control. Everything is held together by Him. That is who Jesus is.

To Reconcile Us To Him

Paul writes: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:19-22).

Frank Cross (Bill Murray), in the hit film, Scrooged, said this: “It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be.”be.”³

Maybe C.S. Lewis sits better with you. In his book, Miracles, Lewis puts it like this: “In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity … But He goes down to come up again and bring the ruined world up with Him…”⁴

All that God desires in saving people from their sins and the brokenness of this life was made possible through Jesus. The little baby that was born in a manger 2000 years ago was God Himself coming to break the power of Satan and forgive people of their sins.

“Sam lay back, and stared with open mouth, and for a moment, between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last he gasped: “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?”

“A great shadow has departed,” said Gandalf.”⁵

Perhaps this Christmas we’ll join in with Sam’s bewilderment and great joy as we look to Jesus: the image of the invisible God who is higher than high, Lord of all. Who has all within His reach. Never out of control. Come to reconcile us to Himself. “Born that man no more may die” says the carol. “Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth”.

No small thoughts allowed: Paul calls to us this Christmas to throw ourselves into the “life and light [that] He brings” and to join in with everything that is visible and invisible to exalt and glorify Jesus … with no small thoughts allowed.

_Notes

_{¹ Robert Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr, The Polar Express, directed by Robert Zemeckis (2004, Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Pictures), DVD.}

_{² J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 45-46.}

_{³ Mitch Glazer and Michael O’Donoghue, Scrooged, directed by Richard Donner (1988, Los Angeles, CA: Paramount Pictures), DVD.}

_{⁴ C.S. Lewis, Miracles (New York, NY: Touchstone, 1996), 148.}

_{⁵ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings (Boston, MA: Clarion Books, 2020), ch. 4.}

One of my favorite Christmas carols is “O Holy Night,” mostly because I love the first verse:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

The Weary World

If there is one word that accurately describes the feeling in the world right now, it is probably “weary.”

We are weary from two years of pandemic. We are weary of restriction and new variants. We are weary of our friends and family members getting sick, and even dying. We are weary from the divisiveness in society. We are weary of inflation, tragedy, tension, and strife.

But, as this song reminds us, the coming of Jesus into the world is good news for the weary world. It gives us weary people a reason to rejoice. Why? Because it tells us that, “yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

The Day Dawns

One of the greatest metaphors the Bible uses to describe where we are at currently in the big picture of human history is: Dawn.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. – John 1:9

Dawn is an interesting period; *it is a time when night and day, darkness and light, exist simultaneously in the same space, yet neither are in full force*.

At dawn, the darkness that formerly ruled the night is broken by the light, but it is still dark out … though not as dark as it used to be. However, at dawn, even though light has come, the light is not yet present in its full form, because although the light has appeared, it has not yet broken over the horizon to fully dispel the darkness.

Peter expressly uses this metaphor of dawn in his second letter:

We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until *the day dawns* and *the morning star* rises in your hearts. – 2 Peter 1:19

The Morning Star

Jesus is called “the morning star.” The “star” known as the morning star is not actually a star, but the planet Venus. The reason it is called the morning star is because it is the last “star” that is visible in the sky once the dawn has come.

The meaning and message of Christmas is that the true light has come into the world, and the dawn has begun. The beginning of dawn is an irreversible occurrence; once the first light of dawn has broken the darkness of night, it is only a matter of time before the sun crests the horizon, totally dispelling the darkness, bringing about the full light of the new day.

We live in a time right now where there is darkness in the world. It touches our lives, and we groan, along with all of the fallen creation, under the weight of the curse of sin and death. And yet, with the coming of Jesus into the world in His first advent, dawn has come: The light of life has come into our world in the person of Jesus Christ. We have the light of God’s Word to guide us … as we wait with eager expectation for Jesus’ second advent when He comes again!

For our world, covered in the shroud of darkness, a darkness which permeates even our own hearts, the message is clear: The advent of Jesus is the death knell of darkness and the guarantee that a new day is on the horizon.

Let us look to the morning star to give us hope until that day comes!

In the previous reflection, we considered how the flesh of Jesus served as a veil to God’s glory. In this reflection, we will see how the very thing that separates us from God’s glory and presence is the very thing that unites us and grants us entrance.

This is why Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Paul puts it like this, “There is one God and one mediator, the man Jesus Christ” (Timothy 2:5).

Christ as our High Priest serves as our mediator, acting on our behalf and bringing us to God. For a mediator to function effectively, they must fully represent both parties in a conflict and then execute a solution.

Jesus does this impeccably for He is fully God and fully man. Thus He is able to bring two opposing parties together while fully representing both completely and accurately.

This is why the incarnation is not just so important, but indispensable to our redemption. Through uniting to us in His flesh, Jesus is able to unite us to God through His Divine nature. But notice, it is mandatory that we come through His flesh.

Therefore, it is as humans that we come through the humanity of Jesus into fellowship with the Triune God and share in His eternal life.

The Tearing of Jesus’ flesh grants us entrance into the presence of God.

As we noted, the author of Hebrews is underscoring the superiority and finality of the work of Christ our Great High Priest in bringing us into the presence of God.

You recall, that the theme of Jesus’ body being the temple means that He is the true dwelling place of God, wrapped in human flesh. When we make the connection to the veil of Jesus’ flesh and the veil in the temple, we discover that it is a simple connection to make.

For instance when Jesus died, Matthew informs us that the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This signified that access to God has been established once and for all in a new and living way, and that the things that separate us from God have been dealt with. Namely, our otherness, and more so, our sin.

This also signified that it was the work of God in that the veil was torn from top to bottom. In other words, it is God Himself who accomplishes the work of redemption.

In making this connection, it is also clear that Jesus’ flesh served as the veil that was torn as it was ripped apart by Roman flails and whips. This is why when Jesus instituted the New Covenant, He said ‘this is my body broken for you… this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 22:19-21).

As a human High Priest, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice whose body was torn and whose blood is able to save us to the uttermost and sanctify our hearts forever.

It was as His body was abused, beaten, ripped and torn, and His blood spilled that the true veil was torn.

Through His perfect and sinless humanity, He was an adequate offering to die in our stead and based on that achievement, give us full and free access to God. As a Christian, this means that with Jesus and in Jesus we come to God as humans. Redeemed humans washed in His blood and made new in His life.

Therefore we cannot emphasize enough that we come through our shared humanity with Jesus into the triune life and fellowship that He has always enjoyed and now shares with us as one of us.

This is how God brings many sons to glory and remakes redeemed humanity in the image of His Son.

As humans, we have full access into the life of the triune God all because Jesus chose to share our human nature with us and became a temple that could never be destroyed by death, but that destroys death once and for all.

In closing, this Christmas, let us remember that Jesus who came for us came as one of us, and that apart from His humanity, we would have no access to God.

“…By a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20).

As we celebrate Christmas, we ponder the wonder of the incarnation of Jesus. That the second member of the Godhead added humanity to Himself, thus forever uniting Himself to humanity.

The writers of the New Testament stress both the humanity and divinity of Jesus. So we affirm that Christ is one person with two distinct natures, not separated, not mixed but forever united.

Theologically, we refer to this as the hypostatic union. In this brief advent reflection, I want to look at the words “through the veil,” that is to say, “His flesh,” and examine the imagery the author provides.

Here the author is saying, that by the blood and through the flesh of Jesus, we enter the most holy place with the human Jesus as our high priest who leads us. But notice that it is His flesh that is the gate of entrance. This is an intriguing way to express the high priestly work of Jesus and how He brings us into the presence of God.

What I want to do now is take up what seems to be an invitation to explore the range of meaning that the imagery employed by the author evokes, focusing on the imagery of the veil.

The flesh of Jesus veils the glory of God

When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, we read, “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”

What happened is that Jesus temporarily allowed His Divine nature to be expressed and let His glory radiate. This is why both John and Peter refer to that event and associate it with seeing the glory and majesty of God.

For instance, when John writes about this event, he says:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

He is here referring to seeing the glory of Jesus revealed on the mountain. What is important is that though this was a temporary event, it was a taste of what living in the New Jerusalem will be like.

John shares his vision of of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:10,11, where we read:

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.”

He goes on to say in Revelation 22:5: “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.”

What is to be stressed here is that in the New Jerusalem, God’s glory will be present and expressed with all its fullness. Redeemed humanity will be able to stand it because they will be in their glorified state.

Until then, man cannot withstand being in the full presence of God’s glory.

Thus, as Jesus was on the earth, He had to restrain the full expression of His glory, and His flesh was the veil that covered His glory from man.

To further develop this idea, we can think of Moses who was also on a mountain where the glory of God was revealed. In Exodus 33, Moses asks God to show His glory. God’s response was that Moses could not see His face and live. We read:

“But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’”

Notice that Moses was covered while God’s glory passed by. Moses eventually got his request not on Mount Sinai, but on the Mount of Transfiguration as he conversed with Jesus and Elijah. As Moses came down to the camp, his face shone from the encounter, which led to Moses putting a veil over his face as he conversed with the people.

Commenting on this, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3 that the children of Israel were not able to look at Moses’ face because he was reflecting the glory of God. Even though it was a mere reflection and a fading one at that. He then goes on to say in verse 18:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In Christ, the veil is removed, and we see God’s glory as it is revealed in and through Jesus, who is the brightness of His glory and express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3).

John also tells us that Jesus reveals God’s glory and the Father. In His introduction, he plays heavily on the theme of light. This is because He is seeking to draw our minds to the glorious light of God’s nature. This light he says, is Jesus. Then, in the span of five verses, he associates Jesus with the glory of God and manifestation of the Father.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

Moses was not allowed to see God and live.

Yet in Christ, we are allowed to see God and live.

All because Jesus clothed and united Himself to us in adding flesh to His person. Remember our verse in Hebrews tells us that the flesh of Jesus is a veil.

The immediate reference is to the temple veil. It is as this veil torn, that we are able to see what it hides, namely the glory of God in the holy place where God sits enthroned between the cherubim.

It is the tearing of this veil of His flesh that we will take up in our next reflection.

In closing, I invite you to reflect on the following statement. God who dwells in unapproachable light has come near to us in the humanity of His Son Jesus as one of us. Sharing in our flesh.

Perhaps the most significant celestial event in history —the Star of Bethlehem—is recurring in our lifetime—just in time for Christmas 2020!

“On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be so closely aligned that they will appear as a ‘double planet,'” announced Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan. The double planet will be visible December 16 – 25. The last time such a close conjunction was visible from earth was in 1226, almost 800 years ago.

“Call 2020’s conjunction a unique, holiday gift to the world,” says the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Interestingly, the event is dubbed the “Christmas Star” or the “Star of Bethlehem.” ¹

“The skies proclaim the work of His hands,” the psalmist sang. “They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth” (Psalm 19).

Celestial signs and events have always signaled messages about earthly events.

God’s first arrival to the earth in human form was an event to be heralded by a phenomenon never seen before.

Scientists, scholars, even theologians, have called the Star of Bethlehem a myth, a symbol, or a spiritual metaphor. But all that has changed. With new historical knowledge and technology, we can create models of the universe as it existed 2000 years ago. The Star and the famous wise men who followed it are proving to be real!

The ancient magi, or “wise men,” were often court astronomers. Such a dramatic cosmic event drew them to investigate.

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him,” they asked, arriving in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:2).

The wise men most likely saw Jupiter (known as the King planet) and Venus (known as the Mother planet) merge in the eastern sky, creating a super conjunction of planets.

As one of the closest conjunctions ever to occur, it would have astounded the ancient world. What the magi saw from their home in Babylon was a super star shining in the west, directly toward Jerusalem. ²

The magi knew that a momentous event had been announced in the heavens—like the birth of a king.

As they traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, they would have seen the Jupiter-Venus pair moving from the east toward the south (the direction of Bethlehem) due to the earth’s rotation.

Looking directly over Bethlehem, they would have seen Jupiter, appearing to have stopped, stationary in the heavens, mid-bodied to the constellation Virgo the Virgin, shining directly down on Bethlehem. There they found Jesus and gave Him their gifts.

And now, we are about to see a similar celestial event.

Once again, the heavens are speaking.

“There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars,” we are told (Luke 21:25-28).

We’re about to see a great sign!

Like poetry written in the skies, the stars and heavenly bodies proclaim His glory, declare His intentions, cause us to look up and watch for His coming.

_NOTES:

_{¹ EcoWatch, “Jupiter and Saturn Will Form ‘Double Planet’ This December for the First Time in 800 Years,” December 4, 2020.}

_{² The Star That Astonished the World, by Dr. Ernest Martin (1991), and The Star of Bethlehem website are excellent resources for more details.}

There are acts of unplanned kindness that break through the humdrum of daily existence and shine a new sense of light. Infused with grace, these unexpected gifts have the power to change the course of someone’s day or even become a life moment, an example for generations to come. One such event, described in a BBC documentary¹ by those who lived through it, had the power to potentially stop World War I on December 24, 1914.

The Western European propaganda promised both sides that the enemy would be defeated and the troops would be home before Christmas.

It was the end of the “Belle Époque,” a period of prosperity and insouciance. Europe was expanding, a patriotic fervor enflamed it’s citizens, all the while the divide between rich and poor increased. Pictures of the times leading up to the beginnings of hostilities show jovial youth in pristine uniforms with the glimmer of future conquest in their eyes. It would appear that a decisive rapid victory was inevitable—the media promoted it, the governments promised it, and the military high command assured it.²

The reality was quite different. On the Western Front, the German army marched through neutral Belgium and pushed within 70 miles of Paris. The Allied forces exploited a weak point in German lines and brought the battle back up to the Alsace and Lorraine area while a race to the sea drew a new battle line through Belgium. The fighting intensified as the two opposing armies dug down and made trenches that would last the duration of the war.

By December of 1914, the talk of a valiant instant victory was crushed under the news of a horrific death toll due to newer technologies. Testimonies of war crimes streaming from the civilians caught in war zones and villages disappearing under the rubble.³

The Pope attempted to call a cease-fire for the holidays, in hopes to appeal to the Christian heritage on both sides. Word circulated to the troops of the front but neither high command was willing to consider it.

The bitterness of war had already sunk into the heart of the entrenched enemies. Fighting continued to rage until the night of December 24.

Witnesses speak of a light snow fall that night. A profound desperation and chill from living knee deep in mud, fighting to keep their rations from rats as they were huddled to the ground when Christmas time arrived.

That’s when something extraordinary transpired that has never been repeated, at least not in the same way, nor on the same scale.

In the north by Ypres that night, the British soldiers listened as the shelling was replaced by a chorus of “O Tannenbaum” The unexpected beauty was remarkable enough for them to answer with “The First Noel,” and then the two opposing armies joined together singing, “O Come All Ye Faithful.”⁴

In France to the south, the French army hushed to sound of the Germans singing “Silent Night.” Not be out done, they joined in, each army singing in their respective languages.⁵ In some places the Great War raged on, but all over the Western Front, a spontaneous movement of peace was observed as the troops celebrated together the Savior’s birth, even if from the inside of their trenches.

None would have been surprised by a return to hostilities the next day. In fact, that was the case for many that Christmas Day. The high command on either side would not approve of the nights impromptu vigil. Yet, in a day without the instant communication technologies that would later help control armies, there was a little more leeway to be human.

That day the Germans put up small Christmas trees on their trenches. Surprised English soldiers took pictures that can be found today by a simple Google search. But the goodwill didn’t stop there.

Numerous witnesses speak of the unimaginable.

Germans stepping out of the trenches with white flags, meeting the enemy in the middle, in No Man’s Land. They didn’t come to fight. They shook the hands of the enemy. They arranged for the dead to be buried. They held Christmas services.

The fraternizing went further. Enemies spoke of families waiting back home, exchanged Cognac, Cigars, Chocolat and other delicacies. There were football matches documented by photographs sent home in many of the amazed soldiers letters. In some places the unofficial truce lasted until the New Year.⁶

When the authorities on both sides heard about the Christmas Truce, they were furious. The news reaching home was limited to the best of their abilities. The propaganda machines needed to turn and keep the public approval of the war effort. Photographs and letters were destroyed. A warning was issued to soldiers on both sides that further fraternization with the enemy would end in charges of treason. Both sides doubled efforts the following years to ensure that it never happened again.⁷

It stands to wonder what would have happened if the movement spread.

What if reason returned, and the peace of Christ incarnating into our world transformed into more than just a truce? Christmas is a time when many seek peace, but not everyone finds it. Statistics today speak of depression, suicide and overwhelming debt. But what if there could be peace? It’s enough to make me think of the conflicts within our movement and in our personal relationships. I wonder if the Gospel might not be applied to bring peace to our lives as we put down our arms, our comebacks, our pride, as we stop for a moment to remember the One who became a man to take away our sin. Our High Command, however, won’t ask us to pick up our guns the next day. I wonder if He might not even ask us to do more than agree to a Christmas Truce. Chances are, He’d call us to live in His peace.

^{Image above credited to Imperial War Museum.}

¹ Peace in No Man’s Land, BBC
² Apocalypse la 1ere Guerre mondiale, Furie
³ Verdun Memorial
⁴ The Smithsonian Magazine
⁵ Verdun Memorial
⁶ France 24
⁷ BBC iWonder

What does “advent” mean? Well, the word itself means: “The arrival of a notable person or thing.” At this time of year we celebrate the arrival of the most notable person of all time, Jesus Christ. Advent has taken on different traditions throughout the course of Christian history, the advent calendar, lighting the advent candles, and in some Christian traditions, it is marked by a time of fasting.

Advent is a time to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ.

To help us think more deeply about the significance of Advent, let’s examine the first few verses of the Gospel of John to learn about the incredible gift of God that the world received when Jesus was born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.

The first four verses of the Gospel of John state: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-4).

Each of the four Gospels highlight a different aspect of Jesus. The Gospel of John emphasizes the deity of Jesus. Why didn’t John, like the other Gospels, begin with the story of the stable in Bethlehem or the beginning of His ministry? Why doesn’t he refer to Jesus as Jesus, but instead calls Him “The Word?” Well, it was to indicate that Jesus existed long before there was ever a stable in Bethlehem, long before He was ever given the name Jesus, He was.

Moreover, John emphasizes here that Jesus was not merely a man who walked the earth for 33 years, doing some miracles, but that He is God, and that it was Jesus who created our universe. When we think of the beauty of our planet, sometimes we must take a step back and just wonder at God’s creation. But even the wonder of our planet rotating in its place is dwarfed by the magnitude of our raging, fiery sun and the pristine, swirling rings of Saturn, the raging storms and murky atmosphere of Jupiter, the comets, meteors, moons and stars, the vast expanse of our solar system, spanning for thousands of light years. The spectacular phenomenon of dark stars existing invisibly, still pulling moons and planets with only the void of the place they once held in the universe. Black holes and dark matter bend the capacity of the human mind. Yet even the wonder of our galaxy and the billions of stars found in it are eclipsed by the multitude of countless other galaxies which exist and swirl in the realm of God’s creation. As you sit and read this, out there the universe moves and shapes, stars explode, meteor showers clash and crash, and God knows it all.

God made it all, and God holds it all together. This universe was spoken into existence by “the Word.” How unfathomably powerful is God? Yet, to me, what is even more incredible than God’s creation, is that He chose to come to earth as a baby. He, whom all the wonders of the universe emerged from, the intelligence, the science, the creativity, the power, the detail, the size, scope and enormity of Him, He became “made.” He came as a baby, powerless, tiny, helpless, dependent, insignificant, impoverished, vulnerable, and from the beginning, threatened by the very ones He had made. This is what God did, this is who Jesus is. He came to live as a human, so He could understand our humanity, He lived as a man, and we are told, “He was tempted in every way, yet was without sin” (Hebrew 4:15). He was and is, God, clothed forever in the body of a man, He is fully God and fully man; He is Jesus.

This period of Advent is a time to celebrate the coming of Jesus into our world.

But let us also remember that Christmas foreshadows Easter as birth foreshadows death; the Christmas tree eventually becomes the tree of Calvary.

As we read here in John 1:4, “In Him was life.” This is true in the most literal sense. He literally was life. The tiniest proton to the most enormous sun comes from Jesus, and yet He who was “life,” died. He died to take the sin of mankind upon Himself; He died to once again bring life to us. And the most wonderful part is that death could not hold Him. He rose again. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.” Nothing is more powerful than God, no matter how dark things may seem to you today. Do not forget His magnitude. Do not forget His power. Do not forget His great love for you. If Christ is in you, the darkness cannot overcome you, so put your trust in Him.

If you are reading this today and you have not chosen to follow Jesus, I just want to remind you of the verse we read today in John 1:4, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of man.” Jesus is the source of everything, you included. He is the one who throws “light” on our lives, how can we know or understand ourselves; how can we discern why we are here, or why we exist at all without knowing the one who made us? Come to Jesus during this Advent season, so that you can know His love, grace and salvation in your life; and so that He can fill you with light and understanding to know your God given purpose on this earth.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Traditionally, Christians have remembered the four Sundays before Christmas Day as Sundays of Advent, often lighting a series of four candles over those days. In our home we have a row of four red advent candles, one for each of those Sundays. By the time the fourth Sunday comes all four candles are bright, their flames bringing light to our home.

It’s a tradition that can serve to prepare us to celebrate the earth-shaking event of the coming of Jesus; God adding humanity to His deity and coming as if He was any other child.

Candles give light, and one purpose of light is to give confidence and courage. In the dark, it’s easy to be afraid and even to be a coward. Jesus changed everything by bringing His light into the world.

When Jesus came into the world, the angels spoke to the shepherds of Bethlehem:

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10).

This was not only a word for those specific shepherds; it was sort of an announcement to all humanity – that the arrival of Jesus means the end of fear.

It was good news to men that the Second Person of the Trinity added humanity to His deity, because it meant that there really was something compatible between God and man. Man can never become God; but if God can add humanity to His deity, it demonstrates that man really is made in His image. The incarnation shows that God is not necessarily an enemy to humanity. We never read that Jesus took the nature of angels, but He did take the nature of unfallen humanity.

So, don’t be afraid. Jesus comes as a friend to mankind, even in our weakness and sin. He comes near. We are not left as orphans in the universe, but the Creator of the universe has drawn near to us. The same One who made all things with a word, came as the Eternal Word unto us.

Jesus came to bring light, not darkness. The light chases away fear, ignorance, and discouragement. We can hear what the angels spoke to those ancient shepherds and understand that God speaks the same word to us: Jesus has come, “Do not be afraid.”

“Just Drop the Blanket”– The Gospel Coalition
“But while working so diligently to learn those lines, there is one important thing I didn’t notice then, and didn’t notice until now. Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.”

“Why Can’t J.K. Rowling Accept Transgender People Like Me?”– The Washington Post
“On Thursday, Rowling tweeted a defense of the British researcher Maya Forstater, whose employer declined to renew her contract in light of Forstater’s own tweets, which included statements such as ‘men cannot change into women.’ Forstater took her former employer to court, where the judge sided with the employer, stating that Forstater’s online commentary ‘creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment … not worthy of respect in a democratic society.'”

“Introducing the CGN Leadership Team”– Calvary Global Network
“The purpose of the CGN leadership team is to provide definition and direction for the network, especially developing strategies to assist churches in resourcing ministry leaders, as well as fostering relational connections among network churches.”

“Taking Care of the Shepherd“– GoFundMe
“Pastor Joe Nauta of Calvary Chapel Guam has a crushed spinal disk, bone on bone and bone on nerve. As you can imagine, he is in a lot of pain. He needs a Laminectomy surgery as soon as possible. He does not have medical insurance and the cost of the surgery, along with the cost of the trip to the Philippines to get it is $17,729.”

“Spark of Love at CCCM”– Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
“KWVE and CCCM hosted a Spark of Love Distribution Center in the Charis Warehouse.”

“PEP Talk Podcast with Joel Turner”– Solas
“Do you have to be a master of improvisation to be an effective evangelist? Or is it better to master a 16-step gospel presentation written by an expert? This time on PEP Talk, we speak to former comedian and traveling evangelist Joel Turner about following the Spirit and looking to the Bible for new opportunities in sharing the gospel.”

“Transformed by the Gospel of Grace“– Expositors Collective
“Speaker, traveler and missionary, Sarah Yardley, shares her experiences and growth in understanding the gospel of grace.”

“Alice Cooper Opens Up About His Journey to Finding Faith”– Today
“Shock rocker Alice Cooper and his wife, Sheryl Goddard, sit down with TODAY’s Natalie Morales to talk about contributing to the new book Rock Gets Religion, by Mark Joseph. He opens up about losing his way in fame, fortune and alcohol before finding religion.”

“Tidings of Comfort and Joy”– Back to Basics
“This prophecy of Simeon is so beautiful, and this story is truly amazing. Jesus has been born and Mary and Joseph are coming to the temple after the time of her purification, bringing their Son for circumcision. Upon their arrival, they meet an elderly man. He takes the Baby from them, looks up to heaven, and begins to praise the Lord.”

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Each year many Christians are faced with the decision of what to do about the holidays. Can they celebrate with everyone else or should they refrain because of the pagan origins of some of the practices associated with this time of year? For some, this is no minor dilemma. What follows is offered in a hope we may find the balance essential to a healthy Christian life.

While the chronology is debated, the best evidence says believers began celebrating Jesus’ birth in the 4th Century. There was uncertainty over the correct date so they picked December 25, a day already being used to celebrate the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. As converts from paganism, they desired to distance themselves from their past. What better way to do that than to turn their love and devotion to the Savior while their neighbors were caught up in the error of their empty faith?

In those early centuries, Christmas commemorated more than Jesus’ first coming as a babe to Bethlehem. It anticipated His Second Coming as King of Creation. Believers looked backward with thanksgiving while looking forward in anticipation. This forward-looking aspect of Christmas is seen in the observance of Advent, a four-week period preceding Christmas when we pause to remember the meaning of the coming of the Savior.¹

What poses a difficulty for many Christians today is the realization that many of the rituals of Christmas are a carry-over, not from the Christian traditions of Christmas, but pagan religious holidays. The Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, the Yule log, as well as a host of other practices, come from pagan sources.

The question immediately arises, “If these things are pagan in origin, ought we engage in them?”

Some are convinced they should not. Following the Apostle Paul’s guidance in Romans 14, if one’s conscience is violated, then certainly, they should not observe these things. But let me suggest another way to look at Christmas and its rituals.

The observance of holidays is something God-ordained and commanded in the Old Testament. He instructed Israel to set aside special days as a time of remembrance of the great acts of redemption He’d worked in their history. Each year they were to cease from other activity and remember His great salvation. Passover, Tabernacles, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement; all these point to what God had done, as well as what He had promised yet to do. Celebration on special days commemorating God’s promises was to be a regular and annual part of the life of faith.

One of the commands God gave about these holy days was that when the children asked their parents what the day meant, the parents were to tell the children about God’s mighty grace and how He works in the lives of those who call on Him. At the Passover table, filled as it was with so many strange dishes, it was only natural for children to ask why they ate those particular foods. Parents then explained how each item represented their unique covenant with God. At the celebration of Tabernacles, the entire nation moved outdoors to lean-to shacks made of palm branches. In this way, they commemorated the wilderness wanderings and living in tents. While fun for the kids, it raised their curiosity and provided a teachable moment; a way to ensure the past was not forgotten.

So holidays had a two-fold purpose:

. To regularly remind adults that God works in human affairs.
. To train up the children in the knowledge and heritage of faith in God.

The early church was mainly comprised of converted Jews. As we read the book of Acts, we see that they continued celebrating the holidays of Israel. But now, these special days were infused with new meaning and relevance. Those first Christians could see these special days as not merely a looking back to what God had done but to what God did in giving His only begotten Son, and in what He had promised He would do in the future.

While the Jews have several major feast days, Christians concentrate their attention on two great times of rejoicing: Christmas and Easter. These two holidays are memorials to God’s faithfulness and love. It’s only right we follow on in the tradition of faith by setting aside special days to remember and reflect on the greatness of God and our New Covenant with Him.

The problem is that we find no specific instructions in the Bible on how to celebrate Christmas.

Where such instruction is lacking, we may use sanctified common sense. This means we must avoid sin and walk wisely. We must also consider the dictates of our conscience. But let us each ensure our conscience is informed by truth.

While it is true that most of the rituals of Christmas observed today have their origin in pagan practices, they do not have those associations today. People do not worship their Christmas tree. (Although, they may worship what’s under it!) The dilemma we must address is this: Just what DO the rituals of this season mean? Why do we put a tree in our living room? Why do we decorate it? Why do we give presents, and what is the meaning of the stocking? Who is Santa, and how can he come down that chimney if he has cookies and milk at every house?

While these things don’t have pagan meanings for us, there’s still a problem. The problem is that they have NO meaning. They’re empty of content. Consequently, they’re pointless, vain practices for most. Empty rituals make for a lifeless faith. Jesus was quite hard on the religious leaders of his day precisely on this point. They went through the motions of religion, without any real meaning in their rituals. He didn’t call them to stop their practices but rather to do them with hearts in tune with what they meant (Matthew 23:23).

Rather than cast off the traditions of Christmas, why not re-infuse them with meaning so they become living object lessons of what this season is all about?

When our children were young, this is the way we went about it in our home. On Christmas Eve, we gathered the children around as we sat by the tree and told them the Christmas story. The lights on the tree are a reminder of the stars that lit the field where the shepherds watched their flocks. Then angels appeared to declare the birth of Christ. The star on the top of the tree reminds us of the star that guided the Magi. We tell our children that truly wise people still seek out Christ. The round ornaments remind us that Jesus came because God loves the whole world. The colors of the ornaments: gold, silver, red and such speak of the richness of God’s gift and how Jesus came to shed His blood for our sins. The tree itself is a reminder that Jesus came, not to rule, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many on the cross of Calvary. (But when He comes again, He comes as King.) The evergreen reminds us that the love and promises of God are everlasting.

We give gifts to one another as a reminder of the greatest of all gifts—Jesus. The stocking which was empty the night before Christmas is filled on Christmas morn, reminding us that when we were empty, Christ filled us with good things. We set out an extra stocking each year. This is Jesus’ stocking. On Christmas morning, before we do any gift opening, we each put a hand into the stocking and pray, offering ourselves to God.

Some people are leery of the whole idea of Santa Claus and as he is presented today, there is a need for concern. But history tells us of a man named Nicholas who was so infused with the love and grace of God he gave hand-made toys to underprivileged children in the name of Jesus. This hero of the faith is worthy of recognition and emulation as we seek to spread the grace of God to those less privileged than ourselves. We can use the symbol of Santa, not as an icon of greed and getting, but as a godly example of grace and giving.

These are some of the ways we’ve infused the real meaning of Christmas into the traditions of the holiday.

If you’re inspired by them, you’re welcome to use them as you wish. Come up with your own as well and share them with your friends so that their experience of Christmas can be enriched.

When it comes to the celebration of Christmas, let these words of the Apostle Paul guide you: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).

Notes:

¹ Dowley, Tim, A Lion Handbook of the History of Christianity Lion: Oxford. 31.

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple…and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

Anna was the right woman, at the right place, at the right time. As Simeon delivered sad words about Jesus’ future and Mary’s pain, God plugged-in a megaphone of hope, to remind us all of the Great News that Messiah was here. That megaphone was an 84-year-old widow who literally lived at the temple. With no husband but God (see Isaiah 54:5) she decided to move into God’s house and was there day & night praying and fasting.

Anna was a temple fixture, like an eighth branch of the beautiful Menorah, which she had never seen. It was in the inner temple rooms a woman could not enter. But Anna was indeed a bright light to those she met, especially this day.

The sound of Anna’s praises would’ve especially comforted Mary with a touch of heaven at that heavy moment. Yes, Simeon spoke for God, but Anna provided that next chorus of “hallelujah” so needed at that moment. Then Anna’s praises turned to preaching, as “she talked about Jesus to everyone,” who’d been looking, hoping and waiting for God to rescue, save, restore and forgive. May our voices lift the same praises and speak the same truth to those who are hungry for heaven’s greatest gift…Jesus. Preach on, Anna, preach on.

“That day the Spirit led [Simeon] to the temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as You have promised. I have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of Your people Israel’” (Luke 2:27-32).

The day had come. Perhaps Simeon waited for decades or just a few days, but the “promise given” was now the “promise fulfilled.” He came “by the Spirit” that day, ascending the Temple Mount at just the right time. He saw all the typical, daily activity there: conversations and theological debates, prayers, songs and ceremonies, and sacrificial animals being led to the place of their execution to make things right between God and the worshiper. Then he saw them. A young Galilean couple carrying their first baby to be dedicated as God’s Word commanded. Perhaps God handed down that mandate knowing that THIS day, THIS couple would bring THIS Son who was being prepared for “all the people” as a future sacrifice.

Simeon not only saw this face in the crowd, he understood that to see the face of Jesus, was to see Salvation. What was true for Simeon is true for us. To see Jesus for who He is, and to embrace Him and worship, as Simeon did, is to be truly ready to “die in peace.”

That face in the crowd had come to die for the crowd, the whole crowded world. See Him. Embrace Him. Find peace in Him.

“Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often” (Luke 2:19).

All mothers keep “baby books.” But Mary’s journal of Jesus’ early (and adult) life was different than that of any other mom. There were many angelic visits to different people. Joseph alone had four. Angels had gave explicit instructions for the naming of this promised child. Her relative, Elizabeth, had a supernatural pregnancy. A Roman decree forced their long journey to Bethlehem late in Mary’s pregnancy. And of course, her baby book would include the details about swaddling cloths, a feeding trough and the visit of shepherds and Eastern Magi with expensive gifts. Of course, one of the most treasured memories must have been how this amazing man, Joseph, chose to stay with her after she told him she was pregnant.

No wonder we read that she “kept all these things in her heart and thought about them” over and over again. Some translations of Luke say she “treasured” these details. Each one being a precious gem to this young mother. She was living in the “wonderland” of God’s redemptive activity.

Mary’s heart was captured by Christmas. Perhaps it comforted her in those years when Jesus seemed so much like any other Jewish boy, attending Beit Sepher (Jewish Elementary school), learning carpentry under Joseph’s guidance or playing games with His younger siblings.

Rehearsing the treasured memories of Christmas would have reminded and reassured her that God was with her and Joseph, and they raised His Son.

Let Christmas linger. Don’t toss the tree too soon. Treasure the apparent trivial details, and see how rich they are with meaning. Allow yourself to be captured by Christmas again and again as you pour over Jesus’ “baby book.” Let Advent live in your heart.

“When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished” (Luke 2:15-18, NLT).

Boxing Day, the day after Christmas is basically about giving some of what you have to those who have less. (We learned that while living in Australia). That’s the scene here. Follow me…

What do you do when angels appear in the middle of the night and say, “Your Savior’s here,” and then fill the formerly “silent night” with exuberant praise? You outrun Usain Bolt into town to search. And that’s what they did. They searched for and found the baby, as predicted, wrapped in rags, nestled into a feeding trough.

Perhaps the shepherds’ next move was predictable but still commendable. “They told everyone what had happened,” admitting they’d been directed by an angel. Understand this: They had to bridge an existing credibility gap. Shepherds weren’t held in high regard back then. They were often ceremonially “unclean” due to the death, blood and mess they lived around connected to shepherding. But they “told everyone” what they knew. It took courage, faith, humility, obedience and love for their neighbor. These shepherds were the first human evangelists for Christ.

These shepherds didn’t know much. Only that Jesus had arrived. Our theology is far more filled-out with information on the life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. So let’s be “shepherdy.”

Don’t keep what you know to yourself. “Tell everyone what happened” in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee and Jerusalem. Let’s share what we know. It’s such great news. It’s the Gospel. (And Happy Boxing Day, mates!)