Are you feeling pain today? Is
there some source of confusion, or disappointment, or personal failure that is
creating an ache in your life? You’re not unique! One of the side effects of the Christmas
season of joy is the way it increases our awareness of the things that are just
‘not right’ in this world. The ideals we celebrate; peace on earth, joy, and generosity, are
mocked by the reality in which we live where bombs are planted by terrorists,
where the weak become the prey of the strong.
It’s not a pretty world.
·
A little boy wept at the cruelty
of those who cannot understand him, who see his inabilities as a reason to
taunt him. His pain invaded my heart and I could not help but curse the
darkness of human nature that creates such suffering.
·
The newspaper reported the
story of a man who strapped his 2 year old daughter into a car seat, weighed it
down with a car jack, and threw her into a stream to die. He then went out for
drinks with friends. The horror of his actions is beyond my comprehension.
·
A teenage girl gives away her
self-respect, allows herself to be used, just to find acceptance and a sense of
love. She believes the lie that she is valuable only if admired by a boy. But,
then I remember the shadows of the same craving for acceptance that tempts me
to compromise of my own principles in a different way.
All this pain is precisely why
Christ came! He came to be Light in the darkness. "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who
believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words
but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the
world, but to save it." (John 12:46-47, NIV) How did Jesus begin His mission to save the
world? Not with power that drove sinners to submission! Not with brilliant speeches that laid out a
program for change! He became one with those He came to save. Though He was God
and could have chosen other routes to deal with the sin of the world, He "made himself nothing, taking the very nature
of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:7, NIV) He
would not remain aloof from us, but chose to identify with us; Immanuel, God with us!
The manger scene is ‘prettied
up’ on our greeting cards. The whole story of God’s arrival as the Savior of
the world is turned into a nice tale about angels and wise men that ignores the
scandal, the pain, and the mystery of the God who was willing to experience the
pain of a broken world. His story compels us to get involved, too. We cannot
bring true transformation by standing apart from the pain of others. We are
compelled to take the Light to the darkness. A misshapen ideal of holiness is
built around a concept of isolation. It says that those who would please God
must build walls to keep the ‘sinners’ out and to protect the ‘saints.’ Jesus tore down those walls and taught us
that holiness comes from within us as the Spirit of God transforms us. This is
the amazing, often untold, story of Christmas!
We save the world, as He did,
by entering into it and sharing the Light. The transformation which is possible
is not pretty, easy, or painless. But it is powerful, persistent, and triumphs
over evil. Here’s a word from the Word. I pray it will lead you to be like your
Savior, dying daily to Self, entering your world bring light to darkness, and
becoming an agent of transformation.
"Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do
not lose heart. … by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to
every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled,
it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the
minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but
Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard
pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted,
but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in
our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in
our body." (2 Corinthians 4:1-10, NIV)
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