One of the accusations hurled at Christianity by those who
do not believe is that “terrible things have been done in the name of
God.” Yes, that is true. Many wars were waged in God’s Name.
With religious conviction some are haters of this group or that
person. I know that and grieve. Now, imagine a world without
Jesus Christ. He is Light, Life, brings Peace, gives dignity to
those forgotten by the rest of the world. Because of Him, the world is a better place!
Jesus
set aside the blind justice expressed in the phrase "an eye for an
eye," and taught us to forgive.
No wonder the angels prefaced His birth with the
announcement of "Good
news of great joy for all the people!"
Luke 4, about the beginning of His mission, tells us that He read Isaiah in the
synagogue of Nazareth, describing his God-given work this way. "The Spirit of the Sovereign
Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will
be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger
against their enemies." (Isaiah 61:1-2,
NLT) Before He sat down that day, He astonished the
congregation telling them, "Today
this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21,
NKJV)
Those in the synagogue that day understood His words better
than we do. Jesus choose a text that spoke of the Year of Jubilee,
the 50th year in the cycle of 7's that God told His covenant people to
observe. Every Jubilee was to be a re-start: debts forgiven,
slaves freed, land restored to families who had lost it. It was a radical plan
and most scholars agree that the Jews observed it only symbolically, if at
all. Jesus announced a kind of divine Jubilee - a new beginning, a time of
cancelled debts, an era of freedom! Christian, would not agree that
individuals need renewal and hope? That is why He came and He has
entrusted that message and mission to us. Wherever we go, in His
Name, we announce a new era for humanity. We are not people of the Letter
of the Law or blind justice or mighty swords that bring death. We
are people of the Spirit, people of Life. It is my passion to
have a ministry of grace that builds bridges for all people to know God's Presence and Power
through Christ Jesus.
There is a message of Christmas that is
sentimental and sweet, centered on a young mother, a patient father, and a
Baby in a manger. However, that is not the Message of Christmas. The
real message was the one that God sent to the shepherds - "An angel of the Lord appeared
to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is
Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in
a manger."(Luke 2:9-12, NIV) He is both
Messiah and Master, the Promised One for whom you have longed for ages, and the
One who will defeat sin, death, and Hell!
Christian, look past the manger. See the Son of God,
the Man who reconciles humanity to the Creator. At the invitation of
Christ, come home to your Father. He will give you back what
sin stole from you, release you from the debts that enslave you, teach you how
to live as God planned for you to live, and give you hope and a future. All
that, and Heaven, too.
Go,
tell it on the mountain,
Over
the hills and everywhere!
Go,
tell it on the mountain,
that
Jesus Christ is born!
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