December in my neck of the woods is the time for hot chocolate, fires in the hearth, snow hats, and Christmas lights. It is the month during which we all pray for snow which, when it arrives, usually comes softly. Nothing raucous, nothing fierce. We sleep soundly under the quilts and wake come morning to a world piled with white. This winter season is rife with theological metaphors, but all the soft snow, crackling fires, and Christmas lights might lull my imagination to sleep. I might forget the reality of my situation in light of my much desired comforts.
The reality of the situation is that Christ entered this drama as a baby a very long time ago. He’s a baby no longer.
Yes, there was quiet suckling once. Yes, Mary sang him to sleep. Yes, his first night as a person was probably a noisy and smelly affair, what with all the barn animals now made skittish by the baby’s wail. But all that happened long ago and we do ourselves harm by leaving Christ in the manger.
The Scriptures remind us that “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.'”
C.S. Lewis put it this way in Mere Christianity: “Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise…”
J.I. Packer reinforced this fact in his book Knowing God: “Christ is loose and at large.”
Many of us forget the fact that we live in a world in which Christ is “loose and at large” and over which he has authority. Thankfully, even our Christmas Carols preach this reality. Unbelievers spread the good news with us when we sing together these great words from Joy to the World:
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King…”
And later, “He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of his love.”
Yes, indeed! He rules the world.
So here’s a reality check for your imagination. It might not look like it, but In reality, Christ is loose and at large, binding the strong man and butting his bruisers out. This place is under new management.
Throw open the windows.
Let in the light and some fresh air.
Live.
benpalpant.com – life re-imagined
