stone savage

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” - Luke 2:10-11, NASB

Every year on Christmas Eve my father reads a passage to us from the 2nd chapter of Luke. If you are unfamiliar with the passage by its reference, it is the chapter in which we find the Christmas story. My father reads it to us - “lest we forget” as he says. It is the entire reason for the holiday, afterall. It is the story of the birth of an infant who was to experience a life and death we still cannot fully comprehend to this day.

I am not the sort to expect anyone to embrace that which they cannot fathom, nor that which they must categorically reject. I do not argue the divinity of Christ, nor do I insist upon His being the literal Son of God. I will not argue about the veracity of the Bible, nor whether or not translators are or were inspired by God. None of that matters to me - and I will say it now… none of it should matter to anyone.

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Yes, I believe Christ existed. I believe He walked this earth, and I believe He delivered a message few understood in His time. I daresay even fewer understand since He died all those years ago. I believe these things but I cannot prove any of it, and even if I could it really is just all irrelevant to me because here is the reality… if for some reason God decreed my banishment from His presence forever - and the Angel of Death appeared to me tonight to take me from this world, even as the stroke of the sword fell I would still be thankful for this time I have had to know Him.

My love for Him is not based upon where I am going for eternity, or what I can prove or disprove or decree as doctrine, dogma, or divine inspiration. My love for God has nothing to do with anything like that. I just love Him - just like He loves me.

Would I give that which I love most for His benefit? I sure would - and I would not think twice about it, though the grief of the sacrifice might grip me for some time. His love for us was shown in a small and tiny package that exploded into this world and left an impact greater than anyone before or since.

His messengers came to the poor and lowly, not to the rich and famous. His birth announcement was to a few men who no one even remembers except for the message they heard - “there has been born for you a Savior".

If it is more important to argue than to know and love God then something has gone amiss and it is time to rethink what we believe. I upset a few people once upon a time when I categorically declared that if the Bible was getting in the way of Christianity, then it was time to throw the Bible away. I meant it then, and I mean it now - love God and love others. That is it.

That is the entirety of the message of Christ. That is the entire reason He came here to be born in the most ignoble of places.

He came all that way for such a simple message. What does it say about us that we have complicated it so much? Just as we took 10 Commandments and turned them into 680 plus laws for holiness, so have we complicated the amazing message that was as uncomplicated, beautiful, and innocent as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes: Love God and love others. When you have perfected those two things then the debates, arguments, indecisions, and judgments might matter. Until then I rather think that pure and innocent message might be where we should point our thoughts.

This holiday season, I challenge you to ignore the commercialism and stress of the holidays. Go back to that innocent child in the manger and realize the message: He loves us.

So love Him and love others and don’t worry about anything else. Focus on just one thing - that there could ever have been a time when a small and helpless infant entered this world for a singular purpose none of us has yet managed to perfect. Like a game of telephone tag children play in a schoolyard, we have taken a small phrase He uttered as our Great Task and turned it into a monstrosity of demand, instruction, and expectation. Return to Him and look upon the face of innocence lest we forget.

As I prepare for some busy days ahead and a move across the country, I wish you all well while I am absent. Feel free to comment or wrestle with what I have shared - that’s what the comment section is for afterall.

Enjoy your families and friends over the holiday. May the Spirit of the season surround you!