Happy Christmas Dear Reader,
One of the necessary things in the quest for Christmas is
perspective. We have to understand what
we are seeking. One cannot pursue that
which he knows not of. One cannot seek a
treasure unless they understand what that treasure is.
Ponder that we celebrate the birth of Christ. We celebrate the joy of a savior born in a cattle
shed to the herald of angels and adoration of kings and commoners. We decorate and sing the songs. What we know is that the surface joy is
fleeting. The middle of the story is
sobering and violent.
If one is to seek Christmas one must consider that the wooden
manger leads to the wooden cross. The heralding
angels with the shepherds return to comfort the boy, now a man in the garden as
he weeps. Jesus’ next encounter with a
king is to be condemned and sent back to his death. The elements of the Christmas story all
remind us of the coming Passover story.
At the heart of the joy of Christmas is the joy of
salvation. At the core of this new life
is a death that will benefit all humans everywhere. As I said, however, that is the middle of the
story. That is where we see Aslan
stretched out on the great stone table and the joy and hope seems misplaced. It is where we see Gandalf slip into the
abyss with the Balrog and think him lost forever. We are after the cross but before the
return.
We have only promises and faith to carry us through. We have not yet seen Aslan on the move. We have not encountered Gandalf the White transformed. We have not seen the God-Man mounted on his
charger coming back to claim us all. It
feels so painful and soul shattering. We
are in just the middle of the story.
We have to look beyond Christmas to find it. We have to see the cross. We have to see the coming death. Like his mother, I think we forget who it is
that lays in the manger. We fail to see
the whole picture because the middle hurts us.
When seeking Christmas, I must remember that we are in the middle of the
story.
I must see it as the joyful beginning of a dangerous
quest. There will be blood and death
before it is over. There will also be
death being turned into a fighting chance to live. That is the treasure past the blood. That is the hope and joy that abides.
Where are you Christmas?
You are in the knowledge that you are the beginning of a great story
that is meant for us all. You are in the
cradle, cross, tomb, and resurrection.
You are in the constant unfolding of the story that continues to rush toward
the second Advent. So, I ask with those
who wonder, Mary did you know and Dear Reader, do you know? Do you see the story as it unfolds and can we
perhaps find joy in knowing how it ends, even in the midst of the pain? Tell me what you think.
Mary, Did you Know
– Pentatonix
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on
water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and
daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a
blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with
his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels
trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face
of God
Mary, did you know, Mary did you know, Mary did you know
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will
live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the
lamb
Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all
creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the
nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I AM
Mary, did you know, Mary did you know, Mary did you know
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Thorn:
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