A Christmas Beginning
When one does not have a currently operating blog, it seems that every few days a brilliant thought occurs that would be a shame not to write about. Then you don’t note it down and a day or two passes and a good idea is lost forever. I fear I have had many of those thoughts, seeds that could have produced an exquisite flower of contemplation if planted and watered well. Or perhaps they would have withered and crumpled in the dust of unsung opinions and ideas, yet would have been a valuable exercise to express.
Well, here I go again in an effort to prevent such loss in the future. So, to begin, I’ll go to the past and retrieve one of the few seeds that I did manage to tuck away, buried deep in my file system, waiting for a little thought to help it sprout. It is from two years ago, in fact, from Christmas of 2004. That break I heard this hymn sung in church at home:
From the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable
Stuart TownsendFrom the squalor of a borrowed stable,
By the Spirit and a virgin’s faith;
To the anguish and the shame of scandal
Came the Saviour of the human race!
But the skies were filled with the praise of heaven,
Shepherds listen as the angels tell
Of the Gift of God come down to man
At the dawning of Immanuel.King of heaven now the Friend of sinners,
Humble servant in the Father’s hands,
Filled with power and the Holy Spirit,
Filled with mercy for the broken man.
Yes, He walked my road and He felt my pain,
Joys and sorrows that I know so well;
Yet His righteous steps give me hope again -
I will follow my Immanuel!Through the kisses of a friend’s betrayal,
He was lifted on a cruel cross;
He was punished for a world’s transgressions,
He was suffering to save the lost.
He fights for breath, He fights for me,
Loosing sinners from the claims of hell;
And with a shout our souls are free -
Death defeated by Immanuel!Now He’s standing in the place of honour,
Crowned with glory on the highest throne,
Interceding for His own beloved
Till His Father calls to bring them home!
Then the skies will part as the trumpet sounds
Hope of heaven or the fear of hell;
But the Bride will run to her Lover’s arms,
Giving glory to Immanuel!
This evening we were watching Independence Day (because my dad was given it for Christmas and my sister-in-law had never seen it) and we reached the part where Russell Casse flies his jet into the alien ship and destroys it. At this point I found I had tears in my eyes. This was not, however, due to Russell’s brave action that saved the human race. No, it was because a minute before that he had looked at a little picture and said, “Tell my kids I love them very much.”
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13
The reason I felt tears was that the character represented a man who had come to the realization that life is not about oneself. Life, and death, is about others; it is about those we love and those we are called to love who surround us in our daily lives.
“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:7
For the christian, however, life is not about others first. Life is about Christ. As the apostle Paul says, “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Christ came to save humanity (in a far more real way than Russell ever could) and thus the christian’s life is now to be Christ.
The story is told in the hymn. This is the truly glad tidings of Christmas day (and every other day of the year)! The “King of heaven now the Friend of sinners” came into this world “filled with mercy for the broken man.” We are broken, are we not? I discover this every day as we fail in new and unforeseen ways. But lo, Christ our Immanuel is “standing in the place of honour… interceding for his own beloved.” Rejoice! Glory to God in the highest! This is good news indeed!
Let us remember this season that we are not meant to live for ourselves. We are meant to live in the Church for Christ and others. Then we have faith that “the Bride will run to her Lover’s arms, giving glory to Immanuel!”
So, a Christmas beginning to another attempt to cultivate the garden of thought. Perhaps combining a Christian hymn and Independence Day is not the wisest thing to do, and I may not have been successful, but there seemed a connection that needed elucidation. And that is that.
A Merry Christmas to all!
