Saturday, December 22, 2007

Does God Celebrate Christmas?

I was thinking about something earlier today...

For those who manage to keep their minds and hearts set on Christ in the midst of all the paganism and materialism, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, the Messiah, our Savior.

The thought crossed my mind earlier today about celebrating this "birthday" from the perspective of God the Father. Does He celebrate the day that His one and only Son gave up His rightful place in Heaven to take on the form of a man? Does He celebrate the day that marked the beginning of Christ's humiliation, suffering, and death? If I was sending my one and only son into battle in the middle east, with the full and sure knowledge that he would be captured, mocked, spat on, tortured, beaten, and illegally murdered, WOULD I CELEBRATE THE DAY HE LEFT FOR HIS SERVICE?

I am confident that God celebrates the results of what Christ accomplished, just as I would be thankful for the accomplishments of a faithful soldier-son, killed in battle. But would I celebrate the day I sent him off to his death?

Just a thought.

I will continue to celebrate the ENORMOUS SACRIFICE that Christ made in the incarnation - not annually, but daily. But I will celebrate it somberly at times, trying to put myself into the mind of God the Father - the One who sent His Son to His Death the very day He was born.

2 comments:

Theria (Sister Afrika) said...

I tried to cast my vote for God's attribute of "Holiness", but somehow couldn't. The dictionary definition for "holy" reads: "spiritually perfect or pure; untainted by evil or sin." I love that! God is perfect, completely flawless. He makes no mistakes. Therefore, I can trust Him completely in everything He says and in everything He does. This Holy God sent His Only Son to be born to die...for me. So that I can have eternal life. Me, a sinner, an imperfect, tainted human. What a cause to celebrate JESUS every day! Celebrate His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection. Amen.

Jon Langley said...

Thanks for the post Theria. Sorry you couldn't vote, that poll closed a couple of days ago. I'll put a new one up soon.

Amen to celebrating Jesus every day! And because He was and is holy, He has been exalted above every name and sits at the right hand of God the Father! And what does He do with His power and exaltation? He uses it to make intercession for us!

Born to die,
Lived to serve,
Died for me that I might live!

Bwana asifiwe sana!