What Movie are You Watching This Christmas?
The Christmas movie reel. We all have one rolling in our minds. A dream of how we want Christmas to unfold. The video conjures up warm feelings of family harmony, traditions, togetherness. Where laughter sparkles and carols spill from happy hearts. Perfect gifts wrapped in perfect packages await perfect responses of delight. All while a gentle snow falls on a pristine landscape.
But the reality of Christmas often presents a deep contrast as the film snaps and whirs to a halt. So much hurt reverberates in our lives. Physical, emotional and mental pain dispel any hope for a picture perfect holiday. All around us, sorrows like sea billows roll. Dynamic disappointments drape a dark veil over twinkling lights. Emotions of uncertainty, fear, and anger splash muck on our Hallmark-inspired scene. Once shimmering dreams lie shattered at our feet, the shards glinting a dare to take a step in any direction. Hopes for a better day evaporate like a mist. Loneliness lurks, mocking desires to share hearth and table with loved ones. The lights, music and laughter of our Christmas reel glare before us, a gaudy display we have no stomach for. So, we pull the plug.
As we sit in the resulting darkness, a gentle hum of another story begins to play before us. Quietly, separate from the world’s hustle and stress unrolls a beautiful, tender love story reaching back to the beginning of time, birthed in the very heart of God. The story spins out vibrant color and dynamic power as the intricate details of creation are unveiled and brought to life; culminating in God breathing life into man, the object of His love.
Soon, our eyes fill with tears, as we realize this love story is fraught with rebellion and rejection, as man chooses to scorn the love of the Father to go his own way. Over time, God calls to Himself a people that He cherishes, and teaches them how to respond to Him. Yet, they also fail. Over and over. And over and over God forgives and restores. We are stunned to see this pattern continue through centuries: God’s love and grace pour out while man persists in disobedience and hard-heartedness.
So God offers the ultimate gift. An unthinkable sacrifice. To express His unquenchable love for us, God sends His Son to redeem mankind. All the elements of a dramatic scene come together, as Hope and Light burst into the world. The long awaited promise comes in an unexpected form in an unlikely setting, surrounded by unpolished characters. The answer to all the longing and hopes of man echos across that dark night in the cry of a newborn babe. A son. The promised Messiah. The long awaited Savior of the World.
For years, God walks among us, teaching and healing. Instructing and loving. Yet, in horror we watch, as man again rejects Him; and in fact, the created kill their Creator. The screen goes dark. Shocked, we hold our breath, waiting for the credits to roll signifying the end. For the story is certainly over. God must indeed be finished with mankind. Walking away to leave us to ourselves following this unforgivable travesty.
But the story is not over. With drama and power never to be replicated in any other story, God flips the Enemy’s intended plot. Death is not the final scene. The screen springs back to life as Jesus is raised victorious over death and seated at the right hand of His Father, emanating glory and beauty and power and authority.
Suddenly, we realize we are no longer watching from our seat, but have become a part of this incredible story. Caught up to the present, we are now the ones with a decision to make. What will we do with the pinnacle of God’s love story? What will we do with Jesus?
Within reach is the Christmas we crave. Jesus. Immanuel. God with us. He is the Light we seek; an eternal, enveloping warmth illuminating each step. He is the Way through the valley we travel. He is the Truth, exposing every lie, every pretense, every fallacy. He is the Life, breathing purpose, vitality, and eternity into our souls. Here stands the firm foundation on which to build a hope and a future.
How will we respond to God’s great love story? Will we reject Him and turn to live life our own way? Or will we bow our knee, to receive His amazing love and worship Him? It’s a choice we make once, but renew daily. Will we follow Him today? Will we heed His direction in our current situation? Will we turn down the noise of the world and tune into His still, quiet voice? Will we worship and honor Him even in the hards of life we don’t understand?
Our difficult journey is why He came. Our wayward soul is why He offered Himself as the doorway to the Father’s presence. Our sorrow and deep longing for wrongs to be made right also stir His heart. Our hard season generates potential for a more passionate response and reception to the Father’s gift of the Christ-child.
For a moment, we hit “pause”, bringing our tumultuous life to a halt. Which story will we grasp this Christmas? The veneer, glitzy version that may bring a few happy moments, but which dissipate in a few days? Or the ancient love story that will stay with us through every moment for the rest of our lives? And then carry on with no ending as we spend eternity with Him, enjoying glory after glory in the new heaven and the new earth.
Before we hit “play”, let’s bow our hearts and make or renew our commitment to participate in the greatest love story ever told: God’s audacious love for each and every one of us. Then move on to celebrate this season with renewed joy, our hearts filled to the brim with hallelujahs.
Photo by Paige Weber on Unsplash
