Christmas Destruction

"What is Christmas about, boys and girls? Annihilation. Obliteration. Demolition. Destruction."

It was the Christmas sermon opening that changed the way I thought about Christmas.

Thinking about a baby destroying the world immediately brought back age old memories of Chucky. I dated a guy who's four year old nephew was addicted to Chucky movies. I hope that kid turned out okay, but I think the odds were probably stacked against him. I need to pray over him today...

Anyway, you probably knew it was coming. My yearly post about all the things that I think are wrong with Christmas. The things that interfere with my thoughts and feelings about Christmas. The theories that I can't reconcile, the questions that don't have answers, the thoughts and feelings that conflict my spirit.

And you know what? I'm not alone! I found one, single solitary person who has the same problem. So there. I'm not that crazy. Well, let's not linger too long there.

  I'm don't like to linger long on the baby Savior. He was vulnerable. He was dependent on the humans he came to save. I wonder if this was the greatest challenge He faced, as He sat in Heaven, gazing down at the Earth, and asked the Father, "You trust them to take care of me?"

I imagine God nodded. And I imagine Jesus sighed and said, "Okay, if You do, then I guess I do."

Or something like that. Or maybe not.

But, again, I don't like to linger there. That has just never sat well with me, this whole celebration of the baby Jesus. Could it be that this is why He never asked us to celebrate His birth? Because it wasn't about His birth?

It was about the fall of Satan.

Now that gets me pumped up.

1 John 3:8b says this:

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."

There. That's it. It all just clicked. It all made sense. That's what my spirit has been longing to hear, plain and simple, all this time. And I am absolutely, positively sure that it has been mentioned before, talked about, preached about and illustrated over and over again before now. I think I just missed it all this time.

I know that Jesus came to save us. I really do. I know that was the whole intention of His birth. But it's more than that. This tiny baby's birth must have sent shock waves through Satan, waves of fear and trembling. It meant that Satan's destruction was sealed. It was definite now. The ONE who was going to destroy Satan was here. He came, and now it was all set into motion. The movie, if you will, had started. And the credits won't roll until Satan meets his eternal demise.

Wow.

"Jesus appeared to destroy the Devil's work"

That's it. That's why He came. He saved us in the process. He rescued us from Satan's clutches. Paid the ransom, and swept us into His arms.

Hebrews 2:14-15

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Oh yeah. That's it. My new Christmas verse.

So am I now okay with Christmas in December, the songs about Jesus being born this night, the Wise Men hanging around the manger, the presents, the craziness, and all and such?

No. I'm not. And I won't ever be. But you know what? God won't let me let go of these things. It's important to Him that I think these thoughts. And He is the ONLY one who knows why it's important. It drives me to tears.

But this year, this message has brought me comfort in the craziness. I can celebrate, in my heart, that baby in the manger who soon will wipe Satan from all of our lives. I'm focusing on thanking God for His gift of His Son every single day of the year. I leave those Wisemen-less nativities up all year. I want to tell the unreached nations that He did come. And He's here to save, and annihilate. And obliterate. And demolish. And destroy.

And He did all that because He is holy. He is perfect. And He is worthy to be praised.