Greetings in the name of the One who is subtlety bringing the world’s attention to something(someone) beyond itself, Jesus Christ – THE Incarnate Saviour! I trust that you had an enjoyable, productive, active, and blessed weekend – Monday. I pray that you are finding quiet moments here and there to savour the magic of Christmas.Today I will be praying for you, asking Father to reveal His miraculous touch in your, and your family’s, life.
In my morning devotions there was a reference to a book called: The God That Failed. It was a series of six essays from individuals who had believed and devoted them selves to ‘communism’ – only to become disillusioned, betrayed, and abandoned by a system of beliefs in a “god” who failed to provide what they wanted. Through the years that book could have been written, could be written today, about those alternative-gods like fame-fortune-position-power-politics-technology. There have been many man-made “gods” who failed.
I suppose that is why Christmas and it’s message of redemption is so strong and so needed. I have been watching even more Christmas movies and paying attention to the theme of redemption that keeps surfacing…and I particularly appreciate that “clarifying moment” that takes place when a person or a family or a town realize that the “god” they had been chasing was failing them. However, as in the book, something else is needed. It is called: “kronstadt” – the pushing back against the system, and it was this that led to the ‘anticommunist movement. It is not enough to have that ‘clarifying moment’ – there needs to be a pushing back…the light of the new pushing against the darkness of the old. Oddly enough, it is at this moment when one realizes that they need help. There is a need for a “hero” or a “champion” who will provide a focus and create a resurgent power that can overcome.
In almost all, if not all, the Christmas movies the person-family-town knew they couldn’t do it on their own. So the story of Christmas brings the message of a “Redeemer King” – who comes to a people-nation-world who can’t do what they need to do on their own. Listen to these words: Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Saviour from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised…Luke 1:68-70a NLT. One of the translations uses the identifying words: “a Hero-God” TPT in place of “mighty Saviour.” I had an insight to this, if you will allow me, when I caught a few moments of WWE. One of the wrestlers/entertainers used an action called the “Superman Punch”…and I though that that depicted what God did through Jesus on the first Christmas. He landed a “Superman Punch” to the darkness of sin. Jesus Christ is our “Hero-God!”
Something to ponder – be blessed!