Christmas is War
You have, no doubt, heard of ’The War on Christmas’. We find skirmishes everywhere. Battles over Starbucks cups, Christmas Carols canceled in schools and on the radio. Fellow citizens turning a season’s greeting into a season’s spitting. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Said at each other, neither very happy nor merry.
Now, I’m not here to walk a middle line. Place me squarely among the ranks of those who want Christmas to be Christmas! Full of Christ. But I do want to contrast our current “War on Christmas” with the actual War that is Christmas.
Christmas was like D-Day for demons. The tide was turned. It marked the beginning of the end. Their hard gained territory was suddenly invaded. Their grip loosened. Their dark rule was pierced by a marvelous light. And by a baby, no less. That which they revel in most of all their bloody sacrifices. An infant! The the very thing they demand of their most dedicated followers, now coo-cooing in their faces.
And as if to heap a few more coals on their head, this baby was brought forth by none other than a virgin. “You gotta be kidding me!” They might have thought. “The Most High is surely rubbing this in our faces! Our two most delectable offerings, a baby and a virgin, that’s how he begins his campaign against us? That’s it! Let’s find this brat. The gloves are off!”
So they used their favorite tool, the government. Now here’s what we might call a divine troll. Along come your stereotypical folks from Team Evil: magicians, wizards, Gentiles, sorcerers, scientists, diviners, star-gazers. They tell King Herod—a captain on Team Evil—that by their divining, they have reason to believe this child-to-be-king is in the neighborhood. “Well met, fellow evil-dudes,” said Herod (BTV*). “When you find him, let me know so I can murd—, ahem, worship him.” You see, Team Evil doesn’t even trust each other. So these wizards find the Christ-child. And they worship Him. Turns out God’s calling is rather effectual and these wizards are straight up Gandalfian. There is such a thing as good wizards. It’s in the Bible and everything. So God tells these Wise Wizards, “Let’s make a mockery of Herod. Sneak back home that way and don’t tell him a darn thing.” This also gave Joseph, Mary, and Jesus—also warned by God—the time needed to get out of Dodge.
Devils and their minions will be mocked for only so long before they get all murdery. Herod, we’re told, “was exceeding wroth” and killed all the children two and under in and around Bethlehem.
So this is Christmas. A baby smacks the gods of the earth in the mouth. A sign of their impending doom. They freak. They tried to kill Jesus from the moment he was born, all the way up until they did, when God finally allowed it. And even that was their undoing. Every step of the way God was taunting them, mocking, and exposing them. And He began His invasion in earnest by the means of a baby, a virgin, and some wizards.
This hopefully puts a few things in perspective for our own day. Here’s one perspective. Look at the measly ground the enemy is trying to win now. His minions are trying to own us with Starbucks cups. He’s giddy when he gets our culture to hiss Happy Holidays. He’s tickled when any mention of Christ is removed from a school production. What should be our response? Too often our response is fret, worry, and hand-wringing. We see the play being run, and how successful it is, but we fail to realize the bigger picture. That 30 yard run? It came in the garbage time of Super Bowl Eternity. We’re up Fifty-trillion to three. Don’t get so shook. I contend our response should be something along the lines of, Bah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Jesus is Lord over all things, even Starbucks. When you realize that Jesus is King over everything and that He has put the game out of reach before you were even born, that frees you up to belly laugh all the more. Coffee cups? Nice try, Team Evil.
Light up your house and that tree for the Light has come. Load up your family and friends with undeserved gifts for His Grace is abundant. Eat and drink for Christ has conquered perishing ideologies that tell us “Do not taste! Do not touch!” Laugh! Sing! Rejoice! Be merry! The Lord has come! What? The devil and his minions tell you not to? They claim such things are canceled? Laugh louder! Sing with more gusto! Rejoice with abandon. Jesus rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.
Remember, Christmas is War. Your celebration is a reminder of the holy coo-cooing in the face of the devil. And don’t forget such holy mocking, laughing, and exposing are the things that lead to Team Evil getting all murdery. These fiends aren’t above killing babies. Herod killed his thousands. Uncle Sam killed his Sixty-Million. So don’t be surprised when your joy brings down hell upon your head. Stand firm. Jesus entered the world amidst the slaughter of innocents. He still does. He will not abandon us nor forsake us. He’s given us a helmet of salvation and a shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the enemy. Go forth and celebrate Christmas in truth and grace full of joy, faith, and mirth because Christ is King.
Merry Christmas!