The Real Deal

This Day Is Born to You . . . 

Today is Christmas Eve when all around the world Christians will recall, re-celebrate, and rejoice in the birth of the Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, our Lord.  We celebrate this event not just as a mere memorial.  We celebrate it because it begins what continues to this day, and ever shall be.  We celebrate the arrival into this world of the One who is now its Lord and King. 

When Christians celebrate in this way  they are making a political statement of course, or more precisely, they are celebrating an event which has profound and everlasting implications for all powers and authorities upon this earth in 2012 and beyond.  For to the Christ has been given all power and authority in the heavens and upon the earth.  All who do not worship Him and serve Him and and obey Him are rebels and will be so judged at the end of days. 

It turns out, unsurprisingly, that during His days upon earth there were plenty of such rebels and abusers of the power they had been given.
  Herod the "Great" was one such.  He was a megalomaniac who sought to make an eternal name for himself by means of constructing grand edifices.  In reality he concerned himself far more with those of his family and court, most of whom he successively murdered.  He also sought to murder the Son of God, making his name eternally infamous because of his slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem.

But  Herod was a puppet, an underlord to the great Caesar of Rome.  Augustus claimed divinity and the worship of his subjects.  Caesar Augustus means "Caesar is Lord".  And so we have the antithesis: is Caesar our god and lord--in whatever form he takes in our day, be it president, prime minister, excellency, or despot--or is Christ the Lord?  Every man, woman and child upon earth must take a stand right at this point.  It confronts us all.  None is exempt. 

Christians of course declare that they believe and acknowledge Christ as the Lord of the heavens and all the earth and that, therefore, He is our Lord.  Consequently Christians celebrate His birth, His coming.  Their submission to the Lord of glory is joyful and glad.  They convey this joy by their singing, by music.  For the Lord is both terrible and yet gentle, humble of heart.  His human perfection, His sinlessness, His righteousness stands in sharp contrast to the Herods and the Augustuses of this world--usurpers and pretenders all.  Christ alone is worthy to sit upon the throne of the earth.  He laid down His life to redeem and save the world.  He rose again from the dead, proving infallibly that His sacrifice was accepted by God  and that atonement for mankind had indeed been made. 

This day, in China, Botswana, and Bosnia songs of joy will be heard.  Celebrations will take place as Christians gather to honour His birth, His coming to us. And so it will continue to world's end.  No songs are now sung for Caesar Augustus or Herod the "Great".  They were pretenders.  Christ is the reality.  He alone can save men from their sins.  He alone is fit to rule the whole earth.