O Holy Night - Part I

Christmas.  Widely adored the world over as the most glorious, holy, and joyous time of the year.  It is a transcendent season that compels us to look above and look within as all creation celebrates the birth of the immortal God wrapped in newborn skin.  

Who could have ever envisioned that the poison of political correctness would try to sour such a sacred, historically moving celebration?  Sadly for these warriors without a cause, they picked a battle they can only pretend to wage. 

Yes, over-commercialization obscures the ancient tale as we hear Gordon Gekko hiss the yuletide chorus;  Greed is good.

And yes, we’ve all experienced the feared faux pas of thoughtlessly forgetting that here in post-Christian America, wishing someone Merry Christmas is akin to insulting their mother.  Sadly, in today’s Oppression Olympics, where teams of victims clamor over one another to feign superior emotional wounding in hopes of standing atop the podium, it’s an upside-down endeavor that plummets all racers to the bottom.

Despite these reindeer games, the fact remains:  America is over 70.2% Christian.

Precisely when did the goal of social equality morph from lifting the minority to annihilating the majority?

So, next time you’re waiting in line and hear the nebulous Happy Holidays floated to the cashier as one more credit card is maxed out, remember this:  The vast majority of us treat this season as sacred, holy, and life-giving.  As well we should.

O Holy night the stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Saviors birth

Hopefully, you have watched some or all of the magnificently poignant episodes produced by The Chosen.  If not, at the end of this piece I provide some links to help you begin a life-changing journey.  These episodes are the most stunningly realistic, uniquely creative, yet historically anchored Jesus stories I have ever seen.

All of Heaven beheld the holiness of that night, but a scant few here on Earth had perceived or prepared for it.  Despite the religious experts’ lifetime saturation in Messianic Prophecy, we know of none who had the wisdom that fulfillment was at hand.  Surprisingly, the prophetic wisdom was found to reside in a small group of royal astronomers who traveled a great distance to visit and pay homage to the Christ child.

And while a group of sheepherders trembled beneath a celestially angelic performance unequaled in our skies to this day, it was Mary, Joseph, and a stable of barnyard animals who beheld the birth of the infant-wrapped Son of God.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth

You should not need much convincing to acknowledge the accretion of sin and pining error is outpacing high watermarks everywhere we look with no retreat in sight.  

I often wonder, what if young Mary had become pregnant today, long before she and Joseph had even picked out a wedding chapel?  What devilish advice or hellish counsel would she have been subjected to as her friends and family refused to believe this was a God-ordained, virgin conception?

It’s a good thing for all mankind there was not a Planned Parenthood outpost in Nazareth.

No, Mary believed Gabriel’s proclamation, and gloriously; He appeared.  And our soul feels its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Many will scoff, why rejoice when evil, deception, pain, and destruction continue to flourish across the globe?  I would urge you consider The Christ in a far grander manner.

Jesus did not just come to Earth to leave us with a book of parables and sayings to live by.  Jesus said things like, I only say what I hear my father saying.  I only do what I see my father doing.  And, if you have seen me, you have seen the. Father.

To consider, study and behold the person of Jesus is to behold the person of God.  When it came to evil, there was not one demon-possessed person Jesus didn’t set free.  There wasn’t one suffering person he prayed for that wasn’t healed.  And despite temptations not one of us could endure — he never once sinned.

So before you bemoan the advance of evil on the world stage, remember first that Jesus has shown us what God is like. Jesus then told us to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleanse the lepers right here where we are. Now.

If each of us love others in a manner to eradicate pain and suffering in our locale, the larger stage will follow suit.

Next, Jesus declared that a new kingdom had arrived.  Read all of his teachings that describe what the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are like.  Just as the book of Genesis portrays the first creation story, Jesus has heralded and commenced the second creation story.  A new creation bursting forth amid this one.

Lord, open the eyes of our hearts to not only see it, but enter into it. Now.

I’ve said it ad nauseam; today’s social justice movements and woke initiatives will never accomplish anything lasting, righteous, or sacred.  True justice, true redemption, true equality, and true love can only be found in Christ.  No man-shaped system can ever heal a soul, commence the reconciliation of all things, or birth a new creation that will endure for all eternity.

If we lift our eyes and peer above the waves and over the fray, we bring into focus the glory of yonder.  The most glorious of morns has broken and reveals to us the thrill of joyful hope!

Notice that it is OK to admit when we are weary.  The whole world is weary.  But scripture reminds us that all of this wearied creation is waiting for us — yes, it’s waiting for you and me — to fully unveil ourselves as sons and daughters of the Living God.   

Rejoicing comes from the spirit while weariness comes from the flesh.  Mere weariness can never suppress our spirit from rejoicing!  

Bend and succumb to the dim Happy Holidays if you like. As for me and my house, we wish you a Merry Christmas and an O Holy Night.

Look for Part II as we continue to enjoy this inspired song.

Click here to watch the Pilot episode from which The Chosen was birthed:

The Chosen Pilot - The Shepherd

Click here to watch the 2021 Christmas Special.  While the musical numbers are wonderful, you can forward to 1:10 to see the powerful episode of the birth of Jesus:

The Chosen - 2021 Christmas Special