There are heavy hearts all across America right now. What happened today in Connecticut was a very heartbreaking, tragic thing; no one can deny that. It's interesting to me, though, because I stop myself when I notice myself and so many other people questioning, "Why would someone do something so terrible?"
The answer is pretty simple: We are all born into sin. Being sinful isn't just being imperfect, though. Being sinful is more than that; it's being enemies of God. We all deserve punishment: death. "That's kind of extreme, don't you think?" Well, yeah, it is. But if we were all good people deep down, why would we need a Savior?
Christmas is a fun time of year. Some people would say, "It's the most wonderful time of year!" And so it probably is. (It's my favorite, too!) There are many memories made around this time of year: baking cookies, spending time with family and friends, good food, and of course you can't forget the Christmas lights! Why do we do all of this, though?
We hear people on the radio, on street corners, and everywhere in tarnation telling us that "Jesus is the reason for the season!" And so it is. I have no problem with those people; what they say is absolutely true. How many of us, though, really know WHY Jesus is the reason? We hear the Christmas story all the time, but do people really believe it? I think if people truly believed this story, and the Gospel itself, then we would be more excited and ready to share those things with everyone we knew; we would want to tell the whole world! As I'm writing this and thinking all of this through, the Holy Spirit convicts me because I know that I am not doing that. Why am I not telling everyone this good news? Am I afraid? Not really. Am I ashamed? Not at all. So then, what's my problem? I think personally, that I take my salvation for granted a lot of the time. I live in America, where I can pray, go to church 2-3 times a week, have enough money to live in a nice house and go to a Christian university, buy and download worship songs to put on my iphone, etc. I live in America, where I am not persecuted for my faith. I don't have an urgency to share the Gospel, because the Gospel is not at threat here in America... Or is it? Either way, I am becoming more thankful for the grace He has given to me, for the call to live and be with Him forever. The keyword is becoming... it's definitely a process. I hope I can become even more thankful for that precious gift.
I sat around a small group of women, young and older this afternoon, and one of the women shared with us how she found out that at the school she and several other women serve at, NONE of the kids knew the real reason for Christmas; all they knew about was the material things about it. They had no clue that Christmas was about Jesus. How sad and heartbreaking is that? Then I think of all those kids that were shot today at the elementary school... How many of THEM were ever told about Jesus?
The shooting today is worthy of mourning. Many lost their lives and many more lost their loved ones. In the midst of all of this, God gave us hope. God became a man. A real man, with human body parts, emotions and feelings like hunger, temptation, and grief. The celebration of Christmas is a celebration of hope. In the midst of this dark world, this Light came. From the manger to the cross, Christ carried out God's plan of salvation for those who are His. Because of Him, we are free. We have a hope and a future. I thank God that this world is not our real home. We have something more beautiful and wonderful than we could ever imagine waiting for us. Oh what a glorious day that will be!
Forgive us, Lord for our lack of urgency about sharing the hard, but beautiful Gospel. Forgive our apathy. Help us to recognize the sinfulness in this world. Give us all an urgency for sharing Your truths, Your love, and Your way, the only way. May we as believers let our light shine in the darkness.
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