UNWRAPPING CHRISTMAS



The last book of the New Testament is the Revelation and contains these words of introduction, This is the revelation of Jesus Christ ... It is the word of God; it is the message from Jesus Christ. (NCV)

A revelation is an unveiling, an unwrapping. It enlightens and informs. It's a dramatic understanding of something not previously known or realized; in theology, a manifestation of divine will or truth.

The Bible claims such revelation. The Sciptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to have the accurate preservation and propagation of truth.

This revelation lifts the veil on God, His plans and purposes for the world and humankind. This information is general - revealing God through Creation and Human Conscience - and specific - the Word of God. The Word of God is communicated verbally in written and human form. The latter being the person of Jesus Christ. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Heb. 1:3 NIV) Jesus puts a face to the unseen God.

Unwrapping Jesus Christ as the Messiah and legal King of Israel Matthew introduces his Gospel reminiscent of Revelation 1:1, This is the family history of Jesus Christ. He came from the family of David, and David came from the family of Abraham. He then ends this section with these poignant words, All this happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel," which means "God is with us." The Gospels are a revelation of the God-Man, Jesus, come to earth, and as the Samaritans declared, the Saviour of the World. (John 4:42 NCV)

Hollywood has unwrapped this gift in a new movie, The Nativity Story. Its description is, One family. One journey. One child who would change the world forever. Two themes are woven throughout the story: the prophetic stance and the human factor.

Centered around Jeremiah 23:5-6, "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety, the Judean King Herod, subject to Caesar and the Roman Empire - and also to paranoia, searched to stop this messianic threat. The prophetic secret was while Herod sought for a man God had a baby. Herod's attempts to 'end this prophecy' failed.

The human factor is often missed. The people laboured under an oppressive heel and yearned for a deliverer and a return to Davidic glory. Mary and Joseph, though obedient to the call, had questions, fears, and tears, alongside of the joys. They had to withstand the awkward silence of family and friends, and the vocal disapproval of the community. Travelling one hundred miles over rugged, dangerous terrain and encountering all sorts of weather was not easy. Understanding God's purposes in everything they suffered, even in the comfort of shepherds and magi, tested their resolve. Living homeless in Egypt tore at their fabric of life. They lived on a promise.

Mel Gibson's blockbuster Passion of the Christ unwraps the story further. Jesus is in the olive grove battling dark spiritual forces. He surrenders to the religious and political authorities. Tried. Sentenced. Crucified. Again human emotions are raw in every scene and cannot be ignored. Anger. Hope. Betrayal. Love. Sorrow. But so is the prophetic stream:

You people know nothing! You don't realize that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed." Caiaphas did not think of this himself. As high priest that year, he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation and for God's scattered children to bring them all together and make them one. (John 11:49-52)

Jesus dies a substitutionary, in place of, death. It was not for Himself but for you and me. His resurrection breathes HOPE. This Christmas, hope is coming from Heaven.

Another movie which brings the story to a personal level is, Walk The Line, the Johnny Cash story. Johnny grew up on a cotton farm with Christian principles. His love of music led him down different paths and into drugs. With help from friends and family his life and career was saved. Foundational during the ups and downs was his upbringing and faith in God. That faith is central from beginning to the end of the movie.

I like that. The Christmas story must be personally unwrapped. Faith to be effective must become personalized. From being externalized to being internalized. It must move from head to heart, from fact to trust. Fact alone could not save The Man in Black but trust would and did. We all need the "Johnny Experience".

Real-life stories that will change your life story ....