Advent24 - Day 21

Saturday - December 21

Read: And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:33–46)
 
Reflect
The Violence of Christmas
by Mike Cosper
Do yourself a favor before Christmas. Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth. Then read Genesis 1-3. Then read Revelation 12. Then throw in Romans 16:20 for good measure.
That’s the whole Christmas story.

It’s not simply the poetic and sweet story of a child’s birth, welcomed by stars and angels. It’s a violent war story. A cosmic war story. A conflict between fundamental forces of good and evil. As Mary labored in a place far from home, heaven and hell thundered and took up arms.

I think of The Fifth Element’s Leeloo, who descends to Earth at the beginning of the movie, pursued by evil forces bent on the planet’s destruction. She is perfect and innocent, but she’s also here to fight. To spend her life redeeming a planet. Read those passages and watch the film again; it’s a Christmas story.

I think of Alan Furst’s spy novels, where whispers behind enemy lines invoke fury and danger. Where the small, the unsuspected, the few pave the way for the forces of good to erode and ultimately invade a land held captive by forces of evil.
And of course, I think of Die Hard, which we already knew was a Christmas movie, but think a layer deeper: a hero travels to a far-off land (McClane is a New York cop in Los Angeles) to reconcile with his estranged bride (she’s changed her name) and has to rescue her from evil powers that hold her captive.

Doomed by a Baby
In Genesis, a serpent slithers into a perfect world and begins lying, eroding its foundations. In Revelation, this evil one has grown into a furious dragon: his power and dominion are far more menacing. He fumes and rages and casts down stars from the sky. But he’s still doomed.

And the first attack against him isn’t marked by the shout of warriors, the flash of swords, or the thunder of cannons. It’s marked by the cry of a baby.
The world didn’t welcome him. We only offered his laboring mother a reeking stable to protect her from the weather. The Christ child was born and laid in a manger, a place where animals eat. Later, while breathing his last upon a cross, he’d quote from a psalm that describes his death like this:

Like lions they open their jaws against me,
 roaring and tearing into their prey . . .
My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
 an evil gang closes in on me.
 They have pierced my hands and feet.
(Psalm 22:13,16)

The baby took his first nap in a feeding trough, and 33 years later, his death would be likened to being torn apart by wild animals. He would also tell his followers to feast on his body and blood, a way of symbolizing and experiencing union with him; to taste and see that he’s good, that he’s victorious over Satan, sin, and death. Think about that symbolism: only by tearing him apart and devouring him do we participate in his redemption.

There should be no question that Christmas is the greatest cause for joy that the world has known. Imagine if Christ hadn’t come. Imagine a life where there was no eternal hope, where we were left to try to redeem ourselves.

Stop and Think
Christmas is also a time for us to stop and think. Remember the whole story of Christmas, not just the easily marketed warm-and-fuzzy side. Remember that all of it—Jesus’ condescension as a baby, his birth in a filthy stable, his sleep in a manger—reminds us of the muck he found us in. The nativity, so often depicted as cute and kitsch, is actually a painful depiction of our sin and fallenness. As Jerome once put it, Jesus was born in a dungheap because that’s where he knew he’d find us. Remember, too, that the Christ-child’s birth caused hell to erupt with fury.

Remember that their resistance was futile.

And remember, most of all, that the violence and humiliation of Christmas happened because God loved us enough to suffer all of it on our behalf and by our side. In Christ, we never have to be alone in our sorrows, pain, and humiliation again. The one who made the world entered it as a child and experienced all of its hardships and injustices so that by God’s grace, he could be our comforter in the years to come.

Which is why at advent, we proclaim:
“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone
 and her sins are pardoned.
 Yes, the LORD has punished her twice over for all her sins.”
 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
 “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD!
 Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills.
 Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
 and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”
(Isaiah 40:1-5)
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-violence-of-christmas/  

Respond
Remember. Remember. Remember. Call to mind what Christ has done in and through entering our dungheap and delivering us from it.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,”
 says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lam 3:21-24)
 
Rejoice: We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are;
 Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
 Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
 Following yonder star.

Refrain:
 O star of wonder, star of light,
 Star with royal beauty bright,
 Westward leading, still proceeding,
 Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
 Gold I bring to crown Him again,
 King forever, ceasing never,
 Over us all to reign.

Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I;
 Incense owns a Deity nigh;
 Prayer and praising, voices raising,
 Worshipping God on high.

Refrain

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
 Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
 Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
 Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Refrain

Glorious now behold Him arise;
 King and God and sacrifice;
 Alleluia, Alleluia,
 Sounds through the earth and skies.

Refrain