I have a sneaking suspicion that we all love a happy ending. Most, if not all, the stories of Christmas have the ending we expect. Hallmark seems to have the corner on this market; they know how to spin a Christmas story in such a way to make us glad the lights are turned off so the rest of the family can't see the tears in our eyes...it touches us in all the right places. Hallmark has eight new Christmas movies for 2010:
- The Night Before, The Night Before Christmas
- The Town Christmas Forgot
- Call Me Mrs. Miracle
- November Christmas
- Farewell, Mr. Kringle
- An Old-Fashioned Christmas
- The Santa Incident
- Three Wise Women
The other night we watched November Christmas, and let me say you ought to watch it!
The story line of Christ's birth recorded in God's Word has all the elements to bring tears to our eyes. The problem is that we have become so familiar with it that it no longer touches us. It is the birth of the King of kings that leads to the tragedy of the cross that leads to the triumphant and glorious resurrection that eventually leads to His return to set things right in the world. Ultimately the true Christmas story has a happy ending for believers and we should celebrate this, especially this time of year.
To sincerely celebrate the birth of Jesus we must get caught up in the story; we must lose ourselves in the plot of God as He unfolds it through Scripture and in our lives. Take Jesus' birth personally because that is the way it is intended. Jesus came personally to put on display the glories of His Father. Part of this display is believers. We read in Ephesians 1:4-6,
In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace.
The purpose of our adoption into God's family is to "the praise of his glorious grace." This is, at least in part, the happy ending for which we are looking. It is the ending that should bring tears to our eyes because the Hero (Jesus) has triumphed over what was killing us (sin and Satan). Here is the reason we can joyfully sing His praises this Christmas.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
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