Last year, “Unconventional” became Advent: preparing us for the radical entry of the divine into the human world, with brief thoughts on the four days leading up to Christmas. That seemed to resonate, so let’s explore one of the most haunting carols and give four answers to the question, “What Child is This?” Short posts to help you focus on one aspect of Jesus’ entry on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Here’s the fourth!
Welcome to Day 4, our journey’s end. Christmas has come! We’ve seen Jesus as a humble human, a conquering king, a reconciler. At the core—Jesus is God’s gift to us. A gift so great we can get lost in him. A gift so great it can break the back of our innate self-centeredness. Look at part of the carol, “So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come Peasant, King to own Him. The King of Kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him.”
Ironically, we can trace this gift back to the first actions of the human race. Adam and Eve sinned by wanting to be like God, to determine right and wrong. Keep that in mind, as God revealed the consequences of their self-absorption, in speaking to Satan in the form of a snake, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
When Satan struck Jesus’ heel on the cross, Jesus’ death crushed the core and consequences of sin—our self-will. A good friend and worship leader, Darrell Dement, once said, “If we can’t find anything greater, we’ll worship ourselves.
Jesus is that something greater. A friend we can get lost in. A Savior who brings wholeness to our lives. Doesn’t that suggest that the meaning of Christmas is to realize it’s more blessed to give than receive? To take our interest off ourselves and put it on God, on others?
Kick Starting the Application
What area does your self-interest most conflict with having Jesus on the throne of your life? How can you allow Jesus to crush its head? Think of your life overall—is Jesus the CEO at the top of the flow chart, or just an important middle manager? How can you better enthrone Jesus?