I've heard quite a few sermons and messages about Christmas over the years. This morning at Crossroads, Brian talked about the value that each of us have based on what someone was willing to pay for us -- we are so valuable to God. Christmas is about him sending Jesus to us to demonstrate his care. At the end of the service we sang O, Holy Night. Verse 3 follows.
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
At the end of the service, Brian spoke of the light that came into the world. He took a candle and lit the candles of several others. Each person lit the candle of a person next to them. And it occurred to me. THAT'S the way the gospel of Christ is spread -- sharing the light with another person.
And when the light is received, we are ready to learn to love one another, and to share his gospel of peace. What a beautiful message. Greg and the kids and I were in the top balcony this morning so we had a high vantage point to see the light spreading through the auditorium. A little candle isn't flashy and doesn't give off a lot of light, but 300 candles make it quite possible to see in the dark. But each candle was necessary, even mine.
Merry Christmas.
'
Posts
3 comments:
I've been wondering whether I should upset you by answering this or not. I say yes, now that this is an old article.
The idea that something is as valuable as people are willing to pay for it is an aspect of false consciousness. Karl Marx called this particular process *commodity fetishism*.
You can buy a very nice Hyundai for about half the price as a low-end Mercedes. What is the difference? There is no practical difference. They both get you from one end of town to the other. One is perceived as being more valuable because it was made by Aryan supermen in Germany, the other is Korean. In fact, they're both assembled from parts made by the same child/slave laborers in Indonesia and Mexico. Only the perception is different.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
We're on the same page there. Free the mind, the ass will follow.
Merry Christmas
Hey, Merry Christmas to you too!
That really wasn't the point of my post. The point was that I realized the parallel between each of us lighting the candle of one other person and each of us sharing the love of Christ with one other person and how each of those actions will bring more light, gradually, into the world. That's the kind of person I want to be -- someone who brings light into the world through how I live my life.
Thanks for leaving a comment. I LOVE comments on my blog.
someone who brings light into the world through how I live my life.
You already do a great job of that, IMO.
That really wasn't the point of my post.
I'm famous for picking the minutiae out of any article, dissecting it, deconstructing the tiniest fragments and waiting for irritated responses. This is a process known by old-school usenetters more simply as "trolling".
Peace (on earth)...
Post a Comment