This afternoon we went to a Christmas Cantata at church and heard the prophesy of Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) “…and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We sang Joy to the World “He rules the world with truth and grace,/And makes the nations prove/The glories of His righteousness,/And wonders of His love,/And wonders of His love,/And wonders, wonders, of His love.” All this got me to thinking about the rule of the Almighty.
The inexorable rule of God and his only son Jesus Christ is made manifest as all lesser forms of rule become hollow and make evident the bankruptcy of all human endeavors based on anything other than the love of God. People sometimes seem to be endlessly gullible. They convince themselves for a night that gods of their own choosing will suffice and triumph. Great pomp and circumstance give life to all forms of illusions for brief periods, but all fail in the end. All nations prove sooner or later “The glories of His righteousness…, And the wonders, wonders, of His love.” Christmas is a reminder that truth and grace arising from the love of God always outlast chimeras born from the lusts of man—and the staying power of the Eternal is what sets it apart as the only real option to save us from the curse of rank superficiality and despair. Hope, after all, is a human emotion and concept that requires much more than a flash in the pan, it requires meaning and a sense of permanence. The gift of Christ shows us “the way, the truth, and the life.” Anything can seem to work for a day, but it takes the love of God to endure a lifetime.
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