-David Clure

If you've read my poem which I just posted minutes ago -- "Right To The House" --- You may notice how simular our contemporary society is to the one into which Jesus was born into. This is no accident.

It was practically a Census year, when the super-power of that World was ruling over millions of people. Many were seeking a human to rescue them from slavery and despair. What they didn't know, was that as He heard His people crying out in bondage over 14 centuries before, so He now was looking down from Heaven once again, hearing the cries of Humanity, and about to step right into their flesh, as the Son of God.  Like Moses, this One like unto Moses, would also not choose to liberate using military might, but rather an amazing life of miracles that even the most hardened skeptics and sinners could not deny!

And so we find so many simularities to today, this Christ mas season.

Herod was not a Jew.  He was not one of them. He was basically a puppet of the Roman system which only sought to unify the  entire world under its brutally oppressive power. Might made right. Or so they thought. But God sent His Son to show that Humans can only be truly happy and free, when they are liberated from striving to have their OWN way...a way which actually contradicted nature. And therefore could only bring eventual suffering and death. Like the cigerette, Sin looks good. Feels good, but it slowly poisons all Humans. And like the deadly cigerette had it's Establishment that marketed and sold it for enormous personal and corporate PROFIT, so too Sin is marketed to our world, just like it was when Jesus was born.

Sin- going astray from God's life-giving standards and norms-- is Humanity's greatest enemies. It is not Humans who pose the greatest threat, no, our fight is not really against our fellow humans, because they too are enslaved to the Slave-Master, SIN.  That is why Jesus ( And God, His Father ) did not fight a military battle. No. He spoke truth, which is the greatest threat to Sin's Enslavement of Humanity. He said, "The Truth, will set you free."  And Jesus embodied the Truth. The righteous standard, which if followed, Like Jesus actually did, results in a perfect Life, of Love and Life for all who recieve Him. No, Jesus was sent by God, to create a Nation that would transcend the political world of His life-time on Earth, in fact, a Nation which would live in the midst of every single Nation in the world today. This spiritual Nation would not use eartly weapons to force compliance- no, God reasons with Humans, He persuades them with Truth!!  The Lord doesn't believe in using trickery or brutal force. If He did? You or I would not have a choice, would we?  He is FAR more powerful, in fact His power is so great that it literally has NO LIMIT.  Get your mind around that one.

So, this Christmas is a LOT like the first one. There is still a world in desperate need of surrendering to Jesus Christ, but we have our Herod's, our 'Jerusalem-religious-communities' that put on a great religious show, but their hearts are far from God, as far away as the bank robber or the lost woman, as far away as we ALL are when we are born into this lost world. As usual, Christmas is a time of contradictions, confusion, and yet of GREAT HOPE and PROMISE. Because Jesus has left His people a legacy of Truth and His own Holy Spirit, and a heart yearning to see each Human live in peace with the Creator. God has such beautiful dreams for His Creations- for we Humans, and He loves for us as the Prodigal son's Father did. He has done everything possible to rescue us, but He cannot decide for us. He leaves that up to EACH one of us. He will not force you. God isn't like that. True Love doesn't force, or trick, or such. Merry Christmas to you. May the Lord shine upon you, and may we be like those wise men of so long ago. May we give ourselves to the True King, we were created to love and serve.