Beaking the Silence
Christmas should be all about Jesus, the Christ. The Christmas season gives us a time to reflect on and proclaim the incredibly good news that God’s plan to redeem the world involved His Son, Jesus, leaving the throne room of heaven to come to earth as a human.
His coming is miraculous because of what He left (heaven), where He came (a fallen, messed-up world), and what He did (died as the perfect sacrifice for sin and rose again to win the victory over death). Another aspect of Christmas that is worthy of reflection is how God chose to break the 400-year silence of Scripture.
First, let me offer a little background. As you look at the table of contents of your Bible, you will notice an Old Testament and a New Testament. Between the two testaments, there is about a 400 year “silence” where no Scripture was recorded.
(Side note: As a Baptist Pastor, I come with a Protestant view of Scripture which includes the 39 Books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament. I know others, including Catholics, have a little different understanding of Scripture. Even if you disagree with me on this, please realize the main point I am making as it comes to Jesus coming into the world.)
During this “silence,” God is still working. His plan is still unfolding. And, He is moving toward His biggest proclamation ever, the Messiah. So, when Jesus is born, He is the Living Word statement from God that breaks the silence of Scripture. And, what a statement He is!
Jesus is the statement of LOVE:
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13, NIV).
Jesus is the statement of PEACE:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27, NIV).
Jesus is the statement of JOY:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9, NIV).
When God begins His revelation of Himself again through Jesus, the Messiah, He picks up the megaphone and shouts to the world that He loves us, that we can rest in His peace, and that we can experience His joy.
Don’t allow the overpowering noise of the world to rob you from experiencing God’s message just for you this Christmas. You are going to hear a million voices saying: “Buy this … do that … go here.” What God wants you to hear is simply this: God loves you. You can have peace in this life and the next through faith in Him. And, you can have joy. The silence is broken!