Merry Christmas

We celebrate Christmas as good news. Me being me, I wondered why it's good. I mean, what makes it such good news? Not good versus bad.

Have you ever watched those post apocalyptic movies? A desolate wasteland with bad guys fighting for power. Someone always controls the food/water/electricity or whatever has become scarce. The "boss" has something everyone wants. At least until the movie's hero takes it away.

I imagine that's the world without God. No laws. No police. Your sense of right and wrong? All gone. Even if you think yourself a pretty good person, that all goes out the window.

Imagine a time when nothing grows. All the water dries up. The soil has no nutrients. No clouds or plants giving shade from the sun. Everything is dust. You're hungry, thirsty. And there will never be more.

Partnerships end in betrayal. Your partner stabs you and takes everything. Cooperation doesn't exist.  They are always looking for the advantage. To take whatever you can. You'll treat them the same way, too. I think that's even more frightening.

Stew on this for a second - everyone fights for dominance over an empty dust ball. Oh, you're not just fighting people. There are spiritual beings who interact with us and the world in ways we don't understand. They also plot against you.

In all of that misery, there's still one more level. You can never die. Hungry but not enough to starve. Like the movie Death Becomes Her, your body decays and won't die. It just continues falling apart. Pain without hope. Can we really comprehend that kind of misery?

Good News

That's why a little baby brought good news. When we say "Jesus saves", that's what He saves us from. God introduces life. He creates. He builds. And when He places Himself into our universe, He gives it new life.

Isn't that good? Merry Christmas!