“O holy night, the starts are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pinning ‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”
The soul felt its worth.
Christmas is the time when we can embrace how much value God has placed on our humanity. As we watch all the holiday movies and find that the meaning of Christmas is not shopping and presents but a spirit of giving, we are still missing the point. Christmas was God’s rescue mission to save us from our own demise. His sacrifice was not just 33 years of walking the Earth and then dying. While this is a huge deal, it is bigger still: Jesus is still human, raised in perfection. He is still fully God, but He is also still the Son of Man. He became one of us forever. O holy night…
In Genesis 3:15, then Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, God spoke strong words to His enemy: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Mankind had sided with God’s enemy through temptation. God spoke to Satan and told him that He would make Satan and Mankind enemies again. Eve’s “Seed” would crush Satan’s head. Mary’s little baby, born in a manger, was God’s response to Satan’s treachery. God became human to beat Satan at his own game. Satan’s accusation: God is not good and cannot be trusted. God’s response: to become one of us forever, to serve and to love us beyond measure, and as a human to never leave or forsake us.
The soul felt its worth.
I firmly believe that God is not trying to punish us for what Adam and Eve did. I believe He is trying to save us from it. I pray that as you prepare for Christmas this year, you would remember the value that God has placed on your soul. He wants you. He loves you. And He was willing to secretly slide into our world one holy, starry night to save you.
