Christmas at Calvary

I thought it rather unfortunate that at this time of the year my bible reading plan should take me to of all books, The Songs of Solomon! As I begin I am quietly wondering how it squares with the Christmas season since chapter 1 is clearly about romance. See how it starts;

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine.²

However in the spirit of being a good, prudish and proper Christians during this season join me as I hypothesize that this first verse does mirror in a curious way, God’s love for you and for me-his love for humanity.

I start by declaring that, "Christmas is God’s greatest statement of love!" Both the depth and broadness of God’s love  find ultimate expression in the events that occasioned the birth of Christ. When we celebrate Christmas we are in effect saying, “God we applaud you heartily and respond to this great love you have unashamedly expressed for us”. For God did express his love for us in Christ.

To fully understand Christmas, we must frequently turn our heads from the lovely, gentle scenes of ‘a baby in a manger’ and cast a glance at the spectacle of the cross. Of this the bible says;

Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person. 8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God's love for us. Rom.5:7-8 (GW)

Dear friends, this is how Christmas started. Let me explain a little more.

It is recorded that from day 1 after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, God was already looking for someone who could take away the sinful nature that had invaded man and wrought havoc upon His relationship with humanity. And in His beloved Son God found that someone. Why would God bother with us even after we refuse to obey him and choose to live our own way?

You see God loved and pitied humanity. He loved us because we are His creation, the only inhabitants on earth created in His image. He  pitied us because with sin reigning in our lives we are unable to fulfil our true destiny. We are unable to find our true purpose in this life.

For this reason God pursues us passionately to reconcile us back to himself.

 

 This is the essence of Christmas; that God sent his one and only Son into the world to call us back to him. On Christmas day we commemorate his birth.

In a sense, God's love for you, though different in form, is just as intense as that of the lovers showering each other with butterfly kisses (well, sought of...). This fervent love is condensed in that most famous of verses;

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 During this season we remember how God sent His only beloved Son to be born in human form so that he could suffer and eventually die in our place so that we may no longer have to face the dire consequences of sin when we stand before God. And this did not occur without great effort from God. Consider the following;

Christ was God come to us in human form. Think how weird it must have been for an all-powerful and majestic King like Christ to be transformed into a baby. Imagine yourself suddenly turned into a small babe. You have zero coordination of your limbs, you wet yourself and have to  be put in diapers. The only way to express yourself is through a lusty cry. Imagine having to breast-feed again! For an adult like you and me it sounds totally absurd. Now try imagining how it must have felt for Christ to leave his celestial throne to be subjected to such embarrassing human processes.

Secondly, for Christ to clear all of the world's sins, he had to satisfy the righteous requirements of an infinitely holy God. Christ had to endure horrendous punishment at the hands of evil men and finally make the ultimate sacrifice-a shameful death on the cross.

Think for a moment that the Christ who had never tangoed with sin became so immersed in our sin that he eventually became indistinguishable from sin itself (II Cor.5:21). Now the closest I could picture this is like one being lowered into a pit latrine full of all manner stuff I'd rather not describe (yuck!). Think of the fear, then the horror, the disgust and pain of such indignity.

Think of the agony of the Father went through for you as His once holy and glorified Son turned into a dreadful mess of sin- ours and mine.

Think of the Father’s agony in those moments at the cross when His holiness could not stand the stench of sin upon His once spotless Son.

Think of the Father’s agony as His wrath, auto-activated by the sin on His Son, was poured out in full measure upon His Beloved.

Finally think of the sword that pierced His heart when His ONLY Son cried out, “Father, Father! Why have you forsaken me?”

If you understand this then you will also agree that those who see this holiday season as a time to indulge in their most callous carousing are indeed a pitiable lot. How can anyone fail to feel the pious joy that this day demands? Let me elaborate some more.

For the first time in recorded history the godhead was not at peace. The Son had become sin itself. It was a moment of madness in the godhead such as this world will never ever see again. But then again it was a moment of grace. It was a moment of love as best as you and I will ever get to experience from the godhead.

Take it now-His love and His grace.

It all began today my friend. It began with the birth of Christ; what we call Christmas. This is the ‘kiss’ of God.
Will you love Him back; will you receive Him (John 1:12)? Jesus had some things to say about you and me and everyone else. Considering the trouble He went through for you and me, don’t you think it would be worth considering His words;

“If anyone claims to love me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will also love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23