Have you seen a Nativity Scene? I saw one and I can say that it is very heart-warming. It gives me a view of Christmas as a night of peace, tranquillity, serenity and calmness. I would have sweated my eyes if the song “Silent Night” was playing during that time. This is a portrayal of Christmas or should I say our view of Christmas. Everything is calm. All is bright, serene – perfect. No wonder why people feel “good” during Christmas Season.
I was reading on the passages about the birth of Jesus Christ and I was just thinking. If Jesus is the Savior of all mankind and He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn.14:6) shouldn’t Satan be pissed if he finds out that he will be sent to the world to die for our sins? I mean, Satan knows that Jesus would change the course of Mankind and His entrance to the world would mean Satan’s exit from the big picture, all hell would break loose. What would you prefer as a reaction after watching the triumph of a protagonist over his grand opponent: “Is that it?” or “GLAD THAT WAS OVER.” After re-reading the accounts Jesus’ birth in the four Gospels, my reaction was: “Is that it?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it would have been better if there were fireworks or gunshots or whatever (actually the appearance of an Angel was: WOAH!) but it’s just that I feel that something might have happened before the song “Silent Night” was appropriate for Christmas Day... then I remembered a Scripture found in Revelation 12.
Revelation 12
The Woman and the Dragon
1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Does it sound familiar? I consulted a Theologian and he said that this is the story of Jesus’ Birth and I was surprised. I was like: There it is. One thing is clear after reading these verses: There was War during Christmas Day. So what if there was War during Christmas Day? In what way does this affect me? It affects you, us in every way. Is this war ongoing?
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Ever wonder why such bad things happen during Christmas? Or especially Christmas? Of all the seasons of the year, why during Christmas season, why during the season of hope and goodwill? I heard a statement before, given by different people: “Paskong-paskong tapos nangyayari ‘to ...” ;“Ang Pasko para sa mga mayayaman lang ... “ ; “Di ko nafi-feel yung Pasko dahil sa mga nangyayari ngayon.”
Are you getting the picture? Not yet?
How about this:
Just a few a days ago, a tragedy happened in Sumulong Hi-way. A truck lost its brakes and came rushing down the houses along the highway. More than 5 innocent lives were taken. Houses along the highway were severely damaged. Children became fatherless. Families became homeless. Parents find themselves longing for their children’s embrace.
Typhoon Sendong ravaged the Philippines, particularly the VisMin area. A flashflood devoured almost everything along its path. The typhoon destroyed bridges, crops, livestocks, houses, villages and worst – lives. Almost more than a thousand people are missing. Same story but greater magnitude. Now the news is telling us about the epidemic that might spread in the evacuation areas. Lost bodies, lost lives, torn families. You get the picture.
Let me ask this question: DO YOU THINK EVERYTHING WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT?
I mean no human in the right thinking would hope that innocent lives would be taken away by neither a truck nor a storm destroying the lives of countless people. Yes, maybe we are paying the prices of what we did to nature. Maybe a mechanic forgot to check on the brakes. I hope you are getting my point. I hope I don’t appear as someone who is “overspiritualizing” things here. I don’t think that these things JUST happen;someone intended these things to happen.
Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I hope we are getting the realization that there was a War on Christmas Day and it is still ongoing. Woah, okay,maybe you are exaggerating things. I don’t think so. Satan was enraged when Jesus’ birth became a success (how much more when Jesus resurrected from the dead). The enemy has three battle plans: Steal, Kill and Destroy (Jn. 10:10). Ugh, Matt, what is he stealing? He is stealing the joy of Christmas from us. He is killing our hope of celebrating a different Christmas. He is destroying our great plans of celebrating an intimate Christmas. Just think about those people who gave such statements, they all sounded natural but if you will think about it, the enemy is working, trying to snatch the true essence of Christmas, that’s why some people choose not to celebrate Christmas because they feel that it is not worth celebrating anymore. A person who looks forward to a family reconciliation becomes discouraged because the enemy is trying to kill that person’s hope of reconciliation. I also believe that the enemy is trying to corrupt the idea of Christmas by destroying the lives of innocent people during this season. If you are one of the victims of Sendong, what would the month of December remind you? Maybe instead of Jesus’ birth, you would remember the day when you lost everything – the month when you lost your loved ones. Christmas is supposed to be a season of unity and reconciliation but if you will look at social networks, you will see people who are mad at our officials. An author once said that if you ignore the presence of the enemy, he is already winning. Now we wonder why we don’t “feel” Christmas. The enemy is in the business of stealing, killing and destroying lives and often times we take it for granted.
Now what should we do about it?
Now that we know that the enemy is intentionally trying to steal, kill and destroy the Joy of Christmas (or life in general), we begin to see things in a different way. Is it possible to still enjoy this season? YES. What should we do? CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. You mean to say just “celebrate Christmas? YES because Christmas was, is and is still for us but it was, is and will never be about us. We fail to appreciate Christmas if we think that it is about us. The idea of JUST CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS doesn’t sound mind blowing but I think it is the best thing to do. It is not easy when the budget is tight. It is not easy when there’s chaos in the family. It is not easy for the victims of the truck accident. Heck, it is not easy, in any way, for the victims of Sendong to simply “celebrate” Christmas. Was it easy for Joseph to accept that his soon-to-be wife is pregnant? Was it easy for Mary to bear a Saviour? Being a father and all, wouldn’t it be pressuring for Joseph to find a suitable place for a King to be born? If we think that Christianity is just a walk in a park, think again. Do you think that we can just celebrate Christmas and getaway with it? But we begin to exert greater effort (or should I say passion?). We begin to do act intentionally and deliberately. Jesus was not a happy-go-lucky person. He lived each day with a purpose and he was intentional about it. We begin to really be grateful of Jesus Christ’s arrival because if it didn’t happen, I can’t imagine what kind of life I may have now.
Yes, there is a War on Christmas day but it is a one-sided war because the outcome has already been decided. Jesus wins, Satan loses.
After reading the verses and realizing certain things, I am convinced that the song “Shout unto God” can be a Christmas song because Christmas is a season of hope and victory, no matter what.
Philippians 4:8
New International Version
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Christmas is not just a day of hope, tranquillity, serenity and peace; it is a day of triumph – a victorious day for all.
Have a Victorious Christmas!
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