[Jesus Christ’s] victory, of course, does not mean that we rush off to kill all our enemies. It means instead that we are to love them. Our love for them must be strong enough, however, to tell them with both passion and compassion, that their hopes are in vain, that their gods are mute and dumb, and that there is only one name under heaven by which a man must be saved. Our love for them does not present the Christian Gospel as an option. It does not lead us to argue that it’s a good option that has worked well for us. Our love instead commands all men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel, lest they perish. Our love calls on all our enemies to kiss the Son, lest He be angry and they perish along the way (Ps. 2:12).
R.C. Sproul Jr.

NATIVITY SCENE

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series The Perfect Gift

The Perfect Gift

A NATIVITY SCENE
IS NOTHING MORE
THAN A SYMBOL.
AND A SYMBOL, OR AN IMAGE
OR A TRADITION REALLY
SERVES NO PURPOSE IF IT
DOESN’T STIR SOMEONE TO
REMEMBER THE THING
THAT IT REPRESENTS. 

   YOU SEE, GOD NEVER       
     WANTED TO FORCE        
HIS SON ON ANYONE.   
  LOOK AT IT THIS WAY.      
        HE'S GOD.           
   WITH HIS POWER, HE       
   COULD'VE COMPELLED       
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD TO    
BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HIS    
   SON, BUT HE DIDN'T.      

 HE COULD'VE FILLED THE     
 WORLD WITH THUNDER AND     
  LIGHTNING AND BLAZING     
CHARIOTS TO ANNOUNCE THE    
   NEW KING'S ARRIVAL,      
     BUT HE DIDN'T.

HE COULD HAVE
ASSEMBLED THE RICHEST,
MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE ON
EARTH TO BE WITNESSES FOR
THE NEW KING’S CORONATION,
BUT HE DIDN’T. 

 LIKE I SAID, GOD NEVER     
     WANTED TO FORCE        
   HIS SON ON ANYONE.       
    IT'S JUST NOT THE       
   WAY HE DOES THINGS.      
AND THAT'S WHY THAT FIRST   
        CHRISTMAS           
       WAS THE WAY          
         IT WAS.            

HE CHOSE A POOR GIRL FROM   
THE VILLAGE TO GIVE BIRTH   
    TO THE NEW KING.        
 IN HER CULTURE, SHE HAD    
  NO RIGHTS, NO VOICE.      
  AND HE CHOSE A STABLE     
 INSTEAD OF A PALACE FOR    
  THE NEW KING'S BIRTH.     
     AND SHEPHERDS,         
    COMMON LABORERS,        
   THEY WERE CHOSEN AS      
  THE FIRST WITNESSES.      
 WHEN GOD CAME TO EARTH,    
  HE CAME TO THE LEAST,     
  AND THE LAST, AND THE     
  LOWEST, AND THE LOST.

AND THESE PEOPLE WITNESSED
THE BIRTH OF A KING WHO
NEVER OWNED A HOME, NEVER
HELD POLITICAL OFFICE,
NEVER MADE A
GRAB FOR POWER.
BUT THIS SIMPLE MAN,
FROM A POOR MOTHER,
AND A SMALL TOWN, IS STILL
CONSIDERED A PERSON OF
INTEREST RIGHT HERE TODAY,
OVER 2000 YEARS LATER. 

    NOW WHY IS THAT?        

  NOT BECAUSE HE FORCED     
  PEOPLE TO CHOOSE HIM.     
      IT'S BECAUSE          
     FOR CENTURIES,         
   MEN AND WOMEN HAVE       
    BEEN SEEKING GOD,       
     AND THEY FOUND         
    HIM IN THIS MAN.        

  AND WHAT'S REMARKABLE     
 IS THAT WHILE THEY WERE    
 SEEKING GOD, THEY FOUND  
OUT THAT HE'D BEEN LOOKING   
          FOR THEM THEIR         
           WHOLE LIVES.  
SO, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED    
 ON THAT FIRST CHRISTMAS    
     2000 YEARS AGO.        
    GOD CAME TO EARTH       
    LOOKING FOR YOU.

AND HE CAME IN THE FORM OF
A MAN WHO SHOWED THE WHOLE
WORLD WHAT GOD’S
LOVE WAS LIKE. 

    SO ON THAT FIRST        
       CHRISTMAS,           
      GOD'S PERFECT         
     GIFT WAS LOVE.         

  NOW, IF YOU TAKE THE      
 LOVE OUT OF CHRISTMAS,     
 WHERE WILL YOU PUT IT?     
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT?

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH HIM,
IF YOU REMOVE HIM FROM
THIS SEASON? 

  THE THING THAT FILLS      
 PEOPLE'S HEARTS USUALLY    
    STARTS TO SHOW UP       
 EVERYWHERE AROUND THEM.    
   AND THAT'S WHY THIS      
  TIME OF YEAR YOU SEE      
     EVERGREENS, AND        
   LIGHTS, AND STARS,       
  AND NATIVITY SCENES.

BECAUSE THEY REMIND PEOPLE
OF THE LOVE THAT CAME
LOOKING FOR THEM
SO LONG AGO.

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