FrAnthony

Life is lived in seasons. Seasons for weather, seasons for sports and seasons to one’s spiritual life too. Advent sets during the fall, while Easter rises during the spring (at least if you're north of the Equator). And much like the fall, the Advent season reminds us of our fallen man and how God’s Economy was thought out for our salvation.

During this season, we see our fallen leaves and fallen trees needing a Savior, and we are saved from eternal death. One would expect life to be all Spring after salvation, yet for all of us, the seasons still change in our spiritual lives, just as it does in the world outside. Like a tree fighting to stay upright, we still have to get through fall and winter with their storms and blizzards before spring comes again. Many of us can’t stand upright for that long because the storms of life get the best of us.

“A tree always falls where it leans; be careful which way you lean”said The Lorax to the Once-ler as he was about to let his desire for fame and money ruin the green earth and ultimately ruin himself. That’s some good advice for grownups, wrapped in a children’s movie.

In my last post, I spoke about the very first Christmas gift that Jesus brought into the world after His birth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the gift that many had been hoping for. The birth of the Savior was supposed to bring “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” but as we read in Matthew 2:16-18, it instead brought a massacre of the most horrific kind.

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16-17)

For the people of Bethlehem, the coming of the Messiah – their Redeemer and Deliverer – didn’t turn out quite like they thought it would. It was supposed to be filled with joy and peace and goodwill. It was supposed to bring about victory and salvation and deliverance. It was supposed to make everything better.

But it didn’t. It seems to have done the exact opposite. It brought more hate into the world. It brought sadness and confusion. It brought death.

What would you say if you were living in Bethlehem at the time? How would you respond when someone said to you “isn’t it great that Jesus came to our city?” How would you respond?

“Great? Are you kidding me? It’s probably the worst thing that has ever happened to our little town. Everything was fine before He got here. But ever since Jesus showed up, everything seems to have gone wrong.”

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