The Distracted Light Man

I need a wake up call...a gentle, festive face slap...to refocus. Maybe more people than I do as well. The Deceiver is up to it again...His game of distraction! He'll do anything to keep our eyes off of Jesus. One of the things He likes to do most is get us focused on our niceness, our works, or our "people" rather than on our Saviour. It's a crafty trick, since Christmas is all about giving, helping, family, friends, strangers isn't it? Yes, it is...but not primarily. We are such creatures of indulgence and unbalance, that this season is a particularly easy one to distract us from the Truth and Joy. 

Remember the Nativity scene? It's all over facebook pages, now, for reasons other than the gospel. Humble Mary, Selfless Joseph, rejected, homeless and afraid? Even they would not want us to shine the David star light on them rather than the babe. Christmas pageants can quickly loose their meaning and purpose if the well intended light man gets his cues mixed up and spot lights the wrong characters and scenes.  Yes, it's true, we should be hospitable, to love the stranger and to give till it hurts, but the light is shining on the babe. Of course, I see the parallel of current affairs to the manger scene, but the light is shining on the babe. The Light...it's shining...on the babe. He is the center of the scene. All other people and issues are peripheral and should be kept there, because none other is deserving of the glory. The Nativity is being hijacked and we need to keep the focus...the Light on the babe. 

We throw around the "love" word so carelessly. Referring to making people feel good, Doing what is considered the "right" thing, when the world is obviously very confused about what that is...to the point of war. We can't love each other without the babe, His Word and way. We've tried for centuries. Something close to love happens, for awhile, then it usually falls apart and makes a worse mess than before. The divorce rate, job dissatisfaction, substance abuse and ya, war, are kind of proof. No matter how many times history repeats itself, or how many Christmas pageants try to spotlight the babe, we still insist on focusing the light elsewhere. He IS love. Not the food banks, the wrapped gifts, the hugs and visits. By all means, love by giving, but love in the deserving order...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39


If you had none of those wonderful things, you still would have true love...total joy and satisfaction...one that lasts much longer than December 25. There is no boxing day with Him. No post Christmas blues, no January depression and no countdown to the next magical moment. You can live supernaturally "happy", free from circumstantial dependence and smothering from the past. But you have to keep focus, refuse distraction to other good things and put your hope in that one Person...as unlikely and unimpressive as His circumstance was...He is Christmas. 

"It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them."

Ecclesiastes 7:18