Advent

It's Silly Season again.

Stores playing annoying jingle music and "Happy Holidays" banners everywhere because we can say "Eid" and "Hannukah" and "Diwali" but "Christmas" may offend people.

Go figure.

It's the time we remember as Christians that Jesus came in the flesh and lived with us. Hopefully.

Most of us seem to miss the Cross after the Manger though. (I wrote a bit about that last year) It's the point.

The "traditional" Christmas songs, written before 1982, hold that as the center. The more "modern" seem to miss the point. Their focus is on the manger, not the point of it. That's where the World focusses too. If we can keep Jesus as a baby in a manger the He can't really "do" anything. He's ineffective. Powerless.

We don't see the warrior King of Heaven.

We miss the Supernatural Provider.

Receiving Christ, remembering Him at this time of year, is essential. If we can't receive Him, we can't receive His redemption for us. If we can't receive that, then we can't receive the fullness of what He did for us. We may manage to limp into Heaven with a Helmet of Salvation on, but be effectively naked except for that. Jesus did much, MUCH more than get us a Heaven's Gate Pass. He gave us the Keys to the entire Kingdom - all of it. Health, Prosperity, Salvation, Eternal Life, Persecution. All bought by His blood. All partt of our walk in Him.

"Persecution" needs to be in there. The World system will attack us constantly for being part of Christ's Body. It can't do anything else. We need to focus and press past it into His Fullness, even if that means we need to endure some discomfort along the route.

Persecution keeps us honest. It reminds us of our limitations. We can't get through without God's strength pushing us. We need that power to get us through each day, never mind the future - yes, we must be mindful of it to stay on target, but we need to be in the moment as well. It's essential. The thing people don't get in their understanding is that Persecution is a thing God allows as a part of the refining process. We stay focussed on Him and we will stay the course.

Staying the course is tough. The hardest thing is to hold onto what we have in God when things are going badly. It's tough. Holding onto your faith when you have no food on your table or heat in the middle of winter is tough. It's not an easy walk, this thing we call Faith.

And ultimately that's what Christ is about. It's what Christmas is about.

Advent. The coming of Christ.

No matter what, holding on to His promise and moving on with His purpose.