09: Soul, Feel Your Worth!
It’s all fun and reindeer games…until you end up in a wheelchair.
Logan here.
Christmas music is a divisive topic, one of those subjects that seems to fall into the “love it or hate it” category of culture. At some point in your life, you likely have participated in a conversation about when it’s appropriate to start listening to holiday tunes each year. For some, it’s an act of worship, and for others, it’s more of a nostalgic experience, reminding them of all the cozy, wonderful and bright feelings associated with childhood Christmas tradition. Maybe you love Christmas but hate the music because it’s mostly just different versions of the same songs. (I bet we can at least agree that Santa Baby is terrible, right?). Personally, I love Christmas and I’m a pretty avid enjoyer of those songs, the “churchy” ones and the secular ones. My favorites are O Holy Night and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Particularly poetic to me, though, is this section of O Holy Night:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
(Placide Cappeau, translated by John S. Dwight)
The essential function of Christmas, and by extension, Christmas music, should be to serve as a reminder of Who we celebrate. I’m not saying don’t sing about Santa or Frosty, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But I need to be reminded every year that amidst all the lights, entertainment, parties and plans, there is a far greater Gift. For the first ever Christmastime post of Writer on Wheels, I want to invite you, dear reader, to focus with me on Jesus.
As I’ve grown in my faith over the past few years, one thing I’ve tried to take more seriously is observing Advent, the coming of Christ. This Christmas, God is still revealing Himself and reminding me, through His word and His people, of who Jesus is and how I must live in response. For example, John refers to Christ as the Light that “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5). Pastor and writer Alistair Begg shared some thoughts on this concept. Among those thoughts, he writes,
“It is as you ‘put your hand into the hand of God’ that he will prove Himself to be better than the best this world has to offer. Be assured that the light that was born at Christmas still shines in the darkness, and the darkness shall never overcome it.” (Let Earth Receive Her King, 2024).
When I’m reminded of my darkness (which has lately taken the form of anxiety and shame over my thoughts and past emotional pain I’ve experienced or even inflicted), I’m learning, over and over, to bring it to the Light.
It’s also helpful for me to remember that the Christmas story is a crucial point, but it isn’t the endpoint. Jesus’ birth isn’t meant to be just a warm, fuzzy story we reflect on for a season. It is certainly a sweet, tender moment in history, and everyone in that stable experienced heavenly peace. Yet, we can’t forget that this baby was always fully God, adversary and victor over darkness. He was always meant to grow up and teach us how to reflect the loving character of God while enduring temptation, grief, frustration, mockery, belittlement, and physical torture. Jesus stepping onto Earth is the beginning of salvation being revealed to broken, imperfect people like me. He was born so that He could one day die and resurrect, and we could live as God created us! As the Word puts it, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
My point, dear reader, is that God lived among us not just as a little baby, but as the Savior, the King of Kings. Don’t let your Christmas get away without knowing and reflecting on Him. To know and worship Him as King is glorious because, in my pastor’s words, “apart from Jesus Christ, I would spend eternity in hell separated from God…but because of Jesus Christ, I am deserving of hell but destined for heaven.”
In Jesus and through Jesus, we have a hope that should thrill us because it’s eternal, not just seasonal. Merry Christmas, dear reader, and may your soul feel its worth.