Wow! The Christmas season is in full swing! Carols on the radio and overhead in the stores, people, and auto traffic have increased. My neighborhood is lit up, and on the weekends, cars line the streets as folks begin to entertain. One of my favorite downtime activities is Christmas movies. I love Hallmark because I am guaranteed a good outcome that offers a little excursion into a winter wonderland of entertainment for a little while. Most of us still tune in to catch at least a portion of ” It’s a Wonderful Life” and secretly envy the folks of Bedford Falls as they, along with George Bailey, rediscover the love and value of community. My spirits are lifted when Susie Walker gets her Miracle on 34Th Street, and I even sometimes still well up when the boy finds his bell after disembarking the Polar Express I love going along on the adventure with Ebenezer Scrooge as he is faced with his painful past, dismal present and his ominous future. It’s true! As cheesy as it is, I am still a sucker for happy endings.
Happy endings can offer us a boost to our feelings and a temporary escape from the drudgery and grind daily life can take on us. But behind my feelings lurks the voice of reality that spoils the mood like the cable going out right before Clarence gets his wings. It doesn’t take long to remember that the gap between my feelings and the actuality of life around me is miles apart. So for this last reflection before Christmas, I chose the last and greatest announcement Jesus made in His “I am ” statements because it reminds me that the gap can be met and that there is a happy ending that isn’t based on fiction or feeling but on fact.
When Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Resurrection and the Life, anyone who believes in me will live even after dying.” (John 11:25 NLT) He was revealing the ultimate gift God was sending us all. Eternal Life. This statement was made to Martha by Jesus after the death of her beloved brother Lazarus. Along with her sister, Mary and her now-dead brother were among the closest friends Jesus had. Martha and Mary were so disappointed that they did not get their happy ending and truth be told, held Jesus responsible. Martha said so! (John 11:21) But little did the sisters know that the joy of Christmas itself was about to be realized. I love the conversation between them because it reveals a deep truth about human nature. Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again. Her response was one I have given to the Lord in my heart and mind a hundred times over. Martha confesses that she believes in the general truth of the last day and final resurrection. Still, her answer reveals she does not expect a personal miracle for the present. Just like Martha, I hold fast to what I call a biblically-based corporate faith when it comes to miracles but often don’t believe in the specific personal application in daily life. It sort of looks like and sounds like this. “Yes, I believe in Happy endings in heaven and believe God can do anything, but there is the voice of reason that says that was then and this is the here and now. It is followed by the lurking shadow of a doubt that though I believe God can, will He? The truth of Jesus and His “I AM” proclamation to Martha is layers deep in both theology and the application of our faith. Christ promised her Lazarus would rise. The first truth is for all who trust in Christ; we will all rise eventually. The second truth is that Jesus meant Christmas was coming early and personally to Mary and Martha because their brother would be restored to them THAT day, not someday. The Ultimate truth is that in Christ alone, who in conquering death, He alone has the power to grant life. I think it’s ironic that the one who is the Bread of Life was laid as a baby in a feeding trough so that the whole world might be fed the words of life as Martha was that day on the road at Jesus’ feet. The truth became flesh…The Christmas gift God sent was life.
So not for someday, but this day I reflect on this truth. Resurrection power is offered to me. Not just generally but specifically because I serve a personal savior. I am not the unnamed boy in the Polar Express; Christ knows me by name and calls me by it. He alone can resurrect dreams that I thought were dead. My symbolic bell can return. Jesus can bring healing power to broken and lost relationships to me. He alone has the power to transform our characters from scrooges to saints. Christ can resurrect my hope and blow the dust of doubt and silence the voice of dread over the future because in Him alone are all my hopes. Personal miracles can come to my address, not just on 34th street. In Him, there is more than a wonderful life. It is an amazing life. It is not fiction, it is not just feeling. It is a fact. Jesus on that long-ago Christmas night arrived as all of creation celebrated because they knew…He is our happy ending.
Lord, thank you that the power of the life you grant is not just for someday, but that it is for Today! Let Heaven and Nature sing of your spectacular works and wondrous mercies. When I face trouble and sorrow, comfort me with the justice and the made right reality of heaven. Thank you for salvation, your personal Christmas gift to me.
Merry Christmas from the vineyard. Join the 5 o’clock worker where next time we close out the “I AM” series” A Christmas Refreshing” as we meditate on the truth that we are not alone in the vineyard. He is with us.
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