I am going to repost this again, just because it seems like more people than ever are looking for hope this Christmas.
Perhaps you, whoever you are, are wondering this:
How can we reconcile celebration with everything that is happening?
To me, the answer is simply because everything that’s wrong with the world illustrates how desperately the world needs a hero.
Doesn’t it? What person among us sees these things happening and doesn’t yearn for somebody to come rescue everybody and set everything right?
The thing is, the world has a Hero… but many do not know it yet.
How can Jesus be the hero? many will ask. Look at what’s happening. What hero would let such things happen?
The answer, for me, is to realize that we’re still in the dark part of the story.
When most do not recognize the Hero for who He is.
When the final victory is yet to come.
When most cannot fathom how victory could ever come.
When many do not even know a Hero exists… or believe one could exist. How could there be a hero when this is happening?
This is how stories play out, isn’t it? Nothing’s ever easy. The hero isn’t a hero because everything’s great. He’s a hero because of the very darkness that engulfs the world of the story.
History is indeed a story, and Jesus is the hero of the story. History is His-story.
He’s the Ultimate Superhero, actually.
Does that seem a stretch? It’s not.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
We think it’s awesome when a superhero can control the forces of nature. We are impressed when the hero uses superpowers or magical forces to hold things in place… maybe to keep a building from falling so someone can be saved… or maybe to freeze an entire situation so something good can be done. We love to read stories where magic can be used to create something out of nothing.
Why do so many of us love these kinds of stories?
Because our world needs a hero.
Because we have inside of us a love for what makes our Savior so amazing.
We are attracted to power, because our Savior holds the ultimate power of the universe and we were made to love Him. But I think a lot of people don’t realize the raw power summarized in that passage.
Read that verse again.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by Him all things were created,
both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—
All things have been created through Him and for Him.
This display of power isn’t just a past event. His power is what’s holding it all together. Keeping galaxies and electrons in orbit.
Superman’s power? Nothing compared to His.
Pick an X-men or an Avenger… or put them all together. Absolutely nothing. His power is so staggering that every superhero story ever created is but a human’s poor attempt (if they only knew it) to come up with something that reflects a tiny bit of Him.
Take Magnito as an example. The moviemakers created this scene where he used his power to hold a thousand missiles in place in the air, then turn them where he wanted them to go. If you haven’t seen the movie, just trust me. It was really impressive. (Or watch the scene on YouTube if you want.)
Now watch this, and realize how much Jesus’ power is holding in place.
His power is more than just staggering. It’s mind-boggling. Beyond our ability to fully comprehend.
We can understand Magnito’s power because it is limited. Even though it isn’t real.
Jesus’ power is real, but we have a hard time understanding it because it is limitless.
And just like the heroes of our stories, He temporarily laid that power aside and surrendered everything He was… to save the world.
The important thing to remember as we watch this messed up world, is this:
His story isn’t over yet.
The finale is still to come.
This is where the hope lies. This is why we can still celebrate the fact that He came, even as cities and nations and alliances and economies fall apart. His coming – His birth, death, and resurrection – were the middle of this story we’re living in. And it’s always darkest towards the end of the story, isn’t it?
All this darkness? All this destruction and pain and suffering? All this emptiness and hopelessness?
This is why the world needs a Savior…
One whose story isn’t over yet.
Five years ago, when I was finally able to comprehend who He actually is, I fell so in love…
With Jesus…
Like I never had been before. He totally awes me.
I asked God to give me a Christmas song that expressed this, and I’d like to share it again. A simple recording is here if you want to hear how it goes, but it’s the power in the words – straight out of Scripture – that I want you to hear.
He is the hero of your story, too. If you let Him be your hero.
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