Christmas in February

Posted by Alan Scott on Feb 1, 2011 in Daily Bread | 2 comments

I know this sounds like I’m about one month late, but I love that fact that Santa has always been portrayed with a powerful, globe-trotting sleigh. This always put St. Nick in the super hero category for me. For an eight-year-old, that reindeer powered sleigh elevated the influence and impact of what Santa was capable of doing. The mere fact that Santa could ascend to an altitude of 30,000+ feet kept my secular Christmas belief system firmly in place for years on end.

Of course, the other cool thing for a wide-eyed elementary aged kid like me was that Santa had all that power — and yet came down my chimney, ate my cookies, and left me a personal note. Whoa. All that fame and power, and yet he would see fit every Christmas Eve to descend my chimney and bring me gifts that I had meticulously mentioned on a list and then mailed to the North Pole. Pretty cool stuff, huh?

Santa certainly has a way with kids, but fantasy, myths, and legends have a great captivating tendency that encourages kids to be kids. Jesus has proven He is certainly no fantasy, myth, or legend — but his ascending and descending should nonetheless captivate every soul that needs a personal touch from a powerful God.

(As a side note, I realize many make Ephesians 4:9 very complicated and have created theologies about Jesus preaching in Hell, but let’s just keep it simple for now, shall we? This is a morning journal entry, not a theological commentary!)

Jesus’ ascending points to the fame, glory, and power of the Almighty God. His descending points to you and I. He entered the filth of our dirty chimneys that had become fire hazards from the soot of sin. Jesus came down and left a personal note that said, “I love you enough to die for you.”

Buy that’s not all…

As you read a bit further into Ephesians 4, Jesus brought gifts. Those gifts were to help us, the Church, become mature and full in Christ. Those gifts are supposed to help us move easily and rhythmically together. Imagine that.

On this day, it feels a bit like Christmas in February. Perhaps this is a bit late, or maybe I’m really early. Aren’t you glad Jesus ascended and descended.? Can worship flow from you as you grab onto this timeless, incredible TRUTH — no matter how old you are?