by Chris Alexion, Copyright December 26, 2006, all rights reserved. 269 views
Amidst all the typical Western additions to Christmas–whether cynical capitalism, frosty snowmen, or even the good sounds of Bing and Perry–it's vital that we remember what the Incarnation, at root, is about. The doctrine of the Incarnation, according to James Stewart, "means that God has come right into the midst of the tumult and the shouting of this world. In the most literal sense, it was a 'down to earth' realism that gave the Gospel birth. Therefore to separate Christianity from social concern is to corrupt it at its roots: in the strong language of the apostle, it is to 'make God a liar.'"
And yet the Incarnation is about even more than Stewart's messy, gritty realism; it's about conquest. The Son of God, John tells us, was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Sadly, the triumphant, even postmillennial, notes of the church's Christmas carols often go unnoticed. And maybe, as one who generally leans toward the postmil viewpoint, I'm reading into things a little, but we should take note of some of these postmillennial carols. (Note: I'm shamelessly stealing this idea, and some of the quotes that follow–though, alas, I can't remember which writer I'm robbing. But as T. S. Eliot would say, if I've stolen, I've at least made what I've taken better.)
For one, take the medieval "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming":
This Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
The later stanzas of Watts' famous "Joy to the World" are similar:
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
Watts also affirms the present reality of Christ's kingdom, singing, "He rules the world with truth and grace." And lest we relegate His rein to some gossamer spiritual realm, we have "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day":
And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Finally, "O Holy Night" reflects the earthly, even political, implications of the Gospel:
Truly he taught us to love one another;
His law is love, and His gospel is peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
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