Los Alamos Church of Christ
Christmas as Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, there was a king. He was an amazing king. He was just and merciful. He protected his subjects. He was admired by all the statesmen of the world. He was loved. He was feared. He was respected. But this great King fell in love with a humble maiden. He watched her from a distance until his heart melted with love for this young girl.
Oddly enough, it was his kingness which tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace, crowned her head with costly jewels and bedecked her in royal robes, of course she would not resist, because no one dared resist him. But would she love him?
Of course, she would say she loved him, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, privately grieving for the life she left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know her true feelings? If he rode up to her cottage in the forest, accompanied by an armed escort, with bright banners flying, it would overwhelm her. The king did not want a cringing subject; he wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and her, a humble maiden. He wanted their shared love to cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love, that those who are unequal become equal.
What was the king to do? There was only one answer. He had to become a peasant, like her. So, the king clothed himself in beggar's rags and slipped unnoticed through the palace gates. He walked the roads. He worked the fields. He lived as a peasant and waited for the right opportunity. One day, in the marketplace, still in his tattered clothes, his hands now calloused from rough work; he bumped into her and introduced himself.
Over days and weeks and months, he wooed and won the heart of this humble maid. On their wedding day he whispered in her ear, "My dear beloved, you are now the queen". And they were wed in royal splendor, and lived blissfully ever after as King and Queen.
That is the story of Christmas. The King of Heaven fell in love with us. He became one of us in order to woo us and marry us, his bride; the church. Having become one of us, he died for his bride and it Jesus resurrected to marry his beloved.
Revelation 19:6-9 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
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Christmas is like a "once upon a time" fairy tale. The king must leave his magical kingdom beyond time and somehow come to this earthly kingdom. Like Alice through the looking glass; like Santa Claus down the chimney; like Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund through the Wardrobe; the king of kings became a microscopic embryo in the womb of Mary and came to this world in a manger.
Christmas is like a "once upon a time" fairy tale. Like all good fairy tales, it begins at night; Joseph had his dream at night; the baby was born at night. The angels serenaded from heaven at night. So John wrote in his gospel that the king came as a light into our darkness.
John 1:1-4, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. In him was life, and that
life was the light of men… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
Christmas is like a "once upon a time" fairy tale. Like all good fairy tales, we were held captive by the darkness; by the evil forces, and there's no way to get out of our bondage; no hope that we will ever break out of that darkness. We are small, insignificant, and helpless, and the darkness seems invincible.
But the baby born in the manger becomes Jesus the Christ. Through his sacrifice on the cross; through his resurrection; he saves us from the dark dominion to live with him forever.
Christmas is like a "once upon a time" fairy tale. Like all good fairy tales, the helpless creatures are transformed into what they truly are. The ugly duckling becomes a great white swan, the frog is revealed as a prince, and the beast is transformed by Beauty's love. At Christmas we undergo a magical metamorphosis into what we are meant to be; the children of God.
Galatians 4:4-6 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
We become sons of God. We become heirs of God. Each of us becomes a prince or a princess.
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Once upon a time there was a four-year-old girl named Kylie. Like most little girls, Kylie wanted to be a princess. After all, she has heard the fairy tales and knew how beautiful princesses are. One day she asked, "Mommy, can I be a princess?" A lot of parents would have said, "Someday" or "Maybe" or "No!". But Kylie's mom was a very smart mom. Without blinking, she replied, "When you believe in Jesus, you become a princess." Silence suddenly engulfed this talkative little four-year-old, because the answer made perfect sense. Of course God would make her a princess. It's crazy to think he wouldn't do that for her.
You and I are sons and daughters of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Though we live as flawed people in a flawed world, we are ragtag royalty. As we approach Christmas, know that it is not a fairy tale; it is reality. It is the reality which makes us who we are intended to be. As we approach Christmas, feel the crown on your head. Know you are a princess! Know you are a prince! Know you are the bride of Christ!
