Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year,” they say, and if you are not looking closely, you might get the impression that America loves Jesus Christ. Of course, such is not the case.

The country gives lip service to loving the Child in the manger, but scratch the surface and you will discover that few favor the Man that Child became. We are okay with the Jesus of Christmas but very uncomfortable with the Christ of the cross.

I suggest that we delve a little deeper into the messages which were delivered prior to the biblical nativity to understand better who the Baby was, and why the messengers who announced His birth were so jubilant. Did they understand something modern Americans have missed? I believe they did!

Mankind has a plethora of idols, visible and invisible, ancient and modern. These idols may be literal stone or wood images, or imaginary in the sense that they are the desires of the heart. In every case these idols are believed to satisfy the hunger of the human heart, but to no avail.

It may be that the greatest idol of all, and the one that is most difficult to topple is the idol of self. We may have moved on from Zeus and Baal, (or maybe not), but every human being at every point of the globe worships him or herself, until they come to terms with the Christ of the cross who is the King of creation.

The fact is this: what we love and passionately embrace and protect is what is killing us! The poison that is destroying us all, our self-love, is not only tolerated, but exalted and glorified. On every hand, whether from the voices of media, the movies of Hollywood, or the dispensers of “wisdom,” we are told that our self-esteem is the fundamental element of well-being and happiness and must be cultivated and encouraged.

Yet to any honest observer, the more loudly that message is proclaimed, the more unsettled, unhappy, and violent we become.

Yes, I do believe that the messengers who delivered the joyful message of Christ’s birth to the Shepherds and to Mary knew very well that mankind had a serious problem, and it was not a shortage of self-esteem, but rather its opposite! They also understood that the deep morass in which the human race found itself was a quicksand from which we could not extract ourselves.

The darkness and emptiness that characterizes the world today is not new! It is the story of mankind from our early days. We need not reiterate that story for we all know it: From Adam’s rebellion in Eden to Cain killing Abel, and every conflict and war throughout history, we have stained the earth with the fallout of our human pride. Yet we embrace it with every fiber of our being.

But we are still so unhappy, period.

The joyful message of the carol, “Let earth receive her King,” has troubled us from the beginning. We each already have a king: ourselves!  When Herod heard from the magi that they had come in search of “THE King,” he and Jerusalem were troubled. Herod represents us all well, for we understand that any throne has room for only one king. Herod sought to kill the Christ Child, and most people follow in his steps rejecting or ignoring Christ, for we too are quite content with the king we have already enthroned!

And that explains it all: the ugliness, the unhappiness, the depression, the violence, the wars and death. So long as an imposter sit upon the throne of your heart, the Source of peace, joy and righteousness, Jesus Christ, sits in the wings waiting patiently for you and others to dethrone self and “receive Him” as Lord and Savior.

But He will not wait forever!

He is the only rightful King, and as the prophets said, His name is “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah goes on to state the wonderful truth that “of the increase of His government and PEACE there shall be no end.” (Emphasis added).

Consider that reality when you are discouraged about the tragedies and atrocities that on a daily basis fill the headlines. Until the Prince of Peace rules in every heart and every nation, peace will be quite scarce; but in every heart and nation where He reigns there will be peace! Christ said,

“Come unto ME all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest!”

Now that is a message of real joy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

May God bless you and your home with the peace of the King, Jesus Christ the Lord!