Message: Massacred or Materialized

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

As I begin this meditation, my mind goes back to a book entitled, Message and Massacre at Christmas, which I was mandated to write, a few years ago. The book shares the message of the heavenly messengers, of peace on earth and good will to people. However, it notes how this joyous season is often marred by massacres of lives, hearts, minds and souls, so that the message of the Christmas angels seems lost in the blackness and sorrow of massacres. I share with you excerpts from the book, which are still relevant to us now.

Today’s message, as was for that book also, targets all who share the heaviness of heart, confusion and even despair, while struggling tremendously with the suffering that seems to mar the message of the Christmas angel. Too often we believe that with the coming of Good - for Jesus is Good - all evil will cease, but the opposite is what often holds true.

Think of a drought, where people are crying out for rain, showers of blessings, to grow their crops. The drought is causing grave havoc and people and animals are helpless to make rain. Then one day rain comes, but with the coming of the rains, floods come and these bring devastation for some and salvation for others. Just think about it.

Yes, when Good comes in all His Glory, evil never sits back and takes it as a lamb on its way to the slaughter, silent and docile. Evil always fights back, in order to reap its vengeance. Just think about it.

Today, even in this hour, it is so blaringly obvious, how human depravity has hit and is hitting in such unbelievable lows that, if we are at all honest, many of us find it very difficult, almost impossible, to continue believing the angels' song of Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The giving of glory to God in the highest heaven, does not shift one iota in us, but when it comes to speaking about peace and good will to those with whom His favour rests, we are totally choked out, burnt out, flooded out and clean, bowled out, by the horrors of evil. God knows that many of us, many of His children are hurting and despairing, nursing and courting fallen, grieved hearts. He knows that the song He has given His angels to sing on earth, has been stolen, hijacked and made a mockery of, to us.

Honestly, haven’t the massacres of our world, massacres in so many creatively new ways, been grinding down your faith, little by little?

At this precise moment, we need to pause and listen again to what can never be too over-emphasized or spoken of too much. The shepherds were living in some vile times also, for the people of Israel, God’s people, were under tyrannical, satanical, evil and most oppressive leaderships. They were in utter darkness and were crying out to God, who promised them a Liberator, a Saviour. But now that Messiah has come, and messengers from heaven have proclaimed the Good News, many of the people of God are suffering horrendously.

Not too often is this part of the Christmas Narrative exposed and when it is, it is given a passing word. I don’t know about you, but I have not heard much about this part of the Story, as many of God’s claimed servants, are speaking of Advent in its fullness. It is most common and usual to hear great sermons on the Good News of Great Joy, zealously and enthusiastically preached and taught, but not so with the murders which took place at that time. I know that perhaps, to include this part of Advent, in a Christmas message, would be to bring much sadness upon overjoyed people. But God the Holy Spirit, knows how to deal with these things.