His Coming Changed Everything

Posted on December 9, 2009 
Filed Under Personal, Spiritual Life

Every December I think back to many wonderful recollections as a child. I enjoy seeing the “Kodak moments” associated with Christmas which are etched upon my mind. Truly, this is a special time of year, and so meaningful for many.

Invariably, too, every year thoughts about that first noel move me to revisit a favorite author, Frederick Buechner. Many years ago a friend gave me a devotional by this good writer. Listening To Your Life is a compilation of Buechner’s works, broken into bite-size pieces for daily consumption and enjoyment. He is a thoughtful writer and invariably his musings cause me to think more deeply and often differently. That is the case as I consider Christmas.

Here’s one observation (from the December 26) entry in Listening To Your Life, which touches on one profound aspect of the Baby King’s coming:

…when the child was born, the whole course of history was changed. That is a fact as hard and blunt as any fact…Art, music, literature, our culture itself, our political institutions, our whole understanding of ourselves and our world – it is impossible to conceive of how differently world history would have developed if that child had not been born.

I like Buechner’s emphasis on the ultimate result of Christ’s birth: He left an indelible mark on everything. On everyone. Others have written extensively about the impact of Jesus on our world. And they make a similar point:

Believe Him or not, Jesus changed this world, forever.

Jesus came to earth. He lived and He changed the world. Even more, He still lives, and He changes individual lives. I know because He touched and changed me. And Jesus continues to do so, on a daily basis. I’m so grateful for His caring, gracious work in my life.

This Christmas season, I wonder if you’ve thought about that, if you’ve personalized Christmas? A co-worker often says that “God sent His Son into this world for you. If you were the only person on this earth, Jesus still would have come and died for you, to bring forgiveness for your sins.” I like that perspective. And so, I’m curious: how has this Messiah changed your world, your life?

Comments

Leave a Reply

Comments are moderated and will not appear on johnfullerblog.com until they've been approved. While we are eager to facilitate conversation by publishing most comments, we may withhold one from time to time if we deem it offensive, vulgar, overly personal, cynical, disrespectful, irrelevant, redundant or unnecessarily contentious.
Comments on John Fuller's blog may not refer specifically to any current electoral candidate, or any measure on a current ballot – at any level of local, state, or federal government. Focus on the Family is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity, and therefore cannot take a position on specific votes. Nor can we display any such statements on our Web sites. Likewise, we cannot discuss here the personal viewpoints of people like Dr. Dobson or Jim Daly on political candidates or ballot measures. Any posts to this forum which violate these rules will be removed. There is an alternative venue for this type of discussion. Some activities of this nature are undertaken by Focus on the Family Action, a 501(c)(4) organization, and its media outlet, Citizenlink.
Finally, if you would like to contact our ministry directly, please feel free to do so from one of our FAQs.