“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
– Isaiah 9:6, KJV
It’s finally Christmas Day: the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to earth to cleanse our sins, bring us hope and truth, and set the example for how we are to love and treat one another. In one sentence, Holy Scripture summarizes Jesus’ mission: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8b, ESV).
His light and truth form the foundation of the work FPIW does here in Washington on the issues of life, marriage, parental rights, and religious liberty. As we pause to celebrate, let us remember that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t gifts or even cherished time with family – it’s the birth of Jesus. Everything that we do here locally and across the country is undertaken for the purpose of honoring and serving God.
In his classic work Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis reminds us that Christmas, or the First Coming, is really “The Invasion” — the daring invasion by Jesus into enemy-occupied territory, who came to rescue His beloved (us!). Lewis writes: “Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” At Christmas, we rejoice for how “the rightful king has landed.” Lewis reminds us that we live within the unfolding drama of God’s Epic Story of both war and love, and that we have a special role to play in it.
From all of us at FPIW, we wish you a blessed Christmas centered on celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas!
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit—we celebrate Advent, Christmas, and Christmastide with joy and love and gratitude! You promised that you would come and rescue us. And you came. You kept your word. And your rescue through our Lord Jesus is the most breathtaking thing in all creation. Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, as we enter the days of Christmas and the days after, we pray for a deep communion with you. We pray for union. We pray for oneness. We ask this, dear Lord, in the name of Jesus who we adore. Oh come let us adore Him!
~John Eldredge
