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I have often wondered why we are paying so much attention to Al-Qaeda leaders. We never seem to get tired of hearing about Osama Bin Laden and how our government almost had him in its grasp. Lower-level terrorists are housed at Guantanamo Bay, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The alleged 9-11 ringleaders are being prosecuted right in Manhattan, not far from where almost 3000 Americans lost their lives, forcing their families to relive the nightmare.
But while we are consumed with the hunt for Bin Laden and defeating Al-Qaeda, we are unwilling to admit that there is another leader who really paralyses many with fear. This leader wields more power, and has more followers, than Obama and Osama combined. His name is Jesus. He was born in poverty, in a stable. His birth was announced by angels who said, “Fear not! I bring you good tidings of great joy.” This message is so strong that it will answer all the ills that face our society.
And yet we forbid our children and teachers to talk about God and Jesus in our schools. We are not supposed to wish one another a “Merry Christmas”; rather we must use “Happy Holidays” in order to not offend anyone. Jesus’ name is not allowed to be mentioned in any invocation or blessing that is spoken out in state assemblies or in Congress. His symbols, the manger and the cross, are not permitted in many public places.
Has a Christmas celebration ever harmed any child? In banning these things, we hurt ourselves, and especially our children. They are not allowed to be themselves. In many children there is a deep love to Jesus, which somehow needs to come to expression. For as God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.”
Jesus is not to be feared. Rather, he is a companion who will stand by us when we need him most, regardless of our religion.
This is the paradox of Jesus. He is, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall”—and yet “the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” When we are ready to recognize Jesus as the answer to all human needs, our economic crisis and the war against terror will be over.
(Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor and author of ten books. His books are now available as e-books at www.plough.com.)
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