Lullabies and battle cries.
When Jesus was born that night, the angels appeared to shepherds watching their sheep on the hills outside Bethlehem. Today, we sit in church on Christmas and talk about mangers and shepherds and angels singing lullabies. It's a nice, peaceful image. We show pictures of Mary and Joseph gazing wide-eyed at their newborn wonder. I walk past nativity scenes and all the figurines are smiling and everything looks so peaceful. But that night, when Mary gave birth to Jesus, I don't think the angels sang lullabies. I think they shouted battle cries. Have you ever stopped to think about it? Jesus didn't come and move into our neighborhood as God in human form just to prove He could. He came to love, to bring life. He came to declare war on sin, death, disease, and all the evil in the world. The angel's proclamation was good news of great joy--a lullaby to the shepherds and to us. It was a war cry of the deadliest form to the Devil and all the sin and brokenness in the world. I...