The Child
King
Charlie Earl
It really
doesn’t matter when the birth of Christ occurred. We assume that December 25th
is probably not the actual date of the anniversary of his birth. What really
matters for me is that it happened at all. God didn’t have to do that. He had
given us The Law and watched us violate it time after time. He had cautioned us
and warned us through his prophets, but yet we disobeyed. So tonight and
tomorrow I will celebrate the birth of a child who is the King. It is something
that I should do every moment of every day, but I’m too self-centered to be
constantly focused on the miracle of grace.
None of us
is perfect although there are some who sense that they may be nearly perfect.
The odd thing is that as one draws closer to God through Christ, the more one
is aware of his flaws and her weaknesses. When I observe people who hold
positions of leadership and power, I am reminded that the greatest attribute of
righteous leader is humility. A person who seeks the heart of God is humble
enough to know that he or she cannot conceivably know all the right answers. A
humble leader turns to a greater source of wisdom than his own. A truly
powerful leader does not have to intimidate or force the people to follow her
because she knows her power is not generated from within, but is granted and
directed by Him.
A wise
leader who walks in righteousness and humility does not waver when the people
demand an unprincipled route. Moses went to the mountain to retrieve the Law,
and Aaron failed the test of righteous leadership while he was gone. Righteousness
and humility are particularly important for a republic wherein the elected and
appointed public officials ideally fulfill their roles with a servant’s
attitude. An arrogant leader suffers under the illusion that he always knows
what is best and has little regard for the principled path even when the people
insist that he act with integrity. It is a fine line….knowing when the people
are supportive of principle OR standing against them when they are not. Wisdom
and discernment are rare.
Clearly we
have no leaders who possess all the necessary requirements for guiding our
nation through good times or bad. Each of them just like each of us is flawed
and imperfect. A “Cliff-notes” glance at human history informs us that most
people are followers, a few are leaders and a very small number can honestly
claim the ideal attributes of a leader for a free people. It seems obvious to
me that our guiding principle if we desire to remain a free people is found in Proverbs, Chapter 3. Trusting in
all-too-human people for our protection and salvation is risky and
disappointing. The only solid rock of consistent integrity is in the One who
created us, nurtures us and loves us.
This
Christmas time is filled with uncertainty and angst, but that hardly makes it
historically unique. Because we are fallible and fallen, we will always be
accosted by doubt, indecision, suffering and evil. Our only true source of
peace and security lies in Him who gives us life. We have failed him, however,
and have proven ourselves to be unworthy of His intervention and concern. His
mercy and His love are greater than our feeble excuses for doing the things we
do, so He has given us a new key to His Kingdom. We celebrate the gift of that
key this week. The gift---both man and God—was wrapped in rags and delivered in
a stable. This week we welcome our true leader who will not fail us. We welcome
the Child King into our hearts, our lives and hopefully into our nation as
well. Have a merry and blessed Christmas.
Charlie Earl
