Christmas & Texas

This is a busy time of year for many Texans.

We get distracted by life, thinking mostly about ourselves, our things, our wants and desires, not just materially but socially, politically, economically as well.

But at Christmas our (now fading) Texan culture still makes us take a step back, breathe, and think about what is truly most important in our lives.

Texas is at war, both in the material sense as well as the spiritual.

While we may appear to be better off today, with a flat-screen on every wall, and a smartphone in your pocket; Texas culture, spiritually speaking, would resemble the porous, unguarded shipping container wall along the Rio Grande.

As Jesus Christ was born from the womb of the Virgin Mary; our culture was born out of the love, veneration, and worship of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Everything, everywhere, for all-time should rightfully be with Him, through Him, and in Him. Our lives should be molded by His life. Our actions should be His actions. Our state should strive to be His kingdom.

We may fail, we will get distracted with our families, our work, and with battles that seem to be raging across Texas and throughout the world, at times we will be overcome by our own bad habits, that doesn’t mean that we should change His message to fit our lifestyle.

We are the ones who should conform to Him, not the other way around.

God took on flesh out of His Love for us. He laid down his life on the Cross, out of Love. He also flipped the tables of the money changers in the temple, out of Love.

Jesus never, NEVER, compromised. And we shouldn’t either.

In every battle we fight, be it in the classrooms, in the Texas legislature, in the Republican Party, or wherever we may be, we must keep Jesus Christ at the center.

We all must remain totally un-willing to compromise with the slavery of sin and the “comforts” of this modern age.

In his Nativity Sermon, St. John Chrysostom preached:

For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Have we forgotten what Love means?

The word “Love” is frequently abused by liberal activist and so called “Republicans” alike.

Love is “to will the good of another,” meaning that you want what is best for another person.

What could be better than praying for and willing your enemies come unto Jesus Christ, that they may break the chains of their slavery to sin, and spend eternity with Him in the next life?

This is our battle. This was His battle. This is why God became man.

From the moment of His birth, He had one goal, the salvation of the human race. On the cross He proclaimed, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” and submitted Himself to God’s will, even if that meant suffering and dying, crucified by those He came to save.

As Christians, If we are to share in His life we will also suffer for it. But, we are meant to suffer joyfully, because the battle has already been won, even though we must still fight for Him in this life: socially, morally, economically, politically.

So this Christmas, amidst the fun and challenges of the season, take a moment to reflect on Christ’s life. The babe, born in a manger, in a cave amongst animals outside of Bethlehem. The babe who was born to die, to free us from sin and death.

From the mouth of Sam Houston:

We are poor, feeble, and blind mortals when the eye of the Almighty looks through all worlds and by his power executes all things aright, and by his grace, he makes us all rich in Heavenly Gifts. In distress and in bereavements, we can look only to him. From mortals like ourselves we can derive no help.

Press forward brother and sisters. Shall we not go on in so great a cause?