Born that man no more may die
One line.
There is such brevity in this simple lyric, for such a massive topic.
At different points of grief, or walking with those who grieve, there is a temptation of the heart to believe that God doesn’t care about it.
Or maybe it’s punishment for something.
Or perhaps He will look at you with that look of suck it up.
As Christians, don’t we know that death is temporary?
Don’t we know that something better is coming.
Yes, brain.
Yes, judgment.
Yes, society.
I know.
But help my body understand.
Help my heart.
God doesn’t talk to us like that, does He?
He isn’t harsh.
He isn’t critical.
He tells the truth, but with our hearts forever in the forefront of His mind.
He is gentle.
He has compassion.
He is patient.
And He hurts with us
He hurts because we hurt.
The shortest verse in all of scripture, Jesus wept. (John 11:35).
And this sweet little verse of Hark the Herald Angels Sing communicates something profound about the tone, posture and care inherent in our God. The mission of our Savior.
God not only cares.
He not only doesn’t judge us for our tears or heartache.
He sees it—knows it—willingly stepped into it–to kill it.
I believe God hates death, and all things that are an echo of it, more than we do.
I love a good rom-com movie. Again, all things sweet and sentimental…I’m there for it.
But, I also love a good war movie.
Or a movie where the protectors win.
There is a movie, Man on fire, where Denzel Washington is a bodyguard for this little girl (Dakota Fanning). Denzel’s character, Creasy, is an imperfect hero. He has his own demons. But his heart to protect that little girl is palpable.
There are some major-ick scenes where Creasy tortures men who come against the little one he is called to protect.
I have never had such empathy for a murderer-assassin.
There is a roar of justice that would bubble up in me when those ick scenes happened.
I was in agreement with Creasy.
Because in his wrath, he was protecting something precious.
How much more will our God?
As we grieve, I want us to anchor our hope and our grief in the arms of a Savior who cares immensely.
To trust that His heart breaks for us.
To trust that He is more valiant than any other protector. More perfect.
To trust that we can grieve unashamedly.
And we can grieve with hope because our Savior entered this world with our heartache in mind.
He entered this world with the intention to save what our enemy wants to kill, steal and destroy.
He died, so death no longer reigns.
Satan is on a leash; and death, while very much a part of the fabric of our current residence, is being hunted.
Born that man no more may die.
For you, the griever, we typically say Christmas may be especially hard. And that is real.
Christmas brings up memories and traditions and sensory experiences with loved ones that are sweet and sad because they are not tangibly with us.
I am praying Christmas is also especially sweet.
That you feel and experience God’s care towards you in a very specific way.
That this line of this song is FOR YOU.
That you experience it as His war cry on your behalf reminding your heart that He is fighting for you.
Someday…
No more coffins.
No more funerals.
No more goodbyes.
Jesus, thank you for being born.
Thank you for coming back.
Come quickly.
Xo
Your little girl.
Sincerely, Crystal 