Stealing Baby Jesus
Efforts to scrub Christianity from our culture, even our history are growing exponentially in this post-Christian era. Nowhere is this more evident than in the ever widening epidemic of the vandalizing and theft of Christmas Nativity scenes, specifically the theft of Baby Jesus. Just look at these recent headlines.
- Vintage Baby Jesus, other nativity props stolen from Alexander County church
- Grinch Strikes Again, Baby Jesus is Missing – Again!
- Stolen Baby Jesus returned to local restaurant’s Nativity scene
- Surprising number of people stealing baby Jesus from nativity scene
- Baby Jesus stolen from nativity scene in Solihull
- Statue of baby Jesus stolen from Grosse Pointe Farms church's nativity display
And here’s a particularly sad one …
- "So Much Hatred': Vandals Smash Ancient Church's Nativity Scene, Decapitate Joseph Figurine in 'Barbaric' Attack
Then there’s this one which went viral just this week, as the thieves were caught on camera absconding with the the Christ child figurine …
- Man Runs Off With Baby Jesus Stolen From Sundance Square Nativity Scene
Some people are are giving up and just not putting out their annual displays. Others are looking for a solution, and even for protection. As one news station has reported:
As Christmas approaches, many people are looking for divine intervention, or in some cases insurance to prevent more trouble in Bethlehem. "There is a company that will insure your manger set. There's a company that has a special ‘baby Jesus’ rider for churches and for stores,” said Pastor James Carney of Seattle Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, whose church display has been vandalized repeatedly.
They cannot hide Him; they cannot dismiss Him; they cannot diminish Him; they cannot extinguish Him. Try as they may, they cannot rob the world of Baby Jesus.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it" (John 1:5, NLT).
Bad Passwords
I like to keep things simple, but sometimes simple can be dangerous.
I recently read an article about the worst passwords. You’ll never guess the worst one: 123456. That, indeed, takes some creativity, as did these other examples in the top 20: 12345, 12345678 and 123456789. As a change of pace, there was also 111111.
The #2 most dangerous password? Password. Yes, the word password. So if you’ve been using that one, feel free to add this line to your Facebook page: “Please, hacker, come steal my stuff, because I have no imagination whatsoever.”
Among the rest of the top 20 worst passwords were: baseball, football, monkey, dragon and mustang. However, I was particularly unhappy with the 20th worst password on the list: Michael. Yes, somehow my name ended up being used and abused as a password. So I guess now I need to change all my passwords.
Many people try to use their own name as a password to get into heaven, relying on all their efforts and accomplishments to gain access into God's domain. But only one name has been given under heaven by which we can be saved, that name is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).
[To read more from Michael follow him on Twitter @MichaelDuduit]
Christ Our Captain
In one scene of the miniseries Band of Brothers, Easy Company was making an assault on the town of Foy, which was occupied by the Germans. At this point in the war, they had a captain who was completely incompetent. And he made a decision that resulted in the death of a lot of men under his command.
Easy Company got separated, they stopped advancing, and they were caught in no man’s land. They were like sheep without a shepherd. They were facing enemy fire and being hammered by artillery. Men were dying left and right.
The Major, who was over the entire battalion, was standing off from the battle, watching all of this unfold. He told his best captain to get in there and replace the incompetent guy who was leading his men to slaughter. So the best captain in the battalion grabbed his gun and ran toward the battle. He ran right through enemy fire and connected with Easy Company.
The first thing he did was relieve the other captain of his command. Then he regrouped the men and gave them a new strategy. They continued the assault, and he led them to victory. On that day he became the new captain of Easy Company, and he remained their commanding officer for the rest of the war.
Our first captain was Adam. When he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he made a decision that resulted in the death of every person under his command. God the Father was up in heaven, watching all of this unfold. And he told his best Captain - his only begotten Son - to get in there and relieve Adam of his command.
The Father sent Jesus into the world to undo everything Adam had done. And through His perfect life, His sacrificial death, and His bodily resurrection, Jesus Christ leads every person under his command to victory.
"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19).