Tuesday, December 21

Tuesday, December 21

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.                                                             Romans 5:1

Charles Dickens’ classic tale, “A Christmas Carol” tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a joyless and miserly man whose love of money has robbed him of the capacity to love and care for others. But when Scrooge is visited by three “ghosts” – the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the Ghost of Christmas future, he is reborn. That is, he sees what he has become and he is transformed into a completely new person.

Dickens has essentially given the world a fictional and theatrical version of the gospel! The Good News is that you and I can have peace with our past, and can be reborn into a new and improved version of ourselves! Only it is not through the “ghost of Christmas past” that we receive peace – but through the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes “When you were dead in your sins… God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all your sins, having cancelled the written code…nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14

Paul here is referring to an ancient court of law where a written charge would be made against a defendant. He is saying that we are all like a defendant who is guilty before a judge – but the charges against us have been cancelled because Jesus nailed them to the cross! When I read this passage, I think of a toy from my childhood – the “Etch-a-Sketch.” You probably had one too, or maybe you still have one somewhere in your basement or attic! Etch-a-Sketches were both fun and frustrating! They were fun because you could create all kinds of designs with them – especially designs that used straight lines and right angles! But they were frustrating because when you tried to make curved lines, maybe to write your own name in cursive, it was very easy to mess up! But the great thing about an Etch-a-Sketch was – and you can see this coming – was that you could turn it over, shake it a few times, and get a fresh start!

That’s what the Apostle Paul says that Christ has done for you! He has forgiven all your sin by cancelling the written charge against you. He has washed the slate clean! Have you trusted him with your past? Have you both asked and allowed him to walk through the deepest places in your heart and wipe them clean? May you know the peace that only the grace of Christ can bring!

Brian Coffey