Dec
20
2014
The Test
I passed the test.
You know the one.
The test that you find on Facebook, the one that pops up on various topics.
What Disney character are you? or How well do you know the 60’s?
This test caught my eye.
How well do you know the story of Christmas?
I disregard many of these tests.
This particular one seemed to call to me.
I clicked on START.
The test began.
What was the name of the angel that came to Mary?
What was the Baby Jesus wrapped in?
In what city was Jesus born?
What was the name of Mary’s cousin?
Who was the emperor of the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus’ birth?
Why was the inn full when Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay?
I finished the twelve-question test.
Immediately, my score appeared.
I got all twelve answers correct.
A paragraph explained my result.
12 out of 12 answers correct!
You are a Christmas Storyteller!
Wow, you know the Christmas story well enough that you could tell it in your sleep! Great job! Of course, any and every Christian has heard this story dozens of times in their lives, but frankly most could not recite it verbatim – but you could! From King Herod I, to Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, to the Angel Gabriel, you know this story like the back of your hand. Congratulations! You are most certainly ready for Christmas!
Confetti and Brass band, please!
These tests are based on some algorithm.
Some pre-set mathematical formula bases its answer on my response.
That does not make me think too highly of my result.
Yet, some people walk away with from this and feel very good about themselves.
Some people think they are just fine because of the result of some test.
I reread the comment on my result.
It makes me sound pretty amazing.
I can tell the story in my sleep.
I can recite it verbatim.
I know the story like the back of my hand.
I am most certainly ready for Christmas.
Really?
Knowing the story, reciting the story, and telling the story is one thing.
However, that does not mean that I am living the story.
That is the real test.
That is the result I desire most.
I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year. (Charles Dickens)
That living out the Truth of the Incarnation is the best way to tell the Story.
The telling of the Story is most effective in the testimony of a changed life.
Changed because of the Story.
Changed because the Story is not just known in the head, but it is known in the heart.
Heart knowledge of the greatest Story ever told.
Heart knowledge that propels us into action.
Heart knowledge that gives us compassion because the Father had compassion on us.
Heart knowledge that gives us mercy because the Father had mercy on us.
We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
That is the first gift of Christmas.
Love.
The Love that came down from above to live among us.
Immanuel.
Only then do I pass the Christmas test.
Only then can I truly say that I know the story.
Only then can I tell the story with my life.
Only then am I truly ready.
The Holy Spirit is our study guide.
But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you in all truth. (John 16:13)
As we follow the Spirit, we are enabled to tell the Story by living it out.
As we follow the Spirit, we are ready for Christmas.
Thou didst leave thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
when Thou camest to earth for me;
but in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
for Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
there is room in my heart for Thee.
(Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown, Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliott, 1864)
The Truth of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, must take root in our heart.
That Truth is the cornerstone of our faith.
That Truth is the Stone upon which everything else is built.
The Stone is the one the builders rejected.
Jesus left His heavenly throne and was born of a virgin.
Jesus left His rightful place to come to a place where there was no room.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have everything they need.
Yet the father chose to send His Son to a lowly place so He could raise us up.
When that Truth permeates every crevice of your being, you are changed.
When you realize and can say that Jesus came to earth for me , you are humbled.
When you remember that there was no room for Him, you make room.
Your heart becomes Christ’s Home.
Only then are you ready for Christmas.
Passing a test of trivial facts means nothing if our heart remains unchanged.
Has Jesus taken up residency in your heart?
Is there room for Him among the other things that vie for your attention?
There is only one test question that needs to be answered.
The result has eternal consequences.
Are you in Christ?
Your eternal Home depends on your answer.
Are you ready for Christmas?
Wonderful! You’ve gotten to the real heart of Christmas.