Christmas Invasion

In Chuck Colson's book, The Faith, written in collaboration with Harold Fickett, he includes a chapter entitled "The Invasion."

He describes an experience he had as a young Marine when he was part of an invasion with a flotilla of warships, including an aircraft carrier, in activities off the coast of Guatemala that broke the back of the Communist insurgency, and then he goes on to declare how that military event pales in comparison with the invasion of Normandy on D-day, June 6, 1944, the largest seaborne landing in history. He writes about the invasion of Normandy being the first successful opposed landing across the English Channel in nine centuries.

Then Colson goes on to liken the Incarnation of these events, citing:

In one sense, the great invasions of history are analogous to the way in which God, in the great cosmic struggle between good and evil, chose to deal with Satan's rule over the earth--He invaded. But not with massive logistical support and huge armies; rather, in a way that confounded and perplexed the wisdom of humanity.

It was a quiet invasion. Few people understood what was happening. Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew that she was with child, but she also knew that she had never been with a man, not even Joseph, to whom she was engaged. She had learned of her pregnancy and what was to be a virgin birth when an angel told her that she was pregnant with the Son of God.

For many, including Joseph, the doctrine of the Virgin Birth is hard to accept. But the God who could speak the universe into being, who could create human life, could certainly choose to make Himself known by the power of the Holy Spirit through a virgin. And it was essential He do it this way. Jesus could never have been the Savior of humankind if He were born into sin, because then His death on the cross would be for His own sins, not for ours alone. Only a totally sinless savior could take our sins upon Himself, which means God, and only God, could be his Father.

Most of the people in Palestine at the time of Jesus' birth were expecting a Messianic invasion like we saw at D-day--conquerors in armor bringing a sword to set the people free from oppression.

Jesus only added to the bewilderment of the people who knew Him when He announced: "The time has come. . . . The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news" (Mark 1:15). This was the time the Jews had waited for for so long? Liberation? And who was this ordinary Nazarene carpenter to say he was bringing in the Kingdom of God?

God's gift is to save you from something terrible to something wonderful!