As we step into the Christmas season we find ourselves caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping to fill that space under the tree, making plans to be with our loved ones in the coziness of our homes to enjoy a nice dinner…and we ponder the joys this time of the season brings.

Christmas trees, white Christmas, Santa Claus, nativity scenes and all the symbols one would find on some card we pick out in the card aisle of our favorite store. Then there’s the yearly conflict on what to call the company party; a holiday or Christmas party. Can I say ‘Merry Christmas’ without getting fired? Is it a holiday tree or a Christmas tree? Is Jesus really the season or is it a pagan holiday? Is it a Christian holiday or is everyone included like on the coexist bumper stickers?

…the conflict of Christmas!

So let me ask you something, do you really think that Jesus traded Heaven for Earth to come and bring peace? Let’s see what the Bible tell us.

Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. ‘Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. -Luke 12:51-53

Not sure if you’ve heard this Christmas message before and it may come as a shock to you, but the real Christmas story is not about peace, harmony, and gathering with loved ones. The real Christmas story is about conflict…always has been, and it always will be. The Greek words translated “divide” and “division” (diamerizo and diamerismos) mean exactly that. They mean division, disunity.

Christmas from a heavenly perspective gives us the bigger picture of the battle taking place when God sent His Son into the world. The devil opposed it, pulled out all the stops to prevent it and it was a bloody affair. John Eldredge shares, the day is coming when the lion shall lie down with the lamb and we’ll beat swords into plowshares but for now it’s a battle. If you look around, you can see how this story it is still in play today.

Hostility toward Christians seems to escalate more and more each year. Nativity scenes in public places are coming under more scrutiny, many people/places don’t want the word Christmas spoken, atheists continue the assault on Christian values, and levels of Christian persecution around the world is trending upwards. These are all symptomatic of the conflict of Christmas.

When Jesus showed up on the scene, the angels didn’t come with an “over the top” message of peace on earth they said this: “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

Wait a minute, so what does this mean?

It means the only way we will have peace on earth is when we are pleasing to God. Jesus is the Great Divider because the cross is the dividing point of all humanity. What we do with Jesus Christ on the cross, in His death and resurrection determines our eternal destiny. The very nature this message is a call to salvation, it’s a call to come to Him, to come into the kingdom of salvation, to receive the forgiveness and redemption that He brings.

There is an epic battle going on for the human heart because rescuing your heart is everything. God is pursuing your heart with an invitation of life. To become fully alive with a new name, a purpose and a mission. The journey before you is a bold one: to let God rescue yours. So receive God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ — love in action…this is the Christmas message!