Bridge of Reason

I don’t want to spoil anyone’s Christmas and, certainly, I do wish everyone a very blessed and peaceful season but...well, it was never going to be easy bringing peace to the earth. I recently heard an  excellent sermon reminding us that the babe in the manger was destined to die a brutal and ignominious death on the Cross; you can’t have Christmas without the Cross. Of course, we often get so sentimental about Christmas – “it’s all about the children isn’t it”; or cynical about it all – “I don’t see much peace on earth.” But the Christ who made the sacrifice that might bring peace also challenges us to choose peace. It has always been this way since the beginning. Adam and Eve could choose obedience or rebellion (Gen.2:16); Israel was challenged before entering the Promised Land to choose between the gods of Egypt or the Living God who saved them (Josh.24:15); when Paul preached in Athens he declared: “ The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everyw...