Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. –Romans 5:18, NIV 2010
But it’s also a great way to prove my point.
We’re talking about big sin and little sin alike. (Sin is sin, y’know?) This is about the obvious trespasses, and the not-so-obvious character flaws we all have. For the pastor, the president, the hooker and the bum and the workingman. All those things that don’t make up for the holiness God requires, and all the other things that won’t help us rise above.
For a bite of the wrong fruit, for the touch of the wrong tree, look at us right now. Death is rampant, sin is abhorrently in-your-face mode, women suffer (more intense) labor pains, and our veins keep popping out of place. How many times can I reply to the horrible sound of picket lines and glorified tears of aching maternal hearts? For one man, for the First Adam, this is what the world pleads for.
But for the right time, the right clothes, and the way of the supernatural, look at the heavens right now. Houses are decorated, towns are joyous, and a generation now believes in the impossible. Rain falls in the driest desert, kids can find a way to smile, and men and women can hope freely. How many times, then, will I raise my voice, lift my hands, and enjoy this life of redemption as I(‘m supposed to) enjoy?
What if we look at parrandas, Santa Claus, matutinos, the ACTUAL date of His birth, the fabulous slurps of coquito or eggnog and the sounds of our trova? Or Nat King Cole and repetitive renditions of A Christmas Story and It’s A Wonderful Life? Or our beloved (yet lately ignored) Three Kings and Midnight Masses at your local parish? I guess we have to look past the clutter of Christmas activities (especially right here in Puerto Rico, where the holidays never have a definite finish) and see the REAL meaning behind Immanuel-God with us.
We are here because of the Next Man-First before us, second to arise from God, and the Last to rise in glory.
Feliz Navidad. Merry Christmas.