As the rush to finish the first semester of my second year fades away, I look up, and it’s already Christmas. I’ve heard the music, and I’ve seen the lights, but I’m still surprised it’s come so soon. And, yet, not soon enough. To all my friends at school, back home, and elsewhere across the country, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I give you this offering of my heart.
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
And the soul felt its worth—isn’t that amazing? Think about it. For thousands of years after man’s fall in the garden of Eden, the human race was lonely, out of touch with God. It struggled to find peace, and it struggled to follow the law. And then one day, when the world wasn’t even looking, heaven kissed earth and gifted it with Jesus.
At that moment, the soul felt its worth. It knew what Jesus meant. Having endured so much pain for so long, the weary world felt a thrill of blessed hope. At long last, it could rejoice. No longer would it be enslaved to a law impossible to keep, and no longer would it wage bitter, endless wars. When it looked upon that baby, it saw the Savior of the world whose law is love, whose message is peace.
On that silent night, a baby entered the world and gave hope to the soul. Yet its birth also marked the moment it chose to die. Jesus could have stayed in heaven. Jesus could have called a thousand angels to save him as He hung on the cross. But for you and for me, He didn’t. On the cross, He kept the promise He had made years before on the night He lay as a babe in a manger.
The soul felt its worth in that it knew Jesus would die so that it would live. It wanted to be something wonderful for Him. I wonder if that’s how we feel. I know the world is cynical, and I know that law school is no different. And, yet, I know that when our parents make sacrifices to make our lives easier, we want to do even better for them. Because they’ve given so much to us, we feel as though we are worth something, and so we strive to improve ourselves for them.
Jesus didn’t simply make our lives easier. He died on the cross for us. Yet I wonder if we feel more worth in the eyes of our parents than in the eyes of our Savior. I wonder if we do more for our friends than for our God. I wonder if we look to glorify our employers and professors more than our Jesus.
Go back to that night in Bethlehem. Who came to earth? Who lived to die? Who loved without condition? Who gave you hope? Even if you don’t feel it, you’ve been priced infinite by your creator, and that’s pretty awesome.
Take a few minutes, listen to this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WIJw8JVeU), and reflect on its words.
I hope you stay warm, enjoy your family, and appreciate the day your soul found its worth. If you have any questions, you know where to find me.
Merry Christmas!
far from, but right at, home 