THE WEEKLY WORD: Twisted Christmas

By Matt Howlett, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Charles City

Despite the blessing of very little snowfall this season, Christmas season has officially arrived.

There is so much that I look forward to each Christmas season. Time together with family and friends, opportunities to worship our Lord through songs and service. People often seem a bit nicer and more patient with each other.

As we draw closer each day to celebrating the Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh coming into the world for our salvation, we can see just how truly each of us is blessed.

We get to hear and experience music we don’t hear any other time of year. I get to enjoy and start playing one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” sung by Twisted Sister.

It’s such a wonderfully strange mix of heavy metal that I grew up with, infused with a powerful message to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

While they may be unlikely messengers of the Gospel message, Dee Snider and the rest of the band resonated strongly with young people of my generation. Much of their music and videos displayed the conflict found between the older way of doing things clashing with changing times and trends.

Their music spoke to young people who felt rejected by adults and those who believed their way of doing things was wrong. Their message was a call to be heard and accepted for who they were, even though they may be very different from others.

It is a message very much like the one God sent to all of us as the perfect gift that first Christ-mas, when He came to earth as a tiny, humble baby Jesus.

As Paul wrote in chapter 3 verses 4-6 of his letter to Titus, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but be-cause of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Born to save us all, Jesus tells us that we are loved as we are. Though we may be different from others, misunderstood by many, we are loved and enough for Jesus. Jesus loves us so much He gave up His very life for our salvation!

Whether your musical tastes this Christmas lean towards Twisted Sister or more traditional fare, embrace the message that you are enough, you are worthy of the greatest gift of all this Christmas season.