The Gift of Christ's Reign in Our Hearts
By thine own eternal spiritrule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Growing up, I remember some of my Christian school teachers drilling in us the fact that Christmas is not about Santa, not about presents, not about candy or time off school, but Jesus. "If you're having fun, you're doing it wrong," it seemed. I felt like the true spirit of Christmas was denying any sort of joy or happiness, and, in its place, dedicating the frenetic energy of helping, decorating, or even caroling in our neighborhood (there's a polaroid somewhere of me in a reindeer hat and guitar) as selfless and ostensibly serious expressions of how much I was enjoying self-denial.
But this is all wrong. You and I should be focused on what we get from Christmas. After all, God Himself made the first Christmas about us, but not in the way we might think. Christ came to rescue His people, redeem us through his victory over death, and raise us with Him in glory–giving us, who had nothing to give, the greatest gift of all–Himself.
The Overwhelming Love of Christ
I'm pretty sure that when he was writing this final verse, on Charles Wesley's desk sat a Bible open to Ephesians. Over and over again, the Apostle Paul rehearses the incredible work of Christ on our behalf, concluding at the end of chapter 3 with an amazing passage. Paul falls on his knees and prays that believers would have strength through the Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. He prays again for strength to comprehend with all the saints how wide, long, deep and high is the love of Christ–something beyond anyone's comprehension.
What's the deal with all the prayers for strength? Were the Ephesians a scrawny bunch? Maybe, but Paul's point is that the full force of God's love is overwhelming–in large part because it's undeserved and unearned.
How so? Earlier in Ephesians we read that we were dead in our sins, running after worldly things and united with the spirit of evil. Then comes two of the greatest words in all of scripture: "But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ." (Eph 2:4-5)
Raised to Reign With Christ
Whose merit brought about salvation? It certainly isn't mine, and I'm sorry, but it's not yours either. It's only through Christ's merit that we're no longer ruled by sin. Rather, as we've seen, Christ is now the ruler of our hearts. And, in a cool twist, we now reign with Christ. The last line of the song is essentially Ephesians 2:6 in lyrical form: "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
The incarnation that we celebrate this Christmas is a picture of God's love for you and me and desire to be with us. That's the meaning of Immanuel, after all: "God with us." This King, born in a manger, now rules in the hearts of His people and reigns (with us) in majesty. As we wait with expectation this Advent, I pray we grow in strength to begin to comprehend just how much God loves us to give us a clearer understanding of His reign in and with us.
Daily Advent Questions for Reflection
Day 1: What are some ways in which you can delight in all that Christ has done for you this Christmas? Think beyond the normal stuff and ask Him to show you ways He has shown his great love for you. From the breath in your lungs to the rain that nourishes the earth, God delights in giving good gifts to His children.
Day 2: Doubt is one of the reasons that some people find it difficult to see the love of Christ that surpasses understanding. Maybe it seems like we're just too broken or messed up to be worthy of that kind of love. How does the fact that the Bible tells us it's actually a lot worse–that we were dead in our sins–actually help us overcome doubt and respond with praise for the abundance of Christ's love?
Day 3: For Christ to rule in our hearts alone, we must identify and eliminate other things–good or bad–that take up that space of authority. What are some things that you think may be taking up some of the control of your life?
Day 4: How have you wrestled with feeling the need to contribute to the work of Christ, somehow sharing in the merit of our salvation?
Day 5: Given Paul's repeated prayer that believers have strength to begin to understand the scope of God's love, how might this perspective shift the way you think about God's reign not as giving up what we want, but receiving what the Lord has for us?
