The world so often sees my anger.

It so often sees my chronic frustration with contemporary Christian culture and it’s treatment of God’s holiness.

It so often sees my tyrannical, self-absorbed bent to highlight the faults of heathens, punks, posers and misfits.

Misfits, mind you, like me.

But do they ever sense my grief?

That quiet but habitual sorrow over sin’s devastating effects?

Do they ever hear about that low-grade, sad restlessness over the wreckage in another person’s life because they’re barreling down the road AWAY from God?

No. Not much.

What they usually hear is judgment. Mostly because I only wear one emotion on my sleeve: Anger.

Here’s the deal.

Yes. I have peace with God. I have a future hope based in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I nurse an unshakable joy for his second coming…

An unconquerable glee in my redemption and sanctification…

An awe at God’s mind-blowing fashion of stooping so low to redeem a rebellious people…

And an utter fascination at the majesty of his creation that extends billions of miles in all directions…

That allows me to say this: “I love you.”

Not in some flimsy, self-esteem enhancing way, but in a concrete, Christ-affirming manner that suggests this: ”You were made for much more.”

That is my motive.

And before you wring your hands over my emotional state during this celebration of Christ’s birth, know this: It’s Christmas morning and, yes, I’m a little angry. A little sad. A little pensive…

But those emotions are overpowered by a colossal sense of the bliss created by the cross that inevitably follows the birth of Christ…

And the fact that Christ was born for you so that he could die for you so that you could live a fruitful life in beautiful submission to our reigning king.

God bless you and Merry Christmas.