Symbols

Every year around Christmas and Easter, I see several posts about how the celebration of the holidays--their timing, their symbols, and sometimes even their names--have their roots in pagan Roman societies.

I have no intention of arguing with the historical record, as I believe it is more or less accurate in these respects.  I simply see it as another evidence that God can make the decisions of even those who claim to oppose or not believe in him serve his larger purposes.  As he firmly reminds us, his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts:  he sees a much, much bigger picture and is playing a much longer game.

I do not think that it is an accident of fate that Christmas is celebrated just after the longest night of the year.  In the dark, cold nights, we look to a baby that brought a promise of greater light, a hope that the cold winters of life will not last forever.  Nor do I think it is coincidence that we celebrate Easter in the spring;  as the world comes alive again and the days get longer and warmer, the sun shines brighter and the cold of winter melts away, we turn our thoughts to the grown man, who conquered death and darkness and brought new life and greater light.

If he had to work through corrupt Roman emperors for things to work out that way, I've no problem believing he's capable of that.