The carol that has always most concisely typified the Christmas season for me proclaims, “Joy to the world The Lord is come: let earth receive her King.” It does not build up to that declaration, but begins with it. That song is a tremendous statement of the meaning and security the people of God have because Jesus reigns over the Kingdom of Heaven. All of what Chalcedon has done since its inception has been based upon what the Scottish Covenanters called, “the crown rights of King Jesus.”
The cultural crises around us are coming to a head. The insanity of rebelling against, God, His ethical mandates, and the war against His people is more readily apparent in the West now than at any point in our lifetimes. The world is changing, but many of the changes we are seeing are self-destructive and even suicidal. We are, literally, hell-bent for destruction.
But another line of the hymn reminds us that King Jesus, “comes to make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found.” Rebelling against God and His righteousness is like jumping off a cliff; it only increases our pain and suffering. In the midst of the evil we see around us, we can be assured that King Jesus will prevail.
“He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love…”
I just saw a social media post noting an easily overlooked feature of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” a TV special now over fifty years old. In it, Linus, who was never without his security blanket, quotes from the nativity story of Luke 2. When he quotes the words of the angel, “Fear not!” Linus drops his blanket to the floor.
We need not fear, either. We need not be insecure. Uncertainly about the immediate future is not ground for insecurity. Rather we can be joyful because our God and King reigns.
May God’s richest blessings be yours this Christmas season.
- Mark Rushdoony
Mark succeeded his father, R. J. Rushdoony, as President of Chalcedon in 1998. He oversees Chalcedon's publishing arm of Christian Reconstruction literature, under the banner of Chalcedon/Ross House books and Storehouse Press. Mark has ensured that his father's works remain in print and remains committed to publishing the remaining unpublished works. He manages the Chalcedon ministry and preaches at Chalcedon Chapel in Vallecito, CA.