Christmas and Defcon 5

Recently a poll indicated that while 87% of Americans claim to be Christians only 36% focus on the birth or coming of the Christ child. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!

  Every Christmas focuses on the coming of the Christ. Advent means arrival or coming and we celebrate the first and second coming of Christ. While Jesus, the babe in the manger is the image of our celebration, the real issue is who he was, is and will be that inspires believers to annually celebrate .

  When will he come? Two thousand years ago, this was the question on the lips of a few Jewish believers. The vast majority had begun to focus on the celebrations and traditions. Ever since the fall of Jerusalem they had been told by their leaders, the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One would be coming soon. Their annual disappointment had caused them to push it into the back of their minds. Not to worry. When and if he comes, he comes! Not a thing we do can help it happen.

  Years ago I was up on a high mountain in Greece looking out on the Aegean Sea toward Sparta in the southwest. I asked my friend Yani, a captain in Greek Air Force how far away was the huge island that held Sparta and Patriae. He asked me how far I believed it looked to be. I replied about twenty or thirty miles. He chuckled and said it is over one hundred US miles. Many things in life seem closer than they are in reality. We just need to look with an educated eye.

  In the military we had five levels of alert status. Defcon 1 thru 5. Number One was total let your guard down time. Number Five was: we are being attacked or about to be attacked any minute. Twice in my military career I experienced Defcon 5. Both involved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The first time was the Cuban missile crises. The second was in Turkey when he was senselessly assassinated. The first seemed like an exercise and few of us cadets took it seriously. Why? Because our lives had been sheltered from reality.

  The second was total experience of living on the edge. We were on total alert with every listen devise we had cranked up and pointed north over the Black Sea. The ears and eyes of Trabizon where fully focused on the Soviet Bear.

  Was the bear ready to come out of his cave and ravish the free world? Was JFK the start of Armageddon? If so they would be moving through Turkey to the valley of the Jordan River. To the last man, we were thinking, "My God this is it!" Its not an exercise or movie script. The Evil empire has started their move. A move that will lead to the most horrible war we could imagine. I recalled the many times in school during air raid drills, we climbed under our seats to avoid the shattered glass. At first we were all scared, but by the seventh grade it had become a joke. But there in Turkey on November 24, 1963 it was no joke. We soon expected to hear the roar of Soviet bombers or missiles overhead any moment. Armageddon was about to begin and we were ready! And nothing happened!

  That was 48 years ago in another life. I no longer worry about Armageddon or major catastrophe. Life every day keeps me busy enough.

  Yet, we are told to always be alert and keep watch. Every Advent and Christmas season so far has been an exercise. Yes, it has become extremely routine. It is hard to imagine that Christ will be coming to usher in a new era of existence and end life for many. But then after marching in JFK's inaugural parade, I thought he would live forever and freedom would triumph over the evil empire. That assassin's bullet in Dallas yanked me back into reality. We must always be alert for the advent of the Christ and the Day of the Lord. It is just part of life.

  How do you maintain a state of readiness? Believe it will happen and have the essentials ready. Christ will come whether we see it as the first or second time. Those, who are about his business in life are deemed ready. God’s business? Loving others with all our hearts as we love ourselves. Simple straight forward. In 1963, we knew it could happen. When it did we did exactly what we had practiced over and over in other exercises. When the Lord comes we are to do what we have been practicing Advent after Advent; Christmas after Christmas: showing our love for God and others. The world is in Defcon 5. Are you ready?