Christmas as War: Darkness, Light, Singing, and the Incarnation
The darkness is a lie.[1] We live in a time where the moral darkness appears unyielding and certain to win. At least, that’s what the propaganda says. Christianity is a thing of the past, for backward and outdated bigots whose time has passed. The West has failed, and the church is corrupted to a point of impotency. Conservatives aren’t really conservatives, and the trans-movement cannot see that their Emperor is naked, so they remain convinced of their triumph.
This is our day, but the propaganda of darkness is nothing new. Satan is ever a liar. The battle between light and dark is the story of the universe/ Into this darkness, the light of Christmas bursts forth, declaring the inevitable triumph of truth, goodness, and Christ.
The First Christmas: A Death Match
Far from the tranquil nativity scenes that dominate our decorations, the first Christmas was a fight to the death. It was a conflict that centered on the Serpent and his appointed head-crusher (Gen. 3:15). Revelation 12:2–4 tells of the not-so-silent night of Christ’s birth:
She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
The Great Dragon of old stood ready to devour the promised offspring. One can hardly fault him, as this child is the one who will defeat him. Christmas, the incarnation, is a fight to the death. The Dragon, with the crowns of earthly kingdoms on his head, employed the state to destroy the child, but he failed. Instead, the Dragon slaughters innocent children in his rage (Matt. 2:16–18). Christmas is a bloody war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.
From the moment Satan deceived Eve, this world has been locked in a war between good and evil, light and darkness, and God and Satan. God promised a defeat of our enemy, but in the interim, we are locked in a battle. Christmas is a pivotal moment as God’s invasion of this world reaches the level of boots on the ground—through the Son.
Satan seeks to devour Christ, for he knows everything hinges upon this child. The prophecies of old spoke of his coming, the Messiah who would bring in the kingdom of God. He would restore creation to its former glory by overthrowing the darkness. Christmas is a time of war, but it is also a time of hope and victory.
It can be hard to see this light with so much looming darkness. It doesn’t appear like good is winning. Yet, the Christmas message shines the brightest in our darkest nights. Consider the famous Christmas prophecy of Isaiah 9:2–7. The people walking in darkness “have seen a great light.” There is that tension, the light and the dark at war. The propaganda makes it seem that the darkness is invincible. Isaiah says a child will be born into this “land of deep darkness,” and he will be called the Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, and Mighty God. His government will only increase. As the light bursts in, the darkness loses.
A few pages later in Isaiah, we encounter the prophecy of the dead stump of Jesse bringing forth a shoot (Isa. 11:1–16). Where death reigned, new life comes from the line of David. This Son of David will defeat the wicked “with the breath of his lips” (Isa. 11:4). Into the death and darkness of Israel’s judgment, God reminded Israel that David’s Son was coming. Evil will be vanquished. Jesus defeats the kings of the earth with his breath, as a sword comes out of his mouth (Rev. 19:15). By the words of the eternal Word, evil loses. The darkness is a lie. Christmas is war. Jesus wins.
It is no wonder that the struggle between light and darkness pervades John’s gospel. Man in his fallen condition prefers darkness to the light (John 3:19). Into this darkness, Christ comes as the light of the world (John 8:12). John paints the incarnation as a war between light and darkness, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). The darkness is doomed, it cannot snuff out the light of the incarnation. Christmas is the vanquishing of darkness by the embodiment of light—God the Son incarnate.
Fighting the Good Fight
The story of Christmas is the story of the world. Satan hates God and his creation, and yet he seeks to rule over it. God promised victory, and in fulfillment of that, he sent his Son to be born of a virgin. Because of Christmas, we can look at the darkness of the world and scoff. At Christmas, we feast in remembrance of Christ’s first coming and in hope of his return. At Christmas, we fight by declaring the truth of the light’s coming and his victory.
The present age has seen many dark times. The lies of the enemy often rise in defiance to the light, but the Serpent is on the run. Saints of old have endured persecution, plague, famine, and apparent hopelessness, but Christmas comes like clockwork, declaring Christ’s victory. Do not believe the lie that this present and insane darkness is any different. It cannot overcome the light.
Therefore, sing the great Christmas hymns in hopeful resilience this Christmas. Our singing is one way we fight back in our hearts, churches, communities, and nations. Consider the song I Heard the Bells on Christmas Morning. Originally a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the Civil War. Longfellow was an ardent abolitionist, but amid the war, he only saw darkness. He not only tragically lost his wife, but his son joined the Union Army in secret and had been wounded days before Christmas. As he tended to his ailing son, he heard the bells on Christmas morning declaring the peace of Christ. But for him, there was no peace to be seen. There was only darkness.
His words record the battle at the heart of Christmas, the battle reflected in many of our favorite Christmas hymns. As the bells rang out declaring peace on earth, the country was stained with war and blood. Longfellow writes of his response to the bells, “And in despair I bowed my head. ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said. ‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men!’” We feel that same tension.
The songs of the wicked mock the promise of Christmas. But the songs of Christmas ring out with greater truth. Longfellow continues, “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men!’” God is not asleep. Christmas reminds us of God’s victory through the Son. Christmas is the declaration of the downfall of this darkness. The wrong shall fail. The right shall prevail. The Prince of Peace wins. God will have this world. Our Christmas hymns are a rallying cry. They are at war.
Therefore, sing with gusto this Christmas in defiance of the insanity of our cultural darkness. Know that God is not dead. Declare Christ has come, he has risen, and he is coming back. We may dwell in a land of deep darkness, but the light of Christmas shines brightly. Belt out the anthems of our victory. The darkness is a lie because Christ’s kingdom endures forever. Christmas is war, and we fight through declaring the victory of Christ and that peace on earth comes through him.
Pastor Levi Secord
Christ Bible Church
[1] This article is adapted from its original publication in Fight, Laugh, Feast Magazine. Levi Secord, “A Christmas Worldview,” Fight, Laugh, Feast Magazine 2, no. 4 (2021): 61–63.
