The birth of Jesus, God of the Universe, on earth infused equality into an oppressive humanity. There are many places in the world that still don’t get to experience the equality that the Infant Equalizer intended for them, but his birth set a precedent from which all our civil rights are derived. Without the One who subverted his divinity to take on an earthly body, face human struggles, and die a brutal death we wouldn’t even have an example for equality.
I love the words of the following hymn, which was written in 1933, the short pause in history between the two great wars. We must remember that Christmas receded the classicist, feudal, slave culture that came before it. While remnants of that evil will always persist in our fallen world, His birth is the only reason we have to strive for freedom, liberty and equality.
Christ is the World’s True Light
St. Joan/George Wallace Briggs 1933
1. Christ is the world’s true light,
Its Captain of salvation,
The Day-star clear and bright
Of every man and nation;
New life, new hope awakes,
Where’er men own his sway;
Freedom her bondage breaks,
And night is turned to day.
2. In Christ all races meet,
Their ancient feuds forgetting,
The whole round world complete,
From sunrise to its setting:
When Christ is throned as Lord,
Men shall forsake their fear,
To ploughshare bear the sword,
To pruning-hook the spear.
3. One Lord, in one great Name
Unite us all who own thee;
Cast out our pride and shame
That hinder to enthrone thee;
The world has waited long,
Has travailed long in pain;
To heal its ancient wrong,
Come, Prince of Peace, and reign. Amen.
