As soon as he learned about what had happened, the young man knew he would never forget that particular Sunday as long as he lived. Some days are like that. Life altering events have a way of grabbing hold of us and then shaking us up in such a way that we're never able to put them out of our mind completely. The Sunday of a couple of weeks previously was one of those days.

This morning, two weeks later, he awoke early, turned over on his side and then moved the window shade a crack so he could peak outside. A foot and a half of fresh fallen snow greeted his still sleepy eyes. Inadequate insulation in his home made the outside howling wind sound as though it was the shrieking of some poor frightened animal that had lost its way in the storm. The thermometer screwed into the outside window frame registered seven degrees above, and from the looks of the blustery swirling snow he knew it was actually well below zero.

It was Sunday and he didn't have to go to work. There was no reason why he had to go outdoors today. And yet, he had a strong inclination to get up and go there today. Dismissing the thought, he put the covers over his head and tried to go back to sleep. The young man whose name was Todd, tossed and turned but sleep eluded him. Thoughts of what had been happening lately raced through his mind like a herd of wild stallions breaking out of a corral. Ever since that memorable event, he started to do some real serious thinking for the first time in his life.

Todd lived with his widowed mother in a small tidy four room apartment on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. He thought working as a bank teller was boring but knew it was better than being out of work like some of his friends were. He hoped a better job came along soon. Todd dated occasionally but never found a girl that he would want to marry and spend the rest of his life with. He was 22 and enjoyed good health. He was in the prime of life. He was also an unhappy young man.

Actually, as far as Todd was concerned his life seemed to have about as much meaning as the drifting snow outside his bedroom window. From time to time he sensed something was missing but he never really gave it much thought. And then suddenly, those events of a couple of Sundays ago impacted him with such a powerful jolt, that it felt as though he had just awakened from a coma.

Todd tried to make sense out of all the madness that had been unleashed on the world. He was looking for answers. It seemed as though he was trying to put a giant jig-saw puzzle together. He was disappointed whenever it appeared as though he had the answer but then discovered it didn't quite fit.

Now on this bitter cold Sunday morning something deep down inside the young man hit him with such an intensity that he got out of bed, washed and dressed and then went out into the blinding snowstorm. That powerful inclination had been persisting that he go there today. And so Todd went, despite the objection of his mother who was convinced her boy had been pushed over the edge by recent world-wide events.

After trudging through eleven blocks of knee-deep snow Todd arrived at the little Baptist church he had been thinking of visiting for over a year. Of all the churches he could have chosen, it was this particular one that he had felt strongly inclined to visit. Although he was five minutes late, the service hadn't started. There were only a dozen or so hearty souls present. The pastor hadn't even arrived.

After waiting another ten minutes, a nice looking middle-aged lady started to play the old Steinway which was obviously out of tune. No big organ in this church. It didn't even have stained glass windows. And, as Todd was soon pleased to find out, the pastor wouldn't be wearing one of those silly looking robes either.

The first hymn was "Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come" followed by "O Come All Ye Faithful". Just before the last stanza, the pastor arrived and stood behind the pulpit. After the hymn was over, he apologized for being late and then stole a quick appreciative glance at the faithful congregation. The pastor reminded them of what Jesus had said so many years ago. Whenever there was as little as two or three that were gathered together in His name, Jesus would be right there in the midst of them. Before Todd left the little church that cold wintry day, he knew truer words were never spoken.

The pastor began his sermon by taking the congregation back to the beginning of time and God's creation of the world. He spoke of Adam and Eve and the relationship they had with each other and with God. Things were very good for the young couple. They were the happiest husband and wife the world has ever known.

The man and woman were deeply in love with each
other and, they both were in love with God; so much so that you might even say they worshipped Him. They put God first in their lives, even before themselves. Whatever they did, whether it was in word or deed, they tried to do it in a way that would please Him. Needless to say, because they were so filled with a love for God, there is no way they couldn't also have been filled with an overabundance of happiness and joy within themselves.

Adam and Eve trusted each other completely. They had no reason not to. Their patience knew no bounds. The couple was always kind and considerate of each other and they delighted in meeting each others needs. They esteemed the other person above themselves. It just came natural to them. In other words, it was their nature to behave this way.

They were content with everything God had given them. Why shouldn't they be? After all, He had seen to it that they lacked nothing. Obviously, worry and anxiety were as foreign to Adam and Eve as Einstein's theory of relativity is to a snowman. It goes without saying; they were enjoying the life God had given them. Enjoying it that is, until they did the one thing God had told them not to.

Then, at that precise moment, a fatal change occurred. Although they didn't realize it at the time, the young couple would never again be the same. The trust they had for each other was immediately replaced by various degrees of suspicion and doubt. The intensity of their love and expressions of kindness and goodness towards one another fluctuated between hot and cold and often gave way to envy, and selfishness.

The godlike virtue of patience was often replaced by impatience and anger, which sometimes the man and his wife allowed to descend into bitterness, resentment and even fits of rage at times. Adam and Eve now had difficulty trusting one another. If the truth be known, they never trusted one another completely. As incredible as it may seem, they also found it increasingly difficult to even trust the Lord God Almighty.

The pastor said the change that came over them was as drastic as day and night, or, to put it more biblically, they had crossed over from life to death. Not physical death. That would come later. But they did die spiritually. No longer could they fully understand things of a spiritual nature.

Actually to Adam and Eve, much spiritual truth now seemed to be no more than foolish nonsense. In other words, they were no longer on God's wavelength. The man and woman had destroyed their relationship with God. Of their own free will they each had alienated themselves from Him. Of course they knew a lot about Him but they no longer really knew Him.

In disobeying God they had infected themselves with the plague of all plagues. Now they were contagious carriers of a fatal infection. The symptoms, as they were soon to discover, was a seemingly irresistible inclination to rebel against God in their every thought, word and deed. Every part of their very being was saturated with a propensity to either fight their Creator or to run away from Him.

When they became parents Adam and Eve passed this infection on to each of their children. It was impossible not to. Their children in turn did the same to their children and their children's children after them, down to the last human being who will ever be born.

Left to themselves until the moment they die, human beings will only grow worse in their rebellion against God. Then, their sprits will leave their dead bodies and finally escape from Him forever. Now they will continue to worship themselves forever. The inevitable result of this self idolatry is to experience everlasting torment, every bit as much as the creatures continual meditating on and delighting themselves in trying to keep God's commandments, must result in the person experiencing everlasting happiness and joy.

It was at this point in the sermon that an amazing thing happened. Just as He had done thousands of years ago with a woman named Lydia, the Lord opened Todd's heart and enabled him to understand and respond to the pastor's message. "That's it," Todd thought to himself. "That's the missing piece of my puzzle. That's why our world is so messed up. What the pastor is saying is that the reason people hurt one another and do all sorts of bad things to each other is because that's the way we human beings are. Every one of us without exception.

O sure, we're not all as bad as we could be. Some of us are worse than others, such as those people demonstrated a couple of Sundays ago. But it's our nature to live the way we want to instead of the way God wants us to. Why should anyone be surprised by that terrible event? Our world is in a hopeless state.

As if he were reading Todd's mind, the pastor went on to say there was nothing anyone could do to fix things. Then he picked up his Bible and started quoting from it.

Everyone in the little church had a Bible, including the little chubby old man with a snow-white beard and a big bulbous nose who was seated next to Todd. When the old man offered to share his Bible with him, Todd instantly recoiled. He didn't want to get too close to the old wino. He knew the tell tale sign that went with that kind of nose. Everybody in his neighborhood did and Todd didn't want to subject himself to even as much as a whiff of stale wine.

Much to his surprise, this man was different. The old mans cloths were clean. He was well groomed and he didn't stink like all the other drunks Todd knew. The old man's eyes weren't bloodshot either. In fact, they seemed to twinkle and they accented a warm, friendly smile. Todd followed the man's finger as he pointed to every passage the pastor quoted.

The pastor started in the beginning, where the Lord promised to send a Rescuer to restore the relationship between Himself and His fallen creatures. Next, he quoted the promise God had made to a heathen named Abraham. God told Abraham that one of his descendents would give birth to the Rescuer. The pastor continued flipping through his Bible and the congregation was following right along with him in theirs. The next passage the pastor quoted was more specific. The rescuer would be born of the tribe of Judah.

The pastor continued sharing the word picture God had been painting of the Rescuer in the Scriptures. He was destined to be a unique Prophet, Priest and King. The Rescuer would be both man and God and had been ordained to be born of a virgin in the city of Bethlehem. Unlike all other human beings, this One would not be born infected with the plague of all plagues and He would never rebel against or run away from God. Ever!

And then, the pastor told the congregation something even more amazing. The Rescuer had been ordained to die an agonizing death by crucifixion on a cross. Before God even created the world, the Rescuer had willingly agreed to allow Himself to suffer and die in the place of anyone willing to accept His love in full satisfaction of God's righteous punishment for the person's sins.

The Rescuer has a love for poor lost sin infected people which is so great that we can't even begin to comprehend the magnitude of it. His love included everyone present in that little church on the Sunday before Christmas. Anyone willing to accept the Rescuer's love could have their sins forgiven. Their relationship with God would be restored. Forgiven sinners will cross over from death to life. This meant that they would not spend eternity in torment separated from God. On the contrary, they would enjoy Him forever.

Of course, they would remain infected and would pass it along to their offspring, who in turn infected their children. The infection wouldn't leave them until their bodies died. But, because of Jesus incomprehensible love, the infection could be checked. Not only was it possible to keep it under control, but it also could be diminished greatly simply by maintaining a steady diet of well balanced spiritual nourishment and exercising their God given faith moment by moment.

It goes without saying that whenever they deviate from their Creator's prescription, the infection will flare up again. To keep it from spreading, their all loving Divine Physician will give them a mega-dose of divine chastisement. The bottom line the pastor insisted is to trust and obey, because there's no other way. It's that simple.

Todd took all this in with great interest. He was very anxious to get his hands on a Bible as soon as he could. He wanted to learn as much as possible about the Rescuer. The young man had made up his mind to buy one the next payday. He didn't know how he could wait that long but he had no other choice. Todd just didn't have the money to buy a bible any sooner.

The pastor went on to tell the congregation about all the incredible supernatural activity that took place on earth a little over 2,000 years ago. He spoke of an angel named Gabriel leaving the glory of heaven on a highly secret mission.

27 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you" 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke1:27-30).

The pastor went on to tell them about the actual birth of the Christ child. Then he gave an account of certain poor shepherds who had been living out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks that first Christmas night. Suddenly, right out of nowhere an angel appeared. They were terrified.

The angel told them not to be afraid because he was bringing them good news of great joy for all people. That very day in the town of David a Savior had been born to them. He is Christ, the Lord. The glory of the Lord shone all around them. And then suddenly a great angelic choir appeared. They praised God and then burst forth with a joyful refrain and sang "Glory to God in the Highest."

The pastor concluded his sermon and urged the little congregation to bow their heads for a moment. He said if there was anyone present who had not already accepted the Rescuer's offer to trade places with Him or her, they were invited to silently do so now. While the lady was playing soft piano music, Todd did just that. He silently asked the Rescuer to forgive him and take his place. Something incredible happened to him during that memorable church service. Little did he know the full extent of it.

All the pieces of Todd's puzzle had finally come together. He knew without a doubt that everything the pastor had said about the self-centeredness of human beings was true. The terrible evil unleashed two Sunday's previously was simply a manifestation of the human condition. Todd no longer had to grapple with trying to find the reason for man's inhumanity towards his fellow creatures. For the first time in his life he understood why people are proud and why they lie and cheat and steal and rape and murder and get drunk and engage in sexual activity outside of marriage and other evils such as what happened a couple of weeks ago.

Obviously, these are only some of the characteristics of an entire race of sin infected people. People don't become lawbreakers because they break God's laws. They break God's laws because they are lawbreakers. They are born that way. People do these things because it is their nature to do so every bit as much as it for a rooster to crow or a dog to bark.

Later on in his spiritual pilgrimage Todd realized that it was during that particular sermon, that the Lord had opened his mind so that he could understand what the Scriptures were saying, just as He had done with His disciples a long time ago (Luke 24:45). Todd now understood that what the pastor had said about mankind's helpless condition and the amazing love of the Rescuer was true. Every single bit of it. From that day forward, Todd never had a doubt about this eternal truth.

On his way home, housebound neighbors peering out of their windows were astonished at the sight of Todd stumbling through what was now more than two feet of snow. Tightly clutched in the young man's hand was the bran new bible the pastor had given to him before he had left the little church on that never to be forgotten Sunday before Christmas.

In spite of the howling wind and freezing cold, Todd seemed to have an certain exuberance and cheerfulness about him, as he slowly made his way along the almost deserted city streets on that memorable day exactly two Sunday's after December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese had, without any warning or provocation suddenly attacked Pearl Harbor which triggered what is known as the Second World War, a war in which millions of innocent men, women and children would have their lives brutally snuffed out.

Shortly after making a public profession of his new found faith, Todd was baptized. A couple of months later he enlisted in the Army. He wanted to do his part to help preserve the freedom he enjoyed so much in America. And that involved fighting evil and perhaps even giving his life. The evening before being shipped overseas, in the midst of a city wide black out, Todd bumped his toe on a little red book. That divinely ordained incident was destined to bring a young woman named Rebecca into his life but that's another story.

He continued to study his Bible. The more he read, the more Todd learned about his Rescuer, Jesus the Christ and His incredible love for poor lost people like Todd. Jesus became his Idol. The more he delighted in the Lord, the more he wanted to be like Him and the more Todd delighted in Him, the more the Lord gave Todd the desires of his heart.

Time after time God arranged for folks who were experiencing various degrees of difficulty in their lives to cross paths with Todd, just as He had with other troubled people and His only begotten Son Jesus a long time ago. God gave the man all sorts of opportunities to be gentle, merciful, patient, forgiving and compassionate towards them. The Lord also enabled Todd to learn obedience by the things that he suffered at the hands of some folks who treated him despicably.

Just as Jesus had before him, Todd became a man of sorrows who was well acquainted with grief; especially during those times when he was given divinely ordained opportunities to bow his head in humble submission and say, not what I want to happen Jesus, but may Your perfect will be done.

Throughout Todd's earthly pilgrimage he stumbled and fell, sometimes rather badly. He felt awful whenever he did and even loathed himself at times. He felt like a failure and was deeply ashamed of himself. It was during these times that Todd turned to Jesus for help. After asking for forgiveness, He pleaded with Jesus to help him to overcome the temptation to sin. And, he begged Jesus to continue making him more and more like Himself.

By the grace of God, Todd prayed like this knowing that one of the instruments God often uses to bring about this change in His children is through suffering. Todd knew that no follower of Jesus should ever be surprised, whenever he or she is subjected to frustration; disappointment; rejection; humiliation and loss.

In his sixty third-year, God called Todd home to Himself. On his gravestone, just below Todd's name, was a simple inscription, "A Man Who Truly Wanted to Be Like Jesus."

One day, hundreds of Earth years later, Todd found himself alone with his heavenly Father. He was enjoying what the Apostle Paul once described as being an eternal weight of glory. He reminisced with a heart full of gratitude about all those times he was given endless opportunities to be like Jesus during his journey through that alien world. His Father grinned somewhat mischievously at Todd as He pointed out a big glob of matter way way out in the far reaches of His universe.

Todd looked and noticed that it was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Todd heard God say, "Let there be light," and there was light. Todd saw that the light was good and he eagerly watched as God separated the light from the darkness. He heard God call the light "day," and the darkness "night." And then there was evening, and there was morning-it was the first day.

Todd kept watching in silent awe as the Lord God Almighty continued to speak this new world and every thing and everybody into existence. As history unfolded, Todd witnessed the first two creatures disobey their Creator and experience the consequences just as Adam and Eve had once done on Planet Earth. Todd heard God promise that one day He would send a rescuer to save his people from their sins. Todd was revolted as he observed mans inhumanity towards his fellow creatures throughout history. And then he recalled something that King Solomon once said, "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Todd looked down the corridor of time of the newly created planet and its race of people. He heard every promise his heavenly Father made through His prophets concerning the sending of a rescuer. Finally, he watched breathlessly as the angel Gabriel left the glory of Heaven on a top secret mission and flew with incredible speed to the distant planet. It was almost as though Todd was present when the angel appeared to the startled young girl. What happened next was something so incredible that Todd almost couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

Todd was so astonished that he had to turn his eyes away from the scene and towards his heavenly Father. He started to tremble and cry. He couldn't contain himself. And he couldn't take his eyes off his beaming Father who was smiling from ear to ear because He always takes great pleasure in watching the reaction of His children the moment they realize He has just granted them another desire of their heart.

Todd replayed that scene over and over again in his mind. He watched and listened to the Angel Gabriel’s sudden appearance to the young girl. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." The girl was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son. And the girl said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child will be born and will be a son of God and holy and you are to give him the name "Todd."
May it please the Lord to keep His promise to conform you and I into the image of His only begotten Son, and may we sincerely desire that each of us grow in our love of Him so much, that the greatest desire of our heart in the coming New Year will be to sincerely want to be like Jesus.

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