Advent: Join the Triumphনমুনা

The Scripture:

"Then Samson reached toward the two pillars that were in the middle of the temple. They were the ones that held up the temple. He put his right hand on one of them. He put his left hand on the other. He leaned hard against them" (Judges 16:29, NIRV ).

The Story:

Sometimes you win, but it doesn’t feel like a win. Sometimes to win a waffle eating competition you have to eat more waffles than you could ever imagine, and you start sweating syrup. Sometimes to be the better player, you have to say no to things. Every winner knows that winning takes sacrifice. Winning sometimes looks like getting up early, staying up late, not eating those cookies, not hanging out with friends. In this story, we find a story of sacrifice.

Samson is a judge just like Deborah who fights for God’s people because they fall back into sin. Samson is the craziest of the judges, and he has an Angel visit his parents – just like an Angel visited Mary and Joseph. Samson also had hair, that if he never got it cut, he would have Super Strength from God. You read that right: Super Strength from hair. And, no, that is not an excuse to never get a haircut. That was a Promise God made specifically to Samson.

Samson is special, and he is given a special mission. Yet, through a crazy series of events, he is betrayed, chained up, and mocked. It is awful, but it is also very similar to what Jesus went through. But it doesn't stop there: Samson is chained up, having lost his Strength, but God gives him one burst of Strength where he defeats all the enemies of God’s people, and in the process, he passes away.

Samson wins, he defeats the people God called him to defeat, but it doesn’t feel like a win. Yet, because of Samson’s sacrifice, people get to experience God’s Triumph.

The Triumph:

Jesus is similar to Samson in a few ways, but Jesus is very different in a lot more ways. Jesus lived a life without any sin, Jesus was God’s Son, and Jesus is God. Yet, even though Jesus is so much more important and much better than Samson, Jesus sacrificed too. He died on the Cross so we could experience Triumph.

This Christmas, what could you sacrifice so others could win? Could you give away Christmas gifts, ask people for money for a mission trip instead of presents, or serve on Christmas Eve? Jesus showed us that, when we sacrifice, we love – so who will you love this Christmas Season?