Dear Friends,
Daniel in the Lion’s Den might sound like a weird sermon text for the Sunday before Christmas. But I think it’s a great and appropriate text for this time of year.
Daniel is in the lion’s den as a judgment for violating the law of the King. God enters into that lion’s den, is present with Daniel, takes care of the “judgment-by-lion” problem he was facing, and Daniel is elevated to a new position in the Kingdom. Think about it: It’s the gospel and the message of Christmas!
In our world, we have many problems. We have many problems in our own personal lives. However, humanity’s greatest problem is sin (and the judgment we currently live under and will one day face, finally, because of our sin). The news and our news feeds bombard us with the problems of the world and offer us solutions, ways to escape, and recommendations for how to survive. But what we and the world need is Jesus in the good news of the gospel.
There are an endless number of ways that God could have taken care of Daniel’s “judgment-by-lion” problem. The one he chose was very personal, intimate, and relational. It’s the same in Christmas and in the gospel. God has entered into our world and our lives. He didn’t solve our sin problem from a distance. He took on flesh. He comes to meet us, save us, and he stays to walk with us.
So, take some time to enter into the well-known story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den in Daniel 6:1-28. Go back to the beginning of the chapter and read it all the way through. Then come back to the middle and end of the story in verses 16-28. Connect it to the story of Christmas and the message of the gospel.
God is the bigger lion. We need a bigger lion.
Yours in Christ’s love,
Pastor Ewan
