No Other Name

December 24, 2007

By T. Ray Rachels

The Christmas story opens our spiritual windows upward, pointing to God, our Heavenly Father, whose gift of life and hope in His Son Jesus, extends our life … forever!

Tony Campolo tells a story about being on an airplane from California to Philadelphia.

When his seatmate found out Campolo was not only a sociologist, but a Baptist evangelist as well, he said, "Do you know what I believe? I believe that going to heaven is like going to Philadelphia. There are many ways to Philadelphia. Some go by airplane, some by train, some by bus, some by automobile. It makes no difference how we go there. We all end up in the same place."

Campolo listened, then went to sleep. As they were coming into the Philadelphia airport, it was fogged in. Wind was blowing, the rain was beating on the plane, the wings were shaking. It looked and felt like the plane was coming apart. Everybody on the flight was nervous and uptight.

As they were circling in the fog, Campolo said to the would-be theological expert in the seat beside him, "I'm certainly glad the pilot doesn't agree with your theology!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the people in the control tower are giving instructions to the pilot. 'Come in north by northwest, 3 degrees, you're on beam, you're on beam, don't deviate from the beam.'

"I'm glad the pilot's not saying, 'There are many ways into the airport; there are many approaches we can take; there are many ways we can land this plane.' I'm glad he is saying, 'There's only one way we can land this plane and I'm going to stay with it.' "

Another voice has said: "Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one." (Acts 4:12, The Message)

Jesus Christ was born to be our Savior, then died on a cross to complete God's circle of grace. This Savior, "only this one," comes to us today; He is alive; He is personally present now; "only this one" -- "There's only one way we can land this plane, and I'm going to stay with it."

A few years ago I was with my parents at home in Columbus, Ga. My mother showed me a picture of my dad when he was about 12 years old in south Alabama. Then she pulled out another one that showed him just before he married my mother; then another just after they were married; then another one, later.

My eyes pored over the photos looking for traces of family likeness -- I've been told all my life I look like him -- but what I instinctively knew was that I've inherited physical and emotional characteristics closely akin to his. And I can't get away from that unique pride of ownership.

And in the same way, Christmas unpacks for us a miracle of transformational identity. An indelible stamp of God's family likeness is on us. "Christ in us" becomes part of our genetic code.

We have His birth in us, the spiritual life of the Father, His DNA reminder, confirming that the graces and characteristics of God our Father are upon and within us!

And so, the Christmas story opens our spiritual windows upward, pointing to God, our Heavenly Father, whose gift of life and hope in His Son Jesus extends our life ... forever!

Do you feel it?

-- T. Ray Rachels is superintendent of the Southern California District of the Assemblies of God.