Text: Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5:17-19, Romans 8:1-4
“They have my sister!” the small pale boy yelled, wiping his face on his sleeve. “Help!”
Boniface roused himself from his studies, dropped his books, and ran with the boy.
The winter solstice every year marked the annual Druid sacrifice of a young virgin in the 8th century among the Germanic tribes. The local community lived in darkness and was powerless to oppose this yearly sacrifice.
When Boniface broke through the fresh boughs of evergreen trees into the grove, he saw the Druid priest raising a stone knife to kill the girl. Panicking, and carrying nothing with him but a large wooden cross around his neck, he dove between the girl and the cold, stone knife.
The knife struck fast into the wood, and the people gathered to watch were silent with shock. Boniface stood on the stone altar and proclaimed, “Our death is just as imminent, but Christ intercedes between us and the knife!”
The legend of Saint Boniface has many forms; in some versions he next finds an ax and begins to chop at the base of Odin’s sacred oak, the symbol of Druidian power, and declares the age of pagan darkness over. The crowd holds their breath as they expect him to be struck down by their god Odin. When nothing happens, they believe.
As legend has it, when the people left the grove, Boniface cut boughs from the evergreen trees and passed them out, clasping their hands and telling them, “This evergreen branch will remind you that you, too, are free from death! You have a new life and new freedom!”
I love this story because it reminds me how the gospel changes everything, and the light of the gospel reaches even scary, dark places.
The gospel of Christ does offer new hope and freedom. We see in the Ten Commandments and the sacrifices of the Old Testament that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Even the Druids understood this. Someone has to die.
But God sent His Son. The law had to be fulfilled and so Someone did die, and He gave us new life and freedom. Christ made good the law and paid for our sin.
And “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4)
Just like the people in the story of Boniface, we were once captive to fear, with death looming overhead. But Christ interposed Himself and took the blow.
On this eighth day of Advent, let’s praise the Lord for His gift to us and for His redemption of all things.
For an added layer of worship during this sweet season of adoration and expectation, we’ve created a Spotify playlist for Advent 2014! You can find the complete SheReadsTruth | O Come Let Us Adore Him playlist at this link, or listen to today’s track on the player below. Enjoy!
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41 thoughts on "The Law of God We Cannot Keep"
I love that Rebecca brought in the Old Testament, so many people fear bringing up scripture or stories from the OT because its not quite as easy on the ears or pretty I guess to some people. But when you really look at it, it’s such a powerful, significant set of books in the timeline of Gods love for us.
It is so easy for us who are saved to forget that when we are still stuck in the mire of our sin. That is why we must continually look to the Scriptures to be reminded.
“I love this story because it reminds me how the gospel changes everything, and the light of the gospel reaches even scary, dark places.The gospel of Christ does offer new hope and freedom.”…….. Love this! The gospel changes EVERYTHING! Yes it does!
I love the reference to evergreen boughs being a reminder of life and freedom. How cool that we can stare at our Christmas trees and be reminded of our freedom in Jesus.
Amen! Love that so much, Luci! We love having you here!
xoxo-Kaitlin for She Reads Truth
Wow this so hit me that He has paid such a great price for my freedom and there are days I don’t live like I am free and I don’t treat others like they are free. I carry around guilt over past sins or remind my husband of how he has wronged me in the past. I really want to open this gift today and gift it to those around me. We are free indeed!
Could you please give us a source for your story of Boniface? I read about his logging the sacred oak, but could´t find any mention of his saving a child from death. As the tradition of Christmas greens actually has its origin in the Middle Ages, I also wonder how his distributing of evergreens fits in here … Thx for enlightening us. ;)
Praise be to our righteous and just God, Who has relentlessly pursued us since before time began! Though “our death was imminent, Christ intercedes between us and the knife.” Thank you Jesus
It takes a lot to remember that we are physically incapable of keeping the commandments. Someone did have to do, and praise be to God that He sent His son to do it!
On a day of feeling guilty/sad for how I treated my family this weekend, this is a beautiful reminder to me that Jesus died for me NO MATTER my sin. While I was still a sinner, He died for me. He lives for me. I wasn’t going to get a tree this year, but maybe I need a small one to remind me that He took the blow for me, and that His love for me is ever green.
I've never heard the story of Boniface before, but I will never look at a Christmas tree the same way again. And as I hold my five week old daughter in my arms, it still baffles me that Jesus started out that way too.
I am thankful for Christ's sacrifice, that He has put His law in our hearts, and that I don't need to physically die to fulfill the law. I rejoice that we are no longer in darkness, but that we have Christ's wonderful light.
Wonderful reminder of the Ten Commandments. So simple yet so easily pushed aside. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to The Lord your God." Christmas time especially gets so hectic, it's important to pause and have "intentional inactivity' as I've heard a preacher say. We wear our busyness as a badge of honor in today's culture — we need to change that.
I struggle with this too. And it is soooo important to take the time to relax and reboot and take pause for all the great things Jesus has done for us.
Wow, I love this. It’s so important that we remember that Christmas isn’t just about a baby—it’s that God sent His son to earth in the meek form of a baby and that He would later die for us as fulfillment of the law. Amazing love.
Love this!!! The Christmas tree has much more meaning too. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.
Beautiful. Reading the Ten Commandments reminded me of how short I fall of keeping them even for a day. Like today, the “rest day” I have so much I want to work and not rest in Him. I am so thankful that He came to sacrifice Himself for little me. Praise be to God and Christ Jesus!
This is beautiful… this Advent season is different for me too this year. My first as a Mommy.. :) I find myself staring between the cross and my son and wondering how God could have done it. How he could have sacrificed his Son for me… such an unworthy and filthy recipient, his beloved. I can't seem to wrap my head around it, feeling the deep and raw love that I have for my new dear son, and knowing that God willingly gave his up, for a people that were not only unworthy… but would daily look at that cross and turn away. I will never understand that kind of love… I can't… all I can do is sit here this morning thankful for a Father that IS love, perfect love, sacrificing love. Thank you for this message today.
Oh, I am reminded of how imminent my own death really was until Christ interceded on my behalf, and I am filled with fresh gratitude. Like others have mentioned today, my fresh pine Christmas tree just took on a whole new meaning!
Thank you so much for this…the story, the powerful image! I, too, am very grateful, for Christ coming to us, for turning His back on glory and on His rightful place, to become the lamb, for taking the blow that should have been for me.
This is beautifully written. I feel so blessed to be called a child of God, and praise Him for sacrificing it all for me. He snatched me up, and I owe Him everything. Thank you, Jesus! This study has done such a wonderful job of putting together the OT and NT and helping all of us see how the story unfolds. Praise God for authoring the most beautiful story of redemption.
Love that story! Will never look at evergreen branches the same! Now they are a symbol of salvation!
This post is really powerful! I had never thought about how in the Old Testament redemption required bloodshed. Only until Jesus came were we truly FREE from saving ourselves without physical sacrifice!
I think about life like a slate. Everything I do is written on that slate. The bad stuff is there. But so is the good. But my “good stuff” doesn’t erase the bad. I don’t have an eraser. Only chalk. So my “good stuff” gets written as does my bad … and it’s just a mess!! Scrawled everywhere. You can’t even tell which is which. But then I run to God. He has the eraser. He erases ALL my stuff when He forgives me. A blank slate! But that’s not enough, is it? No. He writes His righteousness – His “good stuff” – on my blank slate. That’s a miracle! That’s amazing. That’s salvation.
I like this imagery! Thanks for sharing.
Lovely perspective! Thank you.
what a beautiful visual. thank you for sharing.
You’re on to something with that chalkboard visual! Thanks for shading- SO glad He is the only one with the eraser & the one who rights our wrongs. <3
I have never heard this story! I’m looking at our tree this morning with a new understanding!
Thank you for sharing this story. I will look differently now at the holiday greens I have always loved. Now they will are a reminder of Our Saviour .
This advent season is different for me than those in the past. Some family lives farther away, another part busy with work and children. Others just caught up in the day to day. Everyday I strive to start the day out with Christ. Trying not to let the concerns of this world. invade on my alone time. But these are the things I cry out to him for. My concerns. Things that some would probably find unimportant but are breaking my heart. Babies born addicted, animals that are short chained with no shelter, abuse of the innocent rather human or not. I struggled for a long time feeling guilty about my concerns for abuse and neglect of animals more than people and then one day a friend of mine pointed out that God had given me a heart of compassion for the helpless. I had never thought of it in that way.
I will never even come close to having the type of love that Christ showed to us but He has allowed me to see a piece of it. So in this Christmas season I will be forever in awe of a Father who loved me so much that he was willing to give up his Son for me. As the new year draws closer I understand fully that I will need His help to face and conquer what it will bring.
I can relate, Nana, having a heart for the helpless can be overwhelming sometimes.But, like you said, it’s an amazing gift when you realize Christ loves us so much more than the overwhelming love you feel for the helpless ones you see. God also gave us Joy and I pray that you would be filled to overflowing with His Joy this Christmas, knowing that even in His knowledge of all that is happening in this world, He will never run out of Love for us and He wants us to spread His love with a joyful heart to those who need it most.
Merry Christmas!
The law shows me how far I fall short & how heavy the burden,..yet it is a beautiful reminder of how light is His Yoke and how great His grace! Thank you, Jesus~
Love this, Laurie Ann! Thank you for sharing!
so beautifully said….Thank you Laurie Ann!
simply thankful this morning that Christ fulfilled the law. for truly without Him, death would be my end.
I had also never heard this story – love it. So thankful He took the blow!
Amen!
Thank you for the story, one I've never heard. I love to see where some of our traditions come from. I'd like to find a kid version of that story, for the Advent season.
Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
God has done what the law, weakened by man, could not do.
He sent His own Son in order that the righteous requirement of the law would be fulfilled.
Such love. Such thankfulness. Such joy.
Thank you Father.
The gospel of Christ does offer new hope and freedom. …..AMEN…PRAISE BE TO GOD…AND THANK YOU LORD GOD…..
Christ made good the law and paid for our sin…..
I have an ache deep inside me, when I hear or read of what Jesus has done for me….I know me, ..and I might die for me, but probably not…I know I have done wrong, I have sinned and continue to do so on a daily basis…and yet…But God…STILL sent His only Son, to take my place, for all I have done, my unforgivable, unpardonable sin, my idol worship, my unfaithfulness, my wanderings, my in and out of Love, attitude with God.., all that I have done and continue to do, which is against and not pleasing to The Father., ..God….STILL He sent JESUS…to come and save me, to set me Free…to give me Hope, …a hope I have no right to have, a freedom I do not deserve…Thank God….I do not live in old testament Times….my blood would have been shed…long ago..very early on in my life….I certainly wouldn't have made it to this age….JESUS stood and still stands between myself and the deserved punishment I should earn for the sins I commit, ….JESUS came, that I might LIVE and have HOPE..
Another deep understanding of what price has been paid…what price tag, I had on my head, what I cost the Lord God …and yet..what I mean to Him, what LOVE He has for me….what a love…what a LOVE….STILL…He…PAID IN FULL…that which should have been my debt…my doing, my debt…my debt…
As tears roll down my face, and as the Truth, and enormity of this GIFT.., this SACRIFICE.., this LOVE, ..sinks deep into my soul, my heart, my being….Lord, I pray YOU etch this moment on my heart….this realization, in my soul, never to be lost, forgotten, sold for anything else…Lord God..Thank you, Thank you, and although it seems so feeble, and so petty…these words are from my heart…I give you all of me, Lord God..with everything I have…Thank you…
Happy, happy Sunday, Sisters….May our God, who sent His son to rescue us from us…turn his amazing face to shine on you, may He look on yo with favour and Grace…Love you guys…xxx
Beautifully said, friend ♥