Kick the Can

My favorite game growing up as a kid was Kick the Can--a game that basically combines the best elements of tag, hide and seek, and capture the flag by rolling it all up into one. And growing up with three siblings in a neighborhood full of other kids meant that we played this game quite a bit! Here is how it works. You position a can near a designated jail area. Then you select one (or maybe a few) individual(s) to catch everyone else. If a person is tagged, they are brought to jail. The only way that people can be set free from jail is if someone who has not yet been captured kicks over the can--hopefully without getting caught in the process. Once you are in jail, you are completely dependent on those who are not in jail to set you free. It is a very exciting game--especially if you are one of the few people remaining that have still not been caught and brought to jail!

The Bible is undeniably clear that every single human being has rebelled against God and is thereby a slave to sin. We've all been tagged by sin. We've all been captured. We've all been thrown in jail. There are no exceptions. And we are ultimately without a way out. We can't free ourselves. We can't kick the can for ourselves. We were disqualified when we were tagged. And so we are completely and totally dependent on someone else to kick the can for us in order to set us free. But who will do it? Every person has been caught. Every single human being has been tagged. But in the fullness of time, God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ--unmarked and untagged by sin. Jesus played the game. Jesus went the distance. And on the cross he kicked the can once and for all. He has set everyone free!

Christmas is a time to celebrate the fact that God is the ultimate kick the can player. The can has been overturned. It has been dented good. You are free to go. But the question is whether or not you are willing to leave. The only way to leave--the only way out--is through Jesus Christ. This Christmas I would encourage you to experience true freedom by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. And, as an aside, I would also encourage you to play a game of kick the can. I recently discovered that it should hardly be considered a game just for kids. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how fun the game still is--even for adults!!!