Most people don’t really believe in the spiritual realm of angels and demons. They might say they do, but most people today don’t really believe it. If they did, they’d be living completely different lives. The same goes for me. Most of us have been so completely steeped in a Materialistic worldview that the mystical realm has become the stuff of fantasy.
These two worldviews represent the choice we all have to make. You’re either going to be a Materialist or a Mystic. Most of us are faithful materialists, and by that I don’t mean, “We like to shop and buy things,” although that’s part of it. To have a Materialistic worldview basically means you understand the physical world to be all that matters. You might even believe the physical world is all that exists. The Greek philosopher Democritus, who is called “the father of Materialism,” said “All that exists is atoms and empty space. Everything else is opinion.”
What usually follows from this worldview is the demotion of demons and angels and souls and spirits to the realm of the human imagination. Materialists will say human beings should have grown out of supernatural beliefs centuries ago. Even some Christian leaders and popular preachers are now saying we should stop talking about angels and demons and focus on the problems that exist in the physical world instead, such as violence, poverty, climate change, and inequality.
Liberal materialists see evil in the world today and think, “If we were nicer to our enemies, the world would be a better place – we wouldn’t have terrorists if the government met everyone’s needs.” Conservative materialists see evil in the world and think, “If we were more violent with our enemies, the world would be a better place – we wouldn’t have terrorists if they were all dead.” Mystics believe both of these approaches are misguided. Fixing evil with government programs or weapons of war is like seeing a whole city on fire – and saying, “If I only had a glass of water, I could put it out.” Mystics know you can’t fix a spiritual problem with a material solution.
In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien illustrates the difference between materialists and mystics with acute precision. Frodo Baggins and the rest of the Hobbits from the Shire were basically materialists. They weren’t bad people; they were just simple-minded folks. They ate a lot. They drank a lot. They partied with friends, and that’s about it. Hobbits didn’t tend to go much deeper than that.
But when Frodo took possession of the One Ring, his worldview began to shift. He became keenly aware that there is more going on in the world than food and beer and hanging out with friends. And the first time that really hit him was when the Black Riders attacked him. Frodo fell down and the ring accidentally slid onto his finger. And immediately his eyes were opened to another reality – another realm of spiritual forces made of light and darkness – a realm that had been there all along. But Frodo had never seen it until that moment.
Of course, Frodo overcame his adversity and resisted the temptation of the ring’s power, thus saving Middle Earth from the Dark Lord Sauron – but it wasn’t because of his strength or his intelligence; his power came from his innocence. At one point in the first book, the leaders held a council to decide who would be the one to take the ring to Mordor. And as all the men argued and fought amongst themselves, Frodo, who was half their size, said, “I will take it…” The only reason he was capable of saving the world was because he had the innocence a child.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said:
Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. – Matthew 18:1-5
There’s something powerful about the innocence of children. Part of Satan’s strategy is to make us believe that innocence is something we grow out of. That to be innocent is to be naive or gullible. But Jesus said only those who see the world like children will ever see the Kingdom of God. All this time, we adults have been trying to make kids more like us, when we should have been trying to become more like them.
When my kids were younger, we spent nearly every Saturday afternoon at one of Houston’s amazing local parks where we’d swing, play chase, and maybe play a few rounds of hide and seek. Every time, they wore me out. I was always done playing before they were. But every time I told my kids I was done, they’d beg me to keep going. “Again, Daddy! Again, please?!” And of course I’m a softy so I’d get up and play some more.
Children come wired to find joy in the simplest things, over and over again, because their hearts are innocent. We think they should grow out of it one day; Jesus said we adults should grow back into it.
One of my favorite authors, GK Chesterton, wrote this about the innocence of children:
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
The Christmas season is nearly upon us. The time of year when all of us are tempted by materialism – the food, the drinks, the parties, and the shopping. But I hope this Christmas is different for us. Before the plastic, the paper, and the parties, I hope we see the child in Mary’s arms. And when we do, I hope we’re awestruck at the thought of that magical moment in history when – for a time – our Father was younger than we – and the Almighty God came to us as an innocent child, bringing joy to a world in despair.
