When entering a tourney or jousting contest, a knight would often approach a fair maiden sitting in the crowd and ask to fight in her honor. The maiden would tie a token of her favor onto the knight’s lance, typically a ribbon, scarf, or one of her false sleeves (sometimes a brasserie or undergarment). The lady would use her family colors or embroider her own special wording or symbol of her devotion. The knight would tuck the token someplace safe, usually under his breastplate near his heart, before lowering his lance and barreling forward on his steed to unseat his opponent and win the maiden’s approval.
A knight who fights for his lady’s honor becomes her champion. Many historical romances have used the trope of a knight in shining armor, and for me, it never gets old. However, during the Middle Ages, Anglo-Norman law stated that a fight of arms would establish guilt or innocence of a crime, and those who couldn’t fight for themselves, the lame, weak, infirmed, or the elderly, could name a champion to fight in their stead.
We, too, have a champion, and His record is undefeated. He walked into the arena and picked us out of the crowd. He chose us, even though we are sinful, weak, and broken, and He asked to carry our honor. Deuteronomy 20:4 states, “For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
Jesus fought our battle and conquered death. He continues to wage a spiritual war against our enemies and will soon return in His glory to finish them off. All we must do is ask Him to be our champion—allow Him into our hearts to fight for us.
We show Him a token of our favor, not by ribbons, scarves, or offerings, but by our faith. We may be the underdog, but because God champions us, we can stand tall and face our giants, knowing victory is the Lord’s.
“They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:19.
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Christmas while performing in a church pageant. As I read, my kids will hear my voice crack, look up, and shake their heads, “Mom, are you crying?” I’m touched by how Imogene Herdman’s veil is smudged and crooked, and Leroy Herdman, dressed as one of the Wise Men, carries in the ham given them by social services instead of the customary bowl of incense. They made the church’s lovely, traditional pageant into a messy, discombobulated event.
after animals like shepherds. Shepherds spent days under the hot sun and slept on the cold ground at night. After the Israelites settled in agricultural based Egypt, shepherding lost its prominent position as a trade. Sheep and goats were a threat to crops and therefore a menace to settled farmers. Shepherds were relegated to pastoring their animals only in desert areas and were shunned like tax collectors (
interpreting astrological signs, dreams, and omens. But, they didn’t know everything as seen in the story of Daniel and in Joseph. When the magi were asked to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar and the Egyptian Pharaoh’s dreams, these wise men didn’t have the answers. They were still searching. So when a bright star appeared in the night these pagan magicians felt compelled to follow it through the desert and bow down to exalt a Hebrew baby as king (
