Christmas Story: Frail and Lowly?

I know there have been times when I have been telling my friends and/or my students about the virgin birth, God becoming flesh, and I have asked myself, “What in the heck are you saying?!”

It sounds so ludicrous.

For some, this is the first time they have heard of these things. They are scientifically minded. These statements are not reasonable.

And yet, His coming is the beginning of the mystery of salvation being revealed to the world.

As I speak about Christmas, I have been asking myself, "Do our thoughts and traditions during this season move us to stand in awe of Him?"

"Sweet, little Jesus boy, we made you be born in a manger. Look how we treated you." –Hmmm…. Theologically accurate? Awe-inspiring?

(Makes Him sound so weak He can’t even choose where He was going to be born.)

How do we respond to Him?

First, look to the responses of the various peoples in the biblical “Christmas Story.”

--Mary and Joseph: Obedience, surprise, and pondering.

--Shepherds (Angels): For there is born to YOU in the city of David, a Savior who IS Christ the LORD. (Not “will be” – born as is.)

Angels’ reaction: glorify their God on earth because He has gone for crazy reasons they long to understand.

Shepherds’ reaction: “Let us go now.” They left with haste. Left behind the whole of their livelihood. Made widely known what they had seen.

--Wise men’s reaction: Matthew 2:2, “’Where is He who has been born, King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to WORSHIP Him.” They fell before Him and worshiped Him and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

--Anna/Simeon’s reaction: Glorified God and attributed to Jesus the salvation coming to be given.

--Herod: Greatly troubled. Killed all the babies in Jerusalem 2 and under.

All reactions (seemed to be) serious and immediate; they had to make an immediate decision about how they would accept this news of the supposed Messiah’s arrival.

How do others react when we share this story? How do our hearts move within us when we hear this story?

Do these traditions evoke a sense of awe and wonder, or cuteness and frailty?

What is your response to Jesus? How is your heart of awe and worship?

The other night at English corner we ended up chatting about Christmas, the Bible, and God’s glory. I was suddenly overwhelmed with pressure from the realization that they have (yes, because they are spiritually blinded,) no idea about the awe, glory, and sacrifice of the birthday of Jesus.

It’s not just that Jesus became a baby, but the Baby is GOD. The Creator has put on His creation. The Creator has allowed Himself to have a “cord that is cut.”

He is God made manifest to us. The point is not so much that God is a baby, but that this baby is God, the long-awaited Messiah who will save us from our sins and bring righteous judgment to the world.

(If that were the main focus of Christmas carols, would they become harder for non-believers to sing? Ehhh...Probably not. "Silent Night," DOES say, "fall on your knees." It's all the work of the Holy Spirit.)

And yet, let us press on to remember and speak of the One who alone is worthy to open the seals, the Lamb who was slain, the One who sits on the throne and receives glory and honor and praise all morning and all night.

The One whose eyes are a flame of fire, head crowned with many crowns, who wears a robe dipped in blood, whose name is The Word of God, who leads the armies of Heaven, whose mouth holds a sharp sword that with it He should strike the nations and rule them with a rod of iron.

If we are going to share who our God is, let's not distract them from the glorious Truth.

(The Gospel writers follow a pattern of no distraction.)