Over
at the church, the Chrismon tree is up, the lights are on, the wreaths are on
the doors, and the banners of Christmas are hanging throughout the place. The
scent of cinnamon and pine has become the incense of the season.
The
first Sunday of Advent is the start of the Christian year. I think that is very
appropriate because Jesus’ birth marks the beginning of life for each of us
(whether we know or accept it or not). This year I have been thinking about
Jesus and the miracle of God becoming one of us. The first question I have is
always, why? Why would God leave glory in the first place? I mean, would you?
Would you leave heaven for earth?
But
that is just what God did. God became incarnate, embodied in flesh. God moved
in with us, took the name of Jesus, and was a son, a brother, an uncle in his
family. Jesus was loved by his mother, his father, his brothers and sisters,
and his friends. He walked on legs like ours, held hands like we do, combed his
hair and whispered in a soft voice. He worked hard (in those days there was no
easy work). He enjoyed people, had compassion, ate supper and laughed. Jesus
was kind to children and to people whose lives were torn apart. He got perturbed. He argued. He went off by
himself. He cried, was hurt, got cold, and felt grief same as us. He was
tempted by things and people. He was misunderstood, criticized, called demonic and
abandoned by his best friends. In the end, God was murdered for moving in with
us.
So
why? Why did God give us God’s self for Christmas? Every day I realize that it’s
simply a mysterious, mind-bending, unplumbable reason. God loves us.
Therefore
this is our story, the story of God who loves us so much that he was willing to
leave heaven just so we can know him, just so we can be rescued from, well…ourselves.
Jesus came to give us what we could not get on our own, freedom to live without
fear of death, freedom to live in peace and joy, freedom to know God’s love, and
freedom to continue to tell this beautiful story over and over again in our
Christmas songs, in our Christmas movies, through live nativities, from
brightly adorned trees, in millions of twinkling lights, and in gifts given and
received.
And
the most amazing thing is this. Jesus still comes today. Every day that we
receive him he is among us; he is around us; he is within us; he is present.
Because really, God never left. God’s Spirit has been and will be the eternal
abiding way for life for all of humanity.
Let
us ring the Christmas Bells, celebrate, and be thankful to the one who saves
us!
