We've spent the last several Advent weeks preparing for Christmas tomorrow. What continues to strike me is Jesus born in a barn. The humility and simplicity of how God chose to enter into our world carries a profound weight to it that's too easily lost on the season. Philippians 2 says,Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!We understand what happened at Christmas but we don't understand what any of it means. Not that there's any one meaning or reason but, more to the point, that we don't give it any thought at all. I should wonder as I think about Christ's birth if the humility I see in that act would have some influence on the way I live my life. Christ had everything we strive for in life, and he forsook it to be with us. And, in some kind of ironic twist, we find ourselves forsaking God for all the things we strive for in life.
If it seems backwards, it should. We often find ourselves going in the complete opposite direction that we should be going, doing exactly the opposite of what we should be doing. Our values, our goals and pursuits are cast in stark contrast to God's. That's why God's ways seem so counter-intuitive to us sometimes - who's wrong, him or us? That's why Jesus and others use religious terms like "repent", which literally means, "to turn around" or "to go the other way".
God, born a helpless baby in a stinky manger. Divinity stuffed into humanity. Light shining in the darkness. The most valuable thing in the world, found among the worthless. Its the incredible foolishness of the Christmas story cast against our "normal" values and pursuits that jars us out of our apathy and spiritual inertia. All of a sudden, I'm left to ask what's more foolish, God sacrificing his glory to be with us or me selling my soul for money, prestige, or power.
Looking into the face of a little baby, I'm brought to my knees. Yes, God I hear you. Yes, I understand - or at least I'm beginning to.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned...
