Because of the familiarity of the Nativity story, coupled with the commercialization of Christmas, the significance of what took place in Bethlehem 2000+ years ago can be lost amongst the tinsel and the trees.
The realty, when one takes time to ponder, is beyond amazing.
The Creator in the hands of His Creation
Here we have the Creator of the Universe (John 1:1-3) – who always was and always will be – the very one who brought into existence the starry heavens over the dusty animal stall in which He would one day be born – and He humbles (that is too small a word to describe what took place!) Himself to be born as a baby – a human baby!
A helpless God?
The Incarnation truly is a mystery!
My wife and I have two young children and a third on the way. Anyone who has had children will know just how weak, vulnerable and helpless they are. God, for that is who He is, put Himself entirely in the hands of fallible humanity. Regardless of what some may say, Mary was not perfect, nor was she the ‘mother of God’. Jesus was God before, during and after the incarnation. He was born as the Son of man, but He always was and always will be the Son of God. Having said that, Mary must have been an exceptional and highly favoured lady, albeit a fallible one just like you or I.
So, as to His humanity, God (Jesus) was entirely at the mercy of two human beings in particular – Miriam and Joseph.
Humility beyond our comprehension
And the miracle of humiliation does not stop here. Paul calls it a mystery in 1 Timothy 3:16. Thirty three years later Jesus again places Himself into the hands of humankind. He makes it clear that without the Father’s consent not one hair of His head could be harmed, but nevertheless He abandons Himself into His Father’s will, and once again into the blood stained hands of fallen humanity – crucified on the cruel cross of Calvary.
The Risen Conquering Lord
Risen again from the dead, the Lord of glory and Conqueror of death, hell and the grave, then does something even more extraordinary. Having just won back all that was lost through Adam’s weakness and rebellion, He then takes His victory and the liberating message of that victory, and places it immediately and decisively back into the hands of who? Into the hands of fallible human beings!
No Plan-B
I read an imaginative story once about Christ’s triumphant return to heaven. Once there and angel approached Him and asked,
“You have committed this message of salvation into the hands of your twelve disciples who only a few days ago forsook and denied you, and who again and again have proven their weakness. This message alone has the power to save humanity, what if they fail? What is your plan B?”
The Lord simply smiled and replied, “There is no Plan-B.”
Throughout Scripture we are encouraged to trust God, even against the odds. It seems that He has left us an example to follow of extreme trust. Again and again, the trust He has placed n those created in His image, however marred that image may be, stands as an inspiration to follow Him ever more passionately and trust Him entirely.
Maybe this is the message of Christmas?
Yes It’s the true message of Christmas. Every day is Christmas for me. Just like every day is Sunday for me. I worship God every day and love Him every day. There is no plan B. That’s great. Jesus is the only plan, the only truth and the only life. Christmas is all about Jesus and His shed blood for humanity. That’s all I want for Christmas – not my two front teeth (although I’m thankful for that) but the presence of Jesus and Him moving through me to touch the world and fulfill His will for me. Yes the above is the true message of Christmas.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Shaun, like you say His Presence is definitely the best presents anyone could receive for Christmas this year!
The Nativity as told by Walter Wangerin Jr. in his “The Book of God” is a gritty recallection of the human experience of Jesus birth…it’s not scripture but it gave me a new perspective of God as the Son of Man, just as this post has. Thanks.
The ‘gritty reality’ of the Bible story is one of the things that many people miss among our modern sanitised and glossy pastiche of christmas. Great comment!
lets not forget that one of the names given to the baby jesus was “wonderful”, meaning supernatural,(isa c9:v6;judg c13:v18)
Wow, I didn’t know that one of the interpretations of ‘wonderful’ was supernatural. That is…wonderful! Thank God, we have a supernatural gospel, an offer of a brand new life, not a dead religion!
brilliant stuff!
Thanks Ruth, God is awesome!
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