Today
we celebrate, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a
child born in a dirty stable, to a mother who was pregnant before she married
her husband, in a land where they knew no one, and then glorified by shepherds,
those not trusted by the rest of society. Such is the birth of our King, and
how glorious it is that He should be born so lowly.
And
we should rejoice that God comes to us in such a meager, such a poor state. We should rejoice that our Savior is the son
of Mary and is born in a stable with the animals, because that is what makes
God so approachable. God is not some far
off deity, up beyond the clouds who cares nothing for His creation. No, God is one who is born in the filth of
this life, and who will grow up and die a traitors death, all so that no one
can claim to be too low to see God and to have God present with them. None of us is beneath God’s love, none of us
beneath the opportunity to stand with God.
What
child is this? This is Christ the King,
born so that there might be light and hope in this world, so that we may look
beyond the black veil of death and see God and His eternal love for us. So come, let us join the shepherds in adoring
him. Let us stop thinking about silver
and good and our Christmas trees and Santa coming down the chimney, although
remember He doesn’t come until after everyone is asleep, so kids, go to bed
early tonight. But let us look upon the
Christ child and also see the man that he is to become. The man who showed us what it truly means to
love our neighbors more than ourselves and to serve. The man who would take away the power of
death by taking our Sin upon Himself.
Let
us give thanks each day, and especially now as we remember his birth, for God
coming to us in flesh, out of pure love for us, that we may approach him and
know him and know that we are never alone, never left out in the cold, and
never unloved, for through everything we have God with us, comforting us, and
working through us to be a great light in this community and this world. For this child shows us where true power
lies. Not in weapons and intimidation
and bullying, but in loving service, which changes lives for the better. Power lies in the capacity to change hearts and
in forgiveness, not in jealousy and armies and grudges. When we follow out great Prince of Peace, we
are able to find healing and completeness, far beyond what our own desires may
bring us. So this Christmas season, let
us love one another as our Father in heaven has first loved us, and allow
ourselves to be humbled before others so that there may be forgiveness and
healing, instead of pain and suffering.
For that is the greatest lesson baby Jesus teaches us, that no one is too
good to be humble and in order to serve we must be willing to lower ourselves
so we may be on equal terms with all.
May
the peace of God rest upon each of us this night and bring us to everlasting
joy. Amen.
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