Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve

I woke up this morning with the wonderful song "For unto us a Child is born," in my head. I was blessed to be able to sing this song when I was in college and was a member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra Choir, and that is always the version I hear in my head. It got me thinking about Jesus as a baby and how utterly amazing it is that God decided to enter the world this way.



The God of all creation chose to come into the world helpless, unable to even feed himself. Mary not only birthed him, (without an epidural, mind you!) but she also fed him, changed his diaper, rocked him to sleep when he was crying (And yes, despite the Christmas Carol, of course baby Jesus cried! It is not a sin to cry so why wouldn't he?). I will admit, I have control issues, but this is truly amazing: God gave up ALL control, even of His basic needs, so I started to think, why?



I believe everything Jesus did on earth was to teach or show us something. He could have simply come as a man, appeared on the scene and still lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins, but He chose to live a whole life, why? What do we learn from this?



1. Dependency - God asks us for complete dependency. He says, "die to yourself, and give me everything. Trust me completely with everything you are and want to do with your life." I think that is somehow easier to take from someone who understands the feeling of letting go all control. He also let go all control on the cross, but maybe His earthly body was better able to do that because He had practiced as a child. Which is my second point,

2. Practice - The hard things usually do take practice. A good athlete doesn't get to be good without a lot of practice. Look at Gideon. It took him a lot of practice to get to the point where he could just obey God without question. If Jesus was fully God AND fully man when He walked on earth, then I would think that getting Himself to the cross in complete obedience and letting go of all control would take practice. He often says in the book of John that He can only do the will of the one who sent Him. That kind of obedience and dependency takes practice.

3. Connection through shared experience - I have noticed that if I am trying to get to know someone better and get to point of true friendship that it comes easier with shared experiences. If we have both been to Yosemite or have both done the same embarrassing thing, it is somehow easier to then get deeper with that person. Maybe this is why God came as a baby too. I mean, seriously, He's God. He already knows every human experience and emotion without having to experience them in the flesh, but I somehow feel better praying to Jesus about my temptations, fears and struggles knowing He has felt them in the flesh. Maye just because my finite mind can't wrap around the infiniteness (probably not a real word) of God, but even so, I am comforted by Christ's humanness.


The fact that Jesus was a baby, helpless and fully dependant is convicting for me. Who am I to try and control anything? Jesus later says that to be the greatest in heaven, you must be the least. He was born to a poor family, in a stable, laid in a feeding troth. He grew up and died a criminal's death. He truly was the least and He truly is the greatest.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas