Every year we celebrate Christmas a little differently. Sometimes our children and grandchildren come and there is a lot of activity. Sometimes we visit family in other cities. Sometimes it's very chaotic and at other times, very quiet.
This will be a quiet year, and I need that. It seems that I am actually being prepared for it. I've gotten over ranting and raving about the trappings of Christmas. Some of my friends are thankful! My thoughts this Christmas have centered around the humbling act of Jesus...becoming human, and what that really means.
Jesus could have come in many different ways, but taking on the constraints and limitations of being human, with the express purpose of paying the price for sin...once for all...all people and all time - that's staggering. It is my meditation this Christmas.
Every healthy birth is a miracle. So many things can go wrong. Even being an embryo and experiencing the birth process, feeling the stress of Mary as she faced being an unmarried pregnant woman in Palestine, the journey to Bethlehem, all had some impact on the infant Jesus.
Some two years after Jesus' birth, the word went out: "Herod's looking for the 'newborn king of the Jews' and not to honor Him, but annihilate Him!" The family became refugees in Egypt. What kind of stress did that put on the toddler, Jesus?
What this means is that Jesus understands our original pains and hurts. If you feel like you weren't wanted as a baby, but some kind of "surprise" or "accident," He can help you know you were created in the heart of God, under His watchful eye. If your early years were times of family turmoil and you didn't get your safety and security needs met by the people who were to take care of you, He can help you understand that He is the One who can now provide those things for you.
Christmas is so much more than the world makes it out to be! What new thoughts have you discovered this year?
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