But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Merry Christmas!
It’s finally here! After counting down the school days and the work days, the shopping days and the paydays, it is finally Christmas. The shows and the songs and the parties, the holiday specials and the neighborhood lights and the door buster sales have all been leading to this. It is a happy day for most of us, a sad day for some of us, a stressful day for many and a big day for us all. Whether it warms your heart, boils your blood, or leaves you cold, Christmas has an impact on you.
The entire month of December seems to center around it, and for many businesses, it can make or break the whole fiscal year.
As Christian people, we see a little bit more when we look at Christmas. We see past the baking and decorating, past the crowded roads and stores, past the candy canes and inflatable snowmen, and the big expenses. As Christians we know what this holiday really is. We know that the Christmas light in this winter season has nothing to do with candles and strands of mini LED lights.
We know that God came to us through a young peasant girl and her trusting new husband. We know that the baby in a manger is so much more than six or seven pounds of bouncing Jewish baby boy. We know that the baby was also God in the flesh.
We know that the infant Jesus is somehow the Word of God. We know that strangely, inexplicably, impossibly, the very creative power that brought the whole universe into existence lay on a pile of cow feed in the outskirts of Bethlehem, wearing a diaper. It’s a mystery and a wonder that will never completely fit into our brains, but by faith we believe it to be true, comprehensible or not. As Christians, we know all of these deeper things about Christmas.
What we may not know is “why?”
Why would God leave the rarified glory of heaven to come to be among us? Why would the most holy one, who is beyond space and time and our imaginations, come to us and live in our dirty, earthy world? It doesn’t really make sense. We talk about it like it’s the most normal thing there is, that God would choose to live among us where there is hunger and pain, where this is joy and disappointment. We think of it as inevitable. We act as though it were logical for far off and powerful God to suddenly change tactics and close the distance between heaven and earth down to zero. But it’s just not. It is neither logical, sensible, nor inevitable. Why did God choose to take flesh and live among us? This world is messy, and we are very far from perfect. Yes, we love, laugh, and write songs. We imagine, build, and occasionally do heroic, selfless things. But we also lie to each other and cheat each other. We argue, feud, and hold grudges. We discriminate and exclude. We rob, kill, and start wars. And yes, there is beauty in the world, and generosity. There is curiosity and sights to bring you to tears. But there are splinters here, and head colds. There is disease, drama, and dad-jokes. There is real tragedy. There is poverty. There is abuse. There is cruelty here, and death. So when we get to Christmas, when we get to the celebration of God’s miraculous incarnation, it’s a good and honest thing to scratch our heads and ask “Why?” Why would God do such a thing?
One thing is clear. God did not come to us in Jesus Christ because he had to. There is nobody or no thing that can force God to do anything. If there were, then we would call that thing God. God did not come to us in Jesus Christ out of obligation. God didn’t owe us anything. It’s not like humanity had anything on God, and God somehow had to pay off the debt.
So why did God come to us at Christmas? Why did the mind of infinity, the animating force of everything, the foundation of reality itself show up in our world and in our lives as a helpless newborn? It’s actually pretty straightforward. God came to us in order to be with us. It’s really that simple. God came to us to be close to us, to understand and unite with us. God came to us because God couldn’t stay away. God came to his broken and imperfect world because he made it, loved it, and called it “very good.” God was born among us to be among us. Jesus died to save us so that we would be saved. Jesus rose from the dead so that we could live with him. Why did God come to us? Why does God come to us now? Why is God with us in all that we go through? Because God loves us, pure and simple. God loves us. God made us, loves us, and calls us his very own. God cannot stay away.
So when you see your friends and family this Christmas, see the God who loves you. When you miss those long gone, see the God who longs for you. When you see the lights and the decorations, even when you see the candy canes and the inflatable snowmen, know that God chose to be in the world and in your life because God loves you. Know that God was born for you, lived for you, died for you, and rose for you. Know that God cannot bear to leave you. Know that God is always with you. Know that God loves you.
Merry Christmas! Amen.