Christmas is a wonderful gift from
God. It is a gift that reminds us every year to never forget what is the
greatest Gift of all: the Lord Jesus. This gift of Christmas points us
towards Easter, for the most important thing about Jesus is at the end of his
earthly life and the beginning of his return to eternal life: His paschal
mystery that sets us free from sin and death. Anything else about Jesus
means nothing if it doesn't connect to that one truth of the Good News.
Now for today's mystery, we are led to behold how God chose
to save us, how he chose to come among us. With quiet wonders, with
whispers in the night, we join the shepherds who were told the secret.
With them we are astounded to see an army of angels singing "Glory to God
in the highest!" while they announce that God is present among us in the
lowest, simplest, humble-est. God comes in secret, in quiet. God
chose to save us by sending His Son to us, by taking our human nature to
Himself, by becoming a little baby inside Mary's womb, and then born among us
today.
What does this teach us about God? What is He trying
to show us?
So, let's think about this for a minute. Now I've
been blessed to have a big family and three of my siblings have had
children. My oldest brother and his wife had their first child just four
months ago: Phoenix. I met her about a few weeks after she was born and I
get to keep up with her a lot through my phone - that's right, Snapchat is
great for families, folks. I love seeing my nieces and nephews. Now This girl, Phoenix, has been so fun to
watch as she grows and learns how to control her hands and arms. So, what
are some basic things about babies?
1. Babies are irresistible,
and we often even call them adorable. When you look at
a baby you often are filled with wonder, with amazement, especially when they
are looking back at you!
2. Babies are harmless.
Seriously, could you ever be afraid of a baby? Babies can't hurt anyone
or anything, except maybe themselves. Is that why we often talk to babies
in such silly ways? We aren't ashamed of ourselves in front of them.
3. Babies are needy,
What happens if you leave a baby alone for too long? They start
crying. They want something, whether it's their diaper changed or food or
they're too hot or they're too cold, or they're uncomfortable, or maybe they're
just too comfortable and that scares them - they just cry for no reason sometimes! Babies need parents and other people to help
them.
These three things tell us a bit about why God became a
baby.
1. God wants us to draw
close to Him. He wants us to approach Him and be with Him. He doesn’t want us to be afraid, but wants to
invite us into a relationship.
2. God wants us to trust
Him completely. He's not out to harm us, and He doesn't want us
to be ashamed of ourselves in front of Him. He looks upon us with eyes
that continually wonder anew at us, with a pure love that takes away our pain
and heals us. Why should we ever be afraid of our God who loves us this
much?
3. In a certain way, God needs
us. He loves us so much that He has no alternative. He has
chosen to live only with us, no matter what the cost, even if it means the
Cross. He needs you to carry Him, to hold Him, to sing to Him with your
life and your love.
There's one other point about Christmas that I think is
very important: God didn't become a baby in a royal palace or in an important
place, even though he deserved far better than the entire world could ever
offer Him. He didn't have a huge fanfare of noisy celebration at his
birth. Only three wise men and shepherds were able to hear the
secret. Instead, God decided to come in a humble, lowly, poor stable,
with shepherds around Him so that we can remember that God wants us all to be
close to Him. We don't need to be special in the eyes of the world to get
close to Jesus. The only thing God wants from us is our love and our
lives, and that is something we all are able to give.
Finally, the manger is here year-round. This
tabernacle is Jesus's manger until the end of time. It is here that we
simple, humble, lowly people, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, get to draw
close to God, to look with wonder at the face of Infinite Love that heals us
and transforms us. It is here that God wants you to be close to Him.
Are you afraid of babies? Of course not. At
Christmas, God is telling us, "don't be afraid of me. Come
close. I want only you."
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