Why would God decide to be born as a tiny infant?
I am pondering this, as I sit here looking out my window at the beautiful white world around us. Cold, and lots of ice, but it's beautiful. And how sparkly the snow is that has not been walked on yet with the sun shine on it. The sparrows - lots of them - skitter in and out of the bushes to scratch and peck for something to eat.
Here is a world, Lord, that is full of innocence, hope - and violence. Sometimes it's hard to hold on to hope or see value in innocence when I find so much war, greed and selfishness when I read the newspaper or watch the news of the world we live in.....
and in my own heart, too.
Why, I wonder, into this world would God send this Holy Child, an infant, a tiny, defenseless newborn baby - a picture of both innocence and hope?
I have some memories of World War II. I remember the planes flying over, way high in the sky, and thinking (or hearing) they had bombs in those planes - I sure do hope they don't drop them here. I remember giving up all our luxuries - candy, sugar, extra food, rubber, new cars, new shoes - lots and lots of sacrifices - so our soldiers and military could have what they needed to win a war. I was scared. I feared that Daddy would be drafted and would have to go to war, like Uncle Pat and Uncle Buddy did. That worried me so much. But Daddy always assured me he wouldn't have to go. "They don't need old guys like me (he wasn't old, either) over there, and I am more needed here at home to be available at the barber shop for people to gather and talk about all their fears and losses". His younger brother, Pat, was killed in the final days of the war. I'll never, ever forget that fear and sorrow and sacrifice and doing without.
War is so terrible. Everybody suffers. And, you know what? These awful wars and fights have been going on since before Cain slew Abel. Into this God sent a helpless newborn to lead and inspire. And yes, to save us, though sometimes I think the saving part is as much about saving us from ourselves as anything else.
At that time I'm amazed God didn't look at our world in disgust, revoke his rainbow and send another great flood. But of course He already knew the flood hadn't really improved human behavior.
So God, with grace and goodness far beyond anything I can understand, sent the Baby Jesus. Our Christ Child, Emanuel, God in human form.
God's great generosity and faithfulness boggles my mind. How can I understand?
This year, as always, the Holy Child's message is love. Pure, unbounded love. Only love. And trust. God trusted us to lay eyes on this Child, kneel in awe and receive Him.
Let us gather again at the manger. Rejoice, God loves us beyond my ability to comprehend. God has not given up on us, and we cannot give up on each other. I also remember well the day the war was ended. Such rejoicing and celebrating. We all ran downtown to be a part of it all. America had the victory! We do know that God loved us so much, that He sent His only son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life! This is the "Reason for the Season"! Pray for each other. Pray for our military. Pray for America.
Hope is born anew. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
6 comments:
Merry Christmas. It is a wonder that God loves us so much that He stepped down from His throne and became fully human. Being born in that stable, His first resting place a manger. The bread of life. He gave His human life to save us! Thank you Aunt Lonnie for this beautiful post and reawakening the AWE of Christmas.
Very well put, Lonnie. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and wisdom. May I add that the real beauty of the Christmas story is that Christ WILL come again!!
This is wonderful Mom, very well written. It gives us alot to think about. There is so much violence in the world, and then we are at war with what seems to be a lost cause. In the movies, the theme is always 'good vs. evil', Good always wins. So, we hope that is what will happen in real life too. At Christmas Eve Mass, the message was 'Peace', not just for the world, but within ourselves. We were left with the question to ponder "Who am I, and where am I going?" If we know the answers to those questions, we will have peace within ourselves. I have thought about it, and it's not as easy as it sounds.
Merry Christmas!
-Terrace Crawford
www.terracecrawford.com
www.twitter.com/terracecrawford
Good questions, Kay!
Who am I? And where am I going? I thought these questions through pretty thoroughly for many, many years. It took me a long time to "get it". Who am I? I am a child of God. HE is my Father, my Abba, my Daddy. I am royalty - daughter of the King of Kings! Wow! I guess you could say I am very special - just the same as all of you who "get it". And because I am the King's Kid, I am on my way - to my Home in His Kingdom. This is the Blessed Hope, this cause for great rejoicing and joy! This is WHY I exist! And as far as who wins the battle of good against evil? If we read the end of the book God wrote (the bible) we can find out! Ain't life grand?
Yes, this is an awesome reminder of what Christmas is really about during all of the hustle & bustle. I am always disgusted with how commercialized Christmas has become and how the retail giants try to implement "Happy Holidays" instead. Thank you for doing this blog and sharing your wisdom with us.
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