From Such Humble Beginnings

As the Christmas season is upon us, with the predictable hustle and bustle all around us, I invite you to take a few minutes with me and reflect on the true “reason for the season”. It is easy to get caught up in the details of the season with all of the preparations and plans as well as the ongoing details of our lives with all of the different obligations, roles and relationships we try to juggle year in and year out.  However, if we only look at the details, we will surely miss the larger picture and the beautiful purpose God has through His design.

On paper, looking at the details of Christ’s entry to this world is quite astonishing. 

·        An unprepared mother, father and a potential dissolvement of the relationship prior to birth. (Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-19)

·        Low socioeconomic status and excluded from local society (Luke 2:24)

·        A blended family and split loyalty dynamics. (Luke 2:41-50)

·        Unwelcomed by unfriendly local community (Mark 6:2-4)

 

Similarly, we all have our own story and family background that isn’t quite as “perfect” as we would prefer. None of us walk out of our family and community backgrounds without some sort of disappointment, unloved, brokenness, imperfection in relationships…etc. These events and experiences often become the impetus of great struggle in our lives until we learn to overcome them, not by our own power, but by the healing power of relationships, particularly with God.

Yet, to think God planned for Christ to experience these circumstances on purpose!

Jesus Christ had everything in heaven, Yet He choose to come to this earth and become a baby. Not only did Jesus become a baby, He was born to a poor family in an impoverished city and was born in a stable, a crib out of a feeding trough.  Although in a divine way he is all-powerful and all-knowing, Jesus Christ entered the human world completely dependent on Mary and Joseph for food, shelter and basic care.

Similarly, God has designed each of our lives in a way that leaves us completely dependent on the relationships we are born into and on the circumstances we were given. Yet, as we know, it isn’t only about how the story begins, rather how it ends. We are called to be like Christ, learn from Christ, and be sanctified through Christ….never perfect, yet perfected. And it is through our experiences, our choices and our current circumstances in which God offers us a uniquely personalized curriculum to build character and growth in our spiritual and interpersonal lives.

So, as you prepare this Christmas season for the birth of Christ, and as you likely re-read from the beginning of the New Testament, I encourage you to commit to move forward and continue on your openness to receive the wisdom and love that Christ offers us, not just as the poor babe in the manger, but also as the man who gave the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:1-2).

May God be with you on this truly “most wonderful time of the year”.

 

Justin