The meaning of Christmas

In a recent teaching, Christian talked about the meaning of Christmas.  I remember thinking that it didn't match what I have felt about Christmas this year.

What I have been focusing on this year is the fragility of a newborn baby.  A baby is tender and small and helpless.  Back in first century Palestine, it wasn't very certain that any child, or its mother, would survive childbirth.  A child can easily succumb to disease, exposure, or the malicious intent of others.

And yet, this is the package that God chose to put Himself in. He decided not just to disguise Himself as human, but to become fully human, and so to risk all the dangers that other babies do.

Why did he do this?  Because He is shameless in his pursuit of humanity. Because, like an obsessed lover, He was willing to do whatever ridiculous thing is needed to win His love. Because he saw the gap between us and Him that was created by our sin, and He was willing to condense Himself down and undergo the indignity of babyhood to bridge that gap.

The baby.  Eight and a half pounds of the most valuable flesh the earth has ever seen.  All of our hopes and aspirations for redemption, life and fulfillment, in one tiny child.

To me, this year, Christmas is about the humility of God.  It is about what God was willing to do and to endure in order to make a way for us.  We are that important to Him.

Note: Why is this post showing up the day after Christmas? Because I have learned that the best way for me to endure Christmas is to ignore it as long as possible.  This means that it also lingers a bit after the actual holiday for me - my tolerance for Christmas peaks right around the actual holiday. So sue me.