If December 25th is about Jesus' birth, then why aren't the weeks leading up to it about a young, teenage girl, who risked her life, wholly humbled herself to what God had foretold, and laid it all on the line to bring this boy into the world? Shouldn't the season of advent be about celebrating her obedience, diligence, humility, bravery, and faith? Put yourself in her shoes, imagine how you would feel coming home to your parents from a vacation, obviously pregnant, knowing you hadn't shagged anyone, and then trying to convince them that you legitimately are still a virgin. Imagine knowing you had done nothing wrong, but everyone around you believing the opposite. What about the man who had every opportunity and reasoning to have her killed? Shouldn't this also be about his mercy, grace, and obedience to God as well? They both risked it all to protect this child. They both could not possibly have imagined what was to come from their faithfulness, but they did it anyway.
What about the three men who traveled from God-knows-where to find out what this light was leading them to? How they risked it all, to disobey a king famous for a fiery temper and a murderous heart. How about the men in a hillside, keeping watch over their flocks (their livelihood) who left it all and went to see this baby that was born. Their flocks could have been stolen, eaten, or have taken off, but they deemed the child to be worth losing it all.
What about how nothing in scripture says to commemorate, honor, cherish, celebrate, or do anything to recall when Jesus was born? But instead, the Bible says that His Mother will be called Blessed for all generations because of her actions. It was His death, resurrection, and conquering sin that is to be cherished, but Easter only gets one day (unless you're Catholic), and even that day isn't very highly cherished or filled with glee and excitement.
What about how Jesus wasn't actually born on December 25th? People are falling all over themselves to "remember the reason for the season" but forgetting that we haven't the faintest idea when Jesus was born, and that this holiday, ages and ages ago, was most likely pagan; choosing to be deeply offended that the secular world, quite possibly, is taking back what was theirs to begin with. Excellent article here with more in depth information on the birth of Christ and Christmas
For me, this period of feasting is about many things. It's about a young girl who believed God more than I think I would have had the courage to. This same girl nursed the Savior of all, changed Him, cuddled Him, comforted Him, and raised Him. It's about a man who loved her and God, in a most profoundly beautiful way. It's about people who risked it all just to lay eyes on this human being that was anxiously awaited. It's about God stripping Himself down to become one of the very creatures He had created, in order to save them. It's about giving all of ourselves to something bigger than we could have ever hoped for or imagined. It's about teaching my children that the most extravagant gifts come in the most unexpected packages and places. It's about heart's breaking to see someone hungry and walk right by them. It's about looking at the world with the same set of eyes that God used to send His Son to save us.
I believe, this season should be spent pondering these things and examining ourselves. If we were called to throw every thing down on the line (our livelihood, our bodies, what everyone we know thinks about us, etc etc) what would WE actually do? Would we risk it all? Or would we reject the call? In the words of my daughter's Opthalmologist: "Pick up that phone! When you get that call, it is very important!"
No comments:
Post a Comment