Christians celebrate Christmas Eve at Manger Square in Bethlehem
Visitors flock to the region to celebrate their faith despite regional tensions; Trey Yingst reports from Bethlehem.
Christmas? If you mean the Santa Claus, Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman kind of Christmas, that’s not my thing. I’m not a Scrooge, but I’ve got another Christmas story to tell that will rock your world.
The Christmas story I’m all fired up about began before a single molecule ever existed. In this story, the God who spoke 225 trillion galaxies into existence planned that Christmas Day would occur 2,019 years ago. Before anything had been created, he knew what he would do about the coming immoral behavior and rebellion of mankind – he would send his Son (the second person in the godhead) to earth in human form.
Just let that sink in for a moment. The Creator of the cosmos would empty himself of all power and majesty and enter our world as a wet, crying, naked baby. That is a powerful image, especially when we begin to understand why it had to be that way.
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God volunteered to become undignified, vulnerable and dependent on humanity – the same humanity he had created and had rebelled against him in the first place. The heavenly plan was that the infant Jesus would one day be humiliated on a Roman cross by those he loved.
The question humanity asks is, “Why?” Why would an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God humble himself and allow his creation to abuse him in this way?
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The answer is very simple. First of all, the Bible says he did it to pay for our sins. However, that doesn’t sufficiently explain the Almighty’s motives. The Bible also says that he did it because he loved us (John 3:16). That was his motivation.
Jesus himself said that he didn’t “come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many.”
Yes, you read that correctly! The Creator (all-powerful, all-knowing) humbled himself and became his creation’s servant.
If he did this for me, for us, what does he want in return? He wants us to bring glory to Him by trusting that He can give our lives meaning and purpose.
I have been following Jesus for 45 years (I used to follow another god – the god of self). And as God has been working on my heart and mind, shaping me into the image of his Son, I’ve noticed something; I’m not the same man I was 45 years ago. I’m kinder and more loving. I am willing to lay down my life to help my fellow man who is in trouble. I love “sinners.” In fact, I spend more time with them than I do “righteous” people. I’m looking out for others a whole lot more than I once did.
Yes, if America understood Christmas and prayed for the transformation that faith in Jesus brings, we would have a much different country
He made a new man out of me! A very different man!
If I’m right that Christ’s purpose in coming was to change rebels into worshippers, I ask you: What would America look like tomorrow if we took the Christmas story to heart today? How would corporate America look? Or the inner cities? Or the suburbs? Would the universities look the same?
Or here’s one for you, what do you think Washington, D.C., would look like? What would happen if our “leaders” became undignified before God (as he did before us) and bowed down before him in response to the love he lavished on them?
I’ll tell you what would happen. First of all, the pursuit of truth would take priority over the pursuit of political victory. Instead of playing “gotcha,” our leaders would work together to find solutions to America’s problems. Instead of finding ways to make it easier for us to eliminate “unwanted” babies by killing them in the womb, we would see them searching desperately for ways to support women who find themselves in the difficult position of having an unplanned pregnancy.
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And for the first time in years, our leaders really would reach across the aisle, not to slap someone who sits on the other side but to embrace and love them. Most importantly, they would discover that what is wrong with America isn’t that we have the wrong politics but that so many have abandoned the knowledge of God as something worth pursuing (Romans 1:28-32).
Yes, if America understood Christmas and prayed for the transformation that faith in Jesus brings, we would have a much different country – starting with individuals all across this land and working on up to Washington. We would see our leaders seeking God’s will instead of checking out what polls and focus groups say before they make a decision. Instead of marketing a political strategy, they would just tell the truth.
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We live in a perilous time, but the Creator of the cosmos says, “Trust me! Seek me! I won’t let you down!"
Think about it, America!
Merry Christmas!
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