We had a wonderful Christmas. Our daughters, and two of our grandchildren were here along with both of our great-grands. Rosie cooked a ham, everyone brought something and we feasted. It was the best Christmas gift we could have received. We have a delightful family who gives love extravagantly. I now have a picture of Samson, my great-grandson looking at a dessert that Jennifer brought to us. It is the background on my computer and it reminds me of the wonder of this family.
I spent Christmas eve at Calvary Church with its glorious music and awesome liturgy. This is the second year that I have done this. That place provides all of the pomp and glory that this season requires. The choir, the brass and the harp all make the power of this night rise and shine. The theology of the incarnation is full of incredible mystery and is difficult for most of us to comprehend. The very idea of God coming to earth in human form eludes most of us. It is the whole reason for this magnificent festival. The very idea of God walking this earth in our shoes brings tears to my eyes as I even think about it.
This is why God understands what human life is all about. This is not some white bearded God up on a cloud judgeing us from afar; this is God who has known human being also, who has felt hunger, thirst, want and judgement, who knew the pain of loss and death and who can see through our eyes the frustrations of human life. That is what makes the Christian experience so dynamic. When we celebrate this feast of the Incarnation, we are celebrating the human face of God who knows us better than we know ourselves.
The first eighteen verses of the Gospel of John expresses the theology of the coming of God to earth in brilliant poetry. If there was ever argument about including this Gospel in the New Testament, these verses refute it. The elegance of the words are overpowering and give us the best reason to hope that I can ever imagine. Our loving God gave himself for our salvation. That is breathtaking and certainly true. Despite the way that Christmas has devolved into a festival of craving material things, this is the best gift that any of us could possibly crave. We are not judged by our failure to live up to the law, but by the Grace of our loving God, who wants us to belong to God more than he wants us to be perfect. That, I think has become the cornerstone of my life.
I hope your Christmas was full of beauty and hope. With all of the pain and turbulence in the world, it is a measure of God’s glory that we can reach out to each other and offer hopefulness. God blesses us in all that we do.
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