On that night in Bethlehem so long ago, not even your mother who held you in her arms understood that you had come to turn the world upside down in a through-the-looking-glass sort of way.
On that night in Bethlehem so long ago, not even your mother who held you in her arms understood that you had come to turn the world upside down in a through-the-looking-glass sort of way.
You came to reveal that the purpose of the Law was not to tell us what to do; in fact, its purpose was to tell us what we could not do.
You came to reveal that the rich are not the ones most blessed by God; in fact, their chances of getting into your kingdom are less than slim.
You came to reveal that sick people are not cursed by God because of their or their parents’ sins; in fact, they just might be sick in order to showcase the glory of God.
You came to reveal that it is not those who have achieved great power and position who curry God’s favor; in fact, the littlest, least, lowest and last in this world are the greatest in God’s book.
You came to reveal that strength isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; in fact, it is weakness that is most valued by God.
You came to reveal that God is not looking for righteousness from us; in fact, what he wants is for us to grasp that no one is righteous, not even one, and then to accept the free gift of his righteousness.
The fact is, you came to reveal that everything we know about how the world operates is upside down and backwards from the way things operate in your kingdom.
Creator as creature. A baby born to die. Trading perfection for sin.
Trading death for life. Giving all for nothing.
Your kingdom does not consist of the stalwart, committed and unshakeable; in fact, it is made up of rag-tag, battered, wounded losers who come with empty hands, broken hearts and certain knowledge of their powerlessness and need of a savior.
You call us to rest in your power; to buy without money and without price; to come with open hands, like trusting children; but, because we are children of earth, your call disorients and confounds us.
At Christmas, as we consider that you did not choose to enter our world in the way we would have expected, as a mighty king; but, rather you chose to come to us in the most helpless, powerless, dependent state we can imagine; open our eyes to see this as a picture of how you also want us to come to you.
Then, Lord Jesus, show us how.
