For this Christmas, I want to bring out my theology and seminary training to say something that I normally say almost every month, but I will put it in the correct theological framework that fits the specific night and day upon which we find ourselves.
On the coming days, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and there is a REASON that we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the Christian tradition. Mankind was doomed, before Jesus came in the Christian framework. Mankind was dead to right guilty of sin and therefore unpure to receive from God and to eventually be in the presence of God. Scripture tells us that "there is none righteous.. no not one" and "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" .. so mankind needed a payment for their sins. Per Christian teaching, that person was Jesus.. God, born of a virgin woman.. not just any virgin woman, though. He was born from the people and in the place that would be least accepted and least assumed to be worthy of redemption.. let alone to provide it.
Then, what did Jesus do to gain authority? Well.. nothing. He pissed off the religious that were in power and called them snake and vipers. He didn't go to the government for backing, either. For the first 30 years, he worked as a carpenter and didn't do anything to gain power. Then, he went out and started talking to people in fields and healing and feeding them... showing actual love for the needy that was rejected by the religious bodies and governments of the day... often doing so would make Him an outcast for choosing to love them. When the religious bodies of the day felt threatened by the numbers of people that were following him, they would demand that the government kill Jesus.
So, it wasn't about being worshiped in a temple. It wasn't about people thrusting praise and acceptance upon Him. God saw to it that that would not happen. It was God choosing to use the least worthy birth to lead to a least worthy leader to serve as payment for the least worthy people.. us.
So, as you celebrate Christmas this year, do so remembering that you are only included in being able to receive it, because God decided that your failures and sin did not disqualify you from love. Then.. go and do likewise.
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