God's Promise of Glory
The Christmas story is a strange thing. It's a strange thing that, in church, we talk about all of the time. So often, in fact, that we sometimes forget just what an unusual story it is. It's a story full of prophecy, angels, Godly activity, what seems like bad luck for the Holy Family, and so much more. But what's most strange are not the peculiar details of how it happens, but why any of this should happen at all.
If one were to imagine a list of things that God might do, living and dying as a human would probably not appear near the top. After all, God is God. All the glory of the universe and eternity surrounds the divine throne. Sights, sounds, and ideas more wonderful and brilliant than you or I can imagine are present at every second. God's existence is perfect: Complete and without flaw. God needs nothing and God cannot be improved in any way.
Why would God, then, add humanity to the divine mix? We are such a messy bunch. Full of problems plenty of flaws. Certainly, we humans could do with a great deal of improvement. Why would God want to add us and all of our mess to perfection? Only one reason makes sense: Love. God, seeing us in all of our mess, and knowing that we can't solve it ourselves, decides to save us from ourselves. God decides that loving us—and persuading us that God's love is genuine and sufficient—is worth more than the untouched perfection of Godhood. And God decides that the best way to show this love and help us is to leave the glory of heaven for life and death with us, among us, as one of us.
One would think that the arrival of God to dwell among humanity would occasion much attention and the greatest of welcomes. Kings and emperors would line up, there would be fanfares and fireworks and dancing and feasts as far as the eye could see. But no, the arrival of God in human flesh happens in a rude shelter to a small audience indeed. In some tellings of the story, Joseph has gone in search of a midwife to help Mary in her labour, so the only eyes who witness the newborn Christ Child are those of his mother and the ox and ass nearby.
The lowing of cattle is the fanfare God has chosen. The light of stars and moon are Jesus's fireworks. The flicker of light from a lamp on the rafters, casting cruciform shadows are his dancing. And mother's milk is his feast. This is the glorious welcome celebration of the one who ordered the heavens and made all things, visible and invisible.
Perhaps the most curious thing about the Christmas story is not just that the eternal Son of God leaves the glory of his throne in heaven to dwell with us, among us, as one of us, in the most humble of circumstances. The King of kings and Lord of lords, the source of all life and definition of perfect glory becomes a small, cold, hungry, helpless human baby. Not because God was tired of the glory of heaven, but because God's love for us is so great, that God wants us to share that glory. God shared our life so that we might share God's life.
God believes that you and your life and everything that you embody are worth all of the glory in creation. This is the miracle of Christmas.
May your celebrations be truly glorious. Amen.
