“Lord Jesus, come yourself, and dwell with us, be human as we are, and overcome what overwhelms us. Come into the midst of my evil, come close to my unfaithfulness. Share my sin, which I hate and which I cannot leave. Be my brother, Thou Holy God. Be my brother in the kingdom of evil and suffering and death.”
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And so we come to Christmas Day. I’ll come to it before my family and American friends do, this year. Oh, the joys of time zones.
At the end of last year, I thought that 2019 had been the hardest year of my life. I still think it was, for me personally. But in terms of world trauma, 2020 surely has last year beat.
I’m still shaking my head in disbelief at all that this year has brought. I’m not really sad or angry or…much of anything. I suppose I’m grieved, but more in a quiet, apprehensive sense—thinking, “alright, surely it can’t get worse”.
I’ve seen enough movies to know never to say that out loud.
And it’s Christmas—again.
One of my favorite Christmas quotes comes from the Advent devotional I read every year, which contains excerpts from the writings and sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It reads:
“We all come with different personal feelings to the Christmas festival. One comes with pure joy…others look for a moment of peace under the Christmas tree…others will approach Christmas with great apprehension. It will be no festival of joy to them. And despite it all, Christmas comes. Whether we wish it or not, whether we are sure or not, we must hear the words once again: Christ the Savior is here! The world that Christ comes to save is our fallen and lost world. None other.”
In a time and place when it is so tempting to hate this world, it is comforting to know that God does not look upon our earth with revulsion—even though He would have every right to. He loves the Earth. He made it.
And so, He drew near. And He still does.
Sin is not a laughing matter, and God is a God who loves justice and fairness. We need to live our lives in view of that truth. But I am always astonished at the simple fact that when we do sin, God’s typical first act is not to go away, but to come near.
Adam and Eve, listening to the voice of Satan, disobeyed God. The very next moment? He’s walking in the Garden, calling out for them. “Where are you?” He asks. “I’m here.”
I recently finished reading Leviticus, a book of the Bible that most sane Christians avoid, and one that often kills people’s New Year’s resolutions to read the Bible in one year. In chapter 10 of this book, it records the unfortunate story of the sons of Aaron, the first priest. They offered sacrifices in a way that they were not supposed to, even after God had given explicit instructions on what they were supposed to do. And so, they were killed. Dropped down dead.
What is God’s first recorded action in this chapter? Speaking to Aaron. Not keeping it distant by using Moses as a mouthpiece, but speaking to Aaron, Himself.
God is not wringing His hands over the state of our world. When people ask, “where was God when x thing happened?” the answer will always be “He was there”.
That’s not an easy thing to believe. It may raise more questions than it answers. But it is the truth. He is, was, and will forever be Emmanuel—God with Us.
Therefore, I can have hope, even when this Christmas looks a lot different than what I wished for. Even when the world seems like a never-ending bonfire, with the worst of human failings on display. Even when things hurt.
God doesn’t run away when things go wrong. He comes near. And through Him, I can also come near to things and people and situations that are hard. I can give my all to my friends, my students, my job, and my community, instead of wallowing in my own desires and selfishness. I don’t have to fear not having enough energy or time to myself, if I help someone else. I can give and be refilled
So, this is Christmas, and I’m not afraid–just like the angels ordered. Because born to us, with us, is a Savior who comes to bring good news to the crushed, joy to the broken, and a light that darkness will never overcome.
And my prayer is that we can believe it.
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“And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all. God is in the manger, wealth in poverty, light in darkness, succor in abandonment. No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love and rules the world and our lives.”
Teach; Think; Write. 