In Awe of the Christ Child

Scripture: John 1:1-14
“The Light has come into the darkness; and the darkness cannot put it out.”

We are once again, looking down, in awe at someone else’s baby. What do we see when we gaze at this child? To some, Jesus is about the past: A great historical figure whose life revolutionized religion, art, government, and social life… even commerce. For some he was an advocate of a humanistic philosophy, for others, an apocalyptic prophet, or a healer of body, mind, and spirit.

He and his legacy have been surrounded by harsh old saints, pious peasants, religious academics, zealous monks, in ascetic caves and in magnificent cathedrals. To some, Jesus is about the future: He is the Prince of Peace, that will come between Arabs & Israelis, Serbs and Croats, the privileged and the outcast. He is a changer of political systems and the bringer of a just economic world. To some, Jesus is nostalgia: recollections of a childhood Christmas, or belonging to the world of grandparents and great-grandparents. To many of his own time, both Jews and Gentiles – and to many today – Jesus was just another baby, nothing special at all, a poor child, born to a poor family, in a poor, occupied nation under the heel of a brutal dictatorship.

Those who lingered at the manger in Bethlehem saw something very different. In the mystery of the Incarnation, they saw hope and possibility, promise and fulfillment, light in the midst of the shadow of oppression, a light in the midst of what was, showing what can be. Come to the manger today. Hold the baby in heart and mind. Realize the light of God is with us, and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:
O God, who makes us glad at the yearly festival of the birth of Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence hold strong the faith that God is with us, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Rev. Kevin Higgs