For Christians, the birth of Christ is the center of human history. In John 3:16, it is stated, “For God so loved the world that God the Father gave us his only Son so that those who believe in him may not perish, but have the gift of Eternal Life.”
In Genesis 1, it says that God created men and women in the divine image.
Since God is love, we image God best when we love, but our ability to love was wounded by sin.
Instead of destroying us, God the Father sent his son Jesus to redeem us from sin, teach us how to love, die on the cross for our sins, rise, ascend to Heaven, and send the Holy Spirit to help us to follow Jesus who offers us the gift of Heaven.
Jesus is a gift
God the Father could have shared the gift of his divine son as a fully grown mighty warrior, a rich king, or a powerful politician.
Instead, God gifted us with Jesus who took a human nature and came as an infant.
Babies are perhaps the most helpless of all creatures, completely dependent upon their mom and dad for food, clothing, shelter, and especially love.
In so doing, Jesus experienced what it is like to be born, grow up, suffer, and die. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, became like us in all things but sin.
The infant Jesus reminds us that it is not the gift’s size that is important but the size of the heart of the giver.
Christ’s birth reveals a glimpse at the immensity of God’s heart from our limited human perspective.
The gift of Heaven which Jesus desires to give us is beyond our comprehension.
In First Corinthians 2:9, it is stated, “What eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Every year around Christmas, there is the sadness brought on by injustice and sin which results in people warring one with another.
It was true when a young couple from Nazareth was far from home in Bethlehem.
We are still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, terrorist attacks, polarization, and threats of more war.
While the angels sang and the shepherds knelt, it was into a troubled world that the Christ child was born.
A Bible scholar said the saddest lines in the Bible are: “To his own he came, yet his own did not accept him.” (Jn 1:11)
The infant Jesus in the crib reveals to us that the smallest gift can be the biggest, most precious gift especially if its cost is love.
It has been said that Christmas begins in the heart of God but it is only complete when it reaches the heart and lives of human persons.
Giving Christmas
To truly celebrate Christmas, as God intended, we must receive Jesus in the crib of our heart and share him in the Christmas moments of our lives as did some American soldiers.
During World War II near London, on Christmas morning, some homesick American soldiers looked for a worship service.
As they searched, they discovered an old gray building. Carved over the door were the words, “Queen Anne’s Orphanage.”
They knocked and a matron answered. She explained that the children were orphans whose parents had been killed in bombing raids.
The soldiers went inside as the children tumbled happily out of bed and hurried into the gray guest room.
There were no Christmas trees, crib, or presents. The soldiers wished the children “Merry Christmas” and gave them whatever gifts they found in their pockets. These included a stick of chewing gum, a Lifesaver, a nickel, a dime, a pencil, a pocketknife, and a yo-yo.
One soldier noticed a boy alone in the corner. He looked like his nephew. So, he asked him, “Big guy, what do you want for Christmas?”
The boy replied, “Could you please hold me like my dad once did?” With tears flooding his face, the compassionate soldier picked up the boy and held him close to his heart. They gave each other “Christmas.” They brought light to the darkness.
Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the light of the world, the light of hope which gives us the courage to cope.
The angel said to the shepherd, and to us, “Do not be afraid . . . I proclaim to you good news of great joy.”
Each year we are older and shaped by our experiences in the world, but the gift of the Christ child at Christmas remains the same.
In these difficult times, may we recall with humble hearts that “a savior who is Christ the Lord.” has been born for us!”
May our Christmas be one of joy and peace.
Fr. Donald Lange is a pastor emeritus in the Diocese of Madison.