Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to share something with you that captures the breathtaking wonder of Christmas better than almost anything I've ever read. It comes from Max Lucado's book "God Came Near," and it's called "In the Manger." As Max Lucado reflects on the incarnation—God becoming man—he helps us see the familiar Christmas story with fresh eyes and hearts full of awe.
Let me read this to you, and I pray it stirs your soul the way it does mine every time I encounter it.
[Setting the scene]
"It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. As moments go, that one appeared no different than any other. It came and it went. It was one of the countless moments that have marked time since eternity became measurable.
But in reality, that particular moment was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened itself and placed its most precious one in a human womb."
Stop right there and think about that. God became a man. The Creator entered His creation. The Eternal stepped into time. This isn't just a nice story—this is the most spectacular thing that has ever happened in all of history!
[The paradox]
Max Lucado continues: "The Omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And He who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.
God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created.
God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother."
[The scandal of particularity]
Do you hear what he's saying? God—the God who spoke galaxies into existence, who holds every atom together by the word of His power—became an embryo! He who created DNA now had DNA. He who designed the human body now inhabited one. He who formed Adam from the dust now grew from a single fertilized cell in Mary's womb.
This is what theologians call the "scandal of particularity." God didn't just appear to be human. He didn't just take on the appearance of flesh. He actually became human—completely, fully human. Max Lucado writes, "God had come near."
[The humble arrival]
Listen to how he describes His arrival: "He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.
No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party. No hoopla.
Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts.
Angels watched as Mary changed God's diaper. The universe watched with wonder as The Almighty learned to walk. Children played in the street with him. And had the synagogue leader in Nazareth known who was listening to his sermons…"
[The humility of it all]
Angels watched as Mary changed God's diaper! Think about that image. The angels who constantly cry "Holy, holy, holy!" before God's throne watched as this same God—now an infant—needed His diaper changed. The Almighty learned to walk! He who holds the universe together had to learn how to put one foot in front of the other.
This is the humility of Christmas. God could have come as a conquering king with armies of angels. Instead, He came as a helpless baby whose first bed was a feeding trough and whose first visitors were smelly shepherds. Just God, entering the mess of human existence in the most humble way imaginable.
[Fully human]
Max Lucado then writes something that might make us uncomfortable, but it's essential that we hear it: "Jesus may have had pimples. He may have been tone-deaf. Perhaps a girl down the street had a crush on him or vice versa. It could be that his knees were bony. One thing's for sure: He was, while completely divine, completely human.
For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He got colds and had body odor. His feelings got hurt. His feet got tired. And his head ached."
[Why this matters - Jesus understands]
Now, some of you might be thinking, "Wait—should we really be talking about Jesus having body odor or getting pimples? Isn't that irreverent?" But listen to what Max Lucado says next: "To think of Jesus in such a light is—well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn't it? It's not something we like to do; it's uncomfortable. It is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. There is something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant, packaged, predictable.
But don't do it. For heaven's sake, don't. Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out."
This is crucial! If Jesus wasn't fully human—if He didn't actually experience everything we experience—then He can't truly understand us or help us. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin."
Jesus knows what it's like to be tired. He knows what it's like to be hungry. He knows what it's like to have His feelings hurt, to grieve, to be betrayed by friends, to be rejected, to feel pain. He entered fully into our human experience so that He could be the perfect mediator between God and humanity.
[Listen to Him]
Max Lucado then shows us why Jesus's humanity matters for His teaching: "Listen to him. 'Love your neighbor' was spoken by a man whose neighbors tried to kill him. The challenge to leave family for the gospel was issued by one who kissed his mother goodbye in the doorway. 'Pray for those who persecute you' came from the lips that would soon be begging God to forgive his murderers. 'I am with you always' are the words of a God who in one instant did the impossible to make it all possible for you and me."
[The first moment of transformation]
Max Lucado concludes with this: "It all happened in a moment. In one moment…a most remarkable moment. The Word became flesh."
John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
In one moment—one spectacular, earth-shattering, history-dividing moment—God became man. The eternal Word who existed before time began took on human flesh. And the world would never be the same.
[The second moment - what's coming]
But then Max Lucado reminds us of something we often forget: "There will be another. The world will see another instantaneous transformation. You see, in becoming man, God made it possible for man to see God. When Jesus went home he left the back door open. As a result, 'we will all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.' (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)"
Just as Jesus was transformed from divine to human in a moment, we who believe in Him will be transformed from mortal to immortal in a moment! The first moment of transformation—the incarnation—went largely unnoticed by the world. A peasant girl, a carpenter, some shepherds, a myriad of angels and wise men from the East—that was about it. The world slept through the most important moment in history.
[The contrast between the two moments]
But as Lucado writes: "The first moment of transformation went unnoticed by the world. But you can bet your sweet September that the second one won't. The next time you use the phrase 'just a moment,' …remember that's all the time it will take to change this world."
When Jesus returns, it won't be as a baby in a manger that the world can ignore. It will be unmistakable, undeniable, spectacular! Every eye will see Him. Every knee will bow. The transformation that happens to believers—from corruptible to incorruptible, from mortal to immortal—will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
First Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes it: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
[Two remarkable moments - Christmas and the return]
So we celebrate two remarkable moments: the moment when God became man at Christmas, and the coming moment when we who are in Christ will be transformed to be like Him. The first moment made the second moment possible. Because Jesus entered our humanity, we can enter His glory!
[Personal application - what this means for us]
This Christmas, I want you to really ponder the incarnation—God becoming man. Don't just rush past it with familiar carols and pretty nativity scenes. Stop and think about what actually happened. The God who created you decided to become like you. The God who needs nothing became needy. The God who owns everything owned nothing. The God who cannot be contained allowed Himself to be confined in a womb.
Why? Because He loves you. Because the only way to save us was to become one of us. Because He wanted to show us what God is like in terms we could understand—in human form. Because He wanted to pay the penalty for our sins, and only a human could do that. Because He wanted to sympathize with our weaknesses, and only by experiencing them could He do that.
This Christmas, don't keep Jesus distant. Don't keep Him packaged and predictable. Let Him be as human as He intended to be. Let Him into the mire and muck of your world—your struggles, your pain, your weaknesses, your temptations. Because only if you let Him in can He pull you out.
And remember: the same God who entered time in a moment will return in a moment. Are you ready? Have you placed your faith in the baby who became the Savior? Have you trusted in the God who came near so that you could come near to God?
Thank you for joining me today. I'm so grateful to Max Lucado for these powerful reflections from his book "God Came Near" and the essay "In the Manger." If you've never read his Christmas writings, I highly recommend them—they'll deepen your appreciation for the incarnation in ways you never imagined.
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and worship the God who came near!
No comments:
Post a Comment