This art is by Anna Henkens, Christmas 2023 You set up the cute nativity scene. A smiley baby. Cuddly animals. Shiny porcelain. Innocent characters lined up neatly in their place. Maybe it’s under your fancy tree. Or in the window sill with cotton balls around it like snow. It’s a perfect little scene. But you know that’s not how it really was. There were real problems. Caesar trying to keep the empire’s economy going by calling a census and preparing for tax season. Judea was under Roman occupation. There was Herod, a regional king and a tyrant, a pathological liar. Ruthless and willing to crush any rival even if it meant killing a town’s entire population of baby boys. There were real problems. I admit that sometimes my Christmas celebration feels like a Nativity scene. Nice, but mostly untrue. Nostalgic and sentimental, all while there are real problems. Every year we reenact customs and rituals like we’re reenacting a Hallmark movie. Why? I think it makes us feel safe. Our traditions give us some stability in a chaotic world of real problems. Israel and Gaza. Ukraine and Russia. Is anyone in charge? Young people killing themselves. A generation plagued with doubt and worry. Paying bills and working yourself to the bone. A life-changing decision to make and you have no idea what to do. Watching a loved one slip away. Sitting next to an empty chair at the table where he used to sit. Family members who refuse to talk to you. You have real problems and a nostalgic view of baby Jesus seems naive and powerless.
The birth of Jesus is given very little real estate in the Bible. Only two of the four gospels record anything about his birth. And even then, it’s two chapters in Luke and a couple in Matthew. Only about 4% of what’s written in the gospels is about Jesus’ birth. Not to say that it's unimportant. The incarnation is a critical reality for us - God became man! It’s not unimportant, but it’s not all there is. A friend of mine told me about a 3 year old boy in his congregation. It was Christmas and the Nativity scene was set up in the front of the church. Of course there was the stable, Mary, Joseph, and animals. And then the manger where you put the baby Jesus doll. Someone handed the doll to the boy. “Put the baby Jesus where he goes,” they said. The boy took the baby and walked past the stable and the manger. He climbed the steps and placed the baby on the alter, under the cross. “He’s the cross baby,” the boy proclaimed. In a world of real problems, you need more than a cute Nativity Jesus. You need the cross baby. You need a friend who will stay with you when you’ve made a mess. You need a Lord who will lead you through uncertainty. You need someone to heal not just your body, but your very soul. You need a God who will forgive you when you can’t forgive yourself. You need a King who will kick Satan in the teeth and dismantle death. You need a Savior who can get you out of the pit when no one else can. You need the cross baby. The baby in the manger is the man on the cross. The man on the cross is the King on the throne. O Jesus, you are the "cross baby," Born in a manger to be the man on the cross. As you were once born, be born anew in us today. As you came close to us, draw us close to you. As you are King, rule in us now and evermore. Amen. Comments are closed.
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