love in action

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

~Luke 2:8-20


Do we get this?? I'm not convinced we do - the GOD of the Universe, All-mighty, All-powerful Creator of everything came to earth and put himself into a mortal body, the tiny human body of a baby, so that He would grow up and experience every pain and temptation and hurt the same as we do. It's utterly mind-blowing, incomprehensible that not only would He lower Himself to come to earth in human form, He put himself at the lowest places and with the lowest of people so that He would be accessible to all. (Shepherds were the outcasts of society, and the first to be told of Jesus' birth.) He was born in a stable full of smelly animals, slept in the manger where the animals ate their food - as one of my 3 year old's said last Sunday, "that would be UNcomfortable!" I don't think we get it - as much as we try to stuff our lives full of comfort, we forget that God purposefully made Himself uncomfortable for our sake. And yet we cannot bear to make ourselves vulnerable and uncomfortable, whether it's emotionally by being authentic and sharing in our struggles, socially by interacting with people outside of our normal social circles and sharing the Love of Christ boldly in our daily lives, or physically by either going to poverty-stricken places and showing the mercy & generosity of Jesus to others, or by doing without a few less material things in order to be able to afford to help out the neighbor down the street or sponsor the kid across the world.


"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

~Philippians 2:4-8


I don't think that we get that Jesus lived His entire life as an outcast, a wanderer, mocked in the high places, unjustly thrown down, beaten, and brutally killed - all for our sake. I think if we daily remembered His sacrifice, we'd forget all our petty personal troubles and spend a lot more time bringing the gospel to others. I think if we truly understood the immensity of what it means that God became flesh, suffered & died for us, and rose again to give us eternal life, we could not stand to live quiet lives of normalcy. I think if we could wrap our minds around that profound mystery, our lives and actions would look a lot more radical! I pray God moves us all to action.


Christmas seems to be the time of giving - let it not be the only time you give. By all means, buy shoes and toys for the tots, coats and blankets for the homeless, volunteer at a soup kitchen; but don't let it stop there, convinced you've paid your due, done your duty. You're only being lukewarm, giving the least bit to ease your conscience, with very little inconvenience to yourself. Maybe money's tight - guess what, it's not a sacrifice if it doesn't hurt a little! We ought to be giving where it hurts. It helps us to remember that this life, this job, this money, is not about us. It's about serving the One who created us, sharing His glory and spreading His name. Nothing really belongs to us, we are just the morning mist given a little to steward well with the short time we have here.


Oh Jesus, work in us and through us. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Let our lives be moved to action as grateful recipients of your grace. Amen.