Christmas

Donald Miller writes in his book Blue Like Jazz:  Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality: “I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve.  But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone.  I stood there watching and listening for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.  After that, I liked jazz music.  Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself.  It is as if they are showing you the way.” 

Jesus was born as a human being so that He could show us the way.  The way to treat each other.  The way to live purposefully.  The way of humility, kindness, and acceptance of others who are different from ourselves.

He was born in a manger and spent his first few months wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in an animal feeding trough.  If you want to know how much God loves humanity, then the birth of Jesus is a good starting point.  He came into the world as a totally helpless baby, needing to be nurtured and cared for, just like any other baby.  The birthplace of the King of Kings lacked the authority and supremacy that typically would have been associated with kingly rule.   

Jesus was, and is, a person, not a theology.  His human birth is hard for some to understand, but it represents the essence of God’s message to mankind.  He doesn’t care about us jumping through spiritual hoops.  God simply issues an invitation to help us change our hearts to ones that are kinder and gentler. 

As we celebrate this season of Christmas, my prayer is for everyone to feel the same warmth and love that radiates from deep within the soul, similar to what the jazz musician felt for his music.  It is a gift from God to abandon our old nature and start living and loving as Christ did. 

The lesson of Christmas is in how God chose humility over grandeur.  In God’s eyes, greatness is not found in power, wealth, or even comfort, but in giving unconditional love. 

He was born into humanity so that He could feel what we feel.  He abandoned his heavenly home, out of His love for us.  May we celebrate His love by giving in the same manner to others. 

He showed us the way. 

With love,

Pastor Mike Howard