OK, so I'm getting this up a bit late! Here it is anyhow.
A Sunday School teacher shared with
her class the story of the Birth of Jesus, how Gabriel had appeared to Mary,
how Mary had faithfully agreed to have the baby Jesus, how she and Joseph
traveled to Bethlehem, how Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable because there
was no room for them in the inn. After
telling the story, the teacher asked, “Who do you think the most important
woman in the Bible is?” Of course she
was expecting the kids to say “Mary,” and was therefore surprised when one of
the students answered “Eve”.
“Why do you think Eve is the most
important woman?” asked the teacher.
“Because,” said the student, “Eve has two holidays named after her: Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve.”
While we may not all agree on who the most important
woman in the Bible is, most of us would agree that Jesus in the most important
person. The Christmas season is a time
to celebrate his birth, and remember his importance. He is the Messiah, to which the Scriptures
point and the King of Kings who stands above all earthly kingdoms. But Christmas also reminds us that Jesus
didn’t come for his own sake. He came
for the sake of others. He was born for
you and me, he lived for you and me, and he died for you and me.
As significant as the well being of Jesus was, he
considered our well being to be of greater significance. As precious as the life of Jesus was, he
considered our lives to be more precious.
Jesus was truly important, but it’s ironic that he was important because
he considered others to be more important.
He told his disciples: “For the Son of Man
came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NRSV)
During the Christmas Season, it’s easy to become so
focused on the person of Jesus that we forget about the generous and loving
Spirit of Jesus. We admire him, but not
his teachings. His figurine sits at the
center of our nativity set, but not at the center of our life. We put him on a pedestal, without bothering
to put him in our heart. And in spite of
all our words about “putting Christ back into Xmas” and how “Jesus is the
reason for the season”, we forget that – in a real sense - we bumbling human
beings stand at the heart of Christmas, and we bumbling human beings are the
reason for the season. If we didn’t need
a light in our darkness, the Light of Christ would have never been given.
Who is the most important person in the Bible? In a sense, you are. And I am.
And our neighbor is. It’s for our
sake that God gave the marvelous gift of Jesus Christ.
This Christmas may we do more than remember Christ. We have an important part to play in the
holiday as well. May we gratefully
embrace his love, and share it with others.
Merry
Christmas
David
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