Response to Incarnation

How did you feel when you heard about the birth of a child of a close friend, or a grandchild?

How did you feel when you first heard about the birth of Jesus?

For many of us, we have heard the story so often, we don’t remember the first time we heard it, and we have lost the sense of excitement or shock or emotion of first hearing about the birth of Jesus.

The people who travelled from the east were excited, eagerly travelling for many days, weeks or even months to see who it was who born with such a star. Those in Jerusalem were not overjoyed, they were upset and frightened.  I find both responses amazing.

I can’t imagine following a star, just because it’s a special star. These people, probably astrologers, but maybe priests, didn’t know where the child was to be born. Didn’t realise that his birth was not into a royal family. They had no idea who they were looking for. They thought it was a baby born to be king, but for them that was born into a royal bloodline, in a palace. Not born in a stable. To these people, someone born with such a star to mark their birth was special, special enough for them to pack up and to travel, to pay their respects to such a special child.

I also find the response of Herod and Jerusalem amazing. This was a baby, how much of a threat could a baby be – Herod would be unlikely to still be in charge by the time the baby grew up. But such was the family way of handing on power that even a baby was considered a threat. Not someone to keep an eye on, and see what eventuates, but a threat to be wiped out just in case, and kill a lot of others to make sure the threat was done away with. And as we know from the end of the story, Jesus was a threat to Herod, but not in the way Herod had thought.

There were people who followed a star to see this child who had been marked by the heavens as special. Travelling far, bringing gifts with them. There were people willing to kill many children to do away with the perceived threat posed by this one child. Today around the world, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, by having Christmas, a holiday in many countries, special food and traditions, including giving gifts. But beyond the food and celebration, how do we respond to God’s gift to us, this gift of ultimate love, of God becoming human.

Are we excited like the ones who travelled, following a star?
Are we fearful, wondering in what ways our current life is threatened?

How to respond to God’s gift – that’s up to each one of us to decide. But if we look in the manger, be prepared to be changed.
If we hang around the stable be prepared to see the light.
If we open ourselves up to God, prepared to know we are loved,
maybe we will find ourselves loving people,
and accepting that God loves
even people we disagree with.

Christianity is revolutionary, not because we get together and sing songs and read Scripture, though many would consider this strange. Christianity is revolutionary because God loved and loves to the point of sacrifice. Christianity is revolutionary because we are offered love because God is the giver not because of anything we have done or will do in return. Christianity is revolutionary because God became human.  God is God’s gift to us.

God’s gift to us, wasn’t so that we would feel guilty, precisely the opposite. It wasn’t so that we would have to think up elaborate ways of repaying God. Like with some families where each gift must be bigger and better. God doesn’t expect that, and we could never do it anyway, how do you top a gift like God’s.

Our response to this gift, our response to this awesome love of God, that’s up to you. Regardless of what you decide God will continue to love you, that’s what Christmas is all about.

Remember the cow, the sheep and the hen from our story?
They each gave a gift to the baby, but not one that costs them too dearly. There will be more milk tomorrow, and another egg, and while the wool will take longer to grow back, it will.

Are we like this?

Giving a gift that fulfils our sense of duty,
looks suitably impressive
but doesn’t impinge on our life too much.
A gift that keeps others from visiting the stable,
because they don’t have anything we consider suitable to give.

Or are we like the mouse,
forgetting about taking a gift in our excitement to see the baby.
The gift which the mouse gave was giving of himself.
He hadn’t planned it to be a gift, he just wanted to see the baby.
Sometimes we are in the right place at the right time.
It is a case of recognising those prompts,
following the star that guides us.

As you journey from Christmas this year,
pack up the tree,
put away the wrapping paper,
finish the ham and turkey,
what do you keep with you from the Christmas story?

My prayer for you is:
that you will know and accept that God loves you;
that you will follow the star no matter how crazy it seems;
that you will be transformed by God’s gift of love;

What will you carry from Christmas this year?

How will you respond to the birth of Jesus?