I love everything about Christmas. The tree, the decorations, hearing Mariah Carey for the hundredth time, the tacky jumpers, the Queen’s speech and the food! Growing up in my house wasn’t always easy, but Christmas Day was the one day it seemed that all our troubles were put aside. And so, I’ve always loved it. We didn’t celebrate it as a religious thing, but after I asked God into my life, I came to love it even more because of how it shows just how much God loves us. And anyone who knows me will know that now, I really love Advent as well (and not just because of the calendar countdowns, ha ha). ‘Advent’ means ‘coming’ in Latin, and I love to remember during this time that Jesus came to Earth as a baby to ultimately rescue us, which we celebrate at Christmas. Advent also looks forward to the time when the Bible tells us Jesus will come again and make everything in this broken world perfect again FOREVER for those who have asked God to take the driver’s seat in their lives.
Think, for a moment, about the Queen. Could you imagine her working in a sewer amongst all the disgusting muck, the dirty rats and the horrendous smells? I mean, maybe it’s possible to think of her visiting with her security detail and entourage for some kind of brief news story, but there’s just no way she would actually take a job down there for a few years. It’s totally silly to think about her doing that when she has such power and status. And so, I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that it’s so much more incredulous that Jesus would give up his position in a perfect heaven with His Father to enter humanity as something so far below His power and status. Even you and I – would we give up everything for a greater purpose? We may not have power and status, but we do have lots of little luxuries, home comforts and people that we would have an incredibly hard time giving up! But Jesus gave up his position to become not just human, but a baby! He willingly chose to leave perfection to take on this humiliating position. He had to cry to demand food. He had to have his nappy changed. He had to be burped. The mind that created the heavens and the earth had to be spoon-fed! But why? For you, me and all mankind! He chose to leave His status behind to become a baby, kicking off a rescue plan which lets us receive unconditional love from our Heavenly Father and will take away all pain and suffering with His next coming. Wow. And so I think about this during Advent because I am familiar with the baby born in Bethlehem and no room at the inn and the wise men and the star… but I don’t want to be so familiar that I forget that that was God who came down, humbling Himself so that we could be rescued!
If you want to hear more about that rescue plan, please talk to any friends who believe in Jesus or contact Proclaim Trust’s office.
Laurel
Laurel Nathan is a Adult Support Worker at Urban Outreach in Bolton, Greater Manchester. She is a member of Barry and Tina’s home church, the Bridge in Bolton, and she is a friend of Proclaim Trust.