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Mother Teresa gave up everything to live amongst the nobodies of India. Every now and then an actor goes undercover and lives on the street to prepare for a movie role. I once knew a campus minister in Tampa, Florida who intentionally purchased a home in the worst slum in town so that he could try to reach the people there. CBS has a TV show called Undercover Boss. Thousands of missionaries give up homes near the people and places they know and love to serve others.
These are the closest analogies that we have to the incarnation of the Son of God in our culture, but they all pale in comparison. No matter how much a person gives up in each of the above examples, no matter how low he or she has stooped to serve others, no matter how moving their actions might be, they are nothing compared to the humility displayed in the birth of Jesus.
Philippians 2.5-11 is considered to be one of the oldest recorded creeds, or commonly held statements of faith, of the Christian church. Verses 6-8 describe the humility exhibited by the Son of God far more vividly than any analogy we can think of today:
Christ Jesus, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God
As something to be used for his own advantage.
Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a slave,
Taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man in his external form,
He humbled himself by becoming obedient
To the point of death—even death on a cross.
He came down from heaven, down to become an obedient creature, down to become a man, down as a slave, down even unto death, and down even unto death on a cross. It is the ultimate tragic trajectory, spiraling further downward than anyone could ever anticipated that the Son of God would go. Surely the angels wondered what in the world was going on. Surely the devil thought that this was the most delightful turn of events in the history of the universe. It is this unbelievable humility of Jesus, the Son of God, that we celebrate at Christmas.
But this humility leads to glory--the ancient creed continues in Philippians 2.9-11:
For this reason God highly exalted him
And gave him the name that is above every name,
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow--
Of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth--
And every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
The story of Christmas might be the beginning of a tragic downward spiral, but it is also the beginning of the great triumph that ends in salvation. Who would have thought that a deadly cross would eventually evoke joy? Who knew that a homeless newborn baby would one day be named King of Kings and receive the praise of everyone, everywhere?
Only in the person of Jesus could humility and glory be so perfectly united. That is what Christmas reminds us: Our God is the God who turns tragedy into comedy. He turns horrible downward spirals into merriment. He turns enemies into friends--who could know that better than us, his people?
Being overwhelmed by the pains and difficulties of this life is a part of the human experience. The Son of God chose to join us in that experience, not only so that he could lead us out of it, but also so that we could ultimately share in his glory. That is why we decorate our homes and give gifts--to celebrate! Merry Christmas indeed.
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