In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of shopping and cooking and traveling associated with Christmas, all of which I participate in fully, I wanted to talk in this episode about the birth of Jesus, and what it represents to me.
Join me today as we discuss the importance of an ordinary Jesus. When God chose the name his son would carry, he chose a common human name. He chose a name so typical that it would appear two or three times on any class roll. That’s what John meant when he told us in John 1:14 th...
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of shopping and cooking and traveling associated with Christmas, all of which I participate in fully, I wanted to talk in this episode about the birth of Jesus, and what it represents to me.
Join me today as we discuss the importance of an ordinary Jesus. When God chose the name his son would carry, he chose a common human name. He chose a name so typical that it would appear two or three times on any class roll. That’s what John meant when he told us in John 1:14 that in Jesus, “the word became flesh.” Jesus was touchable. He was approachable. He was reachable.
It's important to appreciate that when God chose to reveal himself to mankind, he did so through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And his tears – at the tomb of Lazarus, or as he wept over Jerusalem, or even in the Garden of Gethsemane – came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been.
That’s what the angel means when he tells Joseph in Matt. 1:23 that people will call Jesus Immanuel, which is a fascinating Hebrew word that means “God with us!”
And that’s also what the Hebrew writer is getting at in Hebrews 4:15-16 when he says, “We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That’s why we must hold on to what we have said about him. Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.”
The truth is that we serve a God who wants to live among us. And because of that, people came to him. And they came to him because he refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated balcony. He chose instead to be Jesus.
There is not a hint, anywhere in the gospels, of a person who was afraid to draw near to him. There were those who mocked him. There were those who were envious of him. There were those who misunderstood him. There were those who revered him.
But there was not one person who considered him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected!
Don’t forget that. That’s important. Tattoo that on you brain to be viewed the next time you find yourself wallowing in your own failures. When you feel so overwhelmed by the pressures of this world. Or the unyielding demands of being perfect. Remember it when you find yourself in a cold church listening to a dead sermon about God.
Tragically, for some people, Jesus seems distant. And nothing saddens me more than that. Because through this baby - through this Immanuel - he became human. And now he is approachable and touchable and accessible. And he loves you so very much.
If only we would see that and open ourselves up to him.
So as you celebrate Christmas this week, don’t lose sight of the fact that God himself has entered our world. And He entered our world to offer us hope and peace and joy and love and redemption through a relationship with him. A relationship that will change our lives for our good.
God sent Jesus, as John tells us in John 1:18, to show the world what he is really like. And we just cannot be casual about such an event.
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Thanks for listening!
And remember, you are greatly loved.
Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music
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Resources for Today’s Show:
- Be sure, if you haven't already seen it, to watch The Chosen Christmas Special (https://youtu.be/T5ftnTK9-3w) sometime during the Christmas season. It's fantastic, with some great music, and a great message.
