Christmas Musing #14 Powerful #2

 ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 English Standard Version

               Watching age overwhelm your parents is sobering. In the past few years I watched my vibrant, active parents slowly succumb to the ravages of time. Age, infirmity, and disease took away their abilities, rendering them unable to do the things they loved. My mother, a wonderful cook, lost her ability to remember how. My father could not engage in historical and political debates with the same vigor and easy recall of facts. In the end, both of them lost much of their power to control and manage their own lives, depending upon my brother, others, and me. Fortunately for all involved, they made this difficult journey with grace, as did Jesus.

               We tend to think of Jesus stilling the storm, walking on water, and raising the dead; all of which are significant to our faith. We also tend to focus on the cross and His death. Again, critical to our faith. But Jesus did not die on the cross only. He died to Himself at His birth. He gave up all His power and control to be one of us.

               Imagine giving up that level of control. I don’t like it when the TV remote is not sitting right beside me. The day I retired from the Army was the last day I shaved. Jesus enjoyed much greater power than I do. His voice brought forth the cosmos. His hands shaped humanity. His mind conceived of reality as you and I know and understand it. He gave all of that up to be like us. We all chafe at any curtailment of our rights and privileges. He freely handed them over to Joseph and Mary.

               What a confining experience to be bound not only by swaddling cloths, but also by gravity. Even more limiting would be the decision making ceded to His parents. One of the reasons I like to cook is that I never eat anything I don’t like, unless I burn the toast. My mother was a great cook, but sometimes she chose things I did not like. But, as a child of the 60s and 70s, I had to eat what was put before me. Occasionally, I had to choke down some liver-n-onions…bleah. I have no idea what Jesus did or did not like; but, I know that he gave up control. Why would such a powerful being willingly embrace limitations?

               He did so to know us intimately. Advent celebrations remind us that Jesus became one of us to know what our lives are like. As a child, I read about soldiers and played army; however, it was not until I endured basic training, becoming a soldier, that I knew what soldiering was all about. Jesus wanted to fully understand what it was like to live as one of His creation, so He endured a severe curtailment of his power and authority to join us. Advent and all the images of the babe in the manger push these thoughts into the forefront of my mind annually. Amid all the rush and bother of the holiday season, I stop, pause, and consider how much He gave up to know me. Jesus set aside so much power and might all just to be a tender and merciful savior.