LESSON 11

CHRISTMAS CONTINUED

To say, as I did in my previous blog, that "God identifies with the powerless" does not negate the primary mission of Jesus to "seek and to save that which was lost." Liberation theologies of the past generation wholly identified Jesus' mission as one of social and economic deliverance. On the other hand, evangelical theologies tended to identify Jesus' ministry solely in terms of spiritual salvation, with an emphasis on the next world. One cannot escape in scripture the presence and emphasis of both themes. Reconciling both themes seems to bring the most difficulty, with various groups leaning to one extreme or the other.

The incarnation not only reveals but enforces the value God places on human life. The concept was not new. From the beginning we are told that humankind was made in the image of God. It is shortsighted and disrespectful to much of scripture to believe that God cares only to take us to heaven. The life Jesus lived underscores the desire of God for righteousness on earth. Christianity is an ethical faith. The tension we feel, however, was also felt in New Testament times. "Faith without works is dead." "For by grace are you saved, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."

If the term "identifying" is too strong or too imprecise then another term is needed, which escapes me for the moment. But whatever term we use it must be faithful to portray adequately the extent to which God goes to bring salvation. And it must be faithful to what is revealed in scripture, that God "became poor that we might become rich." I have not thought enough along these lines to be as precise as one needs to be in theological discussion but I cannot escape what seems apparent--that God brought salvation through the surprising means of human weakness. He allowed himself to suffer utter humiliation without objection--"like a lamb before her shearers is dumb."

Jesus' example and teaching do not lead us to champion the cause of every disenfranchised group. But we also must not presuppose that God is not speaking to us through those groups. There is much room here for careful thought and reflection. We must never assume we know precisely where it is that God is or is not working. The incarnation is a great mystery and also a wonderful surprise. And what could be more surprising that to find God at work in a lowly manger?

LESSON 10

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS CONTINUED

Of all the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Christ one which should not be overlooked is the self-emptying of Christ. While not a miracle in the normal sense in which we use the word this attitude of Christ prefigures and permeates all that Jesus did while on earth. The phrase is found in Philippians 2, where Paul admonishes Christians to "have this mind in you which was in Jesus who, although he existed in the form of God, did not think equality with God something to be held onto but emptied himself." The King James Version here says that Christ "made himself of no reputation." The Greek word used by Paul to denote the self-emptying of Christ parallels the Hebrew word used in Isaiah 53, which speaks of the Suffering Servant, who "poured out his soul unto death.

Focusing on this aspect of the incarnation brings us to the heart of God's work in Christ: the decision by Jesus in obedience to the divine imperative was a moral one. In other words, it was a conscious choice by Jesus to follow the Father's will completely, even to "death on a cross," as stated by Paul in the same passage. The wonder of the virgin birth pales in comparison to this humbling of Jesus' self. And, for Paul, it is the humbling of Jesus which is to be our example as Christians. While the New Testament clearly affirms the virgin birth Christians miss the mark when they focus on the physical miracle as an example of God's power to the neglect of the moral self-emptying of the Son of God which made all else possible.

"God's power is made perfect in weakness." This statement by God to Paul when he was seeking deliverance from his thorn in the flesh illustrates further the majesty of God in contradistinction to our normal thoughts of God. I believe it was Luther who reminded us that anyone can say that God is great--it goes with the definition of God. But only Christians can say that God is small--referring to the baby in a manger. The God of human thought emphasizes those aspects which humans find desirable--power and might. But the God of Christian thought is one who makes himself weak, who becomes poor, who humbles himself, who allows himself to be subjugated, abused, scorned and crucified.

It is the God revealed to us in Jesus whom we are to worship and emulate. This God does not identify himself with worldly power, possession, authority or position. Rather, he identifies with the weak, the poor, the disenfranchised, the powerless. And Christmas reminds us of this most poignantly. We may not be comfortable with a God who becomes the most helpless of all creatures, that of a human baby. But this is the God we are called to serve. "Late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin's womb." "Jesus, Lord at Thy birth."