At our closing
all school chapel the students presented a powerful skit featuring
the battle between Jesus and Satan and how Christmas is the beginning of the
end for the enemy. But as I listened to the students’ chuckle as it was
revealed which one of their fellow classmates was portraying Jesus, I was
struck anew with the mystery of the incarnation. Classmates and teachers alike
were thinking of the differences between this student and the person he was
playing. While this particular student is a good kid/student, he is not perfect.
But didn’t those around Jesus have a similar reaction? Who does Jesus think
he is? He is my neighbor, friend, classmate. He is just a carpenter from Nazareth. He's a good kid
and all, but the Son of God...I don't think so. He looks and sounds like me, how
could He be the promised Messiah?
While I realize
that my analogy quickly breaks down as the student portraying Jesus was
neither sinless nor the Son of God, it still revealed my own heart. I
have often wondered if I would have missed Jesus had I been there2000 yrs ago.
I hope not, but it made me keenly aware of how easily I could have.
This was not what anyone had expected. At one point in time the Son of
God, the Creator of the Universe was a teenage boy who looked much like one of
my students. The Word took on flesh and dwelt among us. What an
astounding reality!
My Christmas prayer is that I would have
the expectant faith of Simeon and Anna, who didn't miss it, didn't snicker at
the thought of the God of the universe being presented by poor parents as a
newborn in the Temple.
May we have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to respond to the
radical message of Christmas! Emmanuel! God with us!
Love, Anna
