God With Us

Tonight I went with my parents to their church's Christmas Eve service, which was beautiful. My mom played in the handbell choir and the music was angelic, really. The responsive readings were entrenched with the gospel message, of the true meaning of Christmas, of how God became man to dwell among us and save us from our sin. The songs—classic carols and other sacred choral arrangements—were played and sung with a sacred reverence, filling the dimly, candle-lit room. Everything was very well done. The Dramatic Contemplation (read "skit") was thought-provoking and humorous, a perfect segue into the pastor's Christmas sermon. It really was a nice Christmas Eve service.

I understand that different people have different tastes and preferences, when it comes to forms of worship and church services. Some prefer traditional liturgies while others prefer upbeat and modern expressions. As the Christmas Eve service was ending, though, I was less concerned about the mode of Christmas worship, and more fixated with wondering if, in the midst of all the beautiful tradition and call to celebrate Christmas for the right reasons, people were missing it. I'm not saying that in an accusatory way. I just wonder if the people attending the Christmas Eve service knew and believed that God likes them. That they are special to Him. And that that's why Christ came. Immanuel. God with us. God with us, because we are special to Him. It's easy to say God came to save us from our sin and the eternal consequences of that. That's true. But when we stop there, and only articulate our sinfulness and God's salvation, it can tend to leave us with a guilt-ridden obligation to feel thankful. It can make the "message of Christmas" one of guilt and shame and re-doubling our efforts to be more thankful and to sin less. This really isn't intended to point fingers or anything. I'm just becoming increasingly aware that in the midst of the way we communicate the gospel, we sometimes fail to articulate as faithfully as we do our sinfulness and God's great mercy, the deep love that God has for us, that motivated Him to set His redemption plan in motion in the Incarnation of His Son that Christmas morning two thousand years ago (or so) in the first place.

Jesus came to save us from our sin. Not because that's His job. Not because God is love and therefore had to save us even though He'd rather not. It was His deep enjoyment of us that motivated Him. The Father doting on His beloved children, to give them the best and make a way for them to be with Him, to enjoy His love unhindered forever. The Incarnation shows us that God wants to be with us, so He came to us, when our sin had kept us from Him. He loved us first, He initiated.

And so, to bring this back around, I just wonder and hope that, in the midst of the very beautifully performed and orchestrated Christmas Eve service, everyone there understands the deep reality behind this time of year. That the Christmas songs aren't just words, aren't just traditions for the month of December. That "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" is not just some secret code-phrase for the those of us not sucked into our culture's commercialization of the holiday.

May we pause tomorrow and remember that God is with us. May we take some time in the midst of the present-opening, carol-singing and family-visiting to consider with renewed focus what it really means that Jesus put on humanity to be with us. May we know deeply why He did it.

He did it because He loves us. God loves us. God loves me... God loves you. You are special to Him and He likes who you are. You bring a smile to His face.

May that thought make your Christmas very merry this year.