kong
01-17-2010, 04:57 AM
Visting with little boys and girls in Washington, President Obama asked why we celebrate Christmas. The whole exchange http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2009/12/22/president-obama-talks-about-baby-jesus.aspx is revealing, but one snippet in particular caught my attention:
Child: I know!
President: Do you know?
Child: The birth of baby Jesus.
President: The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect….
Is that why you celebrate Christmas, Mr. President? Because it’s not what I’m celebrating.
The baby Jesus doesn’t “symbolize” anything at all. A tree might act as a symbol. A star might act as a symbol. Words on paper act as symbols. But the Incarnate God does not act as a symbol.
While I celebrate the birth of Jesus, do you celebrate what Jesus means to other people? If so, then you have already shifted the focus: from the action of the Almighty, taking flesh and joining our human race, to the emotional reactions of his creatures. You’ve moved from the most astonishing event in human history to the mundane contemplation of warm fuzzy feelings.
The infant Jesus doesn’t symbolize; He acts. The Nativity is astonishing because with the birth of Christ, God takes the lead on a stage that is, ordinarily, only patrolled by human actors.
When God wanted to send us a symbol, He showed Noah the rainbow. When He wanted to show us his love, He sent his Son. The rainbow—so spectacular in itself—pales in the light of this new revelation.
Look at the face of Christ, Mr. President. You won’t find a symbol. You’ll find much more.
Child: I know!
President: Do you know?
Child: The birth of baby Jesus.
President: The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect….
Is that why you celebrate Christmas, Mr. President? Because it’s not what I’m celebrating.
The baby Jesus doesn’t “symbolize” anything at all. A tree might act as a symbol. A star might act as a symbol. Words on paper act as symbols. But the Incarnate God does not act as a symbol.
While I celebrate the birth of Jesus, do you celebrate what Jesus means to other people? If so, then you have already shifted the focus: from the action of the Almighty, taking flesh and joining our human race, to the emotional reactions of his creatures. You’ve moved from the most astonishing event in human history to the mundane contemplation of warm fuzzy feelings.
The infant Jesus doesn’t symbolize; He acts. The Nativity is astonishing because with the birth of Christ, God takes the lead on a stage that is, ordinarily, only patrolled by human actors.
When God wanted to send us a symbol, He showed Noah the rainbow. When He wanted to show us his love, He sent his Son. The rainbow—so spectacular in itself—pales in the light of this new revelation.
Look at the face of Christ, Mr. President. You won’t find a symbol. You’ll find much more.