Hello,
…..continued from last week (you can find the first half on my blog, 1johnthreeone.blogspotcom)…..
So, with trembling arms and sweaty palms, Russell O’Brian, who had never held a baby before in his life, took hold of the baby Jesus
And then he heard it…..he heard the Pastor say, “Do not be afraid; for see---I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
Of course, the Pastor was reading the worlds that the Angel said to the shepherd on that Bethlehem hillside, but tonight….tonight….it seemed as though those words were being spoken to him. Not Joseph, but Russell O’Brian.
With those words echoing in his ears, Russell looked down at that baby that he was holding in his arms – a baby who had far more to fear than Russell did. For that baby was totally helpless. Unable to feed itself when it was hungry. Unable to cloth itself when it was cold. Unable to defend itself against might struggles. Unable to even roll over. Completely helpless, fragile and frail, vulnerable and facing a very cold and rough world. And it occurred to him, that that was the way it must have been for Jesus. The way it must have been for Jesus when the real Joseph held him in that Bethlehem stable.
“Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing in g you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.
What more powerful way to show the power of God than to take on humanity in the flesh of a baby. God didn’t need the might of armies and powerful rulers. All he needed was a baby.
What better way to share the frailty of life than to come into life in the flesh of a baby. God did not wrap himself in fire and fury, but in the helplessness of a baby.
What mightier way to bring the challenges of life to their knees, than to have them won over by a helpless baby. God was going to win his victory. Not with the hands of a heavy weight divine boxer, but with the wrinkly, tiny fingers of a baby.
Holding that baby and looking into its eyes, Russell O’Brian was caught by the surprise of Christmas. For all the fussing and fretting that he had done over holding that baby, the truth was that that baby….well, not that baby, but the baby that the real Joseph held in his arms….that that baby had really come to hold onto him. Hold onto him, and never let him go.
“Do not fear, Russell O’Brian…do not fear.”
Amen. Merry Christmas!
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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