Vulnerable

Luke 2:15-16 – “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger.”
Matthew 2:16 – “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under…”

Have you ever noticed that vulnerability provokes one of two principle reactions?

There is what I like to call the ‘Ooh-ah” reaction. You see it a lot with new babies. Everybody wants to see, to hold, to rock and make funny noises. It is, I think, an innate parental response for most people. But it’s not reserved for newborns. Our hearts go out to anyone who is exposed and defenseless: the poor, the physically and mentally challenged, the victims of war and famine, disease and disaster. Americans are famous for their compassion. And I’m sure the shepherds did their share of oohing and aahing over the baby Jesus, the fact that He was the long-awaited Messiah aside.

Then there is the reaction of the bully. He finds weakness despicable. She looks for ways to take advantage of it. The bully mentality sees an invitation for violence, an outlet for rage, an opportunity to make him- or herself seem powerful in comparison. The difference between the schoolyard bully and Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Herod is only a matter of degree.

What strikes me most about these stories of Jesus’ birth, however, is that, knowing how people would react, He nonetheless chose to make Himself vulnerable. In order to give us the choice of faith, He put Himself entirely at our mercy. From the very day of His conception – the shame of pregnancy out of wedlock might well have driven a proper Jewish girl like Mary to suicide –He put His life in our hands.

What does it say about the love of God, that He would enter our world clothed in our flesh and live with the possibility of death at our hands for every day of thirty-some years? And death was what He received from us in the end. His openness and honesty, His holiness and goodness shamed too many of us, we couldn’t stand to see ourselves exposed and made vulnerable too. So, we sent Him to the cross.

Except, of course, that wasn’t the end. It was barely the beginning.

Risen from the grave, and now enthroned beside His Father, Jesus’ life is still in our hands, in a sense. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit He can continue to live and act in this world – through us. What I wonder, what I ask myself every day, is: will I show compassion and let Him live or will I be a bully and condemn Him to the tomb yet again so that I can follow my selfish desires and pretend that I’m in control?

Have a really joyous celebration of Jesus' birthday!

Introduction

THE FIRST POST:

Welcome to the great experiment.

This blog will be an attempt to share my thoughts about Scripture, the life of faith and the ups and downs of lay ministry with other believers in Jesus Christ. The aim is to strengthen my brothers and sisters wherever they may be, in whatever denomination, so that we will all be better able to live for our Lord and bring Him the honor and recognition He deserves. I hope you'll find some encouraging stuff here.

I will warn you up front, the content here will be highly evangelical and conservativem occasionally charismatic. If this isn't your viewpoint, that's fine, but don't post here looking to start an argument. Argumentative, insulting and hateful posts will be deleted and the posters barred.

Also, I'm fully aware that there are differences of doctrine, practice and opinion between the various branches of the Christian Church. There are probably some things about which we'll disagree. I'm okay with that -- I'm still in the process of working out my faith and my understanding of it and I don't pretend to be the authority. Disagreement is fine, even instructive, but if you've got a chip on your shoulder, please find someplace else to express it. The goal here is to enhance the unity of the Spirit, not to magnify our divisions.

That said, the Lord bless you, sisters and brothers. I hope to hear from you very soon.