The Angels Rejoiced

DateLine (12/13/06 – Nanuet, NY)

Ah, the Christmas season; countless cantatas, nativity scenes, carols, dramas; which thrust the essential elements of the first Christmas into the consciousness of harried patrons. The Virgin Mary, Joseph, the Christ child, shepherds, the manger, and Wise Men; the icons of the season. Why has this story persisted at the forefront of our culture for a couple thousand years? The inevitable conclusion is that this was a significant event in world history. God, who always had been involved in the events of mankind, inserted himself physically into the human experience via a tiny baby in a way unlike any other. History was altered. Nothing reflects this more than the fact that our present day calendar is hinged around the birth of Jesus (i.e. BC vs. AD). Regardless of one’s religious persuasion the Christmas story is a fascinating historical event. Even now, 2006, a first-run movie is in the headlines; yet another recounting of the story (i.e. The Nativity).

As I contemplated the first Christmas something struck me that I had never before considered. As a matter of fact, I’ve never heard it mentioned although as I now reflect upon it, it may be the most consequential aspects of the Christmas story. I’m not referring to the fact that the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. I ‘m not discounting that the birth of Christ was the formal beginning of a solution for the sin problem of mankind.

The fact is God had voluntarily reduced Himself to one of the most dependent and vulnerable states known to humanity; that of a newborn baby. God, who embodies the very creative and sustaining force of the universe, packaged Himself in such a way that He was physically dependent upon an uninitiated teenage mother. While this is an absolutely remarkable event; even this is not what energized my reflections. Think about this; at one time in history, man enjoyed a special relationship with God. In the beginning, God and man had a special relationship. The Bible says that God walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (Gen. 3). That all changed when man disobeyed God.

The aspect of the Christmas story that caused the Angels to Rejoice, the shepherds to race to the manger, and the Wise men to travel from afar was the “touch of a mother.” You see, for the first time in thousands of years, mankind (i.e. Mary) physically embraced God. Mary held God in her hands. Intimacy was restored between man and his Creator. The purity of the moment, the innocence of the moment, and the significance of the moment is symbolized by a newborn being gently caressed by a new mother. Not long afterwards He was gone as abruptly as He entered; crucified on the cross.

This is not the end of the story. While we do enjoy the indwelling Helper (i.e. the Holy Spirit) to sustain the intimacy of the Christ child within us, we have the promise that one day He will return for us. There is no doubt in my mind that each of us will enjoy the same dynamic played out in touch between Mary and the baby Jesus; we will have the awesome privilege to physically embrace God.

Think about it . . . . then raise your hands toward heaven!