Continued Celebration – Sunday, December 22, 1985
Observers may look at the life of Christ and call it a failed mission—a gift given to humanity and left, unwrapped, forgotten under the Christmas tree. His gift was so homely, after all. We like our gifts with glitter and pomp—a promise of easy days, and He gave something far different.
He came to His people to be their Savior, and they rejected Him. “This child is not what we expected,” they said, “not a mighty hero to topple all our foes.”
He proclaimed peace on earth; yet, with atomic weapons posed above our heads and nations torn with unrest, His proclamation rattles in a dry wind.
He taught love, forgiveness, a chance to turn the other cheek; yet, humanity hurries along imprisoned in self-preoccupation, divided in factions and suspicious of the outstretched hand.
He endured all things for our souls’ sake until even He, the greatest of all, cried out in pain; and still we pursue pleasure and ease and call our lesser burdens heavy.
So we look back on that baby born in Bethlehem—that ultimate condescension of God—to come not just to visit, but to be one with us and share in mortality, and we wonder. Have His lessons been lost? Is humanity too distracted to see the star or hear the angel chorus? Are we still saying, “There is no room for Him at this inn or in this life?”
No! As we look about humanity, we are aware that many still find room, still remember. Sure, we do live in an uneasy world where men and women’s hearts sometimes fail them, but all around us we see a continued celebration of the Savior’s birth and life.
When the widow finds solace in grief and raises her head to let the Lord bear her sorrow, we remember. When the weak among us are given courage and the strong offer an arm to a brother, we remember. When a wrong is forgiven and anger is answered with peace, when unbearable burdens are lifted through prayer, when we act better than expediency demands and are more generous than obligation dictates, we remember.
Jesus did not come to this earth in vain, nor is He forgotten. We may not have gone to the stable on that Bethlehem night those many years ago, but we celebrate His life and unfailing goodness every time we let Him be born again in our hearts.
December 22, 1985
Broadcast Number 2,940