Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David."
Luke 1:68-69

Naturally I am a skeptic to what is thrown my way. This line of thinking blesses and curses my faith. I don't generally accept things on faith alone, unless shown to do so. When I came down to the birth of Christ, I have always seen that as a strange event. Why would God come down to humanity as a human; even more so, why a child? Thankfully, I have been greatly blessed by having far more spiritual people in my life than myself. I was talking to my cousin, a seminarian at the time, on the matter. He told me something that has not only resonated with me, but shook me to my very foundations.

When God asks us to be his servants, we humble ourselves to the triumphant slave, hung on the cross for our salvation. That seems so easy. As people, we love to reward those who have worked for what they have earned. Seeing the passionate Christ hanging there bruised, beaten, and bloodied is easy for us to celebrate. Our salvation is won. What is difficult, and humbling is to find ourselves in the place of kings. Imagine yourself as the three magi wandering in the sands for months to find the king that has been foretold in scripture. Find yourself carrying the kingly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You have travel so far and so long only to find yourself led to the foot of a feeding trough holding a child wrapped in swaddling clothes. He has no earthly power. He is completely vulnerable. Yet, this is the "mighty Savior" that has been spoken of for so long. This is what it means to be a Christian: to stand at the foot of a cradle and give all that you are for one so innocent, so pure, and so beautiful.

We all like to be servants of the powerful God, but with the coming of our "might Savior come to set us free" let us imagine ourselves being humbled at the manger.

How do you find yourself when looking upon the manger?

Where are you in the scene?

On the Eve of this Great Celebration, let us all open ourselves to bringing all that we have for the One who has come to save us all, as well as the One who will bring us Home again.

reflected by Matthew Keppel