Who Is This Christmas Jesus?

Uplook – December 2012 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Who Is This Christmas JESUS?

“There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11 NIV

I was sitting in a village Christmas carol service when something happened that prompted me to write this short article. All the village dignitaries were present and everyone was seated when an elderly lady walked up to the front carrying a “baby Jesus” doll in a basket. She bent down and put “Jesus” under the table which held advent candles, a crib scene with pretty lights, and wise men journeying in from the eastern corner. Then, just as quickly as she had appeared, the lady walked out of sight, leaving her “baby Jesus” under the table.

My thoughts went back to my time as a missionary in Khartoum, Sudan when our church had to deal with real babies being abandoned along the roadside by desperate mothers. Their hope was that someone would find and look after their unwanted or too-expensive babies. Our church members worked with a reluctant government in a program to care for these deserted infants.

I thought again about the doll under the table. What a shame that so many people in our world think only of Jesus as a babe in a manger. Figuratively speaking, they just leave Jesus under a table! Like those mothers in Khartoum, they think that following Jesus is too hard or too expensive. Others simply do not want this Jesus they’ve heard about but never connected with personally.

People don’t meditate on the miracle of how and why God came to earth in human form; or how their Creator could be cuddled by Mary; or why the Eternal One came to earth; or who this Savior was who surprised those shepherds and all others He had come to save.

Without ever ceasing to be God, the Son emerged as the baby Jesus – the timeless Savior. The mystery of the Incarnation brought us Jesus, the Son of God as a baby! Think of this along with Colossians 1:15: “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God.” Think of this along with Colossians 2:9, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Wow!

My prayer this Christmas is a big one: “Almighty Father, help us all to really appreciate and deeply connect with the Savior, Jesus Christ, whom You have given us as the baby born once and for all to save us from our sins. Amen.”

By Colin Salter

“She will bring forth a Son,
and you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will save His people
from their sins.”
— Matthew 1:21