True confession time—I’m a bit of a Christmas junkie, and on this, the day after Christmas 2022, I’m not quite ready to give it up. Oh, I know the over-the-top displays like the pic are heading into hibernation, but maybe we can extend it, in the spirit of what the incarnation means. So, think with me on that first one, and how we can live it out…now. In a gritty manner.
His parents were alone, far from home and family, and likely delivered their firstborn in a cave that usually sheltered animals. A bloody and muddy process birth can be, as Mary’s water broke and turned the dirt beneath into mud. Yet that suggests a deeper meaning that transcends the glitter of our sanitary manger scenes.
Later, near the end of his life on earth, Jesus connected Christmas and Easter: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). A few days later, Jesus’ blood turned the dust beneath him into mud as he served us. Imagine the holy Son of God absorbing all the sin and guilt of all time. Imagine the stab of separation from the Father he’d eternally been one with. That hints at what following Jesus entails. Serving. Sometimes at great cost and sacrifice and humility.
Now, a deeper confession. Some time back I spent a few nights each week at my mom’s house in Long Beach. Then in her early 80’s and troubled by arthritis, she once mentioned how hard it was to trim her toenails. In my insufficient defense, I didn’t fully understand that many women couch important requests in a subtle manner. If she had asked directly I would have done the deed. But, taking it merely as a statement of fact, which on the surface it was, I merely commiserated.
That lack of serving haunts me. The woman who gave me birth, who cleaned my diapers, who did so much for me, and I refused to serve her in such a small way. Here’s why.
I like serving, and don’t usually mind it. But some forms I draw back from. I suspect most of you do the same. But in Jesus’ serving, he didn’t draw back at all. He “showed them the full extent of his love” (John 13:1). What haunts me? I showed the limits of my love in showing the extent of serving mom. Yes, God has forgiven me, but I want to remember this so I don’t fall short again.
If Christmas hold significance beyond the fun of the season, then we need to come to grips with serving, its importance, its costs, our limits on it. How we serve reveals much about our faith. Even when it’s gritty. And dirty. And unpleasant. Maybe…especially then. At least, if we truly choose to follow Jesus.
Kick Starting the Application
What do you most enjoy about serving? What forms do you like the least? Avoid? Why? What troubles you about areas you resist? Try this for a post-Christmas gift. After pondering the above, gift someone soon with tough service. Then, ponder how that gift brings you closer to Jesus. Maybe share that here on Facebook.