Luke 2:1-20
The Humiliation of God
The texts for this year’s Advent and Christmas have show the movement of God. The movement of God in the work of redemption is a downward movement. Paul uses, what many think is a hymn from the early church to describe this movement. In Philippians 2 we see the gift of the Redeemer:
Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
assuming human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
This was done to thoroughly un-impress the mighty, the powerful, the top of society, they mocked him as a “son of a carpenter” and someone from Nazareth (Hicksville). But the low in society, the cast off, the forgotten masses of the unwashed is where the Good News is proclaimed.
Pride is often our biggest block is speaking the good news of Jesus. We don’t want those we are trying to impress to associate us with “those people.” In the Advent of the Savior of the world, God eradicates all forms of human pretentiousness and self-importance. Even the “kings from the east” must come into a humble house and bow down before a peasant girl and her baby.
The angels were not wrong, this is the way to glory, this is the demonstration of the glory of God in the Highest and the way of peace for all peoples.
Paul continues:
9 Therefore God exalted him even more highly
and gave him the name
that is above every other name,
10 so that at the name given to Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
The call for us at Christmas is to humble ourselves so that we can be with the rough and smelly shepherds bowing in the dung of a cattle stall. Then we will see the glory of God coming in the perfect gift of love.
