When I was a kid my favorite word was "why". I was a curious lad, always wanting to know how and why things worked, or why things are done a certain way, and not another way. Whenever I was told to do something I would always want to know "why". I'm sure I exhausted my parents with my continual asking "why", but I am convinced that this unquenchable curiosity has always played a large role in my quest for knowledge and understanding.

Hence, when people begin asking questions about the birth of Jesus, I'm frequently amazed that they will ask "when, where, and how" about his conception and birth, but rarely will they broach the question "why." Specifically, why was Jesus born? I mean, God could have worked his Divine will by some means other than being born in human flesh. He didn't have to become one of us, live among us, and walk the dusty streets of life with us, in order to teach us about God's love, mercy, and grace. And, he certainly didn't have to show us the true depths of Divine love by dying on the cross for our sins. God could have reached across the gulf that our sins have generated between God and us and simply made things right without anyone having to die. God, being God, could have wiped out our sin, converted us into perfect, obedient children, and placed us all in paradise. Right? Yes, God could have done anything he wanted - God is all-powerful, and had he desired to save us through some means other than the sacrifice of his Son, he could have done it. God didn't have to come as Jesus of Nazareth to die in our place. Or did he?

While it is true that God could have achieved our redemption in any way he desired the simple fact remains that God, being true to his word and his nature, saved us through a perfect, eternal sacrifice. He saved us in the only way that his word would allow: God, himself, came to save us:

"It was not by messenger of by angel, but by his presence, that   God save his children, in his love and in his pity he redeemed them."
(Isaiah 53:9b) 

God could have sent an angel to deliver us the message of his love. God could have wiped out our sin from a distance, without having to send his Son to be with us and to die for our sins. But, he didn't. God's word and God's will required that: (1) God's very presence be essential in our salvation, and (2) our faith in God be freely given in response to God's gift of salvation. Sending an angel to give us a message of how to live, while wiping out our sin without any response on our part, would have invalidated God's word and God's will. Throughout scripture, and most especially revealed in God's willingness to continually strive with the Israelites even despite their idolatry and disobedience, it is clear that God desires children who will love and trust him. Like any father, far more than involuntary obedience God wants his children to trust him. We failed to trust God in the Garden of Eden, where we listened to and accepted the word of the serpent rather than God's word. And, so, Jesus was born to give us the opportunity and ability to love and trust God again.

"I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." (Hebrews 2:12)

Here we find Jesus asserting that he came into the midst of God's people and, by his very presence, proclaimed the name of God. Jesus' name - in Hebrew, "Yeshua" - means "Yahweh Saves," and this is precisely what God planned to do through the incarnation, birth, life, and death of our Lord. As was said through the prophet Isaiah, God's presence saves us.

"I will put my trust in him." (Hebrews 2:13a)

The Father desires our faith; Jesus places his faith in the Father, trusting that God would honor his word and, after the crucifixion, would raise him from the dead. Such faith acts as a confirmation and empowerment of our faith as Christians. We are enabled to have faith because of Jesus' own faith.

"Here am I and the children whom God has given me." (ibid.)

In other words, Jesus states to the Father "Behold, here I am and those you've given me!" To put this simply, Jesus stands with us before the Father, and the Father looks through Jesus and sees us as if we are as perfect as Jesus. God, through Jesus, bridges the gulf we have created between us.

Each of these three statements from the Book of Hebrews tells us why Jesus was born. Firstly, he was born to proclaim the very essence of God as the one who saves us. Secondly, he was born to empower our faith by placing his faith in the Father. And, thirdly, he was born to die for us and, hence, stand with and for us before the Father as our righteous savior.

God comes, in Jesus of Nazareth, to be our savior and to enable and empower our faith. No angel, no messenger, no unrelated entity could have ever done this. To accomplish these purposes, God needed to become one of us - he had to become human - so that he could die. In other words, Jesus was born to die.

Dr. Gregory S. Neal
Walk 97
Table of Luke

         
 This story was forwarded to me by a close friend
and I was touched by it.  I do not know the author
and apologize that I cannot give him or her the
proper credit.


 

          I walked to the door and knocked.  "Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice.  I could hear something being dragged across the floor.  After a long pause, the door opened.  A small woman in her 90's stood before me.  She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.  By her side was a small nylon suitcase.  The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.  All the furniture was covered with sheets.  There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.  In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.  

          "Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said.  I took the suitcase to the cab and returned to assist the women.  She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.  She kept thanking me for my kindness.  "It's nothing," I told her.  "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated."  

          "Oh, you're such a good boy," she said.  When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"  

          "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.   

          "Oh, I don't mind," she said.  "I'm in no hurry.  I'm on my way to a hospice facility."  

          I looked in my rear-view mirror.  Her eyes were glistening.  "I don't have any family left," she continued in a soft voice.  "The doctor says I don't have very long."  I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

          "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.  

          For the next two hours, we drove through the city.  She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.  We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.  She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.  Sometimes she would ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.  

          As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired.  Let's go now."  

          We drove in silence to the address she had given me.  It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.  Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.  They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.  They must have been expecting her.  I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.  The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.  

          "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse. 

          "Nothing," I said.

          "You have to make a living," she answered.

          "There are other passengers," I responded.  

          Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.  She held onto me tightly.  "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said.  "Thank you."  

          I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.  Behind me, a door shut.  It was the sound of the closing of a life.  

          I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.  I drove aimlessly lost in thought.  For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.  What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?  What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?  

          On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.  We are conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.  But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.  

          People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said - but they will always remember how you made them feel.   

          Take a moment to think about this.  How do you make others feel by your actions (or lack of actions), your words (or lack of words).  Not just during this Christmas season but all year long, know that the people you come in contact with in your day-to-day activities - at work, while shopping at the mall, spending time with your friends, will remember how you made them feel.

          Blessings to each of you during this time of year as we remember the real reason for this season.

De Colores!

Carolyn Jestis

Walk 180

Table of Esther

Community Lay Director

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