The Paradox of Christ

 

Power in weakness

Majesty in humility

Light in darkness

Man and God in one person

This is the paradox of Christmas. This is the paradox of Jesus. We have a baby born King of Kings and Lord of Lords, yet he isn’t born in a palace adorned with beauty and grandeur surrounded by his royal subjects.

This King of Kings is born in a dirty manger surrounded by animals. There is no smell of royal anointing oil or incense, but instead the pungent aroma of fecal matter mixed with dust and dirt.

Jesus comes to us as anything but what we might expect. He is an enigma and an anomaly.

We celebrate with lights, decorations, grandeur and food….lots of food! Yet when we truly strive to keep Christ in Christmas, we find that the magnificent glory of Christmas comes packaged not in grandeur at all, but in profound humility.

The all-powerful eternal Word trades his glorious throne, for a dirty manger and the light of heaven for the darkness of earth.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”-John 8:12

The Advent story is filled with the “But yet…” paradox.

Things looked one way, “But yet…”

God seemed far away, “But yet…”

Hope was uncertain, “But yet…”

What would it mean if we lived our lives within the “But yet…” paradox? What would it mean that despite our circumstances, perspectives and situations, we lived into the “But yet” promise of Christ; the promise of hope in the difficulty, light in the darkness, strength in our weakness? What if we believed that our very lives could be a paradox to the world around us?

We observe the paradox of Christ in the Christmas story once a year, but what about each day of our lives? Do we understand that he came so that we could behold him and that he died so that we could live? Do we get stuck in the hopelessness of the world and forget the promise and possibilities of God in our lives?

When we truly live in the “But yet…” paradox, we let go of fear, uncertainty and discouragement, because we realize that we have a God who uses the dirty, mundane and weak to produce beauty, spender and strength.

The world looks like a scary place…”But yet”…we have a God who is in control.

Our lives seem chaotic at times…”But yet” …God always seems to bring us through the storms.

Circumstances appear hopeless…”But yet”…Jesus stirs in us the hope of things to come.

There was so much more behind the visual of the manger.

There is so much more behind the visuals of our lives!

God is using our chaos, fear and hopelessness to birth new life.

If the people visiting the manger became too focused in on the animals, or overwhelmed with the smell of the manger and the dirty surroundings, they would have missed the sparkle in that babies eyes.

If we become too overwhelmed by the world around us we’ll miss the sparkle of Jesus in our lives and the light he casts into the darkness.

Don’t miss it. He has come for us! He is a paradox “But yet”…he is our Savior who has come to give us life!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

-John 10:10

And THAT is a “But yet” scriptural promise to hold on to!

Rejoice!

 

-Pastor Patti