A Different Kind of Christmas
Adapted by Heather Moran from Pastor John's message on December 12, 2010
As humans we are always looking for ways to move up in the world. A better job, a fancier car, a bigger home, and nicer clothes are all things that we seek to help us move up. But Jesus, our greatest example of love, did not seek to move up, but rather to move down. Jesus, who was one with God, humbled himself to become a man. Not just any man, but a man who would face a horrific death on the cross for all of our sins. Jesus purposefully took a demotion from his position in Heaven with God to fulfill the will of our Heavenly Father. There are times when we too take a demotion in order to be in accordance with God’s will. One example that Pastor John gave in his message on Sunday was the demotions that we take as parents. It all begins with the changes a woman faces in her body as she grows in size and discomfort. The father is not immune to these changes because as the saying goes, “when mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.” Financially there is a demotion as they prepare for the arrival of the child with a new room and clothes and toys. When the baby arrives the parents again face a demotion as their lives are no longer their own. They can’t sleep when they want to sleep, and no longer can they just come and go as they please, because now the child and his needs take precedence over their own desires. As the child grows and becomes active in sports or dance or music, the parents again take a back seat and often become a taxi service to make sure the child is in the right place at the right time. Often there is more than one child and events conflict and the parents have to be at different places at the same time. And then there is college and the nest is empty, but so is the wallet, so there is another financial demotion. We accept this demotion as parents because of our love for our children. Parents who take on these sacrifices and demotions end up with a higher level of joy as a family because they are acting on love. Love is costly, but the payout is huge and proliferates as these children then go out into the world. The love that motivated Jesus to come down to earth was costly, so much more costly than our love for our children. But then again the payout was huge, and the world was never the same. As we are in the Christmas season we should look to take a step or two of intentional demotions through acts of service and love. The payout will be huge.
December 16, 2010
