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God in our shoes Men and women throughout history have tried to imagine what God is like. The many religions around the world are the result of the very best of human endeavour. But it is vital to realise that Christianity has never claimed to be part of that search. In fact, just the opposite.
At the heart of Christmas is the claim that all our religious imagination is just that - imagination. It's a kind of cosmic guessing game. But we cannot guess our way to God, so God had to make his way to us. That's what the story of Christmas is all about. Jesus comes to make God visible to men and women that does away with the guessing game. Looking at the life of Jesus Christ is like being treated to front row seats in the most amazing show of all - God, walking in our shoes.
If that is so, it tells us at least 3 vital things which lie at the heart of Christmas.
Firstly Christmas tells us God is humble not harsh. Many people have the idea that God is a big, powerful, grumpy figure and that Jesus is God's alter ego - as if Jesus is God on a good day! But that is simply not the case. Jesus said 'If you have seen me, you have seen the Father'. Everything that God is, Jesus is. This means that God himself doesn't mind being born in an animal trough with no-one but common shepherds to applaud; that God gets on his hands and knees to wash the feet of his friends, and ultimately, that God is willing to serve his largely disinterested creation by dying on a cross for them.
Secondly (and this is terrific), Christmas tells us God is for us, not against us. Jesus' whole life was one crystal clear statement of that fact. He welcomed the social outcasts, he healed the sick and oppressed and forgave the guilty. More importantly, he willingly gave up his own life for the benefit of men and women. This is unique. In the Hindu religion, many of the gods are said to have appeared in human form but they appear in order to trick people! Their purpose is to catch people off guard and test them. That's virtually the opposite of Christmas! Jesus entered our world, not to catch us off guard, but to give his life for our rescue.
Lastly, Christmas tells us something about ourselves. It makes clear that we have a problem that requires a dramatic solution. For centuries, philosophers, religious leaders and politicians have made it their business to understand and solve life's dilemmas. But the Bible insists that our central problem is not a job for philosophers, religious leaders or politicians but God himself. If the size of the solution indicates the size of the problem, we are in a state of emergency! What kind of a problem would need God himself to become a human being, walk the earth and die a brutal death? The answer the Bible gives is summarised in the word 'sin'. All of us, one way or another, have resisted, ignored or rebelled against our Creator. And because of this 'high treason' God is rightly angry with us. That's the problem which requires such a dramatic solution. On the cross, Jesus accepted the divine anger that we deserved. It's another way in which Jesus is 'God in our shoes'. He doesn't only make God visible and understandable to us, he goes much further and, on the cross, takes our place - fills our shoes. This is God's dramatic solution to our state of emergency. It is the heart of Christmas.
Dede joins me in send our warmest Christmas greetings to you all.
Simon
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