Christmas is unique. Ancient gods appeared in human form, but no other religion, ancient or modern, teaches that the Creator of heaven and earth was born of a woman, grew as an infant and toddler, and reached manhood. No other religion teaches that because no other religion wants the eternal God of heaven to be so tightly bound to earth and time.
Christmas is unique; Lent is an offense. It’s vulgar enough to confess that the eternal God spent nine months in Mary’s uterus, wet his swaddling clothes, ate when He was hungry and slept when He was tired. It’s repulsive to believe that the untouchable Creator sweat blood, endured taunts and lashings, was nailed to a cross, died with a cry of agony. God made flesh is bad; God made corpse is unthinkable.
But this bizarre story is good news, because it declares that the only God of heaven has come to be among us. God is with us , wherever we are. And He doesn’t send a lackey to do the dirty work. God comes to be with us.
You’re in Gethsemane, and the Father has given you a bitter cup to drink. You’re being stretched out on your own cross, nailed, mocked, rejected and betrayed, dying. It’s nothing new to Jesus. He has been there; He has suffered that. This is the gospel of Lent: Into your every affliction, God speaks one word, His eternal Word, Immanuel.
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