Dave spoke this morning from Luke 2:15-20, reminding us that babies are special, their new life and innocence giving us hope and pointing to the wonder and mystery of life. At Christmas, as we celebrate Christ’s birth, we celebrate also the mystery of the eternal God becoming a helpless baby, but we need to remember that Jesus is not only a helpless baby but God incarnate and reflect on the magnificence of deity.
We need to grow up in Christ (Eph 4:15), not content to stay gazing at the stable in Bethlehem, but understanding that this baby is God wrapped in human flesh. Wonder must give way to worship; we need to go beyond being charmed at the ‘cute baby’ and changed by the God who wants to live in us. If Christmas is only about the birth of a baby, the joy it brings is only temporary, but when we understand Jesus is the way to an eternal inheritance and everlasting life (1 Pet 1:3-4), our perspective is changed from admiration to adoration.
Jesus was worshipped as a baby by shepherds and wise men; as a man, He accepted worship from people (see the healings in Matt 8 & 9, Jn 9 and Mark 5), something only God is due. We need to recognise Jesus as God as well as man.
Growing up in faith means we understand something of the way God works and learn to stop fighting God, surrendering our lives and wills to Him. Growing up also means we know what God requires of us: the dedication of our whole lives to Him, and means we are prepared to go beyond decorations to dedication and beyond celebration to surrender.
The story is told of a children’s celebration where each child was required to hold up a letter spelling out the word ‘Christmas Love’. One child held the ‘M’ upside down, however, resulting in the sentence ‘Christ was love’. Christmas reminds us of Christ’s love and continuing, abiding presence with us. We worship not only a baby, but God Himself.