Last week I had an epiphany. There I was, sitting on my couch, watching a football game on TV while checking the score of another game on my phone, while also shopping online for my wife’s Christmas present, while simultaneously wearing a watch that tells me how many calories I just burned (or didn’t burn). And to be perfectly honest, I was a little annoyed how long everything was taking.
Then it hit me.
The Jetson-level technology that surrounds my modest house affords me access and convenience virtually unprecedented to mankind. It really was stunning to take a moment and reflect on the fact that most people in most places would be absolutely floored by the amount of NASA-approved gear that made my lazy Saturday afternoon possible.
In the grand scheme of things, it really is ridiculous that such mind- blowing, earth-shattering, space-age technology has become underwhelming.
Theologically, we can see Christmas the same way. Most people in most places understand that there is a distance between God and people – between the creator and the creation. This distance has made communication brief, impersonal, and cold; and virtually limited to rules, laws, and commands. Thus the rise of prophets, oracles, and angels – the third party mediators that do most of the talking for God. But not anymore. Hebrews tells us that now, ultimately, finally, perfectly, God has spoken to us through his Son.
This is stunning.
For thousands of years, millions of people knew God only through silence or a pillar of fire or rituals, but now God has decided He isn't satisfied with that distance any longer. He is not content to just dispense information about his character anymore. So He has decided to come down and move into our neighborhood to teach us how to fully be human and, ultimately, die for us.
Christmas, as a theological concept, is ridiculous! It is mind-blowing, earth-shattering good news that God is with us. Perhaps we have become so familiar with the idea of Emmanuel that it has become underwhelming.
But for the millions of people living in the 10/40 Window, this good news isn’t known and it certainly isn't celebrated. As 2015 winds down, consider giving to Uttermost Sports as we continue to spread this ridiculous and wonderful idea that "God is with us!"
http://uttermostsports.org/give
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” John 1:14
Bubby Bryan, DOC
Uttermost Sports