Thursday afternoon I paused in the sanctuary to pray for little Max Cleveringa during his heart surgery. I prayed for the physicians and nurses as they performed their critical tasks and for peace and comfort for the family. I tried to imagine the inner turmoil of his mother and father as they placed their precious son into the hands of the surgeon, being aware of the pain and brutality of what was to come, but knowing full well that this was the best plan and it had to be done. As I pondered the inconceivable battle of that scenario, my eyes focused on another image of struggle.
The manger.
I have never looked at the manger that way before. The manger has always been an object associated with a beautiful gift. An image of “peace on earth” and “joy to the world”, of a “silent night – holy night”. The manger has decorated every children’s Christmas program as an unlikely but predictable gift box for God’s best present ever. But with my prayers focused on a parent’s hardship my heart was overwhelmed and I saw the manger in a new light.
Thoughts raced through my mind… “God, how could you? How could you take your only Son, part of yourself, and place him in the arms of this broken world? How could you release your Son into this darkness; into this cesspool of humanity. How could you trust us with your most precious gift when we have proven ourselves untrustworthy since day one? How could you hand over the Creator to his own creation? God, it doesn’t make sense. That’s like handing your baby over to a first-year medical student instead of the best doctor in the country!”
There is nothing logical about the Christmas story. God’s plan seems irrational, incomprehensible, and unimaginable in our minimal understanding. And yet He did it. The most often quoted words of Jesus give us the answer to why. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Not because we deserved it, not because he thought we would take good care of his most precious gift, but because he loves us. My mind cannot fathom the heart of God as he knew the anguish and brutality that would be part of the future of this babe in a manger, but he gave us his Son regardless, knowing that it was the only way.
My prayer for you this Christmas season is that you would be overwhelmed by God’s love, that you would open your heart and receive the greatest gift ever given—an unthinkable sacrifice made just for you.
Erin Jacobsma