CHRISTMAS ISN'T MERELY ABOUT A SAVIOR'S BIRTH, BUT ALSO OF HIS CALLING.
Christmas is a tender moment for the world, and I surmise it is because salvation first came in the form of a baby. And of all the gifts that sweet babe in the manger came to give, we love Him most for the joy, peace, love, hope, He brings. But is that all He brings?
Obviously, it’s so easy to stay with the soft and cuddly gifts of Christmas. But there is this one song I encountered that actually spoke of something we often overlook come this time of the year. That is, Christ came not only to save but to call people unto Him. Christmas is about salvation and an incredible calling.
What do babies do?
Babies turn your world upside down. They change your world. As s/he grows in that womb, it fashions you to be somewhat a different person altogether. You let go of clothes, things, activities that won’t suit the babe, and you lessen or increase what you do according to the little one’s well-being. And this doesn’t stop at birth. You have to keep changing your lifestyle and environment at the mercy of the child. It could sound unfair, but also, it is inevitable. The infant can’t thrive if everything isn’t optimal. And for something to be optimal, it needs our cooperation and determination. Above all, we must love. The kind that will make us forget about ourselves and think more about the child. The kind that says “I can quit (insert a passion or something you cannot live without), if it means the best for my child.”
Raising Jesus
It is difficult in itself to raise a child, what more if you were tasked to raise the Messiah? Many times I ponder the lives of Joseph and Mary, how it was and all that to be the parents of Jesus, but there was this one song from the group called GLAD that made me internalise it even more. Here’s a video of it. And here are the words:
One Quiet Moment
One quiet moment, on a star-clustered night,
Two weary travelers knew an end was in sight;
So the soon to be mother, grasped her husband’s strong hand,
And paused to remember where the journey began.
Nine months of yearning filled with joy and with pain;
He almost had left her, but then chose to remain
Close by the woman he had not even kissed,
Who would bear him a son that would never be his.
And in one quiet moment, a woman and man
Accepted the part they would have in God’s plan;
To give up His glory, and be born as a man.
In one quiet moment. . .
They dreamed of the days they would spend with their son,
Taking walks through the hillsides and watching Him run.
And some days the fingers that had fashioned the stars,
Would reach out to hold them when the walk was too far.
They wrestled with knowing that His life would bring change;
Friends would grow distant, and shun them as strange.
Though they tried not to think it, in their hearts they were sure,
That their baby was destined to die for the world.
And in one quiet moment, a woman and man
Accepted the part they would have in God’s plan;
To give up His glory, and be born as a man.
In one quiet moment. . .
One quiet moment they could suddenly hear
Thousands of angels singing so clear;
“Glory to God, His Salvation is near!”
In one quiet moment . . .
In this one quiet moment . . .
One quiet moment.
The Danger
Definitely, this song appeals to my soul because I am a parent. But even if you aren’t one yet, just try meditating on what could be happening in the hearts of two human beings called to raise the Savior of the World. No film producer can ever beat that spectacular story line. Imagine that from the onset of conception they were never to have normal lives ever again. The song reminds that Mary is carrying the divine in her womb, and Joseph is going to have to father one who will never be truly his.
And as if those conditions weren’t abnormal enough that early on in the child’s life, an earthly king was ready to kill Him that got His earthly parents scurrying to get away (Matthew 2:13-16). I guess it didn’t take long for Joseph and Mary to understand that having the Savior of the world so near means that not only will it be different and difficult, but also, dangerous.
The Quiet
Of course this song already has some creative telling into it. We never know if their neighbors really shunned them strange, nevertheless it gives us the picture of the complexity of this man and this woman’s call from God. They were to live in the “already but not yet” state of the world right in their own home. They were to have God in their home, but raise Him as a human.
And if they were like may of the entitled people I know, they probably would have asked God for something big in exchange — money, public announcement, full media coverage of their honor, a worthy title, bodyguards, etcetera. But they weren’t and they did not. In one quiet moment, they accepted to be part of God’s plan. And what was the plan? That Jesus, who is fully God, would momentarily give up His glory and be born as a man. Totally wild to think about, a blockbuster plot in the making, but it happened with no fuss and fanfare. Hadn’t the angels announced to the shepherds, and hadn’t the wise men pay attention to the times, no one would know the Savior of the World is already there, and that His privileged guardians were chosen to live out an extraordinary calling.
The Calling
I never saw it before. That when Christ came, he came not only to save but to call us unto Himself. I know the call from the Bible, but I never saw it as evidently as before, in the quiet story of Christmas. After being a parent, much more so because of this song, I realised that Christmas readily came with a call. A call to let Christ change your life and re-roder it around Him, to be part of God’s plan, and to accept it humbly, quietly, no fuss, no fanfare, no titles. Just as Mary and Joseph did, just as Christ himself did, who was not only born in the simplest way possible, but also led a very humble life, unheard of, until the time has come for Him to die.
Do you have a favorite Christmas carol? What is it and why does it touch your heart?