A cabinet maker does not become a cabinet, a cobbler does not become a shoe, but God, the creator of all that exists, became one of us. Little wonder that history’s calendar is measured in terms of before and after this event.

After hearing the Christmas story over and over, year after year, its meaning and impact may fade against the backdrop of today’s culture. Yet if we think about it, God’s willingness to become one of us is the greatest act of humility and love in all of history.

Here we have God, the Father, creator of all that exists, creator of the millions of galaxies and the billions of stars whose distances are measured in light years. Here we have God who created the atom and molecule whose size is measured in nanometers (one billionth of a meter). This God, who created the human person with a body, soul, and mind, different from all other creatures, became one of his created to show us how to live and to free each of us from our sins and the world from its bondage to sin – to reconcile us to him and one another. 

Father William Barry, in his book, A Friendship Like No Other, says, “God took humanity seriously enough to become one of us, and we do God no service if we downplay what God has done in becoming human.”

It seems like it is easier for us to view Jesus in his divinity than to accept fully his humanity. But God in Jesus was a real human person, born of Mary, in the humblest of circumstances. He had to be toilet trained, learn a language, and be raised from childhood to an adult just like all of us. We can be sure that Jesus’ humanity felt the sting of the whip and piercing pain of the nails at his crucifixion. God is no stranger to suffering. God knows what human life is like from the inside. His desire for friendship with us knows no bounds.

Genesis tells us we were created in the image of God, but from the very beginning we have failed to live up to that expectation. God chose to show us how to be his image by becoming one of us. Just as Mary conceived and brought forth Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, so may we through the power of the same Holy Spirit, bring forth the presence of Jesus in our words, actions and thoughts to the people and circumstances of our lives.

A blessed Christmas to all!