Christmas gifts were always a huge deal for me growing up. Memorable examples include the original G.I. Joe, circa 1967—the big 12″ figure with a fuzzy buzz cut. Another was the whirlybird helicopter that only flew in a three-foot circle, but could hook onto and lift stuff to another spot in that circle. There were Hot Wheels and basketballs and the annual Christmas Eve flannel shirt to wear on Christmas morning.
As a child, getting gifts was arguably too big of a deal for me. As I grow older and ponder it all, I know that because Jesus came as the best Gift, we give gifts in His honor. Consider what His gift cost. We think of Easter as bittersweet because of the suffering Jesus endured, but Christmas seems all upside. Expensive presents from the wise men, lovely Mary, etc.
This year as I began pondering the Christmas story (which I know well and love deeply), I did it again—veered outside the lines. I wondered, What happened before Gabriel spoke to Mary . . . before the wise men saw the star . . . before Adam when the whole plan for mankind began?
Now this is just my imagination, so don’t get too upset at some of my made-up ponderings because they may have some value. I imagined the conversation between the Father and the Son (I know it didn’t happen exactly this way but please play along). God the Father says to God the Son:
“I want You to become one of them. Be born, live among them, grow up together, and show how to live in relationship with Me. Spread the truth into the hearts of a few whom I will bless, and then use them to bless others. I even want You to suffer and die for them, to save them from eternal separation from Me.”
God the Son thinks for a minute. He considers the beauty of being in the very presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit. From eternity past, the Son has known perfect relationship within the Trinity. He has experienced being perfectly known by them, and He has known them perfectly. He has been perfectly fulfilled and has had perfect peace about eternity future.
Then He ponders what his 33 years on earth will look like. He will be limited by a human body. He will live among people who do not understand God’s plan, including some who will actively fight against it. He will live among people in pain from disease, fear, and sin. Satan will be mercilessly evil and do all he can to damage Jesus and the plans of the Father—futile but there will still be battles to face. Some humans will hurt others unintentionally, and some will enjoy causing pain and chaos.
On Earth, prayer will be the Son’s only connection to the Father—a far cry from being in His presence. It will be enough, but also lonely and frustrating. He will have moments of joy and peace as well, including the blessing of touching and healing the sick. Occasionally, some humans will get it and move closer to God, but mostly it will be pretty terrible.
He will experience this for 33 earthly years lived in real time. Finally, it will end with His death on the cross in shame, pain, and misunderstanding. When the angels heard the plan, most of them probably gasped in horror. Some may have thought, “You can’t ask the Son to do that!”
Then the Son looked at the Father and said, “Yes, I will do it for You and for them.”
I think tears rolled down the faces of many angels. The losses experienced by the Son—being profoundly separated from the Father and the Holy Spirit and leaving all the perfection of heaven—were perhaps a greater suffering than He would later endure at the cross. This sacrifice of obedience to the Father was probably so surprising and difficult to grasp for the angels that new depths of love for Him swelled in their hearts. I’ve wondered if, when the angels were singing over the sheep-dotted fields of Bethlehem, they were praising God for His love and sacrifice as much as for saving humans from sin.
This is the love of God for us, the love of Jesus in action: the sacrifice given willingly because He loves His children that much. Sing the carols this year and give your gifts. But let it rattle you a bit that a love this big gave a gift so valuable that, as believers in Christ, we can be in the arms of Jesus for eternity.
Merry Christmas,
Dave Carl
Creator, Paws & Tales