December 24, 2005
I have always said that one of the reasons that Christmas is so appealing to people, is because its about a baby. A baby is all about life, new hopes and dreams and possibilities.
Its something we can all relate to ... whether we are a parent or grandparent, or an aunt or uncle, or an observer from a distance ... we all get caught up in the 'newness' of the baby.
Recently a friend of mine challenged his congregation to think about their own experiences with babies ... and to see that we never really get to KEEP the baby.
And he was right ...
The reality is, yes we take the baby HOME with us ... but we also take home the toddler, the nine-year old, the pre-teen, the teenager, the young adult and finally .... The adult.
And with each comes its own set of challenges and memories and personalities (and personality changes . sometimes even in the course of one conversation).
And the milestones, like ....
- Sleeping through the night for the first time
(the baby AND you)
- Their first steps ...
- Their first words ...
- Their first solid food ...
- Their favourite meal ...
(and the first meal to end up face down on the floor)
- Their first night Trick-or-treating (and their last)
- The chicken pox, the flu, skinned knees and broken bones.
- Their first crush (and their first heartbreak).
- Their growing mind and thought patterns and the
declaration "Dad - you don.t KNOW anything".
All because we brought the baby home.
That was where it started. Nothing was ever the same after we buckled the baby into the car seat, and began the drive home.
The Towler household didn't get back to life as usual after the first one came home from the hospital ... or back to our "new normal" after the second ... and folks I know who have had MANY more than two, have told me the same thing.
When you add a new life to the equation nothing ever is the same ....
NOR SHOULD IT BE !!!
Because...
Each life brings with it a new set of eyes, and discoveries and experiences (not just for him or herself, but for all of us). Being part of a child's world, can be enlightening as you experience many things for the first time - again.
- Gentle rains, and thunderstorms.
- Sunsets and shooting stars.
- Snowball fights, snowmen, and snowangels.
- And their first Christmas .... Both their first calendar Christmas, and the first one where they actually make the connection between all that is going on around them ... and the reason for it.
Its magical.
And so, if you think that (after our service this evening) we can celebrate the arrival of the baby and then simply go on with your life as usual --- I would say "THINK AGAIN".
Because the life we celebrate arriving this night ... didn't stay a baby forever. Like the babies WE brought home,
the baby of the manger grew ...
And because of that ...
nothing would be the same in our world, ever again.
And while we may not know what his first words were
... we have heard his last words.
And while we were not told who was there when he took his first steps (or where he was headed) ... we know who was there when he took his last steps (and where he was going).
And while we were never told what his first solid food was ... we do remember his final meal.
Because our life >> our faith >> our Salvation are founded on those words, and those actions and that meal.
We can't JUST bring the baby home ... we're bringing home everything that baby represents (and becomes).
Life will never be the same again.
We will be challenged to be less "about ourselves" and more "about others". To be less influenced by the things of this world, and to be more open to the Spirit. To be less doubtful and suspicious, and more trusting and loving.
All because .we brought the baby home..
I suppose there is an alternative ~ ~ ~ and that is to NOT bring the baby home in the first place.
My life would certainly be different if we hadn't brought our babies home. We would likely still have our regular routine, with no surprises, and a few more dollars in our pocket.
But the house would be just that ... a house. There would not be the joy and love and laughter that is there now. The freshness of youth ... the optimism of a child ... the desire to look and see and explore. All of which has impacted on my life --- just as your children have had that effect on your life.
Children free us from ordinary routine, and make us more aware of the value of our time (and the need to use it wisely ... not just for ourselves, but for the world in which we live and the people whose lives touch our own). Our children make us less rigid, more accepting, and (I suspect) less "old".
Bringing THOSE babies home was a good thing ...
So is bringing THIS baby home.
Because tonight ... the kingdom has come. The God who created the universe has come among us ... as ONE OF US.
To show us how much he loves us ... and to help us learn to love each other ... so that (in doing that) we can make this world the kind of place he intended it to be.
And it all starts here ... with a baby, and with us.
And all we have to do, is bring the baby home.
