A recent article in the Sacramento Bee quoted my friend Curt Harlow (teaching pastor at Bayside) as saying: “We do Christmas big around here because God did Christmas big the first time.” What I am sure Curt also said, that the Sacramento Bee and most secular publications usually miss, was that God’s ways are nuanced and mysterious and that what we might think of as “Big” pales in comparison to God’s imagination. For, the power of the Christmas story lies in its simplicity and its directness. The first Christians were surprised (shocked? astonished?) to discover that the Messiah they were waiting for came in a small package. He came as an infant, born in common circumstances, to a young family of low estate. While many of us might expect larger than life celebrations for God’s entry into the world, what we actually get is a moment of human drama. Birth. Parents know this moment, while often private and quiet, is momentous in it’s potential and possibility. With each birth comes great hope and joy. Indeed, God did Christmas big the first time, with such a small package.
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