Saturday, December 8, 2012

fragile

Our family has a lot of Christmas traditions: things we do every year, things we do most years, things we do some years, and things we never do. For example, we always read the Christmas story on Christmas morning, but we never have fruitcake. One of our sometimes traditions is watching the movie "The Christmas Story."

On Christmas day, TNT shows "The Christmas Story" for 24 hours. The years we celebrated Christmas at my grandparents' house in Mukilteo, you could be sure to find TNT playing on at least one TV throughout the day. Choruses of "You'll shoot your eye out" echoed through the halls amidst the mess of relatives.

All this talk of tradition leads to the point of fragility.


In "The Christmas Story" on TNT, the hideous leg lamp is marked "FRAGILE." (To which the father in the movie proclaims, "Fra-gee-lay. It's Italian!" In a more serious way, the real Christmas story builds on the theme of fragility.

Luke chapter 2 details God's descent into humanity, becoming man in the frailest form possible. A newborn in a livestock stall. Completely dependent on other humans for survival. That's the anthem of Christmas: "God became fragile."

My personal Christmas tradition is to recognize the frailty of my own existence. Maybe it's the short, dark days. Maybe it's the constant reminders of God's love during the blessed season of Advent. Maybe it's the two weeks of scheduled rest that accompany my habit of always being in school. Maybe it's the security of coming home to Seabeck every year. Whatever the reason, Christmas always finds me fragile.

But that's how we always are, if we search our souls. We are fragile. Sin tries to destroy our lives every day. We are tempted, we are attacked, we are broken. We choose to ignore God, or worse, to reject Him. We can't save ourselves.

God knows that.

That's why He became fragile.

In this time of Advent, I look forward to the celebration of Christmas. Every year, we celebrate and remember that Jesus came to Earth for our rescue. Every day, we can live in that reality: the reality of Heaven come to Earth.

And more than knowing how the Christmas story ends, we know how the Easter story ends, too. The fragile baby born in a barn lives in such a way to secure the salvation of the world. He sacrifices Himself for our consequences. He beats death forever. There is nothing fragile about resurrection.

Reading ahead to the end of the story (think: Revelations and Daniel), Jesus returns to a fragile Earth in an epic showcase of power.

God, give me grace to recognize how fragile I am, but remind me always that you have defeated death.
In Jesus' powerful name, Amen.

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Ephesians 5

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – and find out what pleases the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:

“Awake, O sleeper!

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you!”

Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

hey guys