God loves us enough to be vulnerable.
Today is the first day of the 2021 Advent season. Advent is observed on Sundays, starting November 30th (if this is the last Sunday in November) and ends on Christmas Eve. It is not simply the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but each Sunday in December we remember, reflect, and rejoice in the birth, life and death, resurrection, and return of Jesus. For the month of December in honor of Advent, so will be posting on Sundays.
The story of Jesus is one of my favorite parts of the Bible to read. I love reading the words written in red. I love being taught by the Teacher, and being taught what God is truly like. I love the hope that He gives, the way He lived His life true to what He taught others. Jesus puts life with God on display in a way that no one else could have ever done. He was obedient to the will of the Father, even when the Father’s will involved Him being lynched. Before we see Jesus do all these things, we have to look at the beginning of His story.
Jesus’ birth narrative is found in Matthew and Luke. It is presented in two unique ways for specific reasons, but one element is present in both: vulnerability. Jesus could have been revealed to us in a pleathers of ways; there is no origin story for the prophet Elijah, Jesus could have just shown up like he did, or He could have been revealed Himself in a supernatural way and accomplished His mission in whatever way He ultimate chose. Or He could have rivaled the RimNs and established His throne on Earth. But the Father decided to reveal His Son, the Creator of the Universe, in the simplest way possible.
God’s greatest revelation was a baby.
Babies are uniquely special people. They are completely dependent on others for survival. They have no choice but to trust that they will be taken care of or else they will die. Babies are helpless. Babies are needy. Babies are defenseless. Babies are innocent, having done nothing wrong to anyone, yet they are susceptible to mistreatment. To sum all this up, babies are vulnerable. The ways God reveals Himself says something about His character. What does it mean for God to reveal His Son as a baby? What does that say about God?
One thing it communicates is that God experiences vulnerability Himself. Vulnerability is not weakness, but courage. It is the courage to do what no other is willing to do. It is the courage to show up when others have given up. It is the courage to continue when you feel like giving up. Vulnerability is when we are our most authentic selves. But why vulnerability? Why is this overlooked theme of the Christmas season so important? Because being vulnerable means you are entering the story of shame. When life calls for us to be vulnerable, you will encounter shame, scarcity, fear. anxiety, uncertainty, disappointment, depression, and the list goes on. Jesus encountered all of these features, being born a peasant in Galilee and ultimately a homeless Rabbi. In the face of all the darkness, to be vulnerable means being a light that shines in that darkness. Being vulnerable offers newness to the story you’re entering into. Jesus entered a scandalous story filled with uncertainty, doubt, fear, anxiety, wrath, oppression, and shame. When someone is vulnerable in a story with so many dark themes. they begin to cultivate a counter narrative that offers love, belonging, joy, comfort, and peace. Joy is the most vulnerable of all human emotions. When we experience joy there is always that thought in the back of our minds that “this thing” is too good to be true. To maintain the joy that “the world didn’t give and the world can’t take away” requires gratitude, dependence on God, trusting God, realizing we are helpless, needy, defenseless, we are just like babies.
Maybe that’s why vulnerability is so important. Maybe vulnerability reminds us that though we micro-evolve from infancy to adulthood in the course of our lifespans, we are babies—God’s children, forever dependent on Him for everything good thing. Jesus entered the sin-stained story of humanity and offered love, hope, faith, and joy. That is what true vulnerability is all about.
Until next time, continue to stay guided by grace,
Tra
Guided by Grace 