Tonight Matters.

God is not a simple being to believe in.

To say "I believe in God" is not equivalent to saying "I believe in democracy", "I believe in goodness", or "I believe in love".

God is too complex. He is too big. Too layered. Too intricate.

He is infinite.

He is the highest of highs, the deepest of depths, the source of anything good. He is above and beyond all things even as He is within all things, within our hearts, going through to our finger tips. The creator of all, not the way Ford created the assembly line or the way a sculptor creates arts. God willed all things into being, and they remain because He wills it so. Unlike the magician, He doesn't rely on tricks, illusions, outside works. He relies on Himself. King of Kings, Endless, Limitless, Eternal.

Consider that. Just for a minute. For my meager part, I can't think too hard about it; my brain just can't handle it. But try for a minute.

Then think: He came down.

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

God Himself took on a mortal nature. He gave up His incomprehensible glory and took up instead the sensation of cold, the ability to hurt, to catch fever and feel hungry. He who never knew weakness or tiredness, who could speak from the Heavens, became man, risked never being heard, and faced death.

The Being who has no limits became a baby.

He became one of us because He loves us. He came to us because his love could not be expressed otherwise, except by one who walked with us. He came because we need Him. By His death we were saved, but also by a life that began in a stable when the Lord of Lords left his seamless robe, and came to us.

So we sing Alleluia!, we sing Glory!, we sing Rejoice, rejoice! with all the angels, with all of Heaven. We fall to our knees and give thanks that our God has come to us, and has lifted up our race by his presence. Our hearts fill (if we're lucky, they expand). With or without our understanding, we are showered with purest, truest Love. For a moment, we grasp the awesomeness of our God, and so are humbled by his becoming one of us.

Christmas matters, not for the warm-fuzzy goodwill it inspires (which is just fine), but for the cold the Son of God felt, and for the life that followed. It matters because it was the beginning of the greatest expression of Love, ever.



Cherished family, beloved friends, and all my brothers and sisters in Christ, I wish you the happiest and most blessed Christmas.