The stunning expanse of a night sky. The intricacy of a snowflake. The complexity of the human eye. The absurdity of …zits.
The beauty of a sunset. The raw innocence of a newborn. The wonder of falling in love. The irritation… of someone letting out a loud belch.
You are mysteriously complex and beautiful.
I can see that from here.
However, guaranteed, if you were invited to meet with Leaders of the G8 you would dress different from what you’re wearing today. You would do your hair in some cooler way. You would smell a little bit better. You would rehearse what you would say and how you would shake your hand.
Why? Because they have power. They play by different rules. It’s a whole new level of existence when you’re running a country. But you. You don’t have bodyguards. You’re statements don’t get press coverage. Your life doesn’t grab headlines.
Perhaps that is why we have missed God.
We expect power to come bolting in a 3-piece suit demanding our attention. Never do we suspect to see infinite power lying on a dirty manger. While we are dressing up to meet with powerful men. God is dressing down to meet with us.
I’ve been told that we should dress up when we go to church. That dressing up is a sign of respect and honour to God. I only dress up for people I don’t know in settings I’m not typically comfortable in. But do dress down when I’m with my family I wear my sweats and my Extra-large Club Monaco sweater I got in Grade 8-and yet I’m not looked at any less by anyone in my family.
I guess you can say that I dress down for those I love the most.
and… I think… that is why God chose to make himself known in our world through the vulnerability of a baby. A baby has no clout. It has no purchasing power. An infant is weak and defenseless.
Yet for all these faults we still love babies.
Why?
Because they are soft.
Because they are cute.
Because they smell good.
Because a baby represents new hope.
Jesus came as a baby so that we would know that hope comes in the smallest and unlikeliest packages.
So we celebrate
and dream
and love
and hope.
God has been set loose in our world and though some of us have missed him he remains to be found in the smallest and unlikeliest of places.
He just might be sitting next to you.