A Theological Christmas Story

December, 2003

by: Jeff Jones

Every December the junior high group has a little Christmas outing called the “Progressive Dinner.” In a nutshell, we have everyone dress up real nice, we get on a bus, and go to three or four different houses, having part of a meal at each one (i.e., appetizer, salad, main course, dessert). But, at our last stop, I like to tell what is called “A Theological Christmas Story.” So, since it is that time of the year, I thought I'd relate the essence of how “A Theological Christmas Story” goes…

I grew up in Portland, Oregon. It rains there a lot. After it rains, slugs like to come and hang out (or do whatever they do) on the sidewalks. As a child (and as a teenager as well), my friends and I would oftentimes do cruel things to these slimy creatures ... like pour salt on them on watch them shrivel up (yes, I was somewhat demented). Later in life, as I became more sensitive (in general — not so much as to animal rights), I wondered to myself what it would be like to be a slug and have someone poking me with a stick and/or pouring salt on me. I wondered if I would be willing to be a creature of slime, go through what they go through, experience their troubles, etc. I concluded that such things would not be terribly desirable. But upon thinking about this, a curious illustration came to me…

Philippians 2:5-8 says that “Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond–servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Yes, you read it correctly. Jesus, being equal with God became a man!! This would be similar to me (or you) becoming a slug. Yet, what Jesus did was far more humbling. Without going into too much detail, Paul brought up this fact about Jesus to give us an example of what true humility looks like. Jesus is the humility model for believers to follow. We are commanded to have this same humble attitude (cf. Phil 2:5). That is, believers ought to regard other people as more important, even if the cost is great. This is exactly what Jesus did.

So, next time you see images of that baby lying in a manger, remember that for your sake Jesus become poor. The Creator entered the womb of a woman, became dependent on His parents, experienced what it means to be human, and eventually died on a cross… all this for the benefit of others.

Christmas is about humility. Let the birth of the savior remind you to be humble, considering others more important than yourself.