It is a story that is hard to believe - that the Omnipotent God, Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, would come to earth in the body of a human being, live a life of perfect righteousness and obedience, suffer a cruel death -- all to redeem His fallen and disobedient unworthy creatures and save them forever.
I know it's hard to believe.
That's why most people don't believe it.
To millions (billions?) of people it is the most outlandish claim possible.
"God would never do such a thing. Not a real God.
Maybe a make-believe God (on the other hand, who would make up such an outlandish story?) but not a real God," people say to me.
"My God is just too great to do such a thing," a friend told me.
I tried to explain -- that's exactly why He did it - because He is so great!
Wonder if you loved a woman, I asked my friend -- really loved her, wanted to be with her forever -- would you go yourself and tell her, or would you send her a message -- an email or text, or send a friend to tell her.
Of course not! You would go yourself.
God did that. He sent His prophets and His messages, but when it came time to really show His love, He came Himself!
God displays the greatness of His love, not by staying far from us, but by coming directly to us.
There's a great tale from the early Puritan days of America that reflects this.
We all learned it as children.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow recorded it in verse in
The Courtship of Miles Standish.
Romantic love was important to the Puritans.
Miles Standish, the military leader of the Plymouth colony, loved Priscilla Mullins. He was not good with words and had difficulty expressing himself.
His dear young friend, John Alden, was a thoughtful and clever writer.
John was good with words and passionate, and so Miles asked him to go to Priscilla and make his case. To tell her that he loved her and wanted to marry her.
The problem was that John also loved Priscilla. But loyal to his dear friend, he went to Priscilla to deliver the love message.
As he approached the little cabin where Priscilla sat spinning, he could hear her singing. He gathered flowers into a bouquet and listened for a few moments.
(Remember what she was singing? Longfellow tells us it was Psalm 100!)
He went to the door and greeted her, shared some random conversation and then gave her his important message from Miles Standish, explaining that Captain Standish was very busy and wanted John to deliver his heart-felt desire for her.
Her answer?
"Has he not time for such things, as you call it,
before he is married, would he be likely to
find it, or make it, after the wedding?
"That is the way with you men; you don't
understand us, you cannot.
"....When one is truly in love, one not only
says it, but shows it....
"...Why don't you speak for yourself, John Alden?"
So Priscilla Mullins married John Alden -
If Miles had come himself, Longfellow indicates, the tale would have had a different ending.
When John Alden came to visit Priscilla, he heard her singing Psalm 100 -- a real favorite of the Puritans.
Here are the words of another hymn - one sung by the early Christians in Philippi -- recorded by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:6-11--
(5) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something
to be grasped
But made Himself nothing,
Taking the very nature of a servant,
Being made in human likeness
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself and became obedient
to death--even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
And gave Him the name that is
above every name
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
Because of His greatness and His all-consuming love, He came Himself! He didn't send angels or videos -
God spoke for Himself!
God spoke for Himself!
PS Wouldn't be great if we knew the tunes the early Christians used to sing their hymns?
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