First Sunday of Christmas

The Bible reading assigned to this week is the story of Jesus being found, as a boy, in the temple when his parents were looking anxiously for him.  One of the powerful messages of this story and the Christmas story, is not only the divinity of Jesus, but also his humanity.  To be gently told off by our parents is part of life.  Here Jesus, the Son of God, takes it in his stride.  To embrace the whole human experience from birth through childhood and beyond is, for us, entirely natural.  However, for the Son of God it is an act of immeasurable humility.  It is like us becoming a tiny insect for a day and never complaining.  Of course, the gap between God and us is much greater than this as the Creator chooses to become the creature.  At the start of the new year, as we thank God for His blessings of 2018, we can thank him for his incredible humility and aspire in 2019 to be humbler ourselves.