the small and mighty power of Christmas

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” -Ephesians 1:18-20

Last night I told my children a story.

“What if you were in a burning building?” I said. “Imagine that you are about to perish, and you call me on your phone to ask for help. And what if I told you not to worry, that I loved you too much to let this happen to you, and that I would send you help. What if I said a baby was on his way there to save you?”

“That’s crazy,” said my Boy 2.

Oh, but that is the Christmas story.

People were far from Father God, perilously broken, and in danger for centuries. We were so bad off, that God sent a baby to save us.

It’s a bit humbling. And perhaps it seems crazy, like my son said.

God’s power is not limited by the smallness of the life He fills, though. He is still mighty and strong in the smallest vessel. Even housed within the the fragile newborn body of a carpenter’s son, He rose in glory to defeat sin and darkness.

The hope that rises from that thought is brighter than all the Christmas lights strung from one corner of the earth to the other.

We are each one small life. We began as babies, and now we are people buying small tokens to put under Christmas trees, women waiting tables for tips, men typing away at computers, mothers kneeling beside beds in prayer, families gathering to mourn those we have lost, fathers pushing babies in swings, children playing in the snow, and people holding signs on street corners hoping for a hot meal today.

And yet. God sent a baby, and His power rose high above every other power, and it fills our life with hope that we, too, will rise one day.

God’s Son came into the world, mighty to save. Now His Son sends us, filled with the might of His own resurrection into the world to do His will. That’s what Christmas is all about; that’s what life is all about.

May the crazy story of Christmas draw us all close to God’s heart for the world. May God’s strength and power fill our hearts with wonder and joy this year and ever after. May we be transformed by the powerful hope of Christ’s call on our small lives.

Merry Christmas.