Whose Birth?

Written by Russell Mitchell-Walker

Monday, 12 December 2011 10:13

This past Sunday a parent told me about a question her 8 year old son had. He was saying somthing like, 'I'm confused whose birth are we celebrating, it is Jesus or God's?' Now that is a very good question and I can understand his confusion as there is much theology in the church that equates Jesus with God, that Jesus is God. However, doctrine clearly states that we understand Jesus to be fully human and fully divine. Jesus never identifies himself as God in the way we might understand God. He may say that I and the 'Father' (God) are one, but that is not the same as being God in the traditional sense. My understanding of God is not traditional. I believe that Jesus was giving us a message that we are all divine, that God, the Divine is in each one of us. I think Jesus was more in touch with that divinty within and was encouraging all around him to be the same. When we are fully in touch with ourselves, our humanity, present to those around us and all that is important, love, compassion, justice, hope, joy, and peace, then we are tapping into that divine presence, God in and with us. It is not easy, as there are so many distractions that take us away from being present. That is what Jesus was teaching about. That is what his challenges to the powers of the time was about. 'Don't be so caught up in the rules and the laws of the time that you miss caring for others, that you missing loving your neighbour as yourself.' For us today it may be 'Don't be so caught up in making money and being successful, or haveing the next greatest thing, that you miss what is important in life, lovling others as yourself'. This is the message of the Christmas Story. Of the Christ, the Divine, breaking into our lives in unexpected ways and places. That we are all called to be fully who we are, loving ourselves that we can love others. When we do this, God is with us and in us, the Divine breaks through and wonderful things can and will happen. That is what I believe. That is the Christmas message of the Birth for me.

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