Christmas is somewhat hard to understand.
I don't mean the presents, trees, lights, and office parties, though those don't always make sense either. I mean this whole thing about Jesus. It is a bit crazy, after all. Christians believe that Jesus is a part of the God who created and sustains everything that exists.
That Jesus is God.
That he was conceived not through the normal method, but miraculously through the Holy Spirit.
That this being who was God decided to become a part of the creation he made.
That he showed up, not in power and pomp and circumstance, but as a child born to a poor Jewish family in the small village of Bethlehem almost 2000 years ago.
Paul, in one of his letters included in the Bible, expressed it in a rather dramatic fashion.
"He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11, The Message)
Jesus set aside the privileges of being God so that he could become one of us. So that he could rescue us and show us how much we are loved by God.
Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher, has written a parable that goes like this.
"Once there was an extremely wealthy king who decided to go about the kingdom and see his realm. He went out with his trumpeter, and his guards, and rode in his royal carriage. He went from town to town, and all the villagers came out to see him, and to greet him.
Then one day, as he was travelling through the countryside, a single young maiden comes up beside the road. As he passes by in his carriage, the king is captivated by her beauty. After he returns to his castle he finds that he cannot stop thinking about this amazing young woman he saw on the side of the road.
"So he calls his advisers and tells them of his deep love for this woman, and his desire to make her love him. He tells them his plan, “I am going to issue a royal decree that this woman is to come and be my bride. You will go and bring her to me. We will dress her in the finest clothing. We will give her the finest jewels. I will surround her with the finest people this kingdom has to offer. She will come. I will place the crown on her head, and she will be my Queen.”
"One of the advisers says, “Well, King, you certainly could issue the decree. We would bring her here. We would give her more than she could ever ask or imagine. We could make her into the Queen, and she would be your wife. But how would you ever know if you had her heart? How would you ever know if she truly loved you? How would you know if she was here with you for fear of breaking your laws?”
"The King says, “Ah... I see your point. Well, maybe I will just go down there myself. I will get out of my carriage, declare my undying love for her. I will pick her up in my arms and carry her back to the castle. Then I will place the crown on her head and she will be my Queen.”
"The adviser again replies, “Well, you certainly could do that. But you must realise that wherever you go, you do not go alone. See, if you were to go down there, the first thing the maiden would encounter would be the shrill piercing blast of the trumpeter announcing your coming. Then the whole village would fill with dust as your guards come riding in on horseback. The whole ground shakes with your approach, King. Then imagine her surprise as your gilded carriage comes round the bend, pulled by your four grand horses, and stops right in front of her. Imagine her shock as you, the King, come down from the carriage and declare your love for her. Would she be in her right mind to fall in love? Would she be able to love you after all that?
"The King is dejected. He thinks there is no way for him to win the heart of this woman he has fallen in love with. Then, that evening as he was lying in his bed, he began to hatch a plan. He quietly got out of bed. Took off his royal pyjamas. Put on the clothes of a peasant and stealthily left the castle.
"He went down to the village and moved into an abandoned hut on the outskirts. From there he began to woo the young woman who he had so fallen in love with.
This is what God has done through Jesus. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. God coming to woo us, and show us how much he loves us.