One of my favorite Christmas paintings is by Peter Bruegel. It’s a crowded Flemish village scene where a young man flirts with a girl walking by, a merchant haggles with his customer, several men are compiling tax rolls. Off to the side two women butcher a pig, kids throw snowballs, others scurry about everyday affairs.
Unnoticed, coming into town, a carpenter leads a donkey on which sits a young woman far along in pregnancy.
How can the baby born that Christmas night fit into that world….or our world? Must he not overthrow almost everything going on? No.
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
– John 3:17
The Christmas baby will be in our world, yet not of the world. It’s still God’s world, and the baby will redeem the world – return it to God, by marvelously using all that would defeat God’s love to achieve God’s love.
Am I eager to get what I want? Jesus would change what I want to get.
Do I strive for wealth? Christ gives me a hundred loving ways to use my wealth.
Do I desire to be great? Jesus reveals that the greatest is to be like him, a servant of all and a way open to all.
Do I resist mightily the end of life. Jesus gives me life without end.
There is not a person in Bruegel’s village (or mine!) on which the child of Christmas cannot shine his light. It is His world that he comes to redeem.
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with you there.”
Amy Inghram
2 comments:
This really spoke to me Amy--thanks!
Thank you for your kind words!
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