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Merry Christmas!
We are celebrating today as Christmas Sunday even though it is the fourth Sunday of Advent.
Today, we are celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
His birth changed the way we think about our life. His birth gave us hope. His birth showed God’s desire for this world.
What was God’s desire for the world?
What did God want us to do? What message did he want to get across through the birth of Jesus?
I think that message is this.
Be humble!
That is the Christmas message this year.
God became a human being. That is the message of being humble. The king became a servant. How much more humble can you get?
St. Paul clearly understood this when he said this.
…though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8)
Jesus – even though he was God, he humbled himself to be human – not only human but the form of a slave.
He was not born in a royal family. He was not born to a powerful king. He was not born in rich and influential parents.
He himself did not enjoy the privilege of the power of this world.
He was not a partner in a big accounting company. He was not an investment banker. He was not an MP. He was not a doctor. He was not a lawyer.
Pharisee, a scribe, a priest – they are the ones who held the high position in their society. Jesus was none of that.
He was nobody in the eyes of the world. He was humble in every sense.
His birth, his life, and his death – they all point to the humility.
But the irony is: the humble Jesus revealed most clearly, the power of God.
A very strange dynamic!
He had no power but he changed the world. He defeated all the powers of this world. He destroyed the Roman kingdom.
That is the power of humility.
St. Paul talked about Jesus’ humility and immediately after that he said this.
This captures that power very clearly.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
Everyone will worship him – That is what we do now.
When St. Paul wrote this passage, he didn’t see that yet.
Jesus was not a world famous figure. The universal recognition of Jesus was not yet the historical reality.
But somehow Paul saw that. It was his prophecy.
Mary captured this sentiment very well when she found out that she had a baby.
She expressed her own humility first.
…he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. (Luke 1:48)
She was very conscious and aware of her humble status.
Why me? I am nobody. I am just a poor peasant girl.
Then the message came to her.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:51-53)
She was not just impregnated with a baby physically.
She was impregnated with the message. She was impregnated with God’s desire for the world.
God’s desire for the world is this. Be humble!
Lack of humility brings disaster to you.
Herod lacked humility and that’s why he killed so many babies because of the birth of Jesus. He was scared because his kingship was threatened.
People who built the Babel tower lacked humility and that’s why they built the tower high. They were scared to be drowned from the flood.
The king Saul lacked humility and that’s why he tried to kill David. He was scared and threatened.
Lack of humility is very much to do with your fear.
Humility is the acknowledgment of God’s power.
It is not just the acknowledgment of your weaknesses. But it is the acknowledgment of God’s power.
So humility is always accompanied by trust in God.
Even in impossible situations, even in helpless situations, we trust in God’s power.
The news of having a baby for a little girl was too much to take.
Who can handle such a devastating news? That was an impossible situation.
Mary could have wished that it was somebody else who was chosen to do what was given to her.
And yet, at the end, she said, let it be so.
I don’t have power. I don’t have power to run away. I don’t have power to handle the scandal. I don’t have power to control my future.
I may be stoned to death. I may be rejected by Joseph. I may be kicked out from home.
I have no power to control my situations.
But let it be so.
That’s what humility is.
In her humility, she recognized the power of God. That’s why humility is powerful.
Humility is not just seeing who you are. Humility is seeing what God can do.
In humility, we trust God. In humility, we will experience the power of God as Mary experienced it.
Because of her humility, Mary was able to go through even the most difficult time of seeing his son being crucified.
Even after Jesus died, she did not give up. When 120 gathered together in Mark’s upper room, Mary was there, praying with others.
Because she believed in the power of God.
Humble people don’t give up. Humble people don’t fear their impossible situations.
Humble people always look to God.
Humble people do not focus on their lowliness but on God’s greatness.
My friends, God wants us to be humble. Because God can only work through humble people.
Through humble people, God’s power is manifested. Through humble people, God’s love is shared.
Humble people will see that it is God who has exalted them, not themselves.
That’s why they have deep joy. They know clearly that salvation belongs to God, not to them.
You don’t have to save yourself. You don’t have to worry about what is in store for you. You don’t have to create a path for yourself.
God saves you. God knows what you need. God takes care of your future. God creates a path for you.
That is the Christmas message. Be humble and trust in God’s power.
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