Two awesome ladies at our church have decided to film a nativity video using all the kiddos that attend our church. And, golly, is it gonna be cute! To get a head start on the filming and editing, they began the process yesterday. I got the opportunity to tag along and help corral all the little sheep and wise men and angels. And go buy them pizza. Even the inhabitants of Bethlehem love pizza.
Such chaos when you are dealing with 15 kids, all under 11 years old! We had sheep rubbing off their black eyeliner noses, wise men flipping their crowns upside down (making them look less like kings of the East and more like Spartan warriors), an angel who decided that wings were so "last season", a Mary who was slightly terrified to hold a real-life baby Jesus, and said baby Jesus who liked rolling out of his manger to eat hay. But somehow, it all seemed to come together. And somehow, I was reminded of a beautiful truth through children making the story of Jesus' birth---which I have heard countless times---come to life...
As the filming began, I stood in the background, smiling at the sweet faces and tiny people who were acting out what is, quite literally, one of the greatest stories of all time. I oohh'd and ahhh'd with the parents as we watched the scene unfold and all their adorable kids do cute things that will make the final product imperfectly perfect. I don't think there could have been a cuter baby to play Jesus. He's this sweet, happy 6-month-old with olive skin and a dark, curly ringlets on top of his head. He actually kinda looks like what I imagine Jesus might have looked like as a baby. And, of course, he did all the typical, adorable, uncooperative things you can guess a 6-month-old portraying the Savior of the world would do. Rolled out of the manger. Tried to eat hay. Crawled all over (and drooled on) the gifts from the wise men. And he naturally smiled and laughed the whole time. So so sweet.
And as I watched all that, it suddenly occurred to me that he was probably not doing anything that the real baby Jesus wouldn't have done. Jesus was an infant, too. He giggled, He crawled, He drooled, He cried, He gummed Mary's shoulder as His first tooth threatened to break the skin, He slept snuggled up to her chest in the middle of the night. He learned to walk on shaky legs, and He got scrapes on His knees and elbows from falling on the dirt-packed floor of His Nazareth home. The only difference was that His tiny hands that often grasped His earthly father's finger also created the universe.
He was 100% God. And 100% man.
I've never been able to wrap my mind around the Hypostatic union of Jesus. The fact that He was God and human at the same time is about as easy to understand as the concept of eternity or God having no beginning. Or math. But no matter how unfathomable it is, how much more comforting is it to know that the One who has the power to save us from sin and death is the very same One that knows what it is like to be like us?
Hebrews 2 tells us "...he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." And chapter 4 reminds us "...we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need."
Wow. Our sufferings, our feelings, our temptations, our ups and downs are nothing new to our Savior. He's been there. He lived it. He never sinned, but He lived what we go through every day. He can relate. He understands.
And He gives us mercy and grace. He loves us so very much.
Isn't it amazing that God could use a makeshift nativity scene with a handful of small children to remind me of one of His many deep, rich, beautiful truths? He's awesome like that.
***scripture taken from ESV***
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