“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15
Here is a question that may have crossed your mind during this Christmas Season sometime or another. Why did Jesus Christ come into the world the way that he did? How did any of that make sense; coming to earth as a baby, shepherds being the first to hear the message, having to be born in a stable instead of a palace, common people raising him as a child? Doesn’t it seem a little backwards for the way God should have come into the world? Shouldn’t the creator of the universe come with trumpets blaring, armies saluting, crowds clamoring and cheering, and a royal palace prepared for their arrival?
I have often wondered about those questions myself from time to time. It certainly would have been easier for Jesus if he had come as a mighty warrior or King, displaying his cosmic power for all to see! There would have been no question of his divinity, but there also would have been a lack of love and understanding in that process. You see, I believe that one of the reasons (among many) that God came down in the form of a babe was that he chose to experience every aspect of his creation and everything they would face in a lifetime. Think about it, all of the emotions, fears, cravings, pains, sorrows, joys, and ponderings we face as humans, Jesus endured as well. But, being that he was fully God and fully man, he did not falter or fail through sin and vice. He led a perfect life, but experiences all the same struggles that we here on earth have endured. No one can say to Christ, “You have no idea what it is like to be me!” Because Jesus has walked in the shoes of humanity. We serve a God that endured the sufferings of this world in order that his creation would not have to endure in loneliness. Jesus not only saved us, he lived with us.
This is the gift of empathy, the power of being able to humbly understand, or attempt to understand, the struggles and experiences of others. It is a gift that is seriously lacking in this day and age. Empathy has no place in the ways of the world, you cannot profit from it, you cannot manipulate it, and worst of all you cannot mobilize it to divide and conquer. It is for the very reason that the world rejects empathy that we must embrace this great gift from God. We must embrace the ability to sit across from our friends, family, and adversaries with viewpoints of understanding their journey just as we hope they understand our own.
I pray for the gift of empathy over our community this Christmas season. May we see each other with the eyes of Christ, seeking to understand and care for one another. May we see that we are all in this journey of life together; and remember what Emmanuel means this Holiday…
“God with us.”
Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel
Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
Cell: 919-935-2513
Email: pastormike@fumcfairfield.org
