Two Surprises of Christmas, A Communion Meditation

Two Surprises of Christmas, A Communion Meditation (Shared December 22, 2024)

As we prepare our hearts for communion, let’s reflect on the season of Christmas and the surprising ways God’s grace was revealed to us through the birth of Christ.  How would you expect the God of the universe to reveal himself to people?  How does the creator reach out to the created?

The first surprise of Christmas is the humility of God’s incarnation.  Think about this:  the infinite, all-powerful Creator of the universe chose to enter His creation as a vulnerable baby.  Not born in a palace, but in a manger.  Not to wealthy, powerful parents, but to a young couple of modest means.  God didn’t come to us in grandeur but in humility.  Philippians 2:6–8 tells us that Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”  As we partake of the bread and the cup, let us be thankful for the humility of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life for us.

The second surprise of Christmas is the inclusion of the marginalized.  When Christ was born, the first to hear the good news weren’t rulers or religious leaders—they were shepherds, people on the fringes of society.  And not long after, wise men from the East—Gentiles, outsiders to God’s chosen people—came to worship Him.  From the very beginning, the message of Jesus was one of radical inclusion:  that God’s salvation is for all people, regardless of status, nationality, or background.  As we come to the table, we’re reminded of the words of Jesus:  “This is my body, broken for you” and “This is my blood, poured out for many.”  Communion invites everyone who believes to remember and rejoice in this truth:  through Christ, we are all brought near to God.

Today, as we take the bread and the cup, let us be grateful for these surprises:  the humility of our Savior, who came to serve, and the inclusiveness of His love, which welcomes us all.  May this time of communion remind us that Christ’s birth, life, and sacrifice were part of God’s perfect plan to redeem and unite us as one family in Him.