Welcoming Jesus
Jesus' birthday is celebrated with such abandon in many parts
of the world that one might think that Jesus is the most popular
person who ever lived. Jesus is so popular that we all want to
welcome him with open arms, at least once a year. Or do we? A look
at what the Gospels tell about the birth of Jesus tells us that
welcoming the birth of Jesus is no easy task.
Mary was much perplexed before accepting Gabriel's request
that she invite Jesus into her womb. When Joseph realized that his
betrothed, Mary, had conceived a child that could not be his, his
first reaction was to send Mary and the unborn child away. It was
up to Gabriel to change his mind about that. When Jesus was born
in Joseph's ancestral city of Bethlehem because of the
registration required by the emperor Augustus, there was no room
for him anywhere in the city. Only when their fear of "the Glory
of the Lord" was calmed did the shepherds hasten to Bethlehem to
see the new-born child. The emperor welcomed the child by
accepting the tally scroll his agents created for him. Three magi
from the East came to Judea to pay homage to the child, but King
Herod had no room for Jesus anywhere. He sent his agents to erase
the child from the census figures altogether, only to be foiled by
the magi and Joseph. John tells us that the Word who was with God
and was God from the beginning became flesh and lived among us.
But the world did not know him and did not accept him. If Jesus is
subject to such a worldwide rejection, can we be so sure that we
do not reject him as well?
To the Emperor Augustus, Jesus was just one more cipher on a
scroll, but King Herod was smart enough to realize that this child
threatened to be usurp his throne. We may think that we aren't
like the Emperor Augustus or King Herod because we are not rulers,
but we had better think again. If we want to rule our own lives,
then Jesus poses the same threat to each of us that he poses to
Augustus and Herod. If we let Jesus live, Jesus will take over our
lives and rule our hearts. If we want to rule our own lives, we
have better reduce this child to a statistic or get rid of him
altogether. We had better kill anything in our hearts that would
make room for this child, or our hearts will melt with God's love
for the world that was so great that he gave us his own begotten
son. Herod chose to attempt to destroy the Christ Child. Joseph,
his own world turned upside down by Jesus' birth, chose to welcome
him and protect him. Today, Jesus presents the same choice to us:
Will we welcome him into our hearts and let him rule our lives?
 -- Abbot Andrew
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