Devotion

On Christmas Eve, the reality of incarnation becomes concrete. Mary went into labor. A baby was born. Not in comfort but in a stable. The mother of God gave birth in humble, difficult circumstances and placed her newborn in an animal's feeding trough. This is incarnation: not grand, not comfortable, not on humanity's terms. Humble. Vulnerable. Real. On Christmas Eve, let this reality move you. God did not negotiate for better circumstances. God entered whatever circumstances existed. God chose vulnerability. God chose birth—the most human, most physical, most vulnerable experience. This is stunning. This changes everything. If God chose to be born this way, then no circumstance is too humble for God. No vulnerability is beyond God. No human experience is too raw for God to enter. God is there in the stable as much as in a palace. God is present in limitation, in pain, in joy, in struggle. This Christmas Eve, let yourself remember that you are not separate from incarnation. Your body, your experience, your circumstance—God entered all of it in Jesus. You are never outside of God's concern or presence. Let this truth settle you as Christmas arrives.