Divine Baby…
Can you take a moment to imagine a newborn baby?
What do you notice?
How do you feel in the presence of a newborn?
What words come to your mind?
…
Christmas day, the day we mark Jesus’ birth.
The Divine became human.
The Divine as a newborn baby…
What feelings or words come to mind?
…
I have been contemplating why God chose to enter the world as a baby. A baby completely reliant on their care givers. A beautiful, precious, wondrous, vulnerable, life filled, dependant baby. Full of wonder and the need for cuddles, warmth and closeness.
I’ve wondered if this suggests that God deeply trusted in the goodness of his people, trusted them with their life and upbringing.
Rutger Bregman, in his book HumanKind, says research shows that most of us believe, that when push comes to shove, people are pretty awful, selfish and ruthless. We know we all mess up, get things wrong, some people do awful things, but does this define us as humans? Many a religious institution coupled with a toxic media has convinced us that we are fundamentally bad. But, Bregman goes on to tell us that the research shows something different, that when in a crisis, most of us become our best selves not our worst - putting others’ safety before our own, and, when in danger, remaining calm and compassionate.
This year, the Christmas story has got me thinking… does God as a newborn baby reveal more of this idea of original goodness? A deep love and trust in the ordinary, everyday human love and kindness? I want to dig deeper into what it means to be human and to be connected to this Divine Love.
I have come to experience and understand a deep sense of goodness at the core of humanity, that we are made of God - of Love - and rather than in need of rescuing from our sin, we need reminding of our goodness… Reminding because the bad stuff is so much easier to believe.
No matter how disillusioned and frustrated I have been with the church and Christianity, my love towards Jesus continues to deepen and grow. Jesus as divine love personified, that prioritised the oppressed, marginalised and persecuted, that spoke truth to power, and who showed a different way of being in the world that centred love and goodness.
Since the day I entered into relationship with the Divine, I’ve been opening myself to this love and allowing it to reveal my deepest self. Learning to see myself, others and the earth through eyes of love not judgement. Seeing all life as precious and of infinite value.
Matt Haig says in The Comfort Book, when we look at a baby, we see they lack nothing… their value is ‘innate from their first breath’, not determined by external things (wealth, politics, appearance, popularity) but the infinite value of being human, of our very existence.
What if at Christmas, we are being reminded that:
All life is precious.
We are all loved and of infinite value.
Goodness lies at the heart of humanity.
God believes in us and trusts us.
Happy Christmas!