Klamath Courier
Malin, OR December 22, 2004
Vol. 2, No. 51, Page 1, Column 6
Words from Webster
by Daniel Webster
Blasting into Christmas

   Christmas is the moment in time when God and our human reality collided.
The universe has never been the same since. It's a concept that simple
country folks understand and children can grasp.
   Imagine, you are hanging out in the field one night, doing what you do
best, watching your sheep. You are a simple person and your needs and
wants are basic. Grandeur is not part of your sphere of existence.
   Bam.
   The sky unleashes what has never been seen by human eye. Brightness.
Pounding, powerful brightness. Searing light unknown to man. Night into
day. Illumination so bright it thunders in your brain cavity bringing
about a paralyzing pain.
   You fall down ? motionless. Fear grips your innermost core.
   Cowering, you look up in wonderment. Your eyes retreat, you can't look.
You glimpse again. Covering your face. You want to see what it is, but
you physically can't. You keep looking.
   You aren't sure what exactly your eyes are making out, as there is no
physical reality to place this moment into context.
   It's as if all the stars of the night sky came hurling into your face
and exploded. The power is unimaginable as darkness erupts out of sight.
   It all happens so suddenly, it's as if a billion years pass in less than
a  second. Time stands still. Your consciousness of the physical reality
surrounding you  vanishes and you are absorbed by the unfathomable.
   Before you have the opportunity to breathe, the forms in the sky break
out into what you want to describe as music, yet you can't as the
greatest composers have never created a chorus such as you hear.
   From the midst of the chaos, order forms. The brightness doesn't
dissipate, but your consciousness of the physical reality comes back
into focus. The miraculous display before you becomes a part of the
field where you lie fearfully shaking. From the core of the light a form
bellows in words you comprehend, "For unto you is born this day in the
City of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord."
   And you start running to town.
   Simultaneously, just beyond the hill in the distance, a quite different,
unexplainable phenomenon occurred.
   The most powerful force in the universe, the Creator of all that is,
comes out of a human womb. God is born in flesh, with blood pumping
through His veins. His lungs take the first breath. His senses
experience our world for the first time in human form.
   His first introduction to life as we know it is breathing in the stench
of goat urine and cow feces.
   No sterility. No misinterpretations of the real world. No white-washed
platitudes. No gold covered glitz inside a monumental church.
   Just simple animal stench, smelly straw poking His face. And cold.
Bitter cold.
   No bells. No choruses.
   He was greeted by a ram staring at Him, with its head cocked, wondering
why this thing ? God ? was lying in its dinner tray.
   God was greeted with a "Bah."
   It seems like a most undignified entrance for God, but, that's our
finite human sphere of thinking, of course.
   We can't fathom God making an entrance into our world to begin with, let
alone conceive of how it should be done.
   If we had orchestrated this event we would definitely have done it
differently. First of all, the whole angel routine crashing through the
heavens in front of some poor shepherds minding their own business,
scaring the living bajoobies out of them was a bit much. It's too out of
control if the shepherds are to be believed when they  come running into
town screaming about what they just witnessed.
   This really should be structured as something believable to human
perceptions.
   Plus, the birth of God is a rather dignified event that should probably
occur in some proper royal institution or at least a beautiful white
church where there's an offering plate available for those moved enough
to give cash after seeing the magnificence of the moment.
   But a stable, where animals feed? Goat urine? Straw pricking God's ear?
Oh please, come on.
   "Bah," we would say to such a crazy night.
   But, that's what Christmas is about, my friend. It's about God reaching
down into the muck and mire of our filthy lives and not being afraid to
get His hands dirty with our mess.
   It's not about us becoming clean enough for Him to come, but God taking
us as we are and loving us no matter what state our life is in. He
proved it at His birth.
   He doesn't wait for the chaos of our lives to come into order, He steps
into our chaos and brings order.
   It's as if He is the most powerful gyroscope imaginable dwelling within
us. No matter how much the world around us turns upside down, the
"Creation force" within us will keep us centered.
   The grace and mercy of His redemption is the most powerful concept known
to man, because He chose to come into our existence, saying, I love you,
I forgive you.
   And the power of that moment occurs when we turn our face to Him.
   In that moment, the Creator of all that is puts His spirit inside us.
The same power that crashed through time and space on Christmas night
comes into you and gives you the power to change your life. It's nothing
short of miraculous.
   How do I know He has the power to change a life, forgive and love no
matter what? I've experienced it. I'm living proof.
   And how can Christmas crash into your life?
   You say, "God forgive me of my sins. I believe that you love me and you
were born into this world to save me. I believe that you died on the
cross to forgive me of my sins and I accept your forgiveness, which
gives me the right to stand before you as a clean, blameless person.
Please come into my heart. I accept you as my Lord and Savior."
   No matter who you are, what you've done, or what your status in life ?
no matter what color, race, background, age or orientation, God loves
you.
   And this Christmas can be the celebration of your birth as well.
   May the power of God's peace envelop you this Christmas season and may
your year be filled with His hope and joy.

-Daniel Webster