Any of you who like to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition might have seen a show that aired last fall about the Keefer family in Pennsylvania. One of the Keefer sons, Brian, had a tumbling accident one week before his 21st birthday back in 2008, and he is now paralyzed from the neck down. Now, the reason I remember that particular episode is because Brian’s oldest brother, Adam, was one of my best friends in seminary. I could tell you all sorts of wonderful things about Adam, who died back in April, but I want to share with you the story of Brian and his dad, Steve. As you can imagine, when Brian broke his neck four years ago, his life was turned upside down. Before the accident, Brian was an active young man who loved playing volleyball with his brothers. He had just finished his sophomore year of college, majoring in health and physical education. After his accident, Brian could not even hold his own head up. He was not able to go back to school that fall. He couldn’t even take a shower by himself. Through the persistent work of his mother, Brian started bi-annual therapy at one of the best facilities in the U.S., therapy that continues to this day. Everyday, his parents would get him out of bed with a special lift, they would help him bathe and dress, they would feed him, and transport him to doctors’ appointments and therapy sessions.
But here’s where it really gets amazing. One year after Brian’s accident, his dad, Steve, retired early from his job. And in the fall of 2009, Steve accompanied Brian as he returned to college to complete his degree. A student lounge at the school was converted into a special room for Brian and his Dad to share. Brian changed his major to recreation management, and Steve accompanied Brian to all of his classes and helped him with all his work. Steve basically became a college student again, transporting Brian to and from gatherings with friends and special college activities. He continued the necessary work of bathing and feeding Brian, and he worked diligently to make sure Brian was never too hot or too cold, because Brian’s injury prevented his body from regulating his temperature appropriately. Nearly everything that Brian did, his Dad was at his side to make sure it happened; every class, every paper, every therapy session, Steve was right there. And he still is. This month, Brian, Steve, and Dawn (Brian’s Mom) will be moving temporarily to Oklahoma, where Brian will be working as the assistant coach for the U.S. Paralympic Volleyball team. It’s Brian’s first job, and as you can now see, it would not have been possible without the incredible sacrifices made by both of his parents; sacrifice borne out of love.
It’s pretty amazing isn’t it? To think of all that Steve and Dawn have given up in order that their son might live a normal life and even one day walk again. As much as Brian’s life changed the day of that accident so did theirs. And yet, it was what they did; there was never any question in their minds as to the “right” thing to do. They love their son, and they want the best for him. And if such love is possible on the human level, just think of Divine love, the love that God has for all of his creation, for each and every one of us. It would be nearly impossible to even fathom such love, except for something amazing that happened on that first Christmas so long ago.
God loves us so much and he wants a relationship with each and every one of us. In fact, God wants that relationship so much that he “became flesh and made his home among us.” We might not understand the magnitude of this sacrifice, but it is truly incredible. A father helping his paralyzed son gives us just a glimpse of what God does when he takes on human flesh and comes to live among us. And that is at the root of what Christmas is all about. The incarnation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son.”
I think it’s really difficult for us to grasp the expansiveness of God’s love for each of us. We don’t really have a comparable love in our relationships here on earth, and the ones that we do have, we so often take for granted. Do we truly appreciate the parents who love us so much they are willing to change the course of their lives for our well-being? Are we ourselves willing to drop everything for a friend in need because of our love for them? And do we truly believe that we are loved by our family, or do we sometimes question even that? I’m not saying that there aren’t bad relationships out there, but what I am saying is that too often, we take the good relationships for granted, not really appreciating the love that binds us together through thick and thin. It’s no wonder, then, that we so easily overlook and underestimate the desire God has to be in relationship with each of us because of his great love!
Everyone wants to know that he or she is important to someone. Remember how kids passed notes back and forth in middle school? “I like you,” they would begin. “Do you like me? Check yes, no, or maybe.” The reason we all want to be liked is because God created us for intimate, authentic relationships. Unfortunately, we also have a tendency to allow insecurities to creep into our relationships. Sometimes it goes so far that we learn to portray ourselves as being someone other than who we really are. We try so hard to “fit in,” as if we are not good enough to be loved. And the sad part of it all is that those self-esteem issues carry over into our relationship with God. Most of us have no problem believing in God, but we struggle mightily being secure in God’s belief in us. Do you ever think, “How can God believe in me? How could God ever possibly desire a relationship with me?” Most of us are pretty good at hiding our imperfections and deficiencies from others, even while being fully aware that we can’t hide anything from God.
So what is our response? We decide to run and hide, feeling a very real sense of shame, afraid of some terrible retribution from God. But simple fact is, God doesn’t want retribution, God wants a relationship. Yet, you and I are the ones who have created this emotional barrier. We are the ones running away. God pursues just as we are because God loves us. And Christmas is the heralding of God’s approach. This is the celebration of the God who comes to be with us; the God of light who shines his love even into the darkest corners of our souls. The incarnation is THE revelation of God’s immense love for humanity. When Jesus broke into the world as a newborn baby, it was God’s greatest announcement of all time. “You are important to me, I love you so much!”
The Christmas story testifies to the outrageous, pursuing love of God for a world so broken that it had already rejected God and his covenants countless times before Jesus ever came on the scene. God loves us and wants us, even while we doubt our worthiness. God loves us and wants us, even as we remain under the influence of unworthy lovers such as greed, selfishness, addiction, and deceit. God loves us and wants us so much that he has given his very own life for us. And God has created us to find our very life and meaning in him. But the only way to find that life and meaning is to believe in God’s love for us, and then to devote ourselves exclusively to the God of love.
Life is experienced not only when we accept God’s love for us, but when we return that love by loving others. And what God wants from us, for Jesus’ birthday and every day, is love. Rather than trying to run from God in shame, God craves that we return God’s immense love with our own, by loving and serving those who might seem unworthy. The simple truth of the matter is that this world is full of people who struggle with poverty, disease, addiction, depression, unemployment, divorce, homelessness, abuse, and on and on and on. And what we all know is that these sorts of struggles and trials we face in life make us feel like we do not deserve to be loved. You and I only exacerbate that problem when we heap judgment on people in tough situations. We don’t make things any better when we hoard wealth for ourselves, or when we bully other people. And it’s even worse when we know and experience God’s love ourselves and yet refuse to share that love with others.
We honor God most greatly when we love others with the same sort of unexplainable, unconditional, immense love with which God loves us. This is the best gift we could possibly give God, and the really amazing thing about it is than in sharing the blessing of God’s love, we receive the best possible gift in return! Rather than condemning ourselves and others, we are to offer love, support, and encouragement—even when it seems like too much work, even when we think the people don’t deserve it, even when it might require a sacrifice on our own parts. Because the simple fact is, God in Jesus Christ has done no less than that for each of us.
So our challenge this Christmas season is to encourage one another in God’s love and purpose for our lives. Let’s be life-givers. Let’s be promise-bearers for one another! Let’s remind each other of God’s miraculous, incredible way of reversing the tide. The simple truth is that we all need encouragement. We all need to serve and even at times to be served. That is why God came to live among us. God is pursuing a relationship with you, with me, with everyone. And even though none of us deserves it, God shows us mercy. God has sent his son to show us the way home. Jesus came to this earth as a tiny baby in humble, scandalous circumstances in order to save us; to offer us wholeness and life. This is the love we celebrate at Christmas! And this is the love we are called to show to God and to others in return! May it be so.
Amen.
