[1] If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,

[2] make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

[3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.

[4] Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

[5] Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

[6] who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,

[7] but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,

[8] he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death-
even death on a cross.

[9] Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,

[10] so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

[11] and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

[12] Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

[13] for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

It was the Friday before the First Sunday of Advent. Folks had gathered at the church to decorate for the Advent and Christmas season. The Sanctuary was finished and most people were decorating their Sunday School rooms, the halls and Fellowship Hall.

The doors of the Sanctuary burst open like the saloon doors in an old John Wayne movie. All that could be seen above the back of the pew was almost jet black, soft, curly hair as it whizzed by. After about five steps, the clomp, clomp, clomp sound of running suddenly ceased.

Had anyone been in the Sanctuary they would have heard the little china doll figure of a girl giggle and say, "Whoops!"

Five year old Amanda suddenly realized she was running in God's house, caught herself and stopped. She started down the aisle but stopped and stood transfixed by what she saw.

The Church was different. All around her there was greenery and bows and angels. Down in front there was a huge tree lighted with little white lights and big white ornaments of all shapes and sizes. Each of the ornaments looked like they were made out of pearls and gold. It was beautiful and it went almost to the ceiling. Amanda couldn't figure out how they got that big tree into this big room.

But that wasn't what caught her eye or captured her heart. No. Across the room, on the other side of the Sanctuary, stood the nativity. It wasn't just any old Nativity either. It wasn't even your standard run of the mill Nativity. This Nativity was nearly life size. The figure of Joseph stood four feet tall but could have been taller. Whoever had created Joseph had him bent over, leaning on his staff and looking into the manger at his new son. The look of joy and wonder and pride on his face was so life like and real that you expected him to turn and excitedly tell you all about the birth.

Mary was sitting. She, too, was leaning forward, looking at the infant. Her face shone with that look that only the mother of a newborn has. That look was mixed with the strain of the journey, the struggles of the birth, and the lines of worry for the baby's future. But all of those negatives were nearly washed away with the joy and sparkle of her eyes which were focused on her baby. She looked so real, so life like, you almost expected her to pick up the infant and lift him up to you as she asked: "Would you like to hold the baby."

And the baby! Never was there a more beautiful Christ child. If you looked away for a second, you could almost see his arms and legs moving. The artist had captured the beauty and life of first Christ child.

The artist had captured the essence of that child. Never had creation seen a baby as beautiful as this baby born in Bethlehem. And yet in the midst of that beauty there was an ordinariness as well. It was almost as if the ordinariness was attempting to hide the real and deeper beauty hidden away in this child.

Without conscious thought, the onlooker's eyes were drawn to the babies eyes. There was something almost magnetic about those eyes. And with one glance, you realized THAT was where the depth of that beauty resided. That's where the future resided, too. For one look in those eyes and you could see the future of this child. A future that held both great and terrible things ahead.

Amanda made her way slowly to the Nativity, afraid she would disturb these people. Afraid that she might make the baby cry. As she moved to within about three feet of the Nativity, Amanda fully expected either Joseph or Mary to speak. She stood there transfixed.

"Isn't He beautiful," said a voice right beside her. Startled, Amanda jumped. At first she thought it was Mary, but she hadn't seen her lips move. And then she realized it was her friend Ruth, the lady who had taught her about God's house. Amanda had been so engrossed in the Nativity that she hadn't heard Ruth come in.

Ruth put her hand on Amanda's shoulder and asked: "Do you know who that is?"

Amanda said, "Uh huh. It's Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus."

"Very good," said Ruth.

And then wide-eyed with wonder, Amanda asked, "Are they real

Ruth grinned and said, "They do look like they're alive, don't they? But these pieces are just sort of statues. They're not real. They can't talk to us. But they sure can touch our hearts can't they?"

Amanda just nodded, her eyes never leaving the uplifted hands of the baby Jesus there in the manger. They stood there together for another minute or so and then walked out together.

Saturday morning, Amanda was digging through her toy box when she found it. It was her old security blanket. She hadn't carried her "blankie" in a long time. She snuggled it up to her face. It was so soft, just like she remembered. She ran out into the kitchen and shouted, "Look what I found."

Mom turned around, saw what Amanda was holding and said, "Oh, you don't need that thing any more."

Amanda said, "I know but it feels so soft. I'm just going play with it." And that's what she did. All day long she hugged on that blanket.

When SHE wasn't hugging on the blanket, she had a doll or a teddy bear or one her other stuffed toys wrapped up in it hugging on them. Every time Mom turned around, Amanda had some new doll or critter wrapped up in the blanket. It didn't surprise her at all when Amanda insisted on sleeping with the blanket that night.

The next morning everyone was up. Time to get ready for Sunday School and Church. Amanda loaded her Bible and Sunday School book in her backpack just like she did every Sunday. She jumped in the car ready to go. She could hardly wait to get to Church.

Mom, noticed that Amanda wasn't dragging that blanket with her any more and thought, "Oh, well. I guess even kids can get nostalgic."

At Church, Mom and Dad got their usual doughnuts and coffee before going to their Sunday School class. Not Amanda, she took off like she couldn't wait to get to Sunday School. After Sunday School, Amanda met Mom and Dad and they all went into the Sanctuary to worship.

The worship service began and everything rocked along just fine until they got to the joys and concerns. Ike Tanner stood up and said: "Preacher, I've got a concern. Someone has been messing with the Nativity."

Now, everybody in church knew that Ike's Daddy was the one who gave the Nativity to the Church. They also knew that Ike liked being known as the one whose Daddy had given the Nativity to the Church. And because of that, Ike took it upon himself, every year, to be the watchdog for the nativity, whether anyone wanted him to be or not. "It just ain't right Preacher!" he said.

Pastor John looked over at the Nativity, just like everyone else and sure enough, he could see what Ike was talking about. He could see that someone had wrapped the Baby Jesus in a faded yellow blanket.

It was obvious, from where Pastor John stood, that whoever done the deed had taken great care to do it just right. Pastor John didn't get mad, if anything he was touched.

A grin filled has face. He had a feeling he knew who had done this but he asked the congregation, "Does anyone know anything about this."

Everyone looked around at each other not wanting to be the reciprient of Ike Tanner's frown. He could out frown the best of them when he was upset.

And then all of a sudden, they all seemed to see Amanda, sitting with her hand half raised, at the same time. Her head was hung like she was in trouble. Pastor John walked to where Amanda was sitting and asked, "Did you do it, Amanda?"

Amanda nodded her head "Yes," looked up and said, "I just wanted to give the Baby Jesus a present. He looked cold and even though his Mom and Dad are there, He doesn't have any toys or any friends and he looked lonely.

So, I wrapped all my dolls and all of my stuffed animals in my blanket and hugged them all real tight. Then I wrapped that blanket of hugs from all of my dolls and stuffed animals around the baby Jesus so he could be warm and be wrapped up in all those hugs. I didn't hurt Him. I just wanted Him to be warm and loved."

There was an audible "awe" from about two thirds of the congregation.

Pastor John stood up, grinned real big and said, "Amanda, I think you've given just about the most wonderful gift that this church has ever been given. Thank you. And I'm sure Jesus thanks you, too."

Pastor John looked over at Ike Tanner and said, "Isn't that what you think, Ike?"

And even Ike had to agree. (1)

This is the season of the child. This is the season of Jesus, Our Emmanuel, the most wonderful gift ever given to the world and to us.

We learn what this season is all about by WRAPPING OUR HEARTS AROUND THE BABY and by LETTING GOD BE WITH US.

I. WRAPPING OUR HEARTS AROUND THE BABY:

A. Emmanuel, "God with us." That's what the name Emmanuel means. "God with us."

"In The beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1, 14)

That's Emmanuel. "God with us." "The Word made flesh and living among us." The theological term for this concept is the Incarnation.

In seminary some of us used to irreverently joke about how people would market Jesus if He came today. One of the things I remember is talking about selling "Incarnation Evaporated Milk."

I know, it's not very funny but we laughed. We laugh a lots of things and I've noticed that we laugh for a number of reasons. We laugh because something is genuinely funny. We laugh to be polite and not hurt the feelings of the person telling the joke. But we also laugh when we don't understand something. It's almost as if we think our laughter will ease the tension of our not knowing or understanding.

That is sort of the way it is with the Incarnation. We don't understand it. I'm not sure we ever will, in this life.

How could God become human in the form of Jesus and still remain God? How could Jesus be both 100 percent human and 100 percent divine. If something or someone is 100 percent, how can they be any more? And yet that's exactly what we claim.

How do we wrap our little minds around such huge concept? How do we wrap our minds around such a theological mind twister?

B. The truth is, We Don't. We don't wrap our minds around it. We wrap our hearts around it. We wrap our hearts around the baby Jesus like swaddling clothes.

I think that's one of the reasons Jesus came as an infant. A baby is easy understand. The Incarnation is hard to understand, at least until you've encountered it through the baby.

But once we've encountered the baby; once we've knelt at the manger and beheld the boy child of heaven; once we've looked into those loving eyes everything about life changes. We are given a deeper faith and a sense of vision. And with that vision comes understanding.

A little girl and her father were taking an afternoon cruise around California's Catalina Island. It was one of those beautiful, clear southern California days. Suddenly the little girl exclaimed, "Daddy, I can look farther than my eyes can see!" (2)

That's what happens when we first look in the manger, when we first encounter the baby. We "can look further than [our] eyes can see!"

We can look further and deeper because we've WRAPPED OUR HEARTS AROUND THE BABY.

II. LETTING GOD BE WITH US:

A. Once we've wrapped our hearts around Jesus. Once we've held the newborn Son of God. Once we've experienced the manger cradle; our minds can accept what our heart and soul have come to know as fact. And when that happens, we experience God with us in a life changing way.

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. Dan and Barb Stephens of Fort Collins, Colorado related the following story.

It was nearing the holidays, 1994, time for the orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. They told the orphans about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.

Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word.

Upon completing the story, they gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins Barb had brought with her, since there was no colored paper available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. And a doll-like baby was cut from tan felt which had been brought from the United States.

The orphans were busy assembling their manger as Barb walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until she got to one table where little Misha sat. Misha looked to be about six years old and had finished his project.

As Barb looked at the little boy's manger, she was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, she called for the translator to ask the boy why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, Misha began to repeat the story very seriously.

For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the details accurately - until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. And he made up his own ending to the story:

"And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift."

"So I asked Jesus, 'If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?'"

"And Jesus told me, 'If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.' So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him - for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. This little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him - "for always." (3)

B. And that's exactly what Jesus promised each of us! That's exactly what Jesus promised the whole world: to be with us, "for always."

That's what the Incarnation is all about. It's about Emmanuel, God with us, "for always."

Like Misha, we no longer have to feel alone, ever again. We no longer have to face life or the struggles and trials of life alone. God IS with us!

And the Good News is that we don't have to climb in with Jesus. The manger reminds us that God climbed in with us. That's the Incarnation.

Through the birth of Jesus, God took off the royal robes of heaven, put on the rags of our flesh and blood and became one of us. God stepped out of the splendor of heaven into the squalor of our sin filled lives. Jesus, Our Emmanuel walked where we walk.

In Philippians, Paul reminds us that Jesus, the Son of God "emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross."

Why? For our sake. So that we could know the love and forgiveness and mercy and comfort and strength and presence of God with us "for always."

God loves us. God sent his Son to be one of us!

Those infant, Christmas hands with curled up chubby little fingers will soon grow to be a working man's hands that will be stretched out and nailed to a cross for you and me.

Jesus came and became one of us in order to pay a debt he didn't owe. Jesus came because we owed a debt we couldn't pay. (4) That's what Incarnation is all about.

CONCLUSION:

As we come to the manger this year, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior in our hearts and our homes, let's remember what Jesus did for us. Let's remember the greatest gift of all from God. And like Amanda, let's offer the best gift we can give this Christmas. A gift that even Ike Tanner would be proud of. A gift that can change our lives as much as it changed Misha's life. Let's offer the gift of ourselves.

This is the season of the child. This is the season of Jesus, Our Emmanuel, the most wonderful gift ever given to the world and to us.

Christ gave Himself for us.

Now let us give ourselves to Christ.

1. An original story. Please give credit if you use it.

2. Ted Engstrom, High Performance (San Bernardino, CA: Here's Life Publishers, 1988), p. 315.

3. Dan & Barb Stephens, Fort Collins, Colorado, Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), December 2001

4. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), December 2000