Tis the season when the impossible happened

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My wife loves Christmas.  She loves to bake for it.  She loves to have people to our home to celebrate it.  She loves to find gifts that will gladden hearts.  And she loves to decorate.  A lot.  We are way past one Christmas tree at our house.  They range from the little two-footer that sits on our entertainment center in the living room to the seven-footer that contains all the Christmas ornaments our children made over their growing up years.  But this year she decided that since we have a high ceiling in the living room she would like a really big tree.  She found one on sale.  She put it on layaway - mostly so Walmart could store it until December 1st. 

Today was the day to bring it home and put it up.  What a beautiful tree!  A striking twelve-footer!  The problem is the ceiling is at eleven feet six inches.  No matter what we tried, there was no way to fit that tree into the room.  It was just too big.  I suppose we could have made it fit if we had cut something off one end or the other, or if we had cut a hole in the ceiling.  But that would be artificially making the room taller or the tree smaller.  So back we went to the store for a slightly smaller one.

As I think about that “too big tree” drama from today, it seems a fitting metaphor for the real miracle of this season.  It is humanly impossible to fit our infinite God into the space of a virgin’s womb.  Medical science could never have made Mary big enough to accommodate Him.  Human reason could only make Him fit into the space available by making Him less than he is.  But God could do it.  He said He was going to.  He sent the angel to Mary with just that announcement:  “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”  (Luke 1:30-32 NIV).  He promised the impossible - and He did the impossible.  The Apostle Paul said it as clearly as it can be said, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”  (Colossians 2:9, NIV) 

All that it is to be God – that’s what Jesus was and is.  Even when He chose to lay aside the full use of His infinite power and knowledge He was not diminished in any way.  It’s good that He wasn’t. He had infinite work to do – to atone for every sin of every sinner and to provide perfect righteousness to clothe every sinner.  He did that, too.  Stand at the manger and as you marvel at how small Jesus was, listen as the prophet Isaiah whispers in awed tones, “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short that it cannot save.”  (Isaiah 59:1 NIV)  Those tiny arms grew and one day were stretched out on a cross and saved us from the guilt and punishment for our sins.  Jesus was and is just the right size to save.  That is the miracle of the season and it is the marvelous heart of the gospel.  Deck the halls!  Ring the bells!  Light the lights!  This is the season we celebrate God doing the impossible!