What child is this?

Christmas could not come at any better time. Just as project deadlines begin to weigh down upon me and this mental fatigue called burnout sets in, the Christmas season bursts onto the scene, bringing a sense of joy and wonder. Evergreen appears all over the place -- a welcome sight amongst the dull gray of winter. Christmas lights twinkle on houses. All this wonderful holiday food starts popping up in stores and on the dinner table. Cards from old friends grace my mailbox. Christmas carols ring out. And did I mention the food?\nAs a child, the excitement of Christmas seemed to stem a great deal from the presents wrapped beneath a tree. I would count the days until I could tear into them, anticipating the fun of playing with my new set of Legos (stop laughing, Legos are cool). Christmas was a time off from school with friends and family, a vacation that afforded me lots of time to play.\nNow that I am older (my freshmen friends like to remind me that I am sooo old), I no longer find myself counting the days until I get to rip into the presents. The excitement of receiving gifts has diminished. Nonetheless, Christmas is still wondrous to me. In fact, in some ways it is more wondrous than before, for now I ponder its true meaning.\nI must admit the idea seems ludicrous. Perhaps it is so ludicrous that it must be true. After all, who would have thought up such a story? When I study Greek mythology, the stories strike me as human inventions. Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite -- they all behaved like humans. They quarreled. They made mistakes. They did dumb things. Basically, they were humans with super powers. \nNow examine Christmas: God, the creator of everything, steps onto the scene. Do the heavens part? No. In a small little town born to an ordinary woman, God takes the form of a fragile human infant. Is Caesar informed? Do the rich and powerful receive invitations in the mail? Hardly. Instead, it is the local shepherds -- common working people -- to whom the angel heralds the birth. \nSuch a humble entrance amazes me. His purpose in coming amazes me more. Hundreds of years before the prophet Isaiah described well Jesus' purpose when he wrote: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."\nI caught part of a movie last night where the lead character mused about our purpose here. He reasoned that compared to God, humans must seem like ants seem to us -- not even comparable in intelligence, strength, etc. And if there are five billion of us "ants" running around on this planet, why should He care about us? Are we concerned with what ants do (well, we do prefer they stay out of our food)? Therein lies for me the greatest joy of Christmas. God showed that He cared about us. He came and walked among us. He felt our pain. He experienced our sorrows. He showed us the way. That, for me, is the joy of Christmas.\nIt encourages me to love others. It gives me hope. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with friends and family. But in the midst of the festivities, pause to consider what it all means. I wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year.