The Peacefulness of the Christ Child

What is it that makes Christmas appeal to us so much? For me it has to be the idea of the Christ-child sleeping in the manger ever so peacefully. In doing so, God has let down his guard on so many levels, making himself completely vulnerable, just like any newborn child. He has come to place his trust in us in a new way.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, /The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. /The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, /The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, /But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. /I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, /And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

In so many hymns and carols, especially “Away in a Manger”, whose first two verses are listed above, we find depictions of a quiet child asleep as two loving parents look on and animals warm the surroundings. Is this what makes Christmas appeal to us so much? Is it because it appeals to our most peaceful, innocent side—that of a child?

The Advent and Christmas seasons remind us of the importance of the peaceful witness of the love of God, who so loved us to give us his only Son (John 3:16). And if these seasons are to be experienced for what they are meant to be and not what our culture is turning them to—times of shopping, money-making, movies, and food—then we must become much louder witnesses. We must become the witness that Christ is the example of in his own Nativity—the peaceful child sleeping in the simplest of places, not even raising a fuss. Only then will the world experience the joy that we feel when gazing upon the Christ-child.

Find Christ through his Church

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” (John 14:8-9).

We ask so often to see the Father, yet forget that he is right in front of us the whole time. Jesus Christ came and made manifest the Father. He who knows Christ knows the Father.

In a similar way, he who knows us Christians should know Jesus Christ. We must always strive to become Christ in all that we do so that the world may come to know Christ through the proper context—the Church. “And how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

If we do not witness to Christ as much as possible, the world will never know him nor understand the Church he established. Otherwise, they will just see a group of hypocrites gathered to try and make themselves feel better. Who should ever want to be a part of such a group? I have been given this description of the Church before as an excuse to not attend Mass. But someone saying this should never be shunned. Rather, they should be witnessed to in word and deed. If we witness through even our simplest of actions, then such an explanation of the Church will cease to exist!

God made his Word flesh to show us how to live...

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…” (John 1:14).

In the beginning God’s Word was given to humanity so that he may live a life pleasing to God. But man did not always follow the teachings and commandments he received. Thus, God saw fit that he would make His Word become flesh. And in doing so he came down to us in the form of Jesus Christ, who was both fully human and fully divine.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself and taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philipians 2:5-7). God the Son emptied himself to become flesh for our sake, so that we may see and experience what it truly means to live as a human being.

God made his Word flesh, and so we must do the same. We are to put our faith in Christ into action, as we are made to live out good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).