The Upside Down Christmas

 When I think about the counterintuitiveness of the this big great story God has written it takes my breath away. When I gaze upon my savior, upon the Kingdom He has built from the nothingness, I can only marvel and it calls my soul to worship. His Kingdom is not one among many- it is The Kingdom- and it's an upside down one. I have heard it said that the Bible is full of contradictions. I would counter that. The Bible is not full of contradictions but of upside downs- nonsensicals- miracles. 

This upside down Kingdom is one where the least will become the greatest- where death gives way to life- where losing is actually gaining. 

If this Kingdom is upside down than it is only fitting that so too is that true of Christmas. 

Only in this Kingdom does God himself come down and humble himself to the lowliest of places in the lowliest of ways so that He can be the way for all to come unto Him. Only in this Kingdom does He choose to proclaim His good news to the Shepherds first- to the ones who were shamed and outcast. And if He came for the Shepherds than surely He came for the rich and the religious too- and for the ones who were eagerly awaiting His arrival and for those who had no idea of their great need for Him. Only in an upside down Christ-is-with-us- does He place himself into a womb- a trough- a swaddling of cloth. He thrusts himself into the very depths of humanity and vulnerability so that in His coming an everlasting light for the world is born. 

And if His coming to us was upside down then so too was His death for us. A cross He did not deserve but chose to submit to- a grave that could not contain Him- a coming again for those who believe and receive Him. None of it makes sense and it all seems too full of glory and goodness to be true. Upside down wrapped in humility were the bookends of Jesus' life. 

So in the places in your life that look a little upside down- a little messy-or maybe a lot- pain filled and grief stained- look for Him- He is there. He came that way, He died that way- He is there to be the way for you. 

We don't need more perfect Christmases. We desperately need this upside down Christmas- for in it and through it- He sets everything right-side-up- for all of eternity.