Cory Asbury wrote a song that generated some strong reactions. I’ve read some of the reactions against his song, Reckless Love. And I’ve also watched some of the reactions of people joyfully meeting Jesus through that same song.

God’s love is overwhelming!

The fact ‘that’ God loves us at all is overwhelming. But how could God love us the way He does? Does He not know what we’re capable of? Well, yes! He hand made you, in His own image and chooses to actively, relentlessly, demonstrate His love for you anyway. He even restricts Himself to space and time in order to have a relationship with you and lavish you with His precious gifts of eternal life, joy, hope and peace: all of that regardless of you accepting those gifts.

Are tea towels helping?

When we dress children with tea towels, to retell the Christmas Story, we frequently allow that to become the main focus which also results in us telling just part of a story. And sanitised parts of that story at that! We would never retell the ‘the story of World War II’, so why would we allow ourselves to reduce the historically undeniable account of the birth of Jesus Christ, to a story told on a stage once a year with a painted cardboard inn.

Me? I love a nativity! But it is only a distorted and tiny part of what we know really happened.

Mary never had sexual relations with a man and got pregnant while not married.  She was an outcast to her family and the society around her would have similarly rejected her. The virgin birth is usually skipped over – and rarely mentioned. But it is the most miraculous part of the whole historical account.

Babies are great! But, childbirth is never pretty – we almost lost our first and third sons during childbirth. And, that last childbirth, nearly killed my wife! It is messy and it is bloody. But it also the world into which Jesus was born. This life is messy and bloody too. And that same society would ultimately kill Jesus, despite Him having done nothing wrong.

Do you hear what I hear?

Much like the fun of Chinese whispers, the ‘way’ we hear something ultimately determines ‘what’ we hear. Perhaps this explains something of the wildly differing reactions to Cory Asbury’s song. Some found fault. Some found Jesus.

Jesus being born at Christmas is an historical fact.

Jesus dying on a cross, some 33 years later, is an historical fact.

The birth – and death – of Jesus Christ can not be disputed! But His resurrection – His coming back to life again – is one question that you will have decide for yourself.

Love came down at Christmas. Yes! And Christmas leads to Easter, which I’m eternally grateful for. But that love has a name and His name is Jesus Christ. So, as you consider the birth of Jesus, what will you do with what you now know?

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