Making Space – An Advent DevotionalExemplo

How I Met Jesus At The Mall

It’s less than two weeks before Christmas and I’m at where I’m usually at – nowhere on my mile-long to-do list. So, I do what every brave and slightly deranged woman does – venture to a mall packed with the hustle of Saturday evening shoppers. 

I brace myself for the Battle of Elbow Room. I enter the fray of frenzy – this is going to make the Roman Colosseum look like a children’s playground. But, as I step out of the elevator into the “arena” I am dumbstruck.

Standing tall in the throng of humanity was Rio de Janeiro’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue.  It was much smaller than the almost-100-foot-tall original, but it was still pretty impressive. Here was Jesus with His arms stretched out over the chaos of shoppers. I expected a few gold bells and red ribbons gracing the mall. But Christ the Redeemer? Does that even fit the Christmas story?

Yes, at Christmas we celebrate the Christ child. But that’s only a part of the story — a very small part. If our focus is entirely on Christ’s birth, we miss the purpose for which he came. Jesus doesn’t just want our adoration, he yearns for our salvation. He came to redeem us from our empty way of life.

Without the whole story of Christmas, we miss out on the whole joy. Christmas is the love story of a God who broke into the darkness of this world. It’s the story of a God who would humble Himself and give up His majesty for a manger. But it didn’t end there. It’s the scandalous story of a God who chose to die for us. It’s the victorious story of a God who rose again and completely destroyed sin and death. 

Prayer

Father God, This Christmas, help me stop and ponder all that You accomplished. You poured out Your life as an offering. You lived to die so we could be with You forever. Thank You for that love that I can never fully grasp. Amen.