As a child, I remember the excitement of waiting for guests to arrive at our home for a celebration. The impatient peeking out the window every two minutes until, “They’re here! They’re here!” And the predictable greeting, “Well, haven’t you grown since we saw you last!”
Gathering with friends and family at Christmas also brings with it a remembrance of those we can’t be with. Some live far away, others are in hospital or in need of specialist care. Some relationships are strained or broken. Others we love are no longer alive. Perhaps you experience some or all of these like I do.
Being present means joining someone where they are – stooping down, entering their world. The Latin roots of the word “condescend" tell the story: con (with) and descendere (to come down). It means “to go or come down to be with”. Condescendere comes with the image of stooping upon entering someone’s home.
In theological discourse, the “condescension of God” is a foundational doctrine. Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7).
Despite its noble origins, we now use “condescend” negatively, to describe superiority. “Look down on” rather than “come down to”. Yet at Christmas, this idea of “being with” carries profound theological weight. God stooped down. God came near. He didn’t just look down on humanity, he came down to humanity.
I love the scene from The Hobbit when, after some considerable time had passed, Gandalf the Grey again visits Bilbo of Bag End. After a fond embrace, by which the wizard must kneel, Bilbo invites him inside. Gandalf must stoop to enter the hobbit’s home, bumping his head on the beams of the house. It’s a delightful picture of the posture of friendship.
As recorded in John 15, Jesus calls his disciples friends.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu often spoke of ubuntu, the African understanding that our humanity is bound together. He summed it up simply: “I can’t be human on my own.”1
God creates humanity out of divine community: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From the beginning, God said that “it is not good to be alone”.2 My humanity is tied up with your humanity. We all learn to walk, talk and play through others. We also share pain and disappointment through the brokenness and sin in our humanity.
Humanity was created for relationship – with our Creator, with one another, and with all creation. Scripture reminds us that we are made in God’s image, and our identity and purpose are fulfilled only in relationship with God. This is the heart of Christmas: Emmanuel – God with us. Echoing through Scripture is the promise God makes that he would not leave us as orphans3 and never leave or forsake us.4
If this Christmas finds you missing the presence of someone you cannot be with, take heart: you are not forgotten, and you are not forsaken. The greatest truth of Christmas is that God remains present. Emmanuel is not just a name for a season. It is a promise for every day and an invitation in Christ to be with God for eternity – starting now.
God bless you with the knowledge and experience of the presence of God this Christmas.
1 Interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 4 March 2009.
2 Genesis 2:18
3 John 14
4 Matthew 28
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
As a child, I remember the excitement of waiting for guests to arrive at our home for a celebration. The impatient peeking out the window every two minutes until, “They’re here! They’re here!” And the predictable greeting, “Well, haven’t you grown since we saw you last!”
Gathering with friends and family at Christmas also brings with it a remembrance of those we can’t be with. Some live far away, others are in hospital or in need of specialist care. Some relationships are strained or broken. Others we love are no longer alive. Perhaps you experience some or all of these like I do.
Being present means joining someone where they are – stooping down, entering their world. The Latin roots of the word “condescend" tell the story: con (with) and descendere (to come down). It means “to go or come down to be with”. Condescendere comes with the image of stooping upon entering someone’s home.
In theological discourse, the “condescension of God” is a foundational doctrine. Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7).
Despite its noble origins, we now use “condescend” negatively, to describe superiority. “Look down on” rather than “come down to”. Yet at Christmas, this idea of “being with” carries profound theological weight. God stooped down. God came near. He didn’t just look down on humanity, he came down to humanity.
I love the scene from The Hobbit when, after some considerable time had passed, Gandalf the Grey again visits Bilbo of Bag End. After a fond embrace, by which the wizard must kneel, Bilbo invites him inside. Gandalf must stoop to enter the hobbit’s home, bumping his head on the beams of the house. It’s a delightful picture of the posture of friendship.
As recorded in John 15, Jesus calls his disciples friends.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu often spoke of ubuntu, the African understanding that our humanity is bound together. He summed it up simply: “I can’t be human on my own.”1
God creates humanity out of divine community: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From the beginning, God said that “it is not good to be alone”.2 My humanity is tied up with your humanity. We all learn to walk, talk and play through others. We also share pain and disappointment through the brokenness and sin in our humanity.
Humanity was created for relationship – with our Creator, with one another, and with all creation. Scripture reminds us that we are made in God’s image, and our identity and purpose are fulfilled only in relationship with God. This is the heart of Christmas: Emmanuel – God with us. Echoing through Scripture is the promise God makes that he would not leave us as orphans3 and never leave or forsake us.4
If this Christmas finds you missing the presence of someone you cannot be with, take heart: you are not forgotten, and you are not forsaken. The greatest truth of Christmas is that God remains present. Emmanuel is not just a name for a season. It is a promise for every day and an invitation in Christ to be with God for eternity – starting now.
God bless you with the knowledge and experience of the presence of God this Christmas.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
