Vol. IV, Iss. 9 - December 2006
The latest from Student Leadership University

Christianity and Culture: Christmas as Bedlam or Bethlehem?
 

Meditations Concerning the Manger

There is so much significance surrounding the birth of Jesus; so much that could be investigated and expounded upon.  Throughout my journey people have always heralded, and deservedly so, about how big, great and glorious God is.  Messages have been preached, hymns and praises have been penned, and books have been printed all dedicated to the unimaginable vastness of our Lord. After all, how could any follower of God who has been rescued from death and brought to life talk about anything else?! I mean, this is a big miracle performed by God who is...well big! But could it be that the Christmas story teaches us something else about God, something we would almost feel ashamed to utter and that is that God, while great and mighty, is also at the same time very small. Could it be that while He is certainly big enough for well, you name it, that simultaneously He is also forever small enough? The following are simply thoughts or meditations concerning the manger that follow the idea that God is both big enough and small enough. I would encourage you this Christmas to get alone, read the Christmas story and then sit in quiet as you ponder upon the manger and more importantly, the Christ child in it. Make a list, not of gifts you wish to receive or even give, but articulate your own thoughts that surround the manger.

He was small enough to be born into the world.
He was big enough to have spoken that world and everything in it into existence.
He was small enough to be born into the “City of Bread.”
He was big enough to be the “Bread of Life.”
He was small enough to cry when he was hungry and wanted to be held.
He was big enough to hear the heart cry of every human being.
He was small enough to be obsolete.
He was big enough to be absolute.
He was small enough to be born in to a young family.
He was big enough to welcome all who would come into His family.
He was small enough to reveal Himself to shepherds close by.
He was big enough to draw Magi from afar.
He was small enough for an old man after a lifetime of waiting.
He was big enough for all who are waiting.
He was small enough to wash feet.
He was big enough to lead.
He was small enough for our sake to become poor.
He was big enough that through His poverty we might become rich.
He was small enough to live a life free from sin and captivity.
He was big enough to bear all the sins of everyone and set His people free.
He was small enough to need swaddling cloths.
He was big enough to one day leave them behind.
He was small enough to become one of us.
He was big enough to rescue all of us.

This Christmas, whatever you need and wherever you are, He is still both small enough and big enough.

Another Christmas season is fully underway. Ever since the day after Thanksgiving, radio stations have shifted to playing more and more Christmas music, cities, towns, and neighborhoods have begun displaying Christmas decorations, and shoppers have gone out in full force. Millions of customers rush to the malls as early as 4:00am on Friday after Thanksgiving, and some even choose to tent outside the doors of some stores overnight, all in hopes of catching the best deal they can get on the latest toys, tools, and technology. It’s estimated that on that Friday, American consumers spent an aggregate total of $500 billion. Even Christians get caught up in the hubbub of consumerism, defining the holiday by excitement for time off from work or from school, or eagerness to receive gifts and enjoy good food with family. Has the significance of Christmas for even Christians become muddled? For me, it seems that the Christmas holiday is characterized more by Bedlam than by Bethlehem. Webster’s defines Bedlam as a “state of uproar and confusion.” At times, I think this accurately portrays the ways in which we view Christmas. How often is the mad rush to buy gifts and the desire to “just get away for a while” more definitive of our Christmas “experience” than anything else? I’ll admit, it’s easy to become very selfish at Christmas – yes, of course, gifts are given to our friends and family, and maybe some of us take the time to treat the homeless to dinner or invite them into our homes – but sadly, I find it true personally that Christmastime becomes more about rewarding ourselves for a job well done through the rest of the year, celebrating the year’s successes that we have had, and getting for ourselves what we want.

But how should Christians view Christmas? Bethlehem was the place where Christ was born – a place of peace and quiet in a lonely stable amidst of the noise, uproar, and confusion of the outside world. Bethlehem is the very epitome of selflessness, where God connected with us – a humanity separated from God by sin. It’s a place of peace, where God injects harmony into the world’s system of violence and war. It’s a place of hospitality, where God doesn’t just make room for family, but in the event of Christ’s Incarnation, God invites all of humanity to join the “inner circle.” It’s a place where God gave what meant the most to God in order to meet our deepest needs – for a humanity that was estranged and separated from God. It was a place where God emptied Godself and took on the form of a human being – far from being a self-rewarding gesture. And Christmas happened in the most humble of places – a stable – far from the resorts and luxurious places that are so tempting for all of us. Instead of serving Godself, God served us. May we engender the true spirit of Christmas by avoiding Bedlam and allowing the selflessness, peace, and humility of Bethlehem to permeate our season.

Over the last ten years I have been privileged to know and be a part of Student Leadership University. I first attended the conference as a middle schooler during SLU's very first year. I had no idea just how much everything I learned that week would impact me in the years to come. Since then, I have been blessed with the opportunity to graduate from all four levels of SLU as well as spending the last two years on the summer intern staff. God has shown me so much through my involvement in SLU and I believe I will continue to take the great lessons absorbed there with me for the rest of my life. There is so much to be learned from a conference like SLU and, in my opinion, no better place to learn it.

Dr. Jay teaches, in one of his first sessions at SLU, that there are two words we must fully understand in order to be the leaders that we are called to be. Those two words are foundation and future. Jesus teaches us in His Word that we must lay a good foundation. SLU has been a great part of that solid foundation in my life. It is built on the Word of God and built on the instruction of great men and women of God. Now, as a recent college graduate headed toward my future, I am beginning to see just how important that foundation is.

The word "prepare" means: pointed in the right direction, to be made complete, equipped for battle. Student Leadership University has prepared me to do what I believe God has called me to do; I currently work in the entertainment industry, a lost and worldly segment of our culture. However, because of a continuing relationship with Jesus Christ, and by applying the principles of His Word as well as building my dreams and goals based on the material taught at Student Leadership, God is using me to influence this area of our culture for Him. John Maxwell says that the greatest one word definition of a leader is influence. I believe that God has called his children to stand up and be the leaders that He has equipped us to be. He has called us to influence a dying world.

Words cannot express clearly enough or in enough detail the tremendous impact that Student Leadership University has had on my life. A large part of who I am today is not only because of the amazing relationships that have formed through working with the program, but also because of the solid foundation and preparation for the future that I received in the training that they provide. There is no better investment for your life than to invest in equipping yourself to better follow God's plans for your life. Don't be afraid to do big things and don't forget to be faithful in the small! "For no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him" 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Erin Catt is an alum of all of our current SLU programs and has served as an intern for SLU for several years. Every month, we feature the story of an SLU graduate whose life has been impacted by SLU in significant ways. Have an SLU story? Send it to us at edge@studentleadership.net