I have to admit, Christmas is one of my least favorite holidays. My wife and my parents have often accused me of being a grinch. My wife’s ringtone for me around Christmas is even “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” There is just something about the ultra-consumerism, the fanatical light displays and overall increased attention over the possessions that we have or want that just bothers me. However, for not liking Christmas, this is one of my favorite times of the year. The reason for this is that instead of directing my attention toward Christmas as it is celebrated in North America, I try to take time to celebrate the season of Advent. Not that I don’t partake in the festivities of Christmas with those that I love most and instead substitute an ultra-spiritual reality that turns people off. But I think that this holiday season we should all take time to remember more than simply “the reason for the season,” and take time to reflect on the deep mysteries and meaning of Advent.
Simply described, the season of Advent is a celebration of the incarnation of the Son of God; God himself taking human form and identifying with our infirmities and our struggles for the ultimate purpose of presenting himself as a sacrifice on behalf of all of humanity and ushering in the Kingdom of God in the present time. The writer of the first gospel in describing this process called the Son of God “Immanuel which means God with us” (Matt. 1:23).
Advent is a season in which we reflect upon the reality of God being with us.
Perhaps the most beautiful words in all of Scripture describe this process of God being with us.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:5-11).
This text is known within theological circles as referring to the process of kenosis. Kenosis is Greek for “emptying.” It refers to the process of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity emptying himself and taking on the form of fragile human; the ultimate reality of “God with us.” Thus, Advent is a kenotic season; one in which we celebrate that Almighty God emptied himself and took on our fragile and flawed existence. But the beauty of Advent is that we cannot stop at this point.
In considering this great kenotic text, we need to pay careful attention to Paul’s phrase “...though he was in the form of God...” (Phil. 2:6). I recently read a book on this text in which the author made the point that this same phrase can also be correctly translated as “because he was in the form of God...” (1)
This is hugely significant in considering this text. Kenosis was not just something that Jesus underwent as a gift to humanity even though he is God. Kenosis was something that Jesus underwent for humanity because he is God. Divine servitude on behalf of humanity is something that is in God’s very nature.
This is even more significant for us considering that Paul starts this passage by saying “have this mind among yourselves” (Phil. 2:5). The same emptying of himself that Jesus underwent on behalf of humanity is the emptying of ourselves that the Scriptures call us to. I find this attitude lacking in the way we have traditionally celebrated Christmas. In the past few years we have witnessed unthinkable things at the beginning of the Christmas season. We have seen people be cruel to one another in order to save money on some sort of electronics. We have seen people even kill one another in order for their family to have a “good” Christmas. We have gotten lost in how our culture defines Christmas. Even in our churches, we sing certain songs and hymns simply because it’s Christmas.
Maybe these are the main reasons the Christmas season just isn’t appealing to me. What I find much more appealing is that God has emptied himself on behalf of humanity because it is in his very nature to do so. This season, I encourage all of us to take Paul’s words seriously. What are the ways that we can empty ourselves as Christ emptied himself? How would the celebration of Christmas change if we took time to do more than simply “remember the reason for the season,” and took seriously the reality that this time of year represents God with us? God in indeed with us, and he has emptied himself and become obedient to the point of death. And we are called to do the same.
(1) Michael J. Gorman, Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Narrative Soteriology (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2009), 22-25.
