Christmas Day: Immanuel & Texting

I love Christmas. The celebration means as much to me as Easter does. The materialistic invasion does not deter my love for Christmas - after all, do American Christians deal with rampant materialism any differently the other 364 days of the year?

So December 25th marks the day God the Creator took on flesh. Though Enoch walked with God, Abraham obeyed God, Moses turned to God at the burning bush, and David was a man after God's own heart - the Baby born in a manger is the reason we talk about intimacy with God. Christmas reveals God's compelling nature to have intimacy - 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - God with us.' (Isaiah 7.14)

And in the 21st Century we have to ask questions every day about intimacy. The kingdom is driven by relationships, yet the world holds innate abilities to disrupt and intrude on relationships. What 'pests' are around you that interrupt intimacy? One random example - the TXT MSG! (The text message - like most means of commmunication and technology - is morally neutral. But it's fun to discuss the spiritual implications!)

Since our postmodern world now poses more channels of communication than ever before in history.....if Creator God were to do it all again, would He send a Baby or a TXT MSG?

I mean, a text message is... QUICK.
You can get it during a MTG, CHRCH, or even in a movie.
It's free to most people who are savy of their cell phone plan.
It seems to be a legitimate reason to interrupt anyone -no matter what the recipient is doing.

And the advent of Jesus the Christ who came in human flesh...
God the Creator waited millenia to send Jesus even though a TXT could get the message there quicker.
While a text demands an immediate response, the Baby born in manger grew up and once waited two days to go and see Lazarus after hearing he was sick.
While the text demands that we listen to it, the Baby in a manger seems to frequently say, "Be still...and know that I am God."

Though a text message provides communication, God chose to communicate through flesh, coming in the form of a Baby. Have you ever wondered if you missed seeing Jesus in the room you were in because you were caught up in a TXT? Could God still be showing up in the flesh and finding us opting for other means of communication? The question is not necessarily whether a certain means of communication is good or bad. The question we have to wrestle with is how to go about the pursuit of intimacy - and will we choose times when the TXT has no permission to interupt intimacy.

Lord, help us give You more opportunities to be born into our world. Show us in the 21st century how to have more intimacy with the Baby born in a manger. Teach us to think critically of our cultural underpinnings so as to keep us from being OF this world, while making us brighter lights IN this world.