Have you have been in a situation where you needed help? Many times while playing high school football and after a huge tackle, team mates would see me on the ground, put their hand out and help me up. No doubt, you’ve had lots of moments like that when people helped you as you looked up to them.
In 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped in a collapsed mine. They were 2300 feet down and their only hope was far above them. Sure enough, 17 days later, one by one those who were on top pulled 33 miners to safety. Below, they had looked up for hope and help. Now, help came from above.
You know that’s where we were in our sin. We were hopeless. We needed help and our help, our salvation came from above. God Most High made a decision to leave the glory of heaven, put skin on and come to earth. The name God Most High reminds us of God’s greatness and majesty. He is the best, mightiest, most powerful, first and the last, all-knowing, and everlasting Savior.
Jesus left the rights and privileges he had in heaven for the silence of his arrival and humble living of earth. He was God Most High but was born into a peasant family, in a barn, and placed in a feeding trough. Jesus did that for you and for me.
Only 3 miles from where he was born in Bethlehem, was the palace of King Herod in Jerusalem. His palace set high on a hill. The palace itself sat on 45 acres and was 90 feet tall. The grounds surrounding the palace were 200 acres of gardens and swimming pools. If he had stood on his balcony that night, he could have looked to Bethlehem to see where the King of kings was born.
And because we see how humble Jesus was in his coming, we are reminded as his followers we too are called to live out that humble lifestyle. Paul reminds us of just how humble in Philippians 2:3-11. Paul says, “We MUST have the same attitude of Jesus.” It’s an imperative, not an option.
What a gift, the best gift we’ll ever get, in Jesus Christ. He is the Name above all names. He is God Most High. He is our Savior for the ages. As we realize what we have in Jesus, it reminds us of how we are called to live as we follow him. We look to him for our hope and our example.
Two challenges this holiday season (and beyond). Respond to God Most High every day with heart-felt worship. Jesus’ Name should be on our lips and tongue every day, giving him praise and thanks for his gift of love to us. And also, live out the Christmas story through humble service to others. Whether it’s your spouse, your kids, your co-workers, the folks you are standing in line with, your brothers and sisters at your local church…wherever you find yourself, treat others like Jesus has treated you. Blessings on your journey.