I was
doing some research on the Internet the other day, and I came across an
interesting legend about the great Saint Boniface and the origins of the
Christmas tree. He was pretty much the first missionary to preach the Gospel to
Germany, which at that time in the 700s was still pagan. In fact, they
worshipped many pagan gods, one of whom was the powerful god of lightning,
Thor. Their worship of Thor was centered around a large oak tree dedicated to
him.
So
Boniface wasted no time in going head-on with this pagan god. As many of the
Germans were worshipping the Oak of Thor, he walked right up and started to
chop it down. Naturally, the Germans were horrified, completely expecting Thor
to come down in a bolt of lightning and destroy them all. They were saying,
“Uh…Boniface…maybe you don’t want to do that…uh…Boniface?”
Well,
naturally the tree fell down, and no lightning struck. So everyone was stunned.
Boniface simply turned around to face them and challenged them, saying,
“Where’s your god now?”
So all
of a sudden the Germans were convinced that the God of Boniface was the one
true God. But old habits die hard, and they begged Boniface to still give them
some tree that they could honor and dedicate to the True God. So Boniface gave
them an evergreen tree and told them, “This tree stays green year-round,
symbolizing Christ as your never-ending life.” And they all lived happily ever
after.
When I
was reading this story though, Boniface’s words stuck in my head. Where is your
God now? Maybe it’s because so often people say that in the darkest of times.
Like
what the Jews were going through at the time of Christ. They were being
oppressed, completely ruled by these pagan Romans who were taxing the stuffing
out of them. Sure, they had heard from their fathers about this distant God who
had brought them out of Egypt, but what now? Where was their God then, hundreds
of years later, amidst suffering and despair?
He was
in a manger. A completely unexpected place for the God of the universe, but
that humility showed the depth of His love for humanity. It wasn’t that God had
deserted us – no, He wouldn’t do that – but He was in a place that people least
expect. A feeding trough for animals. That’s where we find our God. In fact, we
call Jesus “Emmanuel” which means “God with us”.
Fast-forward
two thousand years. People still suffer with illnesses, fear, concerns and
cares that wear upon us. This world is broken like never before. Where is our
God now? Has He deserted us?
No, on
the contrary. Our God is as close as the Scriptures we read, as close as the
prayers we pray. Our God is not some god who lives in a far-off Heaven, but one
who wants to be involved in the messiness of our lives. When we turn to Him in
our hearts, He has promised that He would hear.
And the
time is now. He has been knocking at the doors of our heart for too long – will
you let Him in, and begin a real relationship with Jesus Christ? St. Paul tells
us – the night is far spent, the day draws near – now is the time, because our
God is not distant but drawing close, close in the manger, close in the
Eucharist, waiting to be welcomed into our lives. Some of us are afraid to
welcome Christ because we think our lives are too messy. We think, “Let me get
my life in order, then I’ll become a faithful follower of Christ.” But Jesus
isn’t afraid of the mess – He became man, entered this messy world with all of
its chaos and problems, and brought hope to a broken world – the hope that God
really is with us. He can do the same with your life – enter the messiness that
is your life (and mine), abiding with us when we face our challenges and
problems, and bringing hope by His presence. The time is now – invite Him in!
Where is
our God now? Behold, He stands at the door of your heart and knocks – our God
is Emmanuel – God with us.
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