哦，何等奇妙! 圣灵荫蔽着童贞女马利亚，使她腹中孕育了一个圣洁的婴孩。在九个月的时间里，婴孩在潮湿黑暗的母腹中随着马利亚的心跳和低沉的声音渐渐发育。最后，产期终于到了。孩子出生了，他急促地呼吸着，并在充满热情和慈爱的迎接他的面孔前大声哭喊。欢迎光临这个世界!
现在让我们来审视这一幕场景。谁不喜欢可爱的婴孩呢？那明亮的眼睛注视着周围。在几个月的沉寂无声之后，他发出了轻柔的哼声。他的手臂和腿在全新的自由中舒展开来。
想想看这个可爱的孩子的无助和脆弱。然后再想想这个小家伙就是我们伟大的上帝成为人身。道没有了言语，全能者失去了力量，智慧的神没有了知识。全地的主此时完全依赖母亲马利亚怀抱的安慰和乳养。
上帝为了帮助我们，竟变得如此无助，这真是个奇迹。但这并不仅仅是说，婴孩是无助的，而我们这些成人有能有力。面对我们周围广阔的世界，我们也感到很无助。而我们所有的盼望都寄托于这个无助的婴孩，我们今天庆祝降生的那一位救主。
耶稣，你来到这世上，使一切都改变了——因为你拥抱无助，以帮助无助的人。我们为着你的恩慈良善赞美你！
路加福音 2:1-7
1当那些日子，恺撒奥古斯都有旨意下来，叫天下人民都报名上册。2这是居里扭做叙利亚巡抚的时候，头一次行报名上册的事。3众人各归各城，报名上册。4约瑟也从加利利的拿撒勒城上犹太去，到了大卫的城，名叫伯利恒，因他本是大卫一族一家的人，5要和他所聘之妻马利亚一同报名上册。那时马利亚的身孕已经重了。6他们在那里的时候，马利亚的产期到了，7就生了头胎的儿子，用布包起来，放在马槽里，因为客店里没有地方。
"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son." - Luke 2:7
Oh, the wonder of it! The Holy Spirit overshadows the virgin Mary so that a holy child is conceived in her womb. For nine months the child develops in watery darkness to the soundtrack of Mary's heartbeat and muffled voice. At last the time comes. The child emerges, takes urgent breaths, and cries aloud amid faces beaming with hospitality and love. Welcome to the world!
Now let's just take this in. Who doesn't adore a sweet newborn? Bright eyes gazing around. Coos erupting after long months of silence. Arms and legs stretching out in new freedom.
Think too of the helplessness and vulnerability of the sweet child. Then imagine that this little one is our great God. The Word has no vocabulary, the Almighty has no strength, the Wise One has no knowledge. The Lord of all is completely dependent on the comforting arms and nourishing care of mother Mary.
It's a wonder that God would become helpless in order to help us. But it's not that merely an infant is helpless while we who are grown up have things in hand. In the big, wide world around us, we are pretty helpless too. And all our hope depends on the help of the helpless baby, whose birth we celebrate today.
Jesus, you come into the world, and everything is changed—because you embraced helplessness to help the helpless. We praise you for your wonderful kindness. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
