“Safety Last”
As a parent of young children, I have lived in a world where safety precautions sometimes seem like the most important concern of life. Whether it’s trying to buckle winter-dressed children into car seats, ridding the house of any cleaning products that could be eaten, or getting decked out in helmet, knee, elbow, and wrist pads for rollerblading, many parents live by the rule: “Safety First!”
But recently, a trend has emerged which has challenged the wisdom of “Safety First.” For instance, Brett and Kate McKay published a list of “23 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do.”
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/23-dangerous-things-let-kids/
In it, they argue that learning to grapple with healthy risks is an important part of childhood and that trying to control a child’s environment to be “safe” is unrealistic. The world is not a safe place, so it's far better to train children to manage risks themselves than to remove all risks from their environment.
When Jesus entered the world as a baby, born in a dirty animal shed and put to sleep in a food trough, perhaps the same wisdom prevailed. The world, especially first century Palestine, was no
safe place. Aside from all the many diseases and potential injuries that could have harmed Jesus, there was the calculated threat against him by Herod, which caused the holy family to become refugees in Egypt.
Throughout his life, Jesus went into dangerous places. In fact, he walked straight into the most extreme danger when he made his final journey to Jerusalem, fully aware of his impending suffering and death. Why?
The life that was in Jesus was more powerful than anything the world could bring against him. Jesus was perfect. The Christ-child, set down in the middle of this dangerous, broken world, was capable of being its saviour. That’s the miracle we celebrate each Christmas. For we have a God who chose his own personal safety to be last priority. Instead, he chose to save us, even when it cost him his very life. This truly is good news of great joy!
May you celebrate the miracle with wonder and joy this Christmas!
With love, from Pastor Curtis, Andrea,
Kara, Jonas, and Judah Boehm
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