He Came for the Rest of Us

Jesus came
for the wise and the strong.
And He came, just as well, for the rest of us.
Jesus came for the days that life seemed ordered and filled with meaning.
But we rejoice because He came for the other days, too.
Blessed by old men and shepherds
Worshiped by kings and beggars
And the rest in between.
He loves us still.
He did not come to receive just our joy and elation.

He came for the rest of us.
He came for our doubts, our burdens, our sorrows and grief.
He even came for the times when we doubted His presence.
He reached down to us.
When our loneliness seemed unbearable.

His love courted us.
And His mercy enveloped us.
His holiness consumed us.
God’s advent of grace put the pieces of our broken lives together.
Along the path of our lives we’ve heard of blessed souls who could manage their problems, pick themselves up, find the reasons for all of life’s challenges.
But thank God, that He came for the rest of us!
Not just our good.
But also the rest of us.

He came to celebrate our youth but when our youth is spent,
He celebrates with even greater passion, the rest of us.
He came for the people of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Judea.
But He also came for the rest of us.
So now He compels us to shout to the world, the joy of a coming King.
So that every person can hear the invitation to join…

The rest of us.

He came… for the rest of us.




Christmas Prayer

Lord, may we not be like the Bethlehem visitors, so busy with the day-to-day tasks that we fail to notice the presence of God.

Lord, may we not be like the inn keeper, giving the best rooms to mortals and giving God our stable.

Lord, may we not be like Herod, shedding the blood of the innocence to secure our personal kingdom. Remind us that when we attack the innocence of babes we are attacking the nature of God.

Lord, may we not be like beloved Zacharius, praying fervently for the impossible and yet asking how when God surprises us with the answer of our dreams.

May we never forget that this God-with-us Savior is here and He has invited us to good news and great joy.