The Coming of the
Snowmobile
It was a cold, blustery winter’s night and I was in the
middle of nowhere in my very unreliable old junker of a car driving home from
visiting a friend when, suddenly, wham, I was head first in a ditch, the car
firmly anchored in a snowbank, my back tires off the ground. Shaken, but whole,
I worried that I might be on this lonely road for hours, when, to my great
surprise and joy, there appeared in the distance a solitary light, slowly
growing. Imagine my relief when pulling alongside was a snowmobile with a
grizzled old driver who dismounted, looked my car over, and grunted that he
couldn’t help me; and to my great dismay… pulled away and left me stranded! In
but a short time, I went from a sense of relief that I was rescued to the
shocked panic that I was abandoned miles away from any help or safety.
I had misunderstood what the coming of the snowmobile had
meant. It certainly was not unreasonable for me to assume that the coming of
the snowmobile would lead to needed assistance, but reasonable or not, my
assumption was wrong. What I thought the coming meant, it did not.
Hours later another “coming” brought the assistance I
needed, and I eventually made it home that night. I have to tell you, when that
second passerby drove up, I was quick to check my assumption that help had
arrived. I did a simple thing, I asked.
What is the meaning of your coming at this time? Are you here to help? And,
indeed he was—I was saved!
Jesus has come. That is the celebration of Christmas, and
the anticipation of that coming is what Advent is all about. But, like my
snowmobile driver, sometimes we make assumptions as to the meaning behind the
coming. It is easy to assume that Jesus’ Christmas coming is meant to satisfy
me, that it is about what I want, to make it all about me.
And, of course, in some marvelous way, Jesus did come for
me! For you!
However, our assumptions about Jesus’ birth at Christmas
often lack scriptural depth. What is important about Jesus’ coming is not what
we want it to mean, but what God Himself intended it to mean. Yes, there is
great, great meaning behind the birth of the Son of God, but that meaning
should be based on what God tells us, not simply on what we want to imagine
Christmas to mean.
Yes, Christmas is a marvelous family time. Yes, it is a time
to envision peace on earth, goodwill towards all. Yes, it is a time of giving
and receiving. But all these serve as pointers toward a great, more meaningful
purpose. And how do we discover what that purpose might be? We ask! We look in
the Scripture for the reasons God Himself gives for sending His Son. In the
Gospels Jesus states at various times the reasons why He was born that
Christmas morn, “I have come…,” He says.
This week in worship we will look at one of those
reasons—Jesus says, “I have come not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45),
and what a great reason that is! Come join us as we study this text together.
In preparation for Sunday, read Mark 10:45.
1. The context here is very important. Look at the
surrounding verses—how does Jesus’ stated purpose contrast with what is
generally thought? How does the Christmas coming of Jesus challenge our normal
way of thinking?
2. Jesus once again refers to Himself as “the Son of Man.”
Recalling that refers to His divinity, how does that impact His statement here?
3. Why does Jesus remind people He did not come to be
served? Why would people naturally think that way? How might that factor into
your own interactions with the Lord?
4. What does it mean that Jesus came to serve? Serve who?
Serve how?
5. How have you personally experienced the “serving” of the
Lord? Can you identify particular instances in your life where Jesus “served”
you? What response might be expected here?
