The vulnerability of Christ and the cynicism of His people
Vulnerability is not something that we find explicitly stated in Scripture. However, the essence of vulnerability permeates throughout God’s design for us as members of one another in community as well as in the example set for us by Jesus. At Crosspoint, one of our core values is “Being KNOWN”.
In Brad Hambrick’s little book titled “Vulnerability”, he defines it as “the willingness to take the risk of allowing any event, belief, preference, interest, or emotion of your life to be 'on the table' when it is useful to glorify God by encouraging a fellow believer, allowing a fellow believer to encourage you, or evangelizing an unbeliever. It is this disposition that breathes the life of authenticity into relationships and allows them to be mutually enjoyable, enriching, and character-shaping.”
Christmas is a celebration of vulnerability. In the fullness of time, God took the form of a baby and became someone that we could hurt. He came not to be served but to serve. Now, those who are in Christ “empty ourselves” and “count others as more significant than ourselves.”
Sadly, some of us have tried the vulnerability thing and we got hurt. We put ourselves out there, joined a church, served whole-heartedly, confessed our sin and, in the end, it all fell apart. I have heard story after story of those whose deepest hurts have come from the ones they were doing life with in the local church; or others whose deepest hurts came from someone professing to follow Christ, but in the end, hurt them.
That hurt is real.
Cynicism creeps in and, over time, causes us to believe lies like… “People are only motivated by self-interest… people are not trustworthy… this thing will fall apart at some point regardless… why waste my time? Why be vulnerable?”
What cynical lies are you believing?
Dorothy Sayers helps us with those lies with this truth:
“Jesus was born in poverty and died in disgrace, and thought it was worthwhile.”
If you struggle with cynicism… with wondering if any of this is worthwhile… remember that Christ thought that you were worthwhile. He made himself known to us. He washed the feet of one who would betray him. Matthew 24 reminds us that part of enduring to the end is making sure that our love doesn’t grow cold. People whose love has grown cold are cynical, not vulnerable. That is not meant to minimize your hurt or how you may have been victimized. It is meant to remind you that the vulnerability of Christ makes it so that you no longer have to wear that guilt and shame. You no longer have to be defined by your sins or your wounds.
According to Tim Keller, one of the gifts of Christmas is that “the unassailable and omnipotent God became a baby, giving us the ultimate example of letting our defenses down.”
Jesus, in the Beatitudes, says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Hambrick defines this as “realizing and accepting that life requires more than I have to give.”
Or to say it another way, “Life is too hard. I can’t do this by myself.”
Maybe life has taken so much from you that your defenses are up and vulnerability seems foolish. Cynicism has become a way to survive.
If you fear the world and those who are in it… if you are crippled by the reality that life requires more than you have to give… allow Christ to encourage you with his own words this Advent season,
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
One of the gifts of Christmas is vulnerability, because this world is not our home.
