{"id":2447,"date":"2014-12-16T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T00:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2447"},"modified":"2021-11-26T15:25:43","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T07:25:43","slug":"118-a-baby%e2%80%99s-hug-a-christmas-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2447","title":{"rendered":"118. A Baby\u2019s Hug: A Christmas Gift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;<\/span><strong>Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven<\/strong>.<\/span>\u201d [<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Matthew 18:3<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Jesus-and-a-Little-Child.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2448\" title=\"Jesus and a Little Child\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Jesus-and-a-Little-Child.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"287\" \/><\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Jesus-and-a-litle-child.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"\" title=\"Jesus and a litle child\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Jesus-and-a-litle-child-300x295.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"285\" \/><\/a>\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A-baby-hug1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2713\" title=\"A baby-hug\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A-baby-hug1-300x257.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"334\" height=\"286\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Christmas is more than a rumour.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Christmas Day at Bethlehem, the ancient rumours of God\u2019s love became physically real in the gift of a Baby born in a manger. When the Evangelist John wrote that \u201cGod loved the world so much He gave His Only Son\u201d [John 3:16], that the Word &#8211; which was the source of life bringing light to the people to shine in human darkness [John 1:4-5] &#8211; took flesh and dwelt amongst us [John 1:14], we should have realized that the Christian faith is not just a heap of doctrines and theological jargons; rather, the Christian faith, to be real, just as Jesus the Christ is real, has got to be a healthy blend of the spiritual and the mundane, a marriage of the unsurpassable beauty of the divine with the rough and tumble of the concrete and the fleshy.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He took flesh. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He became one of us. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He lived and experienced our human conditions. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">True God, yes; but true man, certainly. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Never can any theology be profitable that does not pay heed to the tremendous reality that Jesus was truly human, reducing him to a mere divine caterer to our idiosyncrasies, and ignoring the way he had modeled for us to live by. Unfortunately, as Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner has observed, many Christians are actually crypto-Monophysites. Monophysitism developed as a divergent teaching after, and in opposition to, the \u201cTrue Good and True Man\u201d doctrine of the Council of Chalcedon [451 A.D.]. Monophysites believe that Jesus Christ&#8217;s\u00a0nature remains altogether divine and not human even though he has taken on an earthly and human body with its cycle of birth, life, and death. They insist that in the person of Jesus Christ there was only one, divine nature rather than two natures, divine and human, as Chalcedon asserted. Amongst other things, in Rahner\u2019s observation of the majority of Christians being Crypto-Monophysites, Christians tend to be quite oblivious to Jesus&#8217; human suffering, attending not to his needs but in a very &#8220;focused&#8221; and &#8220;prayerful&#8221; way seeking nothing but blessings and more blessings from him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yet, the birth of Jesus signals the vocation of love,\u00a0first in him, and then in us who would follow him \u2013 a vocation that is realized in concrete human terms, in the fleshy and bodily relationship. This <em>fleshiness<\/em> provides the essential dimension and an essential aid to our experience of God\u2019s love. It has got to be through what we hear, what we see, what we touch \u2013 in the concrete, in the real. And so St. John would open his First Epistle thus:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life &#8211; this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us \u2014\u00a0we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.\u00a0We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. [1 John 1:1-4,\u00a0<em>NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some years ago, a friend sent us this story which we found very touching. Apart from the human touch, we enjoyed the allusions to God and the gift of His Son. This year, to our pleasant surprise, the story popped up again. We post it here for timely reflection. Enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, \u201cHi.\u201d He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. \u201cHi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,\u201d the man said to Erik.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>My husband and I exchanged looks, \u201cWhat do we do?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Erik continued to laugh and answer, \u201cHi.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, \u201cDo ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. \u201cLord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,\u201d I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby\u2019s \u201cpick-me-up\u201d position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man\u2019s ragged shoulder. The man\u2019s eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby\u2019s bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, \u201cYou take care of this baby.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Somehow I managed, \u201cI will,\u201d from a throat that contained a stone.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, \u201cGod bless you, ma&#8217;am, you\u2019ve given me my Christmas gift.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, \u201cMy God, my God, forgive me.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>\u00a0<em>I had just witnessed Christ\u2019s love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, \u201cAre you willing to share your son for a moment?\u201d when He shared His for all eternity.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, \u201cTo enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you are.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Peace to you all!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, December 2014. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/span>.<\/strong> You can also be dialogue partners in this <em>Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry<\/em> by sending us questions for discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.\u201d [Matthew 18:3, NRSV] \u00a0\u00a0 Christmas is more than a rumour. On Christmas Day at Bethlehem, the ancient rumours of God\u2019s love became physically real in the gift of a Baby born in a manger. When the <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2447\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"&#8220;Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.\u201d [Matthew 18:3, NRSV] \u00a0\u00a0 Christmas is more than a rumour. On Christmas Day at Bethlehem, the ancient rumours of God\u2019s love became physically real in the gift of a Baby born in a manger. When the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2447"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6853,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447\/revisions\/6853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}