Baby Jesus, A Humble Servant

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I’m celebrating this glorious Advent season. And, Shauna, I’m happy to do it with you. Thanks for joining me in the studio today.  

SHAUNA: Thanks for having me. 

JONI: And don’t you just love this time of year? 

SHAUNA: Oh, of course I do! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. And all these days that lead up to Christmas, well, you know, they make me think of memories from Christmases past. 

JONI: Oh, absolutely. I know what you mean. Advent not only helps me remember what our Savior did on the day of His birth. It reminds me of so many fun Christmases I had as a child growing up; Christmases with Ken and me. And for you, Shauna, with three children in your house, I bet you’ve got some great Christmas stories, right? 

SHAUNA: Well, the one I’m thinking of right now, is the year that baby Jesus had Down syndrome. 

JONI: Okay, what is that all about? What are you doing here? 

SHAUNA: Well, okay, the tradition in my small New England church had always been that the youngest child in the congregation had the great honor of playing baby Jesus in the Nativity that year. I mean, it was an honor, Joni. It was kind of this like unspoken thing between all the moms – whose baby was going to get to be Jesus? (JONI: Okay.) So, 14 years ago, it was my baby, my daughter Sarah, who was the youngest child in the church. 

JONI: And Sarah has Down syndrome. 

SHAUNA: And Sarah has Down syndrome. So, she was 6 months old, and I was thinking, based on her age, she’s the perfect choice – if not the only choice. But when it came time for the play’s casting call, you know, my mom’s heart, it just got really apprehensive. Because I didn’t know if the church would be okay with letting baby Jesus be played by someone with a disability. 

JONI: Wow. I mean, come to think of it, out of all the Christmas plays I’ve seen, okay? And out of all the Nativity scenes, I’ve never seen a child with a disability chosen for the part of Jesus. 

SHAUNA: Well, I hadn’t either, up until then. (JONI: Wow!) And so that’s why I could not even contain my tears when our pastor approached my husband Steve and me to ask if we would allow Sarah to play the starring role in that year’s play. (JONI: Wow! Wonderful!) I mean, He knew that Sarah, just like all of us, had been made in God’s image. And on that holy night, when the story of our Savior’s birth was reenacted once again in that tiny little New England church, Christ’s power was put on display in really the weakest member of the church. And somehow, Sarah’s defenseless, vulnerable state, it really showcased the lowly way Jesus chose to humble himself and come down to earth to defend all of humanity. 

JONI: What a powerful metaphor. I mean, had I been sitting in that congregation that night, I would have been crying. Oh, my. Oh, friend. Hearing all this, it is as though, I don’t know, are we peeking into those swaddling clothes right now, staring into the face of Christ who came in all His weakness? Philippians 2 says Jesus “… being in the very nature God, didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” in all of its weakness. And He did it for us. For you and me. To give us forgiveness for the past and the bright hope for the future. Oh, friend, this Christmas, look deeply into the face of that newborn babe, held in Mary’s arm. The powerful fact of Christmas is that Jesus came to live and die so that you and I might die and learn to live. 

Oh, and one more thing. When we serve the needy, we also please God. And it’s why I want you to go over to my radio page today at joniradio.org and ask for our Joni and Friends newsletter. It’s filled with opportunities for you to serve people with disabilities in the name of Jesus. Right, Shauna? 

SHAUNA: That’s right! 

JONI: Merry Christmas, everybody! 

SHAUNA: Merry Christmas!

© Joni and Friends

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