‘From childhood, he grew into a person of profound spiritual power.’ Photo: by Tembinkosi Sikupela on Unsplash.
What can a baby say about power? Howard Grace has an example
‘Was he deliberately putting himself into a position of powerlessness?’
My wife Maria is Dutch. She was born during the second world war. German soldiers told her parents that their house would be used to base occupying forces. They had no option but to leave – they were powerless.
When I first met Maria’s parents, forty-five years ago, I had been involved with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and tended to be pacifist. They disagreed with my military stance. Their wartime experience had left them with a conviction to guard against being subjugated to oppression, and being powerless in the face of that.
I’m sure we have all experienced powerlessness. From the start, children feel the constraint of not being able to do what they want. But all through life we are restricted by the rules of society or, closer to home, by the actions of neighbours, sometimes doing annoying things which we are powerless to stop.
Take Brexit. The slogan was ‘take back control’, which touched a chord for some. The result was positive for half the population. But surveys now show that more UK adults feel powerless about the situation than angry or worried.
At Christmas time, I wonder how this theme relates to Jesus, who was also born as a powerless child. From childhood, he grew into a person of profound spiritual power, whose life made a great impact. There are several understandings about the significance of his eventual death. But my own pondering leads to wondering whether a key issue revolves around his choosing to take the path of powerlessness again, which then led him to the cross. He could have walked away from the Garden of Gethsemane, but ‘During his agony as he prayed, his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down upon the ground’ (Luke 22:44). Was this agony because, for whatever reason, he was deliberately putting himself into a position of powerlessness?
What followed, when he was ultimately on the cross? In our Meeting for Worship this morning, a Friend shared that story of Jesus telling a disciple, of Mary, that ‘She is your mother’. The disciple took her to live in his home. To the others who were being crucified with him, he said, ‘I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.’ Regarding those executing him he said, ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ When Jesus was powerless he still loved, and thought for others.
The Covid pandemic has made many feel a greater sense of powerlessness. Whatever our beliefs may be, at this Christmas time might Christ’s example inspire our living in a selfless and loving way.
