One “Born Again” Is Not Enough

Advent is about preparing, expecting and getting ready for something new to happen at Christmas—for Jesus to be born anew in me and in you.  Christmas is not so much a historical event as it is a current event.  In every life situation, whether one of joy or adversity, whether Christmas or Easter, God is present to see us through, to help us grow, to be with us (Emmanuel).  

Are we aware of the fact that God yearns to be born anew in us at ever deeper levels and that Advent offers a time for that to happen?  Many of my parishioners in years past thought I was a bit off my rocker by suggesting such a thing as Jesus being born in us again, and again, and again.  After all, they said, “We’re already Christians, we’ve already been born again.” They didn’t think they needed any more of Jesus than the original dose. (Most people thought they needed much more, but that’s another story). Our spiritual growth is often stymied because we view our encounter with God as a one-time experience or event.  We figure we’ve got “all the Jesus” we need and have ceased to expect more (and we really don’t want to get any deeper  into such a relationship anyhow).  We think (or imagine) our hearts, minds and souls are already full, and like the Inn of Bethlehem long ago—there is no room there for any more of Jesus. Jesus comes to our Inn, stands at the door, knocks again and again, but the door does not open because we feel we’ve welcomed him already—once upon a time.

An old hymn expresses this sad commentary about our “closed-minded” Christianity:

O Jesus, Thou art standing outside the fast-closed door, in lowly patience waiting to pass the threshold o’er:  Shame on us, Christians, His name and sign who bear, O shame, thrice shame upon us to keep Him standing there!

O Jesus, Thou art knocking; and lo! That hand is scarred, and thorns thy brow encircle, and tears thy face have marred:  O love that passeth knowledge, so patiently to wait!  O sin that hath no equal, so fast to bar the gate.

If the Bethlehem of our heart, mind and soul is already full and we have no room to spare, God will be left standing at the door.  If we leave the door closed, if we have no room to grow, if we are already what a Christian is to be, if we expect nothing more from Jesus than what we have already received (or conceived), we are of all people most to be pitied.