Mild Mannered

 

Mild is a positive description of one’s character, not just how we like our coffee brewed.

When you hear: mild he lay His glory by, born that man no more may die… what thoughts come to mind?  

A little background first, this phrase comes from the popular Christmas song, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  The pervading thought that comes to my mind is what in the world was Jesus thinking to come down from Heaven and set aside all He was and had, just to be with us.  Looks like a matter of high risk / no reward or someone who embodies love.

 

Think about it for a moment: God became a baby.

 

Have you ever stopped to think about the great significance of The High King of Heaven coming down to save those who could not save themselves?  Sadly, I believe we fall in love with the thought of Christmas and not its true meaning.  We love to sing songs and buy gifts and feel jolly, but we forget to remember the sacrifice. 

Here is a brief summary of Jesus’ short life on this planet. He was born in a wooden stable. History tells us he worked with wood as a carpenter in anonymity. He then led a group of renegade followers telling people the simple message that God His Father loved them.  On Good Friday because he claimed to be the Son of God He died on a wooden cross. 

 All these circumstances dictate that Jesus was mild mannered, not looking for attention or fanfare, even though at times He got it anyway.  Jesus was the epitome of mild mannered, which often is characterized by someone with strong charisma.  By definition the word charisma means a rare quality or power attributed to those who have demonstrated an exceptional ability for leadership. This word helps us see mild for what it really is: powerful.

 

Mild he lay His glory by, born that man no more may die was quite the inauspicious method for Jesus to enter this world.  The Savior of the world was born in a stable in front of a lot of stinky animals since there was no room at the inn. He was then held by a teenage mother who rode for miles on a donkey before giving birth to him.  Not to mention his step-dad stood nearby taking in the enormity of the moment, who had risked his entire reputation to insure this little boy would be raised right.

Sometimes, I don’t get God, because by all human sensibilities this sounds like a really strange way to save the world.  However, when you love you don’t need attention; rather He was paying attention to us.  Jesus had a job to do and we were the job, his mission, so to speak and He would not fail us or it. Christmas reminds me that Jesus gave all.  It took great strength to do what Jesus did when he came to give not to get.

Those caught up with life’s concerns are inclined to be hasty, while those with great purpose tend to be mild mannered.

Swavel