Jesus our Brother

Though I certainly didn’t recognize it as a child growing up, I have since come to see that the best gift my parents ever gave me was my siblings!  Those people who first taught me about sharing, friendship, anger, laughter, reconciliation, alliances, letting go, love.  Those people who continue to teach me about these things!  In addition to my parents, they are the ones who prepared me for life, and who share in a most unique way in mine.  Even on some of our worst days (and we certainly have our share), I still hold true in my heart that my siblings are the best gift they ever gave me! 

So when it came time to start a family of my own, it was a strong hope that I could offer the same for my kids.  I know that, despite the many values and blessings (and even train sets and soft friends) I try to offer them, the best gift I will ever be able to give my children is each other.  

 And in turn, giving my kids siblings has been a gift to me!

I love watching them be siblings to each other.  Though Adrian was young, just over a year, when we brought Lilly into our lives, his instinctual love and affection for her was still apparent, and a true blessing to watch.  As they’ve grown it has also been overwhelmingly apparent that these two little weirdoes are, as is often said, “best of friends and worst of enemies.”  But the best of friends part far outweighs even their craziest of spats.  I thank God regularly that Mike and I were blessed to be able to have more than one child, giving them that remarkable gift of each other! 

Having recently welcomed little Layla into the world and into our family has reiterated this for me.  From the very start, Adrian and Lilly have proven again that love is natural.  Even before she was born they would go around announcing to family, friends and strangers alike, “We are gonna have a new baby” with pure excitement.  Not caring who they had already told, they were bound and determined to share their joy by telling it again and again, the message never growing old to them.  And upon her arrival, they did, and are still, taking every opportunity to tell folks that “we have a new baby.”  It’s been months, but their happy hearts still want to share the good news! 

 

And the way they shower Layla with adoring affection is beyond-words-beautiful!  The hugs and kisses, the way they softly stroke her head and tell her she’s “so pretty” (“even more pretty than Lilly or Momma or me,” according to her affirming big brother); the daily songs song to and about her.  I doubt Layla will fail to know that she is cherished for quite some time.  Their little hearts are already loving and taking their new sibling under their wings.  A true, pure gift to behold! 

* * * *

Memories of bringing Layla into this world and daily signs of her lovedness still engrained in my mind and heart makes this season all the more special to me.  As we prepare these final days for the true meaning of Christmas, the coming of the Christ-child, I can’t help but think of how loved that little baby was by his parents, knowing the joy it was to welcome my children and the wonders – in challenges and blessings – of these early days of infancy.  But I also can’t help but wonder what it might have been like if Jesus had had older siblings to help Mary and Joseph welcome him.  What a wonderful nativity scene that would be: the toddler and the preschooler fighting the shepherds for their place right next to the manger-turned-crib, so they could kiss, they could sing, they could behold, they could love their new little one with child-like reckless abandon. 

And along those same lines, I imagine what it might have been like for Christ as a child to welcome younger siblings into his family.  Though the church holds that Mary was “ever-virgin” and so Jesus wouldn’t have known what it was to welcome his own new baby, I still imagine he would have been a good big brother.  I picture him playing school and teaching his little sister from the top of the hill outside their small home; I envision them having water fights in the stream near the well and “tea parties” with the few loaves and fishes they could nab when Mary wasn’t looking; I imagine them stealing their Dadda’s tools to “fix” (aka break) things, and then saying “Jesus did it” when confronted.  I see hugs, kisses, songs, compliments, fights, playfulness, and a family of the true ups and downs of love.  And I imagine their mother smiling through it all as she watched her children play together, praying for each of them and their love to last, and to spread throughout the world (though I also picture her saying some choice words that the “pure Mother Mary” isn’t usually thought to utter, but every mother especially of more-kids-than-hands lets slip every now and then). 

At this Christmas time, I can’t help but wonder how Jesus, Mary and Joseph’s life would have been different with more children.  And how our lives, the church, would be different if this were so and those family adventures were passed on as part of our faith.  And yet, even without siblings, these adventures were passed on.  Jesus’ ministry shows that he knew how to share, and how to challenge others behaviors.  He knew how to care for each person he met with the unique individualized attention they need, while still holding to the over-arching equality of love and compassion and justice.  He knew how to love and make others feel cherished.  He knows how to teach, play, be angry, reconcile, laugh, cry – how to be a brother! 

* * * *

It is Christmas, and we are invited to welcome the Christ-child again, as if we are his big brother or sister – with adoring.  As the incarnation is celebrated in a few days, we are invited to make Christ know that he is a loved and embraced part of our families.  We can spend this holiday sharing love, and showering the Christ in others with hugs and kisses.  Our church services and car rides are filled with singing songs to and about him.  And like Adrian and Lilly, both before and after their sibling’s arrival, we spend this Advent and Christmas season proclaiming to the world that our new baby has come!  May doing so never get old to we the loving “siblings” of our adored Christ-child. 

And at the same time, we are invited to enter this season, each season, as the “younger sibling,” with Christ as our brother.  With the celebration of the Word made flesh upon us, we are invited to know that God loves us and rejoices in our being a part of His family.  We can spend each day feeling Christ’s caress, his tender messages of love shown to console our sadness and fix our brokenness.  All of creation and the blessings of our life’s journey are like a heaven-sent song sung just for us.  With each day of our lives, no matter how long ago we were born, Christ is filled with joy as he proclaims to the world that we are here, we are His!  May hearing so never fail to touch the hearts of we the beloved “siblings” of Christ our brother. 

Christmas is about the Christ who is both baby brother and big brother.  And this holiday season my heart is both touched and challenged with that thought.  Though Jesus may be an only child, he is also our brother.  What a gift!  The best gift ever!! 

 

Merry Christmas!