God’s solution to all the problems that have ever existed in this world…His solution for all the horrific wars ever fought, all diseases, all the dictatorships, all the tragedies natural or manmade, all the sins and betrayals ever committed…God’s solution for literally all pain and suffering of the human condition… 

…is a baby. 

We’re sort of used to this idea by now. It doesn’t sound very shocking to us anymore — Jesus is the “reason for the season” after all. But at a very basic, truly fundamental level, this bedrock Christian claim… this claim that God sent (of all things) a baby on a rescue mission for the entire world… should make no sense to us.

Because a baby literally can’t do anything. 

A baby can’t talk. He can’t walk. He can’t do any chores around the house. He can’t clean up after himself. He can’t feed himself. He can’t balance a budget. He can’t earn any income. He can’t invent anything or build anything…He can’t do ANYTHING… certainly not SAVE THE WORLD!

Yep… when you think about it… a baby is pretty useless.

…Which is probably why the world often finds it so easy to throw them away. Or why the global fertility rates are plummeting to such alarmingly low, unsustainable numbers…

Babies are useless.

(Ha! — Bet you didn’t think you’d hear the priest preach about that on Christmas!!!!)

But we can take this meditation even further: 

A baby… far from looking like a “solution” to any problem… might seem (to the modern mind anyways) only to compound existing problems. 

A baby is yet another mouth to feed. Yet another dirty diaper to change. Another screaming voice destroying your peace and making it impossible to go anywhere…or do anything fun. Another future college tuition to start saving up for…

But all of these concerns are very worldly, very utilitarian in scope, and they totally miss the point of Christmas. They totally miss why God chose — of all things — a BABY as the solution to everything.

Because although a baby may be useless… that IS precisely the point!

Because a baby is a Person.

And a person is always… in the strict sense… “useless.”

We ought never look at any human person as a means to an end! As something to be used.

No… a human person is always someone to be loved.

I am useless. You’re useless, too. 

WE ARE USELESS…

And this is the greatest gift. It’s so amazingly liberating!!!!!!

In fact, let’s pray this out loud together, REPEAT AFTER ME:

“Thank You God… for making me useless.”

Amen!!!! 

Because contrary to what the world thinks and says — you are NEVER a THING to be used… You aren’t just another COG in the machine! No — You are a PERSON to be loved unconditionally for no reason whatsoever except that you are here and you are you! 

Alleluia!

And connecting all of this back to our original thought — Yes… a baby may be useless… But a baby gives us an opportunity, gives us a chance… a baby invites us …to love.

We all know this instinctively: Because what do we ALL say when we encounter a cute little baby?

“Awwww, she’s so adorable! AWWWW… HE’S SO ADORABLE.”

Exactly. 

We all say this… unless you’re a real bah-humbug.

A baby invites us to love!

But there’s only ONE truly ADORABLE baby — there is only ONE baby in all of history who actually deserves our ADORATION and the FULLNESS of all of our love:

Baby Jesus.

Because only “in Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

Only He is literally God Incarnate… God Made Flesh. The Creator entering into and uniting Himself with creation.

That’s why we sing: “O Come Let Us Adore Him.”

He’s perfectly ADORABLE… 

And not just because he’s cute. I’m quite sure baby Jesus was cute…sure… But He is adorable for a much deeper reason, an eternally profound, mysterious reason — He is our Lord and Master. He is our Creator. He is our Salvation. He is the Father’s face of mercy. He is the image of the invisible God revealed at long last…

He is the only Way worth going.

He is the only Truth worth believing.

He is the only Life worth living.

Jesus is our HOPE…

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone! …For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Princess Peach…

This is why baby Jesus actually really IS the solution to all the world’s problems: 

In the fullness of time — when things were darkest, when life seemed most bleak and hopeless, when sin was most insurmountable and nothing made sense anymore — God decided to give us Someone to love. He gave us… Himself to love:

An adorable little baby. 

A baby who was in fact… God.

This was the message given to those shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks at night in the fields: The angel said to them, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

What was the good news?

A BABY!

“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

This will be the sign for you — go over there, and you’ll find the solution…Go over there — and you’ll find the answer to all of your questions, the satisfaction for all your heart’s deepest desires, relief from all your heaviest worries…

Go over there… and you’ll find a baby.

A tiny, defenseless…. useless… baby. 

Love Him.

Give Him ALL your heart. — He is worthy of ALL your love!

The rest of the world won’t notice. The rest of the world won’t join you. There’s no room in the inn. They’re too busy. They have other things going on. They’ll just keep doing their own thing… planning their schemes and using people for their own ends… Let them. Don’t join them. That’s not the answer. That’s not God’s solution to the problem.

God’s solution is literally for us to just go over and love that little baby. To center our lives on Him. To give up everything just to know Him…

Go over there right now, and you will find Mary and Joseph already there…already busy loving Him. It’s impossible for them to leave Him alone… Mary can’t keep her hands off of Him. She doesn’t want to put Him down — she won’t put Him down! — she loves Him too much!

Go join them! Join the Holy Family in their constant, humble adoration.

Fall on your knees in worship. And learn how to love this strange God, this One and Only True God… who would dare to become a weak, useless little baby…to save you.