Daily Word of Grace # 238 (May 11, 2021)
We live in a world in which it is often dangerous to be vulnerable, to let down our guard, take off our mask, and be who we really are. In his beautiful 1986 book Lion and Lamb the late Brennan Manning describes the vulnerability of Jesus in his incarnation: “God entered into our world not with the crushing impact of unbearable glory, but in the way of weakness, vulnerability, and need. On a wintry night in an obscure cave, the infant Jesus was a humble, naked, helpless God who allowed us to get close to him…God comes as a newborn baby, giving us a chance to love him, making us feel that we have something to give him” (175). This never ceases to amaze me. This vulnerability of Jesus did not stop at his birth, but continued as he vulnerably preached about the love of God, touched untouchables, and taught about the Kingdom of God that requires us to become like children in order to enter it (Matthew 18:2-3)—and yes, as you know, children are vulnerable. Moreover, on the cross Jesus died the most vulnerable death imaginable, and the Risen Jesus still bears the scars of his vulnerability. What is true with God’s vulnerability toward us is also true in our vulnerability to one another—when we are vulnerable we give others the chance to love us as we actually are, and to give to us what only they can give.
Love and Prayers,
Dave