God came down to us in the humble form of a baby, in less than ideal circumstances. He did this because he loved his people and wanted to be among them, to eventually save them. His birth as baby Jesus is, therefore, a grand occasion to celebrate.
This is good, but it's not complete. It's like starting a good book at chapter three.
The pulsing, broken heart of the matter is that all this was necessary because God hated having a long-distance relationship with us -- and no, not physically. We drew away from him, hurling curses at God and damnation upon ourselves along the way.
So, if I may be so bold as to speak plainly and, possibly, incorrectly, God's descent into our world in human form was fueled not just by love, but hate -- for that damning distance we stubbornly set our hearts, minds, bodies and souls to augment.
The three wise men showed one way to respond: worship. King Herod showed another: fear.
Herod was right to fear the birth of Jesus. That event is, after all, a direct strike at the heart of all who are powerful and haughty. Tucked away in that manger was final judgment on all our transgressions, an unfiltered revelation of just how dire our situation was, the tearing down of the veil we chose to hid behind. In that baby's presence we were struck down to nothing.
"For the great and powerful of this world, there are only two places in which their courage fails them, of which they are afraid deep down in their souls, from which they shy away. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ. No powerful person dares to approach the manger, and this even includes King Herod. For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent perish, because God is with the lowly. Here the rich come to nothing, because God is with the poor and hungry, but the rich and satisfied he sends away empty. Before Mary, the maid, before the manger of Christ, before God in lowliness, the powerful come to naught; they have no right, no hope; they are judged." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Herod's fear-driven response was to order the murder of "all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under" (Matt. 2:16, ESV).
I'm glad we have a God who is worth killing.
"The coming of God is truly not only a joyous message, but is, first, frightful news for anyone who has a conscience. And only when we have felt the frightfulness of the matter can we know the incomparable favor. God comes in the midst of evil, in the midst of death, and judges the evil in us and in the world. And in judging it, he loves us, he purifies us, he sanctifies us, he comes to us with his grace and love. He makes us happy as only children can be happy." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
