When you rock climb, the routes or ways you get up the wall are called a problem. You spend time trying to solve the problem, figuring out where your hands and feet go to complete the route. When there is a hard problem to solve, I often watch others climb and try to emulate their techniques to scale the wall and reach the top.
The reality is that Jesus already led the way for us to heaven. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) He is the lead climber, and what’s more, he has provided his Holy Spirit to help coach us up the wall, though every step. He has given us the Church, the Sacraments, the Scriptures all to assist. We need to figure out whether we are willing to follow him. To trust the route he has laid, that it will bring about our greatest potential, joy, and fulfillment. He comes to tell us that our lives matter. He comes to pay a debt he didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. He is born to die for you.
Jesus gave us the gift of our lives, he died for us, to give us true freedom and the path to holiness to heaven. This Christmas, this Advent, what gift are you ready to give him?
Watch this video on how his birth changes everything, why the incarnation matters, and how we should respond to this great gift. See discussion and reflection questions below.
Why The Incarnation Changes Everything
Discussion Questions
- Do you believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist? What experiences have you had that have made this mystery real for you? If you question this, pray, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).
- What would you be willing to do for someone who died for you to live? Are you ready to pray daily and go to Mass weekly? What is too much to give in return for the gift of your life?
- Do you trust that no matter what happens to you and how much stuff buries and drives you down, our heavenly Father will come and dig you out to rescue you? Where have you seen him search for you and rescue you in your past?
- Are you willing to trust Jesus’s lead, even when all you can see is the next handhold above you and a 1,000-foot drop below you?
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