What is Jesus’ birth saving us from?

Photo: Gerald Farinas.

The story of the Nativity is often painted with soft colors and quiet music, but the world Jesus entered was actually quite harsh. When we ask what Jesus was born to save us from, we usually think about our personal mistakes or where we go when we die.

While those are important, the Gospels show us a Savior born into a very specific kind of struggle. To understand the salvation he brings, we have to look at the power structures that surrounded his manger.

The Roman Empire in ancient Palestine was not just a distant government. It was a constant, heavy presence. It was a system that defined peace as everyone staying quiet and doing what they were told. For the people living in that time, life meant heavy taxes, soldiers on the streets, and a social ladder that kept most people at the bottom. Rome taught everyone that the only way to be safe or successful was to play by their rules of strength and wealth.

Even though the Roman Empire is long gone, the spirit of empire is still very much alive. We see it whenever a system tells us that some people are more valuable than others based on how much money they have or where they come from. Modern empire shows up in the way we are pressured to always want more, to compete with our neighbors, and to ignore the suffering of people who seem different from us.

Like the people in the time of Jesus, we can feel trapped by these systems. We get exhausted by the demand to be productive and the fear that there is not enough to go around. Empire tries to convince us that this is just the way the world works and that nothing will ever truly change. It saves itself by keeping us divided and anxious.

This is exactly what Jesus comes to save us from. He saves us from the belief that might makes right and that we have to be selfish to survive. By being born in a humble stable instead of a palace, Jesus turned the world's idea of power upside down. He did not come to join the empire or even just to replace it with a new one. He came to show us a completely different way to be human.

Salvation in this sense is a rescue from the loneliness and greed that systems of power thrive on. Jesus saves us from seeing others as obstacles and instead teaches us to see them as family. He saves us from the heavy burden of trying to prove our worth through status. He offers a way out of the cycle of fear by showing us a God who stands with the pushed aside and the forgotten.

At Edgewater Presbyterian Church, we reflect on this birth as a call to look at our own world differently. As we enter this coming year, we have a unique opportunity to look back at how we have resisted the logic of empire throughout our own history. We are preparing to celebrate two incredible milestones: the 130th anniversary of the founding of our congregation and the 100th anniversary of our sanctuary and building, known as The New Community House.

When our founders started this congregation 130 years ago, they were planting a seed of the Kingdom of God in a growing city. When they built The New Community House a century ago, they did not just build a fortress for themselves. They created a space intended to be a hub for the neighborhood, a place where the community could gather and find support. In a world of empire that often seeks to exclude or exploit, our building was designed to include and to serve. These anniversaries remind us that for over a century, we have been called to be a sanctuary from the harshness of the world.

We are being saved from the lie that we are alone and that we have to look out only for ourselves. Our 130 years of history and our 100 years in this sacred space are physical proof that there is another way to live. We are part of a long tradition of people who believe that the last are first and that love is more powerful than any earthly authority.

The birth of Jesus is an invitation to stop giving our hearts to the empires of today and to start living by the values of heaven. It is a reminder that even when the world feels cold and controlled by the powerful, a different kind of light has entered the room. As we celebrate our building and our history this year, let us remember that we are being saved for a purpose: to be a community house for all people, reflecting the radical welcome of the Christ child.

Photo: Gerald Farinas.