Jesus was born over 2000 years ago into a world and conditions very different from what I know here in Canada. The differences are far more numerous than the similarities and yet he calls us siblings, members of his household who carry the same image of God, a certain family resemblance.
When I have had opportunity for people of different backgrounds and experiences to share their stories together in a sacred space, they are always overjoyed to find someone “just like them”. Of course, they are nothing alike but their heart is the same. We all experience trauma and yearn for healing and seek to share love.
Jesus becomes part of creation in a particular time and place and that is significant and important to his life and God’s work but also means we have a God who shares the human condition from the inside. He knows our weaknesses and treats them with grace. (Hebrews 5:2)