For
most of us, the story of Christmas is just that, a story. When we read the accounts
of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, everything seems so neat
and clean. We can sit in the comfort of our home and read the story and feel
all sentimental and warm. In fact, most of our images of Christmas are of
families gathering together in joy, peace, and harmony. Christmas is a time
when people generally treat each other well. We actually go out of our way to
be nice to others. There is much to be said for the positive influence that the
Christmas season has on us, even if it is short-lived.
The
reality was very different for Mary and Joseph. They didn’t get to read the
story in a comfortable setting; they lived it moment by moment. They did not
know how the story would end. They didn’t know what would happen along the way.
They had to step out in faith and trust God to lead them.
For
Mary and Joseph, Christmas was a total disruption of their lives. It would be
an understatement to say that the news of Mary’s pregnancy or the edict of Caesar
that set them on the road to Bethlehem was inconvenient. The realities of that
first Christmas were life changing in every way.
In a
day when a girl could be stoned for becoming pregnant outside of marriage, Mary
was placed in an extremely vulnerable place. In a time when the marriage
covenant was taken far more seriously than it is today, Joseph risked
everything to take Mary as his wife. In a time when God had been silent in Israel
for 400 years, to believe that an angel from the Lord had spoken directly to
you was an enormous leap of faith. The reality of Christmas was anything but
comfortable or warm and cozy. Mary and Joseph staked the rest of their lives on
the message they had received from God, knowing that no one else would or could
really understand.
We
are in the enviable position of being able to be spectators to the Christmas
story. We can watch it unfold, without the drama of having to face the
difficult steps along the way. But I believe that God is inviting us to not
just observe Christmas, but to live it ourselves.
John
3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God
sent Jesus into the world to radically change our lives. To have eternal life
is to allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to take up residence in our lives.
When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, the trajectory of our life is
changed, just as it was for Mary and Joseph. The message of Christmas is that
God is calling us to carry Jesus into our world.
Mary
and Joseph were entrusted with Jesus. It was their responsibility to care for
him. They were given the enormous responsibility to prepare Jesus for the day
that He would step out of the shadows and into the spotlight of His public
ministry. In a similar way, we have been entrusted with the task of taking
Jesus into our world. Our job is to prepare the way so that others might
encounter Him. As Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
The
Christmas season gives us an awesome opportunity to carry Jesus into our world.
We do not have to settle with being observers to the Christmas story. We can
live out the Christmas story through our lives today. Just as Jesus invaded our
world so long ago, He continues to invade our world through each one of us. The
message of Christmas continues to ring loud and clear. Today in the town of David a
Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
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