Luke 2:1-7
In those days
Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire
Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was
governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also
went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of
David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to
register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a
child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she
gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in
a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Christmas is a big event in most people’s lives. Many people began planning for Christmas well before Thanksgiving. In a normal year, our calendars are filled with various Christmas programs and pageants. We look forward to spending a festive time with family and friends. Not so this year. The pandemic has put most of our plans on hold, if not postponed until next year. It will be a quiet Christmas this year.
The
circumstances around Mary being pregnant with Jesus were unusual to say the
least. But after Joseph embraced Mary as his wife, I am sure that they looked
forward with great anticipation to the birth of their first child. The birth of
a child was always a festive occasion. The entire community would gather to
celebrate. Not so on the first Christmas.
Mary
and Joseph probably wanted a low-key event. Not that they weren’t excited, but
the majority of people would not have understood their circumstances. The last
thing that they wanted was complications, but that is exactly what they got.
Instead of settling in to their home in anticipation of the birth, they were
forced to take a road trip to Bethlehem. Instead of welcoming their son into
the world in familiar surroundings, they had to make do with the stable at an
over-crowded inn. Instead of being surrounded by family and friends, they were
surrounded by strangers.
Christmas
will be anything but “normal” this year. It is very possible that we will
celebrate Christmas on our own, or with only part of our family. Like most
other people, we have decorated our home for Christmas, yet it is possible that
no one but us will get to enjoy it. We have been doing the “traditional’
Christmas shopping, but we may not have the joy of watching our gifts being
opened. We are anticipating a very quiet Christmas. Maybe that is not too bad.
Last
night we watched Bethel University’s Festival of Christmas. Because of the
pandemic, this annual event took place without an audience. Yet the message of
Christmas came through loud and clear. 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
From a
human perspective, the birth of Jesus was less than ideal. From God’s
perspective, it was perfect. But when the time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might
receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5) God orchestrated every
detail of the birth of Jesus to set the stage for His redeeming work in the
world. Through the amazing miracle of the incarnation, God became present with
us in tangible form.
In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was with God in the beginning. (John 1:1-2)
The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the
One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
From our perspective, this Christmas will be far from ideal. But from God's perspective, it may be perfect. This Christmas may be exactly what God has planned for us.
I enjoy
everything about Christmas. I enjoy cutting a Christmas tree and decorating it.
I enjoy buying presents and giving them to those I love. I enjoy the
anticipation and excitement of Christmas morning. But all of these things can
obscure the true significance of Christmas, if we are not careful. Maybe what
we really need is a quiet Christmas, so that we can focus on what is really
important.
1 John 1:1-4
That which was
from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning
the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we
proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to
us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have
fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son,
Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
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