What a great time to be alive. This time of year most of us are openly celebrating the birth of the Christ child. Jesus’s birth was a great and wonderful thing. We are celebrating the beginning of hope entering this world, and people having the promise of eternal life without the need for personal sin sacrifices.
Throughout the world people are setting aside time to remember the birth of Jesus. In some nations the celebrations are big, bright and loud, in others they are small, and quiet, and in still others they are done in secret and seclusion. The important thing to remember is the birth of Christ and the hope that it brought to the world, how we celebrate is really not that important.
The Bible has various descriptions of the background and events surrounding Jesus’s birth. The account in John 1 follows.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
John 1:14 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.
Isn’t it exciting to know that Jesus’s birth was not a decision by God that He made after He created the world and saw it go astray. God knew when He created the earth, and created humans to live on it, that we would need a permanent sacrifice to pay for our sins and to give us eternal life. God also knew that the only sacrifice that would be sufficient would be the sacrifice of His perfect and only Son for the world’s sins. It is amazing to me that God, knowing how we would be, still created us and prepared the earth for us, knowing the entire time that this would cost Him His son and that His son would have to suffer for all of us to pay the price of our sins.
During this season think about how large of a sacrifice it would for you to send your child into a situation knowing that the result would be a painful death at the hands of the very people that they came to help. I think that we miss a lot of God’s divinity and God’s strength of character when we only focus on the birth of Christ, and skip all the planning and knowledge that God put into it before the actual birth. Isn’t it also great to know that God loves us so much that He is willing to sacrifice His most precious possession of all to allow us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. All He ask of us is to believe in Him, His Son, the sin sacrifice His Son made, and for us to recognize the need we each have for this sacrifice to save us.
After reading John’s account, let’s look at another section of the Bible. This portion is found in the book of Matthew, here we will read a description of Joseph’s experience. As we read this, let’s be sure to remember that Joseph is being ask to marry a woman that is with child. Joseph knows that he has not been intimate with her, and that she was claiming to be a virgin as well. The decision to marry her would disgrace him, his family, and likely negatively impact the rest of his life. Joseph was considering quietly not marrying Mary, where they both would receive less public shamed and hopefully allow her to retain a bit to her pride,. This would protect his families name in the process. Of course there would have been rumor and statements, but in time most would have passed and both Joseph and Mary could have gone on with their live with little long term impact. Let’s see what the book of Matthew says about Joseph’s decision regarding his marriage to Mary-
Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."
Think of how special a man must be to follow God’s call even when their social, religious, and potentially even their career and personal relationships, will suffer from their decision. Not surprisingly God choose a man of high character, high morals, and most of all incredible faith. These are the same characteristics possessed by all the people God has used mightily throughout history. These are characteristics that you and I must have if we expect God to use us mightily. This time of year, as we consider the impact of Christ’s birth on the world and on our individual lives, lets also begin, or refocus on, having the personal habits of God’s chosen in our lives throughout the year.
In Luke, chapter 2, we find a detailed account of Jesus’s actual birth. This occurs after Joseph has committed himself to marry Mary and is taking her to his families historic hometown for a population count.
Luke 2:4 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. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 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.
Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."Luke 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Consider one more time how simple and plain the earthly birth of the King of Kings was. In a barn, in the straw, no fanfare, no parade, and no large earthly celebrations, all the celebrations were in heaven. The interesting thing to note is how God immediately wanted to share this joyous event with man. God’s sent His angels to the shepherds where we, His creation, could rejoice as well. This is just one more example how God only wants the best for His people, and how He wants to share all that He has with us.
We have all heard about how God sent His angel to the lowest of low, shepherds, so they could hear the news first. Sure this is a sign that Jesus came not to rule on earth, or to be a earthly price, lord or king, but He came to rule in heaven and He came to ALL people, not just the powerful. As mighty as that sign of universal sovereignty was, God’s announcement of Jesus’s birth also shows how God meets you where you are. The angel of the Lord did not tell the shepherds to clean themselves up first, He told them the great news and they immediately went to the manger. They did not clean themselves up first, they did not wait, they went. God called, they left where they were and went. That is how we are suppose to react when God calls us. Do we though, that is the question?
These two acts, rejoicing in heaven and meeting us where we are, are both also things that occurred when each of us accepted Christ. Heaven rejoices when someone accepts God, and immediately God wants you to know you are loved and He immediately shares His most precious gift with you, salvation. This time of year as you look at the birth of Jesus also remember that God rejoiced at your birth into the body of Christ, and that He wants to show the world His perfect creation, you. That is what living for Christ really is, showing the world what God did for and with you. This time of year allow the joy of the world that is in you to show the lost world what they are missing. That is the real joy God sent to this world.
Rejoice for today your savior, Jesus, is alive, He is sitting at the right hand of the Father intervening for you and me and for our betterment.
