It was really not so different that very first Christmas. There were evil rulers who wanted to suppress the Jewish people. We are told that Herod, a king under Caesar, heard of a baby being born in Bethlehem and that people were proclaiming that the Messiah had been born. Feeling threatened, Herod ordered all the Jewish babies under the age of one to be killed in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. But, God was watching out for His Son, and gave Joseph instructions to leave the area before this happened.
This Christmas has been hard. Our hearts are heavy for these families who have lost so much, and at a time of the year when children bring such joy and magic into the holiday season. We have all hugged our children a little bit tighter and appreciated the basics of life a little bit more.
Music plays a big role in my day. I always have the radio on a Christian music station. In December, I love all of the Christmas music that fills the airwaves. My favorites are, "Oh Holy Night" and "Do You Hear What I Hear." They remind me (during this busy time) that Jesus is divine, and he came for a great purpose. He was born so I could live. Me. A simple girl finding my way through life over 2,000 years later.
What does Christmas really mean to me? It is the knee dropping realization that God is in charge. He is a God of love, and He wants to reach everyone on this earth with the message that we count and have been born for a purpose. This life is not just lived for ourselves, for we are just a vapor. We can live with an end result that will last for generations to come. Christmas is when God came down to live amongst us and show us the way back to Him.
The story of Jesus' birth is a crazy one. It is filled with such amazing occurrences, it is hard for many to believe. I believe every detail that is written in the Word of God. Why would Jewish men write such an outlandish tale? If they were trying to make someone look like the Messiah, why make him born of meek circumstances, humbled, and with lowly shepherds as the first to come and worship him?
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”
The truth of Jesus' birth comes from the writings of those you walked with Jesus during His ministry on earth. They had watched Jesus die on the cross. They were going to die themselves for speaking of the resurrection of Jesus. Why would anyone continue this charade if they were not convinced by what they saw? I am sure that when they did their own research on Jesus' birth and lineage, they were even more convinced of who Jesus is.
I love the ponder all of the circumstances that surrounded the birth of Jesus. I believe this story because it falls right in line with everything I have experienced in my own life of how God works in amazing and mysterious ways. There are really no words to describe the astounding love of God, and how he shows that love to us every day. Evil surrounds us, but God is ultimately in control, and will be the victor in the end. Are you on the winning team?
I hope you will be able to have a quiet moment in the next couple of days to ponder the circumstances of Jesus' birth, and how God was intentional that even in birth, Jesus was humbled and being prepared to serve and sacrifice for us. It is a script written by God in a way only He can do.
Always in awe,
Sandy
