Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas Eve friends! The Christmas season is upon us and it is beautiful and joyful and good. This morning I wanted to share the Christmas story with all of you because although you may have read it or heard it numerous times there is always something to glean from its richness.

I’m going to start at Luke 2:4 if you would like to read the verses before or continue onto the ones after.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

I love this part of the story. However, I don’t think it does full justice for the journey Joseph and Mary took. I looked up how long of a distance it is between Nazareth to Bethlehem and it’s approximately 130 kilometers. I can’t imagine traveling that distance in a car while being nine months pregnant let alone doing it by foot and donkey. Kudos to Mary for being such a trooper on that journey because when doctors say women aren’t suppose to travel by air in the first or last trimester I’m sure it has something to do with cabin pressure and harming the baby or causing early pregnancy but I think it also has to do with women being terribly hormonal and they don’t want to risk trapping a crazy lady on a metal object thousands of feet above ground (that happened with the Hulk in “Avengers” and needless to say it did not end well).

Anyways, God obviously chose the right people with Mary and Joseph to carry out that journey and bring forth the Son of God because they made it to Bethlehem. And although the trek was a difficult and humbling beginning for this family, the distance Mary and Joseph traveled doesn’t even begin to compare to the distance God traveled to reach his children. HE CAME TO EARTH AS AN INFANT! How does this story not blow people’s minds? Jesus left his heavenly dwelling to dwell amongst people that would deny, refuse, reject, and ultimately kill Him. He was a gift to the world and from the moment He was born He was rejected by the world. This rejection has got to be the most appalling part of the story for me: “there was no place for them in the inn” (vs.7). The only thing an inn has to offer is room. Literally all they do is have room and make room for people and there was still no room in a place that only sold room. The inn was sold out of space and room! Every year I read this I’m completely dumbfounded with the idea that people didn’t make room for the Son of God and every year the same thing happens – I come to the realization I have been guilty of this as well.

If the definition of an “inn” is literally just making room for people to sleep and stay in, the definition of the human heart should be a spiritual room that makes space for Jesus to dwell in. In the same way the world had no place for Jesus to lay his head, maybe we haven’t been the best at making a place for Jesus to dwell in our hearts and lives. I hope I don’t bring any guilty feelings while saying these things but I also hope to challenge you wherever you may be in your faith. I challenge you to make time and create a place for Jesus during this Christmas season. I encourage you to continue on to create a place for Jesus in your heart and life outside of the Christmas season. I challenge you to come to the Christmas Eve service at Glad Tidings at 7pm tonight (or any other church Christmas Eve service – there’s tons I just don’t know when the other ones are because those aren’t my church), and I challenge you to look at the year ahead and make room for the best Christmas present we get to receive not just as Christmas time but every single day: Jesus! 

There was just too much good stuff in those few verses but here’s the rest of the Christmas story from Luke 2…

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14             “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:4-20 (ESV)