During this Christmas season I hope you are intentional in pondering the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ, for it is easy in the rush and bustle of the season to take for granted why Christmas is celebrated. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus is the most amazing story in the history of the world, “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” (John 3:16, NIV). The text for today tells of the birth of Christ, and I hope you take time to read and meditate on the beauty and mystery of this event during the Christmas holiday.
(Luke 1:26-38, NIV): “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her”.
(Matthew 1:18-25, NIV): “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 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. 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.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
(Luke 2:1-20, NIV): 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 their 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 guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ 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.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Within the story of the birth of Jesus, which is the most important aspect of Christmas, we also see glimpses of people who chose to serve God to carry out His will, such as Mary, Joseph, and even the shepherds. For example, young Mary, who during her engagement, was told she would be pregnant before she was married, and not by her soon to be husband. I think of all the excuses Mary could have made such as “this would be so embarrassing and humiliating” or “this was not what I planned for my life.” But Mary’s response was “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” But let us not forget that Jesus also, by being born in human form, humbled Himself so that God’s will would be fulfilled.
Reflection: Is this your response in any circumstance that you find yourself or for which the Lord has called you- I am your servant Lord, so I will faithfully serve you with all my heart (see 1 Samuel 12:24, NIV, “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you”)?
Meditation: One of the festivities of Christmas is the singing of Christmas Carols, and one of my favorite renditions of the Carol ‘O Holy Night’ is an instrumental version by Benny Prasad, and I have included the link so you also can enjoy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikz1dJOWfVo
“O Holy Night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine”
Benny Prasad also has a very interesting story which I hope you take time to watch, and his testimony inspired the title of this blog- “Available or Excuses”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PTb1IOOnHk
Conclusion: Remember to take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, and “be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Joshua 22:5).
Good question, How willing am I?