Scared to Pieces!

"Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified." (Luke 2:9, The Message)

Yeah, I'm gonna have to say they were definitely justified in their terror. If the Lord's glory alone affected them like this, no wonder the Bible says no one can see God and live. In a small way, it reminds me of that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Although God’s glory may evoke fear, His presence affords peace.

Sheep in the Hood!

"There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep." (Luke 2:8, The Message)

Were sheepherders respected? Loathed? Ignored? At the very least, this particular group was privileged to be forever changed.

I love that Jesus Christ is The Good Shepherd, The Great Shepherd, The Chief Shepherd, and the Sacrificial Lamb.

It's a Boy!

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7, KJV)

Jake's solo this morning caused me to tear up. The lyrics follow, and I'm hard-pressed to add anything. Thanks, Jake; thanks, Mark.


Mary, Did You Know? by Mark Lowry

Mary, did you know
that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know
that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know,
that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered,
will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know
that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know,
that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby,
you've kissed the face of God.

Oh, Mary did you know . . .

The blind will see
The deaf will hear
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know
that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?

Did you know,
that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding, is the great I AM.

Honey, it's time!

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby." (Luke 2:6, New Century Version)

Steve frequently says that if a mare is successful in getting a colt on the ground, she's really done something. I would say the same for Mary, particularly considering all the convoluted issues.

Recently, I read that Jewish midwives routinely rubbed salt all over the skin of newborns in order to prevent infection. Jesus calls His followers the "salt of the earth." I wouldn’t be surprised if that expression somehow relates to the infection of sin.

What love?

"He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." (Luke 2:5, NIV)

Joseph was one amazing guy. He trusted God. He trusted Mary. I can only imagine the taunting he endured. It can be miserable to know people think you are a fool. My initial response is to defend myself. Yet Joseph allowed God to be his refuge. Was he afraid? To travel such a great distance with his pregnant fiancé was a daunting task. I love his ability to think on his feet. I love his courage. He loved Mary a great deal. His faithfulness inspires me and breathes freshness into the season.

Why the Unchosen Coulds?

"So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometwon, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family." (Luke 2:4, Contemporary English Version)

Small aside: I don't believe it ever registered with me that Joseph and Mary were both descendants of King David. Thanks, Aimee.

The mountain men would have said Joseph was a man "you could ride the river with." Legally, he could have stoned Mary for being pregnant. He didn't. Culturally, he could have divorced her. He didn't. Spiritually, he could have disobeyed God. He didn't. Personally, he could have resisted the command to return to the land of his heritage. He didn't. He could have cowarded-out and no one would have blamed him.

The Son of God could not have adopted a nobler father.

What Price Obedience?

“Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for.” (Luke 2:3, The Message)

Drop everything, put your own interests aside, count the cost, and obey. The upside, likely, was that many enjoyed happy reunions along the journey and at the destination. Villains are not entirely evil. Plus, observant children benefited from opportunities to watch modeled obedience.

It's relatively painless to "obey right away" when it's easy and I have no major objections. Most of me generally wants to obey, but there's still the hidden part that is standing up on the inside.

Where Are They?

"This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria." (Luke 2:2, RSV)

I don't like change. It's an unwelcome visitor. When the census began, there were sundry reasons to protest this drastic change, yet where are the gripers? Scripture doesn’t mention any. I'd have been right in there yelling, This is stupid! Whose idea was this anyway? Things were better before....but there’s no hint of their discontent. What was the source of their silence, or more accurately, their peace? That's where my heart longs to live--

What? It's NOT About Me?

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.” (Luke 2:1, RSV)

Time is important, but timing trumps. I’m not a huge fan of chance, coincidence, or cosmic randomness. I believe God created everything, is actively sustaining it, and that He is engaged with His creation. So, when He set everything in motion, He appointed a specific time for the Messiah to arrive on the scene in order to offer redemption to humankind.

Caesar Augustus may have been an independent thinker, but his decision to take a census was not entirely arbitrary. God ordained the timing.

While trying to put myself into those citizens’ places, I admit I likely would have complained and whined about being forced to make the trip to our hometown just to feed the inflated ego of an already piggish enemy ruler. For most, the trip was costly, time-consuming, and inconvenient. Isn’t that true of many daily experiences?

Even though the people may have thought it was all about them, as I feel while struggling with inconveniences, disappointments, and absurd demands, it wasn’t. I, and perhaps they, drone, Why is this happening to me? I don't deserve this. It’s not fair. Yet they were part of a higher plan, a design that had nothing, yet ultimately everything to do with them. They were the background scenery, not the focal points. It was necessary for God to call all peoples to their homeland in order to bring Mary and Joseph on the scene at the proper time. And, of course, the two of them were just background scenery as well. The Baby King was and is the focal point.