Hear the word of the Lord,
1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world. Psalm 19:1-4
Luke 2:6-7 (<<click to read the passage)
I realize that we are still more than two months out from Christmas Day, but I absolutely love Christmas and all that it entails, both spiritual and secular! I have a very diverse (putting it mildly!) Christmas playlist on Spotify that is just shy of 52 hours long – there are 936 songs on it!
Even after working 18 years in retail and all that that means with long hours and crazy lines (and shoppers!) it did nothing to dampen my spirits. As the old song goes, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! (And yes, I had to stop and listen to it…a couple of times!)
I also think of those Christmases long ago when, as family tradition would have it, we would come together on Christmas Eve and we would read the Christmas story from Luke’s Gospel. Though I have embraced multiple translations of the Bible, it just doesn’t sound right to me unless it is read from the King James Version, as we did way back when. There was definitely something special about coming together with my mom and dad, my sister, my grandmother, my aunt and uncle, and my two cousins.
These are the things that go through my mind as I read through this passage.
Each of us has our own set of memories about Christmas. Some of us strive for – and many times can never achieve – the perfect Christmas. Everything in its place, a perfectly prepared feast, expertly selected gifts that wow their recipients and, at least in this part of the world, the hope for a little bit of snow for the final touch.
Our expectations far exceed the reality in most cases, but I would remind you that those beautiful cards we send and receive depicting the Nativity betray the reality of it all. There’s nothing wrong with sharing it that way but the truth is, Jesus’ birth was not in a beautifully maintained wooden structure but more than likely it was a dank, dark cave. We have the same image of His manger, but have you ever actually been in a barn? The feeding troughs of animals are not the epitome of cleanliness. I’m sure Mary and Joseph worked hard to make the best of their situation, but it was far from perfect.
Stables are full of all kinds of things that we choose to leave out of our thoughts when it comes to Jesus’ birth. But what stable can be found that doesn’t have its share of manure and cobwebs.
The shepherds (coming up in the next chapter) were the vagabonds of their day. Smelly and probably none to clean themselves.
But does any of this lessen what transpired? Not in the least! Jesus came, not to impress, but to be born and live amongst us. To let us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He adores us right where we are – dirt, manure, cobwebs and all.
That is the reality of Christmas! And it applies to us no less today. Jesus adores us right where we are. And I, for one, am so grateful that He does…
Oct 23rd, 2019, Wed, 12:57 pm
