A marriage that is clothed in scandal, angelic hosts, a young girl suddenly pregnant, a king with a thirst for blood, three wise men from the east and the fate of the world in the balance. This is the story of a newborn king who would be found in a little town called Bethlehem.
Over these next few weeks, I want to address what I like to call "The Charlie Brown Syndrome." All we see is commercialism and Santa. Not a whole lot is focused on the reason we celebrate Christmas. this won't be a "I hate Santa" and it won't be a "His heart grew three sizes that day" post. I want us, as a community and a people, to take a moment and just ponder the grandeur of who Christ is and what he did for you and me.
Many years ago, a young woman named Mary and her betrothed husband Joseph went to the town of Bethlehem to be counted in the census of the Roman Empire. This was when Mary was about ready to have her child and it would have been very dangerous for her to travel. However, they made the journey and there was no room in the inn so they went to a stable and Mary gave birth there to a baby boy.
While this was the very short version of the story (and there will be more elaboration on it as time goes on), many people have already heard this and wonder why is this a big deal? What does this have to do with the commercialization of Christmas? (There is a point to all of this so humor me)
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the peoples of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one who origins are from the distant past." (Micah 5:2 NLT).
Micah is one of those books that people kind of skip over in the Bible. It is not a big book of the Bible and to be brutally honest, those little prophet books are hard to read through. But this verse speaks volumes! 600 years or so before Mary gave birth, this prophet said, "HEY! Yea you with the face! Guess what! A while from now, in this little no name town a ruler will be born!" This is like saying someone from a little hick town in Nebraska or Alabama is going to become the President (No offense to Nebraskans or Alabamans).
Over these next few weeks, I want to address what I like to call "The Charlie Brown Syndrome." All we see is commercialism and Santa. Not a whole lot is focused on the reason we celebrate Christmas. this won't be a "I hate Santa" and it won't be a "His heart grew three sizes that day" post. I want us, as a community and a people, to take a moment and just ponder the grandeur of who Christ is and what he did for you and me.
Many years ago, a young woman named Mary and her betrothed husband Joseph went to the town of Bethlehem to be counted in the census of the Roman Empire. This was when Mary was about ready to have her child and it would have been very dangerous for her to travel. However, they made the journey and there was no room in the inn so they went to a stable and Mary gave birth there to a baby boy.
While this was the very short version of the story (and there will be more elaboration on it as time goes on), many people have already heard this and wonder why is this a big deal? What does this have to do with the commercialization of Christmas? (There is a point to all of this so humor me)
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the peoples of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one who origins are from the distant past." (Micah 5:2 NLT).
Micah is one of those books that people kind of skip over in the Bible. It is not a big book of the Bible and to be brutally honest, those little prophet books are hard to read through. But this verse speaks volumes! 600 years or so before Mary gave birth, this prophet said, "HEY! Yea you with the face! Guess what! A while from now, in this little no name town a ruler will be born!" This is like saying someone from a little hick town in Nebraska or Alabama is going to become the President (No offense to Nebraskans or Alabamans).
Let's take a different perspective here. If you could be the son or daughter of anyone in the world, who would it be? Some of us would say presidents, rich people, famous people, or athletes. God had the ability to come into this world in any way he wanted. However, he chose a young girl from a no-name town called Nazareth (Nazareth was like the Arco of Ancient Israel...Yes there is a town named Arco, yes I am from there, and yes I get to make fun of that). Women were looked down on in that time and Mary wasn't even married to a rich or powerful man; but she was exactly what God was looking for. The heart that it takes to serve. After being told that she was going to give birth to a son (Just as a heads up she had not had sex yet, try explaining that one in Health class), she said this, "Mary responded, 'I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true.'" And then the angel left her." (Luke 2:38).
Do you want to know the key to enjoying the holiday season? The key is not in how rich or how powerful you are, whether or not you get that Xbox One, or if you just so happen to find yourself under the mistletoe with the guy/girl of your dreams. The key to enjoying the holiday season is to be a servant. Serve the people around you in any way you can. Maybe it is inviting that incredibly annoying friend over for Christmas dinner. Maybe that is sharing the story of Christ with your friends and family. Whether you are in a no-name town or in New York City, lets see the example that Mary gave us that first Christmas so many years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment