Hope Incarnate.
Christmas day is this beautiful twenty-four-hour period that enables us the uninterrupted space, free of distraction, to marvel at the coming of Jesus that would lead to our salvation. Today, I took a few moments to reread Luke 2, the birth of Jesus, and these are my biggest takeaways. I hope you can find joy this morning.
God used "the least of these" to deliver the hope of the world. In the quiet town of Bethlehem, God used two sinful individuals as a vessel for the one who would conquer death. He allowed them to experience the birth of their firstborn in the lowest place, a manger: a feeding trough for livestock. When the King of Kings was born in Bethlehem, Shepards were the first to glorify Him, who historically had little worth. Every aspect of the Christmas story is coated in humility. Yet, God chose to orchestrate His arrival in such a way as to illustrate how we should approach the Father: in humble adoration.
The ones God hand-selected to carry His son lived a life of obedience. In nearly every angle of the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph were found obedient despite every fleshly desire to do otherwise. Mary and Joseph were "betrothed" to one another, meaning they were engaged to be married. In this day, a woman who was not a virgin was considered unworthy of marriage. When Joseph heard of Mary's pregnancy, society gave him every reason to run. However, when the voice of the Lord approached Him with truth, He chose instead to go against his human desire, take on societal shame, and allow God to use him as the earthly Father of the Savior.
Those who heard of Jesus' coming chose to sit in His presence. Frequently in the Bible, we hear of prophets who are men. However, in Luke 2, we hear of a woman, Anna, the first prophet in Luke's telling of the Gospel to see Jesus. I found these few passages to be particularly captivating. Anna was meant to depart from the temple and continue prophesying. However, she blocked out the world's distractions to experience the magnitude of this gift and desired nothing more than to sit in Jesus' presence while ignoring the weight of the world. This passage is often overlooked in the Christmas story; however, I believe this to be one of the most vital aspects for the modern-day believer because of the example set for how we should approach the coming of the Lord.
"She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day." Luke 2:37
Hidden in this verse are so many commands that should not be overlooked. God calls us first to seek Him in worship, to come to Him in adoration in order to begin to take in the magnitude of the grace He has bestowed upon us. Next, He commands us to remove all distractions. Commonly, Christmas can be a season filled with distractions. Distractions of family drama, distractions of the ever-long to-do list, distractions of gluttony in food and earthly possessions. Instead of allowing the distractions to seep in, God commands us to be still and remove the distractions from our lives so that we may instead marvel at His goodness in its fullness.
"And coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." Luke 2:38
Anna sought first the kingdom in admiration for the gift that God had given not just her but all creation. After doing this, she was "sent." Isaiah, a prominent prophet in the Old Testament, roughly seven hundred years prior to Jesus' birth, was commanded by God to live a life of service, one he later urges all believers to embody.
"Here I am, send me." Isaiah 6:8
It is not enough to worship, to sit in His presence, to give admiration to Jesus; although we are just as importantly demanded to do, we are also commanded to testify of the gift we have received at the expense of the son of God. Because with the understanding of the Gospel story comes salvation that breaks every chain, tears the veil that once separated God from His creation, and rids every believer of the fate that we deserve to experience. Instead, it is replaced with the ultimate heart of mercy and grace. When a follower of Jesus comprehends the significance of this gift, it is imperative that we also spend our lives sharing this gift with others through our actions and our words in a loving and humble manner.
The Christmas story can be easily overlooked because of its seemingly repetitive exposure to the Christian ear. However, I implore you to take a moment this Christmas to reread Luke 2, or any telling of this glorious day, and re-experience the momentous occasion that is the coming of the hope of the world.
