| 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 his 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 room for them in the inn. 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 of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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, and on earth peace to men 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." (Luke 2:1-15 NIV) The fulness of time was now come when God would send forth his Son, made of a woman, and made under the law. The circumstances of his birth were very humble. Christ was born at an inn; he came into the world to sojourn here for awhile and to teach us to do likewise. Angels were heralds of the new-born Savior, but they were only sent to some poor, humble, pious, industrious shepherds, who were in the business of their calling, keeping watch over their flock. We are not out of the way of Divine visits. God desires to commune and communicate with us. Jesus is also called "Emmanuel" which means "God with us". God's good-will to men, manifested in sending the Messiah, redounds to his praise. Other works of God are for his glory, but the redemption of the world is for his glory in the highest sense. God's goodwill in sending Jesus, brought peace into this lower world. Peace, as regarded in an eternal sense, is the absence of enmity or hostility between the Creator and those whom He has created. In bodily representing the love and goodwill of God toward us, Jesus became and remains God's contract of eternal acceptance and peace with those who, realizing their sinfulness and need for forgiveness, accept him. This is the point of reality where the Christmas story becomes personal. Were it not for sin there would be no need of a Savior. Were it not for the love, grace, and mercy of God there would be no opportunity for us to escape the eternal penalty for sin. Who among us can offer their life as an example of sinless perfection? Not one. To the contrary, all of us can offer our lives as examples of the foolishness of sin and its results. And, while we can never offer our own life as an example of sinless perfection, we can look to the One who is our example of sinless perfection. We can look to the One who became sin for the sake of the sinful and offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for sin on the Cross. Friends, it's a very humbling thought, one that's neglected and overlooked in the secularized version of this holiday season, one that tends to be easily distorted in the zealousness of preaching that condemns sinners because of sin, but that's what Christmas is all about. The message of Christmas is one that compels us to embrace our fallen human nature in such a way that we realize our need for Jesus and the forgiveness that comes only through Him. The shepherds had the right idea and one that wields itself to emulation in our own lives. After the angelic visit announcing the birth of Jesus, they made their way, they went to see for themselves the Christ who had been born to take away the sins of the world. May God grant that our own fallen humanity serve as a resource to draw us to realize our need for His gift to us, promised from the beginning of time, anticipated for many generations, born in a humble setting with a manger as His first crib, sinless in His conception and life, crucified for our sins, and coming again to fulfill the complete and eternal plan of God. Amen. |
| ©David Kralik Ministries, Inc. 2002 Email: matthewfivesix@hotmail.com |
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| "The Birth of Jesus" Luke 2:1-15 |
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