December 24 - a day to tie up loose ends. Finish wrapping presents. Putting the finishing touches on the menu. Reminding the family a half a dozen times that the car is leaving for Christmas Eve services at a set time so don't be late (at least in our family!).
For me this is a different kind of Christmas. For the first time in over 25 years I didn't have a service to plan or a sermon to write. I'll be sitting with the worshippers instead of in the chancel. I won't be giving directions on how to hold a lit candle so that wax doesn't get on the chair or pew, floor or clothing. It will be different.
Still, I'm looking forward to tonight. Our entire family will be worshipping together. That hasn't happened in a long time. Afterward, we'll head over to my oldest daughter's house for lots of good food and drink. And I'll probably get to bed at a decent hour.
I pray that your Christmas celebration fills your heart with joy. Jesus is the best gift you can receive. He comes gift wrapped - in humility but with a birth announcement that can't be beat - "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior: He is Christ the Lord!"
I'm taking a break from the blog but I'll be back next year (Jan.3) Below, I've provided you with a devotion that I wrote a few years ago. If you have about six minutes I encourage you to read it. It's entitled, "What Are They Thinking?" And have a Merry Christmas!
What Are
They Thinking?
We have a beautiful Nativity set that was given to us by a friend. It is very pretty and very much enhances our Christmas celebration. I’ve noticed that we set it up just like
practically every other Nativity set – with all the characters gazing toward
Jesus.
That only makes sense, right? The babe of Bethlehem is the focal point for
this night. He is the reason for the
season. It is because of the Christ
child that Christians all over the world have gathered for worship, gathered to
give thanks to God the Father for the gift of His only-begotten Son. Tonight, the whole world looks into the
stable and gazes upon the manger. There
on a bed of straw, wrapped in swaddling clothes, is the baby, the Christ.
So it’s very easy to imagine that
all eyes were on Jesus that first Christmas.
I wonder what they were all thinking?
How were they all feeling? Luke’s
Gospel tells of the birth straight away.
But there is no reporter on the scene, asking the parents and the
shepherds, “How do you feel? Can you
describe your emotions?” We just don’t
know.
Maybe Joseph was thinking back to
the dream he’d had nine months before.
An angel appeared to him and told him to take Mary as his wife. Yes, Mary was pregnant, said the angel, but the child was not conceived by any man but
by the Holy Spirit. The angel also
explained that because God is the Father, the child would not be named
Joseph. Instead, the baby would be given
the name Jesus. That name means, “the
Lord saves.” Jesus would save his people
from their sins. So maybe Joseph was
thinking, “There He is, as plain as the nose on my face - the Savior of the world.”
What were the shepherds
thinking? They were the first to learn
the good news. They left everything,
even their sheep to find the child.
There might have been other babies in Bethlehem than night. But there would only be one wrapped tightly
in strips of cloth and sleeping in a cattle trough. Perhaps they looked on and thought, “There’s
the baby the angel of the Lord spoke of.
But how will a baby be the Savior of the world? We’ve got to tell everyone about this.” And according to Luke, that’s what the
shepherds did. However, they didn’t talk
about how cute the baby looked as he lay in the manger. They told everyone they saw of what they had
heard about the baby, God’s Savior.
And then there is Mary. She must have been exhausted. The trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was
hard. She did not travel first
class. There is no first class section
when riding on a donkey. As she looked
into the manger, what was she thinking?
The angel had revealed to Mary
part of God’s plan in telling her that “the holy one to be born will be called
the Son of God.” Now, the shepherds have
come to find the baby and they certainly told Joseph and Mary all they had seen
in the fields outside of the village. To
all of this, the Scripture tells us that Mary “treasured up all these things
and pondered them in her heart.”
Interestingly, the word “pondering” means “putting together.” So maybe, as we look at our Nativity Set,
Mary is looking and pondering how this baby of hers could be the one of whom
such things were spoken.
Throughout the entire life of
Jesus, Mary would be putting together the meaning of all these words. But on this Christmas Eve night, we are moved
not to ponder but to celebrate. The
Bible reveals to us the mercy of God’s plan.
That plan called for God Himself to enter our messed up, hard to figure
world of ours and be our Savior.
This is the good news of Christmas
– His good news! And my friends, this
news is for you! “For unto you is born
this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The Christ child – He is the One who is for
you from God. He is your Christmas
gift. Priceless. Full of mercy and grace. There is no one like Him. He loves You…He will die for you…He will give
you new life. For unto you is born your
Savior, Christ the Lord.
For some of you this good news
might be hard to believe. Perhaps
because of some of the things you’ve done or the mistakes you’ve made, you
might be wondering if God could really love you. Or maybe you’ve gotten separated from your
paycheck and the job market doesn’t look so good and you’ve begun to question
if God has forgotten you. Unfortunately,
when we encounter tough times we are tempted to think such things.
In God’s heavenly workshop, as He
worked on the mercy of His plan to bring salvation to the world, He had your
picture posted on His bulletin board.
Your name on was that grand list of all those for whom Jesus would come
to save. The birth of the Christ child
is your absolute guarantee that God has not forgotten about you. In Jesus, God
has done all that is needed for your salvation.
Now if God can handle something as big as granting you forgiveness and
new life, He can certainly take care of the day to day problems we
encounter. He can see us through
chemotherapy and 401K and job applications and surly teenagers and diet and
exercise programs. You can trust
God. He is for you. All you have to do is join Mary and Joseph
and the Shepherds and look in the manger.
As you look upon the child, what
are you thinking? What are you pondering
as you gaze at the manger? I pray that
the good news of this night – God’s good news – will fill your heart with
thanksgiving and joy. God’s merciful
plan is realized in Bethlehem. God’s
Son, God’s gift, is born for you. He is
Christ the Lord. Amen.
