Merry Christmas Eve!!
This season has seemed (like most of 2020) to go by so fast, but for me, it was exactly what I needed to end this year, probably more than any other. There’s just something so special and magical about Christmastime, like something changes in the atmosphere.
Hope, peace, joy, light, celebration
All things that were brought into the picture by Jesus’ birth.
On this wonderful Christmas Eve morning, I spent a good hour going though the story of the birth of Jesus. At first, I just read it all the way through. But then I went back and really dissected each piece of the story. Because all together those verses display the beautiful picture of the gospel unfolding, but individually they hold much to be discovered and learned as well.
Those nuggets that I pulled out from unpacking the Christmas story is what I want to share here now.
For reference: The story of Jesus’ birth is found in Luke 2:1-40. However, other parts of the story are also found in Matthew 1:18 – Matthew 2:23 and Luke 1:26-38.
Mary
The very first thing that is so miraculous about the birth of Jesus and Mary is the virgin conception. Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant with Jesus, Son of God. The Holy Spirit came upon her and conceived a child — the first of many miracles in the story of Jesus’ life.
Second, is what the angel of the Lord says to Mary when he first appears to her. “Greetings, you are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” and then “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:38, 30) Later in the story, the angels appeared to the shepherds saying “and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14).
Mary had the favor of God, meaning she had the peace of God, which is simply the presence of God. And the angel told Mary that the Lord was with her and she was highly favored. It blows my mind that Mary had peace before the Prince of Peace was even born.
Mary responds to all of this by saying “I am the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled” and then going to praise and worship God. Now I don’t know about you, but if I heard that as a virgin I was going to be giving birth (remember that 2000 years ago, babies born outside of marriage were heavily frowned upon and rarely happened), I’m not quite sure I would be running off to worship God. But Mary did; she had the peace of God and knew that God had a great purpose for what she was about to go through. Because of Mary’s great faith and obedience to the Lord, our Prince of Peace was born.
Joseph
Now, you’re probably thinking, where’s Joseph in all of this? Because while it took faith for Mary to take all this in, it took extra faith for Joseph to be told that his virgin fiancee was now pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Not only because he had to trust that was the truth, even if it seemed crazy, but also because society and the Law would look down upon them for the situation they were in.
And in fact, Joseph was planning to divorce Mary quietly so that she wouldn’t be exposed to public disgrace. But after considering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him explaining the whole thing and saying “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20) Again, realize that taking your pregnant virgin fiancee home as your wife was unheard of in those days.
But because Joseph heard from the angel of the Lord and experienced the presence of God, he did what the angel had commanded him. He laid down his plans and his preferences to live by faith in what the Holy Spirit was doing in his and Mary’s life. That faith would continue to carry him as he took his family and fled to Egypt when King Herod ordered all baby boys 2 and under to be killed, and then as he took his family and returned back to Nazareth once Herod had died.
Joseph was one of the pioneers in the new testament of living by faith, not by sight. And because of that, He was able to be the father of the Savior of the world.
Shepherds
I think the shepherds are one of my favorite characters in the Christmas story. The way that God uses them in the story and the way they respond to the birth of Jesus just amaze me.
Back in the time when Jesus was born, shepherds were considered the outcasts, the least of these in society. Therefore, the least likely anyone would expect for God to show up to first. And yet, that’s exactly what happened.
The shepherds were out in their fields, looking over their flock when an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, saying “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you…” (Luke 2:8-11). The shepherds, the least of these, were the first people the angel of the Lord came to to tell about the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world.
Because Jesus himself came for the least of us, for you and me, so that in Him, we might rise up in the Kingdom of God. The world considered them (us) the least of them and the least likely, but God saw them (and sees us) as great and holy in His Kingdom. Because of Jesus.
I also love that the angel said “A Savior has been to you“, not for you but TO you. Jesus didn’t come just to do his thing, save us and go home. No, Jesus came down to be our friend, to fill the chasm so that we could have a personal relationship with God. To not just be for us, but to be with us, and intimately know us. And Jesus came down for each of us individually, not just humanity as a general whole.
Lastly, I love how the shepherds respond. Luke 2:15-15 says, “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.’ So they hurried off…” Immediately, the shepherds left and searched after Jesus. But it wasn’t just like leaving their Netflix show on pause or skipping out on a social event, it was leaving their livelihood!
For shepherds, the fields and their flock were not only their entire lives, but their livelihoods as well. And yet they immediately left all that behind to go and see the birth of our Savior — what a powerful picture of what Jesus calls us to today!
And before they could even experience or know what Jesus would do for them one day, after seeing Jesus, the shepherds spread the word and told everyone about Jesus. It’s so cool to me how God used the unlikeliest people to start spreading Hope, the good news of great joy. Which is exactly how He is building His Kingdom today with you and me!
Magi
Last, but not least, the Magi (wise men). They followed the star all the way to the stables where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were. It says, “when they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Matthew 2:10-11) It brings a smile to my face thinking about the joy that filled them before they even saw Jesus with their own two eyes.
And when they did see Jesus, they bowed down and worshiped him. That’s the very first thing they did, before they would even experience what Jesus would do for them or know how Jesus would save them. Because they knew they were in the presence of God in the form of a baby. It reminds me of Psalm 100:4 “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.”
Then, after they worshiped Jesus, that’s when they opened their presents and presented Him with gifts. Isn’t it interesting that the wise men worshiped Jesus before giving Him anything? The Magi knew that they had nothing to give the Son of God but their worship, that compared to their praise, their presents were nothing. You see, because of Jesus, all God asks for is our hearts and our worship, and all we have to offer God is our praise and our worship.
All of these stories made me realize that the story of Jesus, from the moment He was conceived, is the story of faith. The beginning of faith.
And after diving in and studying the story of the birth of Jesus, 3 big themes I see throughout all these people’s story is: peace, praise, and faith.
Peace: The angel of the Lord told Mary that the Lord was with her. The angel told Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds not to be afraid. Because of Jesus, peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests. Peace.
Praise: After the angel left, Mary worshiped and praised God. The wise men bowed down and worshiped the King first thing upon arrival. The shepherds praised God by leaving their livelihood to meet with the King and spread the good news of great joy they had been given. Praise.
Faith: It took faith for Mary to accept she was going to have a child as a virgin and for Joseph to trust God and stay with Mary. Faith for Joseph to take his family and flee to Egypt and then later return to Nazareth, all by hearing from an angel of the Lord. Upon hearing from the Lord, the shepherds trusted God and left their flocks and fields to see Jesus. Faith.
In other words, when I experience the presence of God (peace), I can’t help but praise Him and worship Him, which empowers and strengthens me to step out by and live in faith.
Timing and Act of Jesus’ Birth
The last thing I want to cover real quick is the situation and environment surrounding Jesus’ birth. Jesus was born after a time where God had been silent for 400 years: No new prophets, no new revelations from God, not a word, nothing. And yet, He broke that silence with the cry of a baby, the most powerful sound there would be until Jesus declared “It is finished on the cross” and gave up his last breath.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.
Jesus also humbled himself down to the lowest of places: a baby. He went from the most protected state in Heaven to the most vulnerable state anyone could be: a newborn baby. All on our behalf so that He could relate to us by being fully human, Son of Man, not just Son of God.
Jesus humbled himself down so that in Him we could be lifted up
It may seem like God is silent right now, like the world is weary and we are at our low. But take heart, for a Savior has already been born to you. A Savior who lived the life we could never live and died the death we deserved to die, so that we may have eternal life. Abundant life. Love, joy, peace, patience, faith, hope, light, life.
God is not silent or stagnant; God is on the move. And He is saying to us and reminding us of what the story of the birth of Jesus still represents for us, even 2000+ years later:
