Luk 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
I hate to upset anybody’s notions, but you need to know that the nativity of Christ is not about family, gifts or giving, a tree, decorations, Santa or even eggnog. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish the opportunity to spend time with family and I will take joy in seeing the munchkins rip and tear into their presents. I love the lights! I DON’T care for the shopping!!! Praise the Lord for Amazon.com!
But we cannot miss the point… Look, if I were to have a target to the south and let an arrow fly toward the north, I am going to miss the bulls eye by a good distance. There is no joy in missing the target.
If the birth of Christ is supposed to bring peace on earth and good will toward men, then why is there so much misery and friction during the holidays? Why are so many so sad at this time?
1) People don’t feel they can measure up to the country living Magazine Christmas cover.
2) People are feeling sorry for themselves because Bing Crosby’s songs are not a reality for them.
3) Many are broken hearted because home for the holidays is not happening for them.
4) Others will be disappointed. Because their life is not a Christmas card, not a Norman Rockwell painting. Their halls are not decked with boughs of holly. They experience little ho ho ho and a lot of bah humbug!
You see, life has happened to them ...divorce, death, financial setback, disease, tragedy.
If your goal is a classic Christmas, snow on the ground, a pile of presents under the tree, a sleigh parked outside pulled by Clydesdale horses, etc. You will more oft than not be disappointed.
That's not why God became a man, to bring you a merry Christmas and happy holidays and Feliz Navidad.
But if you are looking for peace of/with God, goodwill to men, if you are looking for light of the world and eternal life...then that's why He came and that's what He offers.
If the babe in the manger points you toward Santa riding a Norelco razor through the snow, then all your Christmases will not be merry and bright.
But if the star over the manger draws your attention to the cross of forgiveness and an empty tomb of victory, then unto you is born this day, in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!
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