Luke 2

Read: Luke 2

In verse 7, our Savior Jesus is born!  And what a way to come in to the world… the King of kings was born in one of the lowliest of ways.  As Mary was about to give birth, she was traveling for a census. Because of the census, there were so many people in Nazareth that there was nowhere for them to stay except in a stable, which was a building for animals.  Jesus was born and laid in a feeding trough where the animals would normally eat. How much would you want that to be the place you give birth to your first child?  

As horrific of a thought as it is to give birth in a nasty stable and put your child in a feeding trough, there is a certain beauty about it.  Jesus could have come on the clouds in power and majesty as he will do in the end (see Mark 13:26), but he didn’t. Instead, he humbly came and was born in a way that many would see as disturbing and disgusting.  Even though he came in such a way, the angels and shepherds rejoiced that the Savior was born, and today millions of people around the world know this story!

One take away from this is God met the people where they were at.  For centuries, the Israelite people and humanity in general rebelled against God.  They killed the prophets and broke the covenant that they had with God. God could have just burned them all up and destroyed them, but he chose to meet them where they were.  This is what we call the incarnation. God came down to us in the person of Jesus Christ. He humbly chose to come down and be born as a child so he could identify with his creation and later go on to atone for the sins of humanity.  

As we live our lives, how can we meet people where they are at?  So often, we want people to meet us where we are at. Instead of going to them, we want them to come to us.  Instead of sharing Christ on their turf, we want them to hear about Christ on our turf and many times they never hear because we are unwilling to go to them.  As you go through this season, what are some ways you can help the poor? Many people will barely be able to eat this Christmas. How can you help feed them and give toys to their kids.  How can you love those who are displaced, homeless, and hurting? Christmas is about Jesus, but Jesus is about people. If we are truly going to celebrate Christmas with the right heart, we also need to be about people and seek to daily love those who God puts in our paths.