Holidays

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There is much to glean from Christ’s birth into the world. If we lean a little closer, we will discover much more than meets the eye. We will be given a peek into the heart of God which will change our whole outlook on life.

Laid in a feeding trough, after being born to a lowly virgin, would, in society’s eyes have labeled Jesus a nobody. The proclamation of his arrival was told, by an angel, to a handful of shepherds in the darkness of the night—not the most exciting way of announcing the birth of the very Son of God. No loud trumpeting or spectacular display for all to see. It’s almost as if he came quietly through the back door and unless you were expecting him, no one would ever have known he came in. There was no comfortable bed for Mary or her child to lie; instead, just a little baby born in the quietness of the night, possibly surrounded by the smell of barn animals and the music of crickets. Have you ever wondered why the Creator of the world would bring His Son into the world in such a humble way? He chose the meekest beginnings for His beloved Son. Why would a God so great chose anything less than great for this monumental moment? Through the circumstance that surrounded the birth of Christ, we learn a great deal concerning the heart of God. What we tend to avoid, God embraces; what we tend to dismiss, God accepts; what we count as worthless, He counts as precious. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (Mark 12:10). We live in an upside down world. What society holds in high esteem, most likely God regards as vain.

Jesus’ humble beginnings didn’t stop here. His whole life was a reflection of humility. Despite the power and authority Jesus displayed, he had nowhere to lay his head, washed the feet of his followers and died a brutal death for mankind. He chose this life because he lived it for God and not himself.

God didn’t parade Jesus around with honor and pomp. He could have. He is God. He could have built a wonderful portfolio with miracles and wonders to prove himself to those that doubted. God could have put Jesus on display during his resurrection and had a huge crowd to prove his deity, but he didn’t. He chose a few close followers to reveal himself to. It wasn’t about the size of the crowd, nor the glory he could receive from man; rather, doing the will of his Father.

Through the birth, life and death of Christ we learn a great deal about our God. Our success is not based on how many followers we have, nor how much praise we receive from others, neither is it our status in life. Living humbly, serving others and accepting dishonor because of truth is real success in our upside down world.

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