Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas Reflection


Luke 2:6-7 “While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her first born son.  She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn"

 Rejected when he came to be accepted by all 

Born in a stable when he came to be born into every human heart. 

As the animals look on God performs a great miracle, perhaps the greatest miracle, the promise of salvation is born into the world in the form of a baby boy.  This long dreamed of salvation is accomplished by God, a poor girl and her humble and devoted husband in a stable.

If God came to dwell among men in such a lowly place as a stable, think of what he can do in your heart.  God’s love knows no bounds.  He comes to us right where we are, even in our own mess and especially when we have been rejected at the inn.  We have done nothing to deserve this love.  And as any parent knows, as a child of God, He, our father, will never stop loving us.  We cannot earn this love but we can say thank you for this wonderful gift that is unconditional love.  The greatest thank you we can give is to receive God’s love with a humble and willing heart.

Jesus is happiness and the fullness of joy.  If we are away from Jesus, we are away from happiness and true joy.  Christmas is an annual reminder to bring us closer to the source of happiness.  A reminder that takes on the unassuming form of a baby rejected by those at the inn but welcomed nonetheless in a stable.

This Holy night, His coming into the world, has been depicted in movies, plays, stories and songs.  With all of this entertainment surrounding the story of Christmas, it is easy to become enchanted with the story and forget that his coming makes demands on us to change our ways of thinking and our lives.

Are you one of the inn crowd or are you one of the stable few?

Will your commitment to Jesus continually upset the routine of your life, as it should?

Will your commitment present daily challenges to put on His heart and His mind?

This is a lifetime task.  I pray Lord for the courage to answer Your call.  I pray that Jesus will be born into each of our lives even knowing that His birth in our hearts requires change.

This is the truth of Jesus in our midst.  When we become convinced of His truth, we can live joyfully and enthusiastically the mission and message of Jesus’ birth.

Two thousand years later, you and I stand in awe before the event of His birth.  We can prepare for THIS Christmas and celebrate the great gift of the Christ Child.  We can be mindful that God loves us infinitely more than we can imagine.  We can look past the outward decorations and focus on the inward change.  We can sing Alleluia with the angels and praise God for once again Christ our Savior is Born in our hearts!

God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife

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