mattbraunlin
Member
Magnificent Insignificance
Astonished Reflections on the Birth of ChristAs I write, it is December 2nd, 2022. I have spent the majority of this year writing blurbs about my Savior, Jesus Christ. And now that the Christmas season has officially begun, there was no way I was not going to celebrate my favourite time of year by writing about it.
The following is a series of reflections on certain aspects of Christ's coming into the world. It is designed for all new believers, but I promise you: the Christmas story is so astonishing that you could reflect on it for a thousand years and lose not one drop of wonder at the events of God's invasion of our world.
The story of the birth of Christ (which Christians call the Nativity) is told in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 1-20. I suggest very strongly that you read this passage before continuing.
The story centres around a poor carpenter, Joseph, and his wife, Mary, who was pregnant with her first child.
Caesar Augustus
Verse one tells us that Caesar Augustus ordered a census be taken of his empire. This census was essentially a way to tax conquered nations and make Rome lots of money.
Now let's examine this Caesar Augustus.
Augustus was the most powerful man on earth. He lived in a palace, ate all the best food, had legions of servants and yes-men to cater to his every whim, and could have you executed with a wave of his hand. He had limitless money and power, and the sole purpose of the census was to get him more money and power.
The census demanded that all citizens return to the city of their birth. And Joseph just happened to have been born in a small village called Bethlehem.
Bethlehem had been the birthplace of King David. And it was prophesied in the Old Testament that Jesus would be born in that city.
So long story short, Caesar Augustus, the ruler of an Empire, was in God's eyes a teeny little pawn whom He used to fulfill ancient prophecy and bring everlasting glory to a poor carpenter and his wife.
Instantly, we have God doing the precise opposite of what we expect anyone to do. This all-powerful buffoon is mentioned only once, and only as a means to tell the story of the two most insignificant people you could ever imagine.
God always favours the underdog. It is always the shepherd, the slave, the weird wanderer whom God uses to demonstrate his glory. Remember that in your own life, and as I continue.
It will be difficult.
We learn in verse 7 that when Jesus was born, Mary wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Jesus was born in a barn. Literally. Joseph tried to get a room at a local inn, but there was no vacancy, so they ended up in a barn.
Now.
Ladies, if you were pregnant with the Son of God, if you were in labour and about to bring him into the world, you would assume that his Heavenly Father would at least provide you with a decent bed and a roof over your head in which to do so.
Didn't happen for Mary. The mother of our Lord was obliged to give birth on a pile of hay in a smelly stable.
And she obeyed the will of God.
Mary and Joseph's faith in this situation, in which God made even the birth of his Son unbelievably difficult for them, is a monumental lesson for us as believers.
I would be unsurprised if Mary felt a little indignant at this turn of events. She must have wondered a few why's. But as a result of her faith and obedience, billions of people now share the incomparably wondrous story of God himself, Creator of the universe, born in poverty and surrounded by fleas and manure. He was wrapped in worthless cloth to keep him warm and laid in a trough, otherwise used to feed cows and donkeys.
There is no other god on Earth who would claim such humble beginnings. But by the faith and humility of his parents, Jesus can make that claim.
Your walk with Christ will not be easy. Not if you're doing it right. But if you keep faith, if you surrender to God's word even when it seems unjust or painful or even downright bizarre, you will find yourself with a story to tell as you bring glory to God.
And what a story!
The Best Seats in the House
At this point, the story changes scenes, and we find ourselves hanging out with some shepherds, spending yet another dull night in the fields watching over their sheep.
And in the blink of an eye, an angel appears in their midst. After easing their terror, he informs these simple Jewish peasants that he has come to deliver the greatest Good News in history:
… for today in the city of David there has been born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
And then a host of angels appears before them, exalting the Saviour who had been promised the Jewish people.
How's that for a break in the monotony of a night shift?
These few men (maybe a half a dozen, for all we know) then immediately ventured to Bethlehem, and witnessed God himself in human form, before anyone else.
Once again, we see God favouring the little guy. Shepherds, in ancient times, were both dirt poor and socially shunned. They were losers. And God chose them as the first recipients of the Gospel which would come to dominate the destiny of the human race. And just for fun, he treated a handful of sheepherders to a concert experience that would put the Who and the London Philharmonic Orchestra to utter shame.
So why did God do this? Why did God put on such a spectacular show for a few rough, simple shepherds?
Firstly, Christ's invasion of our world was, at this point, a secret. By the very nature of His mission, Jesus' birth could not be trumpeted for all to hear. Jesus did not make himself public until he was thirty years old, and there was no way that news of his arrival into the world as a helpless baby could be allowed to reach the ears of the many powerful, prideful and dangerous men who controlled Israel at the time.
But here's the part I absolutely love: God the Father (like any other father) was so excited and Joyful at the birth of his son that he had to tell someone!
The story of the angels and the shepherds is not a crucial element of the Nativity. To the best of my knowledge this part of the story did not fulfill any Biblical prophecy. They are merely the icing on the cake, a small handful of immeasurably blessed fellas whom God chose to receive a gift which they will treasure for endless eternity.
The Baby God?
This is one of those concepts which is so unique to Christianity: it is simple enough to be understood by a four-year-old, yet is so infinitely profound that at thirty-six, I continue to find new ways to shake with wonder as I contemplate it.
Imagine that you are holding your newborn baby in your arms. He is sleeping, occasionally squeaking a bit as babies do. He is utterly helpless, weaker than a lamb. You must be extremely careful. You look at his face as he slumbers, in total trust at the warmth and softness of your gentle embrace.
And you know that that tiny, fragile baby in your arms is the Almighty.
Imagine the Joy, the awe, the purest terror at this ultimate paradox in all the history of Creation.
And then you remember that this tiny baby, whose diapers you will change and will depend on your care for many years to come, is responsible for Creation. He created the sun in the sky, the wind that you must shelter him from, the sheep and oxen you are surrounded by.
He spoke the ancient words of the Torah which you will teach him. He gave you the free will by which you accepted this unthinkable responsibility from one of the mighty angels who serve him. He knows your ancestors, he knows Abraham and Moses and Ruth and Deborah and all the great men and women who would come to be celebrated the world over. And that they were ultimately preparing, suffering, prophesying in order to guide the human race to this moment which you are experiencing right now.
This baby, which you gave birth to, created you.
No one, not one single human in all of history, can begin to fathom how Mary felt as she held her Son that night.
God never does what we would expect, and the result is always (always!) more stunning than the highest heights of our imagination. The Jews were expecting their Messiah to be a mighty military warrior, striking fear in the hearts of their Roman oppressors as he drove them out through violence.
And instead, God gave them a baby. And as I hope I have demonstrated, this strikes a very different kind of fear in our hearts. It creates a still, silent wonder at the Man who would spread an empire of love and freedom around the world, who would free us from the groaning darkness of sin… and who began as a crying infant, utterly dependent on his mommy.
Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Born a baby, in a mangy stable, to a poor virgin, hailed by lowly shepherds. This is Christmas. This is what Christ's followers celebrate.
We love Santa and decorations and Michael Bublé too. But they themselves are ornaments, tiny trinkets which add the finishing touches to the solemn and beautiful core of Christmas. That core lies in the humble, quiet beginning of the single most important life ever lived on our planet.
And in that vein, with a small smile and a heart overflowing with amazement, I say to every person reading this:
Merry Christmas.