birthofJesus

Merry Christmas Everyone!

As I ponder the first Christmas, I think of hardship and struggle.  It couldn’t have been an easy process riding to Bethlehem while 9 months pregnant on a donkey.

Think of the fear of a young virgin knowing that a birth was about to take place — no mother to hold her hand, no hospital to help her through the birth.   Can you imagine the fear and uncertainty?   She knew that she had not lost her virginity and that the child she carried was from a holy seed.   What would the baby look like?  Human?  Divine?

Our secular Christmas celebration has children dressed in costumes as angels, wise men, shepherds, and stable animals — sweet and precious.   What was it really like though?  Wasn’t it was a dangerous time for Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus?

It was holy …

After the birth of the precious Messiah, Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt to protect “his” son.    For them to flee with a newborn wasn’t like today — packing suitcases and placing a child in a plush vehicle to zoom away.   I can’t fathom the difficulty!   Surely God protected them as the three of them traveled all alone.

Matthew 2:16-18
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

A messy, heart-breaking, scary time!   Can you imagine the cries of the mothers who had their beautiful sons ripped out of their arms and slaughtered before their eyes?

rachelweeping

 

Surely they couldn’t be comforted — yet it happened.   Satan was that terrified of the newborn King.

I am grateful for everything God did to bring His Son into the world for us!

I am thankful for Mary and Joseph’s faithfulness.   What if Joseph had ignored the warning?  God definitely chose two wonderful, faithful people to raise His Son.

Thank You Jesus for coming and taking our sin!

Yes, Merry Christmas everyone!   It may have been a messy, tough, and scary time — but we celebrate the birth of our Lord and all that He means to us!   Not just this time of year, but all year long!

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Focus this season on what God did for you and how He used people like Mary and Joseph.   If He can use them, He can also use us to change the world!

Rejoice and be glad!

Our God is with us!

Nativity Photo Credit.

Rachel Weeping Photo Credit.