Christmas reflections
By Tanja
Christmas is a season to feel true peace, joy and love. However, many people feel stress over the holiday we call Christmas; when they try to make Christmas everything that it should be, and recreate memories and traditions. There is no slowing down and no letting go if things don’t go as perfectly as they should. Then there is the experience of going to shopping malls for last-minute gifts or a Christmas dinner. Still, instead of being able to stroll through the stores or arrive in time to meet those you wish to meet, you’re circling the shopping mall’s parking lots in your car, watching others take the parking spots you had hoped to claim, and your anxiety level increases.
Was that what it felt like for Mary and Joseph when they were riding their donkey to Bethlehem and arriving there with no place to stay? Imagine no motels, hotels, Airbnb, or lodging at all available for them to stay at a time when they needed it the most.
Was Joseph frustrated that there was no place for them to stay? Surely, he could inform someone that the Saviour of the world was going to be born, and they needed to have some room.
Now we sing lyrics such as: ‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.’ So, they did find a place to stay, a manger, ‘a stable or a cave.’[1] Keep singing: ‘The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.’ (Christmas Carol)
There was no room for Jesus to stay in a decent inn in his parents’ hometown. What kind of welcome was that? “Accepting humanity’s rejection even in his birth, Jesus sent a message of stubborn, unbreakable love to the world. We would not afford him so much as a cramped closet; we had no room for him, no time to stop and worship, no interest in a peasant child. But that same Child came to find room for us.”[2] Mary and Joseph had travelled to Bethlehem because the emperor, Caesar Augustus, required a census to be taken; therefore, everyone in the empire had to return to their hometown to be registered. The Scripture says that when they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to her son.
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:6-7)
When the angels appeared to the Shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, it was no mistake where they would find Jesus. The angels sang praises to God and gave the message that Jesus was lying in a manger. It apparently did not escape heaven’s notice where Jesus would be staying on his first night here on earth.
The shepherds were told:
“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)
The angels announced the Good News of a Saviour arriving to all people. It ‘will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’ (Luke 2:11) The ‘Evanggelion,’ grand message would bring joy to all people, even today. The reason for the joy was that Jesus is our Saviour. “Jesus may be lying in animal trough, but heaven is present at his birth.”[3] Heaven knew where Jesus would be when He came, and knew “Jesus is important not because of the setting of his birth, but because of who he is before God.”[4]
Jesus was born in a humble way in Bethlehem. He lived a short life on earth and died on a cross to take away the sins of the world, to be our Saviour to bridge the gap of our unworthiness to enter the presence of God. Jesus came to give us eternal life and to fill our hearts with true joy, a joy that nothing else can give. “He is no longer in a crib and no longer confined to a manger. He is now seated at the right hand of God..”[5]
Would you make room for Him in your heart this Christmas? Or does this Christmas have to be like the first Christmas, where there was no room for Jesus in the inn? Perhaps there is room in your heart to let Jesus into your life. I wonder if, when you sing Christmas Carols, you would sing them with true worship to the King of Kings. The shepherds heard the message of the Good News that Jesus would bring them joy, and they gladly went to worship Jesus and bring him gifts. The angels boldly announced the coming of the King and sang gloriously. Mary reflected with sincere adoration about what was happening at the birth of Jesus. Will you come and bring your gift, not a material gift, but a gift of your worship to the Saviour of the world?
Merry Christmas!
[1] Darrell L. Bock, Luke: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text–to Contemporary Life, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub. House, 1996), 83.
[2] David Jeremiah, Why the Nativity? 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2021), 35.
[3] Bock, Luke, 84.
[4] Bock, Luke, 86.
[5] Bock, Luke, 89.
