WHAT A MOMENT!

And those guys had no idea! Not a clue!

Or maybe . . . . . . . . . the visit of the angels was off the chain for the shepherds. After all, how often does that happen? But regardless, I don't think the shepherds had any idea of the significance of the moment that night when the angels showed up & told them of Jesus' coming to earth as a baby.

I was thinking this Christmas morning about how everyone involved in Jesus' birth narrative - including Joseph, Mary, the wise men - probably had no idea just how significant this moment was. Now I know they knew it was something special. After all, it seems that everyone was seeing angels. Angel visits do not classify as "normal." But I don't think they realized that this child would seriously change life as they knew it. All of history turns on Him.

And there in Heaven sat God the Father. Watching. Listening. Orchestrating the moment to accomplish His divine plans. And they had no idea.

That makes me wonder how many events of significance like that happen to me . . . . . . . And I'm without a clue. It's a conversation or an encounter or something seemingly so simple, yet in the long run, so incredibly significant in God's scheme of things. And so my prayer for the next year and for the rest of my life, is to be more aware of moments that may be incredibly significant and to watch for babies who may change the world. For at the moment I least expect it . . .

A Busy Time
The story does not really say it, but I think that the time when Jesus was born in the stable must have been a busy season. After all, the motels were full. People were going home to pay their taxes. That means that family reunions were in full swing. So I would guess that life was moving along at a frantic pace for Mary & Joseph and everyone else. Meals had to be prepared. Stuff had to be done. Money was short because taxes had to be paid. It was probably one of those times when someone exclaimed, "I could just pull my hair out!"


But for a few folks, it all came to a standstill. At least it did for a few minutes. As I think about how hectic the world surrounding Jesus' birth was, my mind goes to the stable of his birth. I can just imagine Joseph, Mary, the animals, the shepherds and probably some un-named onlookers who came to see the baby just standing there looking at Him as if they had nothing better to do.

And in fact, they didn't. What could be better than standing there looking at God's Son? Regardless of how important other business was, it all seemed to be trivial in comparison to standing there looking at Him. I am guessing that an unusual & eerie peace swept over that stable while they stood there. At that moment, nothing else really mattered.



And so the challenge is simple. We are living in very similar times as the birth of Jesus. Life is hectic. No one has enough time or money. We think that we have lots of things to do before Christmas. And yet - do we really? My prayer for you & me is that we will take the advice of John Wade who penned these words more than three centuries ago:

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

If for no other reason, maybe the financial crisis will motivate us to do this one thing at Christmas - to adore Him.

Merry Christmas!