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Scripture for Sunday, December 25: Luke 2:1-21
Additional Scripture:
John 1:1-14; Hebrews 4:14-16; Philippians 2:6-11
This week marks our arrival at the Bethlehem manger.
Caesar’s registration decree had mandated family reunions. So Joseph and Mary joined the rest of the Roman world and headed home, making the 90-mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
I wonder how that journey went. Did the two of them travel in the company of
Joseph’s family members, or were they ostracized and alone? Did Mary waddle on swollen feet? Did she ride a donkey, Jesus’ head bumping against
the walls of her womb with every step? Did
the exertion of traveling precipitate the labor? Or were Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem for some
time before Jesus’ birth? Inquiring minds want to know.
And we don't know. About Jesus’ birth itself, Luke’s report is brief: “While they were there, the time came for the
baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son….” (Luke 2:6-7)
Perhaps there is no need for Luke to detail the events
leading up to Jesus’ birth. Women have
been birthing babies for centuries. Perhaps
childbirth is such a ubiquitous experience that Luke can merely report that Jesus’
delivery took place, knowing that his readers will be able to use their sanctified imaginations to fill in the
details.
The process of delivering a child is unpredictable. It is a messy, gritty, humility-inducing
and awe-inspiring business—every single time.
So Luke’s few words say so much. God in Christ is born. God in Christ is born into
time and space, born into history (during the census ordered by Caesar) and
geography (Bethlehem). God in Christ is
born—to a young woman laboring in a barn.
God in Christ is born—and the shepherds in the countryside hear about it
from all the armies of heaven.
God in Christ is born
in the flesh, in the very same way as each one of us. Tiny. Vulnerable.
Needy.
God of God, Light of Light “became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus, may we see your glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.Reflect
1. When you think of Jesus, is it easier for you to grasp the fact of his divinity or the fact of his humanity? How does the way you think about Christ influence your worship of him?2. If your Christmas celebration includes time with small children or babies, ask God to renew your awareness of and awe for his coming as a human baby while you spend time with the children in your life. Thank God for what he shows you in those moments. Praise him for being fully human and fully divine.
