by Pastor Joel Lawler

A man and his wife traveling across their country in order to obey a repressive dictatorship that demanded that they go back to their town of origin in order to be taxed could find no lodging. The hotels were full and their money was scarce and she was about to give birth. The only shelter that could be found was a stable. At least it provided some sort of roof for the young woman as her contraction pains grew in their intensity. The hay beneath her buffered the stony ground.

Did the young mother know that the baby she held close was the very God who created her and all creation as His handiwork? As she kissed his soft head and breathed in the new baby smell, could she see that He was the hope of all humankind?    The very mouth that suckled her breast would produce the words "I am the light of world." "I have come that you may have life." "I am the way, the truth and the life." His coos would turn to words and messages that have and will continue to bring salvation to a dying world. As his tiny fingers wrapped around hers, did she know that those very hands held the power to heal and would someday be pierced for all our sins?

The young father must have trembled at the awesome responsibility that God had placed on his shoulders. Being a new father changes a man. Being the

caretaker of God in the form of a new baby must have been extraordinary. As he cuddled the baby boy and looked into His eyes, did he realize that he was looking into the very eyes of God.

Most celebrities draw a crowd and have an entourage that goes wherever they go. Some even have a list of demands that are to be strictly followed whenever they arrive at a location. A "welcome party" of a handful of Shepherds greeted Jesus. If it were today, the equivalent of this group would be third-shift factory workers. Perhaps the angels could not keep the divine invasion a secret and these people were the only ones to show up this quiet night. They had to know He was special due to the celestial beings that had informed them of His birth but could they have known that He had come to defeat evil and defy death itself in order that all could have life?

It was a strange way for the king of kings to enter the world. Who could have ever imagined that this would be how the promised Messiah would arrive? Jesus, God Himself, took on the form of his creation. He was born in a cold animal shelter with a feeding trough for his crib. His arrival could not have been

more humble. This beautiful simple and stealth act went virtually unnoticed. Today, it is celebrated around the world.

The birth of the Christ, Christmas, eternally changed the course of world history. His life, death, and resurrection are the sole paths to the salvation of man. Just as He quietly came into the world, He humbly knocks at the door of every person's heart. His offer is hope, peace, love, and forgiveness of all of our failings and our rebellion that broke our relationship with our creator. Each of us gets to make a choice to receive the precious gift that we celebrate every year on Christmas day.
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