Matthew 1:18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

The story of the first Christmas is so beloved that singers and storytellers across the centuries have embellished and elaborated and mythologized the story in celebration. However, most people now don’t know which details are biblical and which are fabricated. People usually imagine the manger scene with snow, singing angels, many worshipers, and a little drummer boy. None of that is found in the biblical account.

Christmas has become the product of an odd mixture of pagan ideas, superstition, fanciful legends, and plain ignorance. Add to that the commercialization of Christmas by marketers and the politicization of Christmas in the culture wars, and you’re left with one big mess. Let’s try to sort it out. The place to begin is in God’s Word, the Bible. Here we find not only the source of the original account of Christmas, but also God’s commentary on it.

We can’t know Jesus if we don’t understand He is real. The story of His birth is no allegory. We dare not romanticize it or settle for a fanciful legend that renders the whole story meaningless. Mary and Joseph were real people. Their dilemma on finding no room at the inn surely was as frightening for them as it would be for you or me. The manger in which Mary laid Jesus must have reeked of animal smells. So did the shepherds, in all probability. That first Christmas was anything but picturesque.

But that makes it all the more wondrous. That baby in the manger is God! Immanuel!

That’s the heart and soul of the Christmas message. There weren’t many worshipers around the original manger-only a handful of shepherds. That’s intriguing because shepherds were among the lowest and most despised social groups.

The very nature of shepherds’ work kept them from entering into the mainstream of Israel’s society. They couldn’t maintain the ceremonial washings and observe all the religious festivals and feasts, yet these shepherds, just a few miles from Jerusalem, were undoubtedly caring for sheep that someday would be used as sacrifices in the temple. How fitting it is that they were the first to know of the Lamb of God!

More significant, they came to see Him the night he was born. No one else did. Though the shepherds went back and told everyone what they had seen and heard, and though,  ”And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:18), not one other person came to see firsthand.

Scripture doesn’t describe how the shepherds’ search for the baby Jesus actually unfolded, but it’s not unreasonable to assume that they entered Bethlehem and asked questions: “Does anybody know about a baby being born here in town tonight?”

The shepherds might have knocked on several doors and seen other newborn babies before they found the special Child lying in the feeding trough. At that moment, those humble men knew for certain that the angels’ announcement was a word from God. After their encounter with Joseph and Mary and Jesus, the shepherds couldn’t help but tell others about what the angels had told them. They became, in effect, the first New Testament evangelists.

The shepherd’s story is a good illustration of the Christian life. You first hear the revelation of the gospel and believe it (Romans 10:9-10). Then you pursue and embrace Christ. And having become a witness to your glorious conversion, you begin to tell others about it (Luke 2:17).

Challenge:
May God grant you the life-changing spiritual experiences and the ongoing attitude of enthusiasm and responsiveness that causes you to tell others that you, too, have seen Christ the Lord.

John 11:25 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

 Her words were full of despair. “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” (John 11:21) She stars into the Master’s face with confused eyes. She had been strong long enough; now it hurt too badly. Lazarus was dead. Her brother was gone. And the one man who could have made a difference didn’t. He hadn’t even made it for the burial. Something about death makes us accuse God of betrayal. “If God were here there would be no death,” we claim.

You see, if God is God anywhere, he has to be God in the face of death. Pop psychology can deal with depression. Pep talks can deal with pessimism. Prosperity can deal with hunger. But only God can deal with our ultimate dilemma—death. And only the God of the Bible has dared to stand on the canyon’s edge and offer an answer. He has to be God in the face of death… If not, he is not God anywhere!

Challenge:
What are you facing right now?
Remind yourself that your God is the God that deals with your ultimate problem without any trouble… do you think He could deal with other problems that you have that are not life threatening?
Cheer up… if He can overcome death, everything else is child’s-play.

Ephesians 4:16 “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

I think one of the primary problems we face in Western Christianity is the simple fact that so many people view going to church as an end instead of a means to an end. Let me explain. For those who subconsciously view church as an end in and of itself, going to church is the way they do their religious duty. They check church off the religious list. But do you really think God’s ultimate dream for our lives is to sit in a pew for ninety minutes?

Going to church isn’t an end. It’s a means to an end. The real test is how we live out our faith Monday to Friday. That’s where the rubber meets the road. Church is the locker room talk or the boardroom talk. Choose your metaphor. It’s not the game. It’s not the business. It prepares us for the game of life, the business of life.

Sure hope this makes sense. It’s subtle. But I think its one reason why people go to church on Sundays but don’t live like it on Mondays.
The church- It’s not an end. It’s a means to an end.

Challenge:
Ask yourself the hard question here… is your attendance an end or a means to an end?
Why do you come to church? Or why do you stay away?

Romans 12:5 “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

If similar experiences create friendships, shouldn’t the church overflow with friendships? With whom do you have more in common than fellow believers? We should be amazed by the same manger, stirred by the same Bible, saved by the same cross, and destined for the same home. Can you not echo the words of the Psalmist? “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.” (Psalm 119:63)

The church… More than family- we are friends. More than friends- we are family.
We are God’s family of friends.

Challenge:
The next time you are around another believer- think of them as a friend.
I know that you’ll treat them better…and I’ll bet they’ll treat you better.
Be sure to put “friendliness” back into Christmas

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

There are perhaps no two more powerful words than the words “I know.”

I know what you’re going through.

I know what it is like.

I know how you are feeling.

I know.

We all long to hear those words, do we not? We all long to believe that there is someone, anyone, who knows what it is like – who knows what we are going through. When you find that certain someone who does know what it is like, doesn’t it seem to change everything?

Some two thousand years ago, in a sleepy town in Judea, God did something revolutionary. Rather than offering a voice of concern to a weary world, God did something beyond what anyone could have ever dreamed or imagined.

In Jesus, the Word, the voice, comes to dwell among us.

In the incarnation, we celebrate the reality that God knows and cares enough about people that He chose to dwell among us in a very physical and present sort of way. The unseen God of Israelite history was now the “seen” God. The invisible made visible.

We are told in the Scriptures that in Jesus we saw the glory of the one and only God. In other words, Jesus was putting God on display. You want to see what God is like? You want to see how to live in harmony with the Creator? Look at Jesus. He is the way and the truth and the life.

In the incarnation is found a large message from God to you and me: I know.

I know what you’re going through.

I know what it is like.

I know how you are feeling.

I know.

Challenge:
So wherever you find yourself this day, no matter what circumstances you may find yourself in, know that there is a God who knows. Feeling alone? He knows. Feeling overwhelmed? He knows. Feeling as if you just cannot go on? He knows. Feeling like there is no one who understands? He knows. He’s been there too. In Jesus, He knows.

He knows. He knows. He knows.

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Whether they are traveling through a small farming town in Nebraska, a surfing village in California or an industrial community in Pennsylvania, politicians love to show how they can relate to the people in that area. But the sad thing is that they can’t really meet those people on the same level; they can’t identify with them no matter how hard they try to make it appear like they can.

Jesus, though, never gives us that illusion of identity. He doesn’t throw up a façade to try and appear like he gets where we are coming from. Jesus Christ connected with the people of two thousand years ago, and he connects with you and me today on a level that we can understand and appreciate.

At one point we’ve all said, “No one understands my situation.” But that statement could not be farther from the truth. Jesus understands; he’s been there; he knows what we go through day in and day out. He had a job – for most of his life he was a carpenter. He had the same relationships that you and I have today – mother, even a step-father, brothers, sister, friends, and enemies. He even faced the same temptations that you and I face. Jesus knows what daily living is like. He knows because he’s been there himself.

Challenge:
So this week, when you feel like there is no one that can grasp what you are going through; when you feel like throwing up your hands and giving up; when you have that gut reaction of, “No one understands my situation…” remember that our Savior has been there and then add two words to your statement: “Like Jesus.”

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Grace reminds us of an ambulance coming to treat someone with a medical emergency. The paramedics offer assistance to the victim on the spot. They dispense immediate grace to the most serious symptoms. Then they slide them into the ambulance, which is equipped with more grace – more medical facilities – to deal with the problem. And as the paramedics are administering more grace to the patient, the ambulance races to the hospital where even more grace awaits. And once the patient is admitted, the hospital keeps dispensing grace to meet the need until the problem has been addressed and the patient can go home again. As the beloved hymn goes: “‘Twas Grace that brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.”

One day Jesus heard our emergency call: “I am a sinner and I need a Savior.” He came to earth, found us dying in sin and reached down to save us. And as our High Priest, He also transported us from where we were, to a place that has all the grace we will ever need as long as we live, until we are finally and fully restored at the resurrection and go home with Him. So, how can we have a Savior and High Priest like this and not draw near to Him in prayer? “But I’m tired” you say. That’s ok, just draw near. “But you don’t understand. I’m hurting and I feel like quitting.”

Challenge:
Others may not understand, but Jesus does. Just draw near to Him. He will meet you where you are, then take you to where He is – before the throne that dispenses grace!

Genesis 32: 25 “And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.”

 I am walking with a limp.  Like Jacob, I have wrestled and been touched by God.  Now weakness rests in my physical body and I am nevertheless commanded to more forward.  Have I thanked God for this?  Have I embraced all that He is teaching me through my new infirmity?  I thought I had, I really thought I had, and yet, I find I need a daily return to the well because I am empty, parched, and dry.

 David said in Ps 119:71, It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”  This is a long journey on a road well traveled by other Christian pilgrims, but you Lord, are walking with me, even carrying me when I am overwhelmed.  But, oh, the things I am learning about you!

 When Paul came to understand that weakness was the only soil in which God’s power could flourish, it completely changed his perspective on his circumstances.  He went from asking God to remove the painful situation to choosing to boast in it, to rejoice in and embrace it. 

Paul later described an unbelievable reality of being content in all settings (Phil 4:11).  God promises that a person willing to walk the difficult, flesh-crucifying path of faithfulness to Him will be sustained and made fruitful by an infusion of grace, strength, and joy.  This reminds me of the “great cloud of witnesses who exhort us to lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1)…limp and all.

 Challenge:
Are you willing to take the journey?

Revelation 21: 4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

 “Dear God,

 You already know the condition of my inner life.  That space looks somewhat like my home, car, or office.  Needs dusting, cleaning, minor repairs and major renovation. 

 My internal pace is so often frantic and I fail to rest in the certainty and security that is mine in Christ.

 Please Lord, be the chief architect, city planner, inspector, general and sub contractor in my life today.

 May I be the day laborer, not only your employee, but also your friend as I serve you and you work in me.

 To you, oh, Lord, belong my cares which are but a light thing in your sight.  You are more than able to accomplish what concerns me.

 Give me your mind today as I remember your faithful tender care to me.  Remind me of the day that is soon to come when all shall be fulfilled, even as it was foretold.

 Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

 We often mistake the middle of a chapter for the end of the story.  Don’t believe me?  How many times have you looked up from the middle of your circumstance and declared despair and defeat?

 John, the Apostle, describes for us a glorious day yet fulfilled in which the battle is over and the victory won.  Does that fill your heart with joy?  If not, why not start today with the (eternal) end in mind.  Don’t let stress and frustration of this day be your chief companions and declare war on thinking that is old and tired. 

 Challenge:
I’m changing my outlook and starting with the end product in mind.  As a Christ-follower, I am to live in view of eternity