It’s Christmas Eve. Looks like another silent night. All is quiet around the house. Finally! Everyone is asleep, and all activity has ceased for the night. The kids finally went to bed under the threat that the presents from Santa wouldn’t be there because they weren’t asleep. At long last all the Christmas presents have been wrapped and are under the tree waiting to be ripped open on Christmas morning. While you were sleeping, Santa brought the Xbox game that you wanted, and the “My Littlest Pet Shop” that Sarah wanted. While you were sleeping, Santa brought oodles and oodles of gifts that you requested and now have all Christmas day and all Christmas break to play with them. It’s great being a kid this time of year. All the new things that you get (at least until your sister breaks them!) make this the best time of the year!! No kid would ever forget Christmas.
It’s Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, over 2000 years ago. Looks like another silent night. However, no one knows it’s Christmas Eve, because Mary hasn’t gone in to labor yet and had Jesus, our Savior. However, while you were sleeping Bethlehem, the Son of God entered your world. Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping! If you had only known what was happening in one of your farm stables, would you have acted any differently? He was wrapped in dirty rags because there was no room for him in a motel. You will go down in history as a city with no room for a King.
What Bethlehem failed to discover some 2000 years ago is that yes, God was born in a box; however He did not stay that way. It’s interesting that so many people today inside the church and outside the church love to talk about the baby Jesus, and they are very content to leave Him in that box. God came in a box, and so we are going to keep Him in that box. That cute baby Jesus grew to be a man who many chose to follow, risking ridicule for following a “lunatic” who was claiming to be the son of God. However, those who had an open mind and considered Christ for who He was, realized that He was who He said He was. They dared to take the baby Jesus out of the box and realized that this man truly was the son of God. In the 52nd chapter of the book of Isaiah, the prophet prophesied that the fully grown baby Jesus would suffer a humiliating death at the hands of His enemies, and that we would hardly recognize Him because of the punishment that He would suffer. He would die for claiming to be a King. However, after three days, that man who came into the world as a sweet and innocent Jewish baby would rise again as our King, conquering sin and death for us.
It’s Christmas Eve in the USA. Looks like another silent night. However, we are sound asleep by philosophies that save the whales and the trees, but yet kill our children. While we are sleeping, there’s a shout heard across the Eastern sky – the Bridegroom has returned and has carried His bride away in the night. The Christmas Eve I’m talking about is not the conventional Christmas Eve, this one could happen at any time. Will we learn anything from Bethlehem, or will we still go down in history as a nation with no room for a King? Will Jesus come and leave us slumbering where we lay? It’s not too late to wake up.
Merry Christmas and God bless you,
Kurt
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