THE COST OF CHRISTMAS
One person observed that the message of Christmas was not one of convenience but "cost":
* It cost Mary and Joseph the comforts of home to take a long journey to Bethlehem while she was "very" pregnant with her new child.
* It cost the shepherds their comfort by the campfire and the ease of their shepherd's life answering the call to the manger and then the conviction to tell others the good news.
* It cost the wise men a long journey and expensive gifts and changed lives.
ULTIMATELY
* It cost the early Apostles and the early church persecution and sometimes death.
* It cost missionaries of Christ untold suffering and loss to spread the Good News.
* It cost Christian martyrs of all ages their lives for the sake of Christ.
MORE THAN ALL THIS
* It cost God the Father His own Son--He sent His Son to the earth to save men.
* It cost Jesus a life of sacrifice and service--and a cruel and horrible death.
The Christmas message is ultimately one of cost... not convenience.