Christmas Series

Beloved, we gather in the presence of Almighty God to look once again upon the most glorious story ever told, the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not the birth of an ordinary child, not the rise of a mere prophet, not the beginning of a simple moral teacher, but the entrance of God Himself into human history. The incarnation. The miracle of miracles. Emmanuel — God with us. Before the mountains were brought forth, before the deep was carved out, before the stars were set in their courses, before the oceans were commanded to go only so far, before a single angel ever stretched forth his wings in the heavens above, the Word already was. Eternally existing, eternally shining, eternally glorious. And that Word — that eternal, divine, life-giving Word — was made flesh and dwelt among us.

The birth of Jesus Christ did not begin in Bethlehem. It did not begin with Mary. It did not begin with Joseph. It did not begin with shepherds, angels, or wise men. The birth of Jesus Christ began in eternity, “In the beginning,” when “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It began when “unto us a child was born,” long before the manger ever held His sacred form. It began when Isaiah proclaimed that His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. It began when prophets spoke, when promises were made, when God declared the coming of His Anointed.

But all prophecy, all promise, and all preparation converged in one moment of human history, when God robed Himself in flesh. Let us step now into that holy ground, where eternity touched time, and the infinite God became a tiny infant in a manger.

The Scripture tells us in Luke 2, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” Out of all the ways God could have arranged the birth of His Son, He chose a Roman emperor, a pagan ruler, a governmental census, and a long, weary journey by two humble souls — Joseph and Mary. Caesar thought it was his idea, but God was ordering the steps. Caesar issued the decree, but Heaven wrote the script. While Caesar’s mind was filled with empire, wealth, taxation, and dominion, God’s mind was filled with redemption, salvation, mercy, and grace. Caesar was thinking of counting citizens; God was thinking of saving souls. Caesar sat on a throne in Rome; God ruled the throne of the universe. And though Caesar made the decree, God made the plan.

Joseph went “up from Galilee… unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,” because he was of the house and lineage of David. The Word of God had already said 700 years earlier through the prophet Micah, “But thou, Bethlehem… out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.” God used an emperor to move a carpenter. God used a decree to move a young virgin. God used the entire Roman Empire to accomplish His Word. What seems accidental to man is intentional with God. What seems political on earth is prophetic in heaven. What seems like human decision is divine orchestration. Beloved, that is why we trust God in every detail of our lives — for no matter who sits on earthly thrones, God sits on the heavenly one.

“And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.” Mary, great with child, feeling the weight both of pregnancy and prophecy, brought forth her firstborn Son — not in a palace, not in a mansion, not in a wealthy estate, but in a humble setting, among animals, in a stable, because “there was no room for them in the inn.” The One who created the universe could not find a place in the inn. The One who owns all silver and gold had nowhere to lay His head but a manger. The One who rides upon the wings of the wind entered the world in the lowest humility. He came not as a prince seated in luxury, but as a servant wrapped in swaddling clothes. He came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. Heaven’s wealth was laid in earth’s poverty.

Think of it, church! The King of Kings laid in a manger. The Bread of Life laid in a feeding trough. The Light of the World placed in the darkness of a lowly stable. The Word made flesh, wrapped not in royal garments but in simple cloth. The God who flung the galaxies into existence now crying as a newborn infant. The One who commands angels now resting in His mother’s arms. The holy, eternal, all-powerful Son of God — dependent, tender, vulnerable. What a mystery! What a miracle! What a Savior!