Christ, The Lord Is Born! Series

The birth of a child is an exciting time. I remember when our first son, Adam, was born. Throughout the pregnancy, it was hard for me to believe that there was actually a baby growing inside Lisa. Now, Lisa had no problem knowing this, especially once he started kicking her in the ribs or lying on her bladder. The miracle of birth is truly a miracle. Prior to Adam being born, the only births I had witnessed were calves, pigs, and puppies. As exciting as that was, nothing compares to witnessing the birth of my sons.

I’m sure Joseph and Mary had witnessed the births of lambs and goats. But nothing compared to the birth of their first son, Jesus Christ. When the baby is born, and placed in the arms of his mother, all time stands still. Every pain goes away. All the problems of life disappear. For a little while, life stops and there is joy.

I remember holding each of our sons and just looking at him, counting fingers and toes, and realizing how helpless they were. They needed us to feed them change, their diapers, and clothe them. They couldn’t even turn over on their own. They were totally dependent on Lisa and me. I also remember looking into their eyes. I’ll never forget look in their eyes as they looked back at me. They were looking at every detail of my face. They knew the sound of my voice, but now they were getting familiar with my face.

At some point the realization hit me that God had given these boys to Lisa and me to raise. My ability to be a father to them would determine the kind of men they would grow to become and the fathers kind of fathers they would be. I felt so inadequate to be the father of these boys.

I’m sure Joseph felt the same thing. He had a right to. After all, he would be responsible for raising the Messiah, the Son of God. What if he messed up? How did he feel when he had to correct and punish the young boy? Being a father isn’t easy. I’m sure there were tough times for Joseph as well.

So, how do we celebrate the birth of a baby that we can’t touch? How do we rejoice that the baby and mother are healthy and doing well when we can’t see them? How do we celebrate the birth of a baby that took place over 2000 years ago? People haven’t changed in over 2000 thousand years. We do the same thing the shepherds did.

Luke 2:15-20 (NLT)

15When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.

They interrupted their schedule to go see the baby. (2:15)

15When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

It’s amazing how we’ll drop everything to go see a new baby. When contractions hit, everything planned for that day is put on hold. The only thing on our minds is getting to the hospital before the baby is born. When our boys were born, mine and Lisa’s parents dropped everything and drove to the hospital to see their new grandsons. Nothing was more important than seeing their grandchildren.

After the angels announced the birth of the Messiah, the shepherds left work and ran to Bethlehem to see the baby. They left the sheep. The only thing on their minds was getting to Bethlehem to see the baby Messiah.

When interrupts your schedule, do you stop for him? We will interrupt our schedules for all that is important to us: doctor visits, auto repairs, TV shows, and people. God often comes us announced. He didn’t send Moses an email telling him to meet him on the mountain at 1:00 PM on Tuesday. No, he showed up in a burning bush. God didn’t send an invitation to Gideon requesting that Gideon meet him in the wine press at 10:00 AM on Friday. God didn’t instant message Mary and arrange a time for Gabriel to meet with her. God just shows up. No warning. No prior announcement. He just appears.