The Man Behind Christmas

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

It’s a wonderful thing, Christmas.... It’s wonderful for many reasons. It’s a time of sharing with friends and family. It’s a time to show love for our fellow man.

It’s a time to celebrate the miraculous event that is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

This morning I want us to focus on exactly what it is that makes this a special day.... You see, two thousand years ago in a common stable with hay and straw and manure and dirt and probably rodents crawling around, the King of all kings was born....

The angel of the Lord called Him a Savior, the Son of the Highest and said He would be called Jesus.....

This tiny little infant would come to be known by more people than anyone else in the history of mankind....

He would become known in a personal way, not merely the knowledge of, but really known by men and women all over the world... this tiny little baby.

What do you think was the first thing that Mary did after Jesus was born, before she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger? If she was anything like most mothers I’ve talked to she counted his fingers and toes to make sure He was all right....

You see, the scripture says Jesus was born of a woman so He was completely human. But, the Holy Spirit caused Mary to be with child when she had never been with a man so he was also completely God.

Now, even more than most women, I believe that Mary simply had to want to make sure that Jesus was all right, so I feel sure she counted His fingers and toes.... Now that’s not in the scripture, but we’re talking about a human Mom here.

It’s interesting to note also that nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about Mary being sinless... She wasn’t... After all she was descended from Adam just like we all are and had a sinful nature.... Nowhere in the Bible are we told that we are to worship Mary.... We are told merely that she had found favor with God.

Now, if Jesus was born of a woman then that shows His humanness.... Can you imagine being there in that dirty, smelly stable with your new baby? Scripture doesn’t tell us, but since they were in a stable where there was a manger I feel sure that there were other animals there as well.... Probably donkeys, maybe goats.... But I’m sure that Mary didn’t mind, because she had just delivered a perfect little baby boy....

What do you suppose it was like to see Jesus smile for the first time? You know, that sweet little smile that only a baby can produce.... Do you think He had hair when He was born? What color do you think it was?

These are human aspects of Jesus.... So was that day a few months later when He took His first steps.... He probably wobbled a bit and then plopped down on His bottom, just like all the other human babies in the world do when taking their first steps....

What do you think it would have been like to watch Him waddle around after Mary as she was doing her chores a year or so later?

Can you imagine what Jesus might have looked like when He was 5 or 6 years old and had lost all His front baby teeth? What kind of games do you think He might have played with the other children as He grew up?

Can you imagine Him running to catch up with the other boys and perhaps tripping and falling and skinning His knee? I bet He did.... You see He was a human little boy...