MOLINE, IL (December 22, 2005) – Editor’s note: In preparation for the Christmas observance, Covenant Communications is sharing devotionals that originally appeared in local Covenant church newsletters and are being published here by permission. The following comes from Randall Surey of First Covenant Church in Moline.
By Randall Surey
One of the things we often fail to understand is that the original Christmas was an overwhelming event for those who experienced it. Our Christmas cards tend to be picturesque scenes that do not reflect the difficulty and hardship of the event. And in our rush to celebrate each year, we fail to consider how traumatic it was for those involved.
The announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary had to be a very heavy burden for a girl who was most likely in her middle teens. How in the world do you explain such a thing to your parents and friends and especially to your fiancé? We know that Joseph had his struggles with the whole thing because Matthew tells us of his plans and of his encounter with the angel of the Lord that changed his plans. We also know that Mary was sent to spend some time with a relative, Elizabeth, perhaps to get her out of the public eye for a while.
Then there was the whole census problem. It required Joseph to travel to Nazareth to register, and Mary went with him on the 90-plus-mile trip. We have no idea if she was required to go, but it might have been best to get her away from Nazareth.
Our Christmas cards also tend to show Mary riding on a donkey, but it is most likely that they both walked the entire distance since they probably could not afford a donkey. Nine months pregnant and walking 90 miles in difficult weather. Then you have the difficulty of finding a place to stay and ending up having Jesus born in a stable. Again, no matter how picturesque our Christmas cards make it, it was still a smelly old stable. Add into the mix the visit by the shepherds and the wise men, Herod’s attempt to kill the child and the exile journey into Egypt, and you have a sequence of events that would challenge the faith of even the strongest person.
Yet that was why God did it that way. One of the names for the Messiah was to be Emmanuel, which means God with us. Mary and Joseph could never have made their way through such a sequence of events unless God was leading them step by step and preparing the way before them. Another name was to be Prince of Peace. The only way that Mary and Joseph could have made their way through the “mess” they found themselves in is if God gave to them a sense of peace that they were doing what God called them to do.
And finally, the Messiah was to be known as Almighty God. If you consider all that had to happen, all the preparations that needed to be made, all the pieces that had to fall into place, it took the Almighty God to pull it all off. Christmas is a celebration of God’s love, provision and might. It is a reminder that the same love, provision and might is available to us in the midst of our storm-filled lives. What more can we say but Hallelujah! What a Savior!
(Editor’s note: to read earlier Advent messages, please see:
- What Questions Do We Have of God?
- We’re Too Impatient – Learn to Wait!
- Thanks for ‘Making the Trip’
- Perfect Trees Require Trimming
- Discover the Reality of Jesus’ Birth
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