Suggested Reading: Luke 2:22-38 and Philippians 4:4-5
Aesop
told a story about a fox and a lion. The first time the fox saw the lion, he
ran away and hid. The second time he saw him, he sat quietly as the lion walked
by. The third time, he walked right up to the lion and chatted with him. As the
fox became familiar with the lion, his awe and fear he felt at first gradually
evaporated. The moral of Aesop’s story is familiarity breeds contempt.
I
have lived in several countries and have sometimes had the privilege to be the
first one to share the message of Christ and Christmas with someone who has
never heard the story before. You should see the looks on their faces! It
really is a shocking and incredible story. God became man? God was born from
the womb of a woman? This is impossible to understand and very difficult to
believe.
But
for many of my Muslim friends, the most amazing part of the story was that God
loved us and reached out to us at all. Add to that, the incredible truth that
through the miracles of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Christ,
the barrier between us and God has been removed, and you have set the stage for
an explosion of joy.
The
incarnation filled heaven with joy! The angel armies broke into song. The first
humans to meet Jesus couldn’t contain themselves. The shepherds told everyone
they met about the baby. Simeon and Anna couldn’t contain their joy in meeting
the 8 day old baby messiah in the temple. The wise men told everyone about
their search, and they hadn’t even met him yet.
Joy
unspeakable! Rejoice in the Lord always!
There
is a danger for us today. This story is no longer new. The idea that we can
approach the holy and powerful King of the Universe is no longer a new or
terrifying idea. The miracle of Christmas has become blasé; old news to us.
God
is for us and God is with us! While this news is over two-thousand years old,
it is still earth-shattering, mind-blowing, soul-stirring good news!
Let’s
recover the joy this Christmas. Joy to the world indeed!
...........
Questions:
What
can you do to remind yourself about the joyous news of Christmas?
Is
there someone in your life who needs to hear this joyous news?
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