in those days a decree went out from caesar augustus that all the world should be registered. this was the first registration when quirinius was governor of syria. and all went to be registered, each to his own town. and joseph also went up from galilee, from the town of nazareth, to judea, to the city of david, which is called bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of david, to be registered with mary, his betrothed, who was with child. and while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. [luke 2:1-7]
it would be hard to find a paragraph that changed the world more than this one.
Jesus, the king of the universe, humbly born in human flesh, fulfilling hundreds of prophecies that have been prophesied since the beginning of time. our savior, finally come. the one who will make all things right again.
and yet, each year i find myself almost numb to the story of the birth of Jesus.
whether it’s the to-do lists, parenting, the business of life, or just my lack of intentionality, this year again i find myself in the same position.
my guess is, many of us find ourselves in this position.
today, let’s slow down for even just a minute and thank God for Jesus. thank him for Jesus’ birth, and also for his death on our behalf.
just as the one leper out of ten did, may we not miss the opportunity to turn back and thank God for the provision of Jesus. may we not take his birth for granted.
merry christmas, he is born!
amen.
~ john sandman
