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©iStockphoto.com/Tari Faris
We all know the story. The story of
the babe of Bethlehem and the man of Nazareth is engraved on our
souls. Yet, if we are not careful, it can become a distant drama
— a story in which we fail to see ourselves.
It beckons us to find a place within
the meridian plot. Each of us has a vital place in the story. We
may learn from those whose story is recorded.
There was Elizabeth, Mary’s beloved
cousin. When Mary approached her, she sensed holiness and rejoicing
exploded from her soul: “Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42). Do
we, under the inspiration of heaven, rejoice in the most glorious
of gifts?
There were innkeepers who, overwhelmed
by the surge of travelers, found no place for the dear Lord to lay
His head. If they had only known, they might have given up their
own beds. They would have found a place! Yet, each lonely traveler
we serve is a stand-in for Jesus. Any time we give place for anyone,
we give place for Him. Do we make room for Him — and
His children — in our homes?
There were heavenly messengers who
praised God: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Do we understand the central
importance of the coming of Christ? Do we rejoice with the
heavenly messengers?
There were humble shepherds who, having
heard the news, were immediately resolved:
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath
made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary,
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger (Luke 2:15-16).
They acted promptly on the invitation
to go to Him. And they did more than go. “And when they had
seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning
this child” (Luke 2:17). Do we, with the shepherds,
go readily and spread the good news gladly?
There were Simeon and Ana, who had
waited a lifetime to see their Lord. Do we wait patiently and serve
faithfully as we wait for our time?
There were wise men, those exotic foreigners,
who sought after “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report
or praiseworthy (Article of Faith 13). Their question was, “Where
is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in
the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). Our
human nature causes us to grumble about the distance to the temple.
Are we willing to travel any distance and pay any price to meet
the Savior of the world?
There were those who heard of extraordinary
doings. Perhaps they wondered — but failed to act. “And
all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told
them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:18). “And all bare him
witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out
of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?” (Luke
4:22).
Jesus regularly inspired awe. He drew
crowds of gawkers, spectators, and curiosity-seekers. Yet only the
faithful transformed the curiosity into life-changing faith. He
invites us to be more than spectators. Are we willing to
be both hearers and doers of the word?
There were those so focused on their
power that they could not see the divine. Herod was one of those
who wanted to protect his own interests at all costs. He murdered
several of his own family members. He “slew all the children
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two
years old and under” (Matthew 2:16). Others send spies to
assure that Jesus would not threaten their lifestyles. Do
we care more about protecting our lifestyles than adopting His?
There were those who were sick, troubled,
lonely, ordinary people who followed Him and those uncounted who
loved Him and were changed by Him. One of the marks of such is their
recognition of their own inadequacy and their desperate need for
His holiness. Even Simon Peter felt his own unworthiness when he
met the Lord:
When Simon Peter saw [the many fish
they caught at Jesus’ direction], he fell down at Jesus'
knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luke
5:8).
Yet, “when they had brought their
ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him” (Luke 5:11).
When Jesus released the woman from
an 18-year, disabling infirmity, the ruler of the synagogue accosted
Him for healing on the Sabbath. But magnificent Jesus challenged
the ruler to think differently. “Doth not each one of you
on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead
him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter
of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be
loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these
things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced
for all the glorious things that were done by him. (Luke 13: 15-17).
There was Jairus, whose daughter was
raised from the dead. There was the short-of-stature publican Zacchaeus,
who climbed a tree to see the passing Lord and was called to serve
Him. There was the woman who burst into the house of Simon the Pharisee
to show her devotion. There was the centurion who, having felt Jesus’
power, glorified God. Do we come to Him humbly craving the
change that only He can offer?
There was faithful Joseph, who quietly
served in the background. For him there was no prominence, recognition,
or reward. Do we serve faithfully in minor roles?
And there was exemplary Mary. She was
a willing instrument in the hands of the Lord:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38).
From Mary’s tender soul streamed
the Magnificat:
My soul doth magnify the Lord, and
my spirit rejoiced in God my Saviour (Luke 1 46-47; see also verses
48-55).
With all the inexplicable that swirled
around her, she calmly served while keeping “all these things,
and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Do we,
like Mary, serve and nurture? Do we do all we are asked even without
fully understanding God’s purposes?
There was Jesus — the central
character in the ancient drama and in all this world’s history
— lying in a feeding trough within a stable. His every word
and deed were exemplary. In tribute to Him, I quote excerpts from
Dennis Rasmussen (The Lord’s Question, pp. 60-4,
from the chapter “Knowest Thou the Condescension of God?”):
A thousand years before a thousand
years ago
a holy night descended on the world.
In the darkness of Bethlehem
the omnipotent God became an impotent Baby.
The hands that made the world and hung the stars in the sky
were now just large enough to grasp a mother’s finger ...
What would be said of a God who came not in glory but in secret,
a King who came not to command but to obey ...
He revealed that man’s greatness is not to be found in dominion
over the will of another but in submission to the will of God
...
He began his life in a stable, that no one should ever feel too
lowly to approach him ... And now that I have come, what gift
shall I leave before him?
I know, because he has told me, what will gladden his heart:
“Love one another; as I have loved you …
By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love
one to another.”
As I bring the gift of love, I shall see the smile of my Lord
Jesus Christ.
Each of us has different strengths
and different roles to play. God may call us to be like Joseph,
Mary, Zacchaeus, Simon, Ana. Each of us has a role to play in God’s
redemptive drama. May we fill our role with the goodness and devotion
that those earlier characters exemplified and magnified.
And there is another way in which we
can see ourselves in the Christmas story:
For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
He sent His Son for us. So we are indeed
a part of this wonderful story — we are the reason for the
story. Do we accept and respond to the love that our Heavenly
Father offers us that caused Him to send His Son?
Let us serve His Only Begotten Son
with all the devotion our hearts can muster, with all the appreciation
our minds can gather, with all the effort our strength can marshal.
May we gladly submit to the babe of Bethlehem that we may one day
be like Him.
At this Christmas season and always,
come, let us adore Him.
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