Not as Expected
Luke 2:7 (NIV)
And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
I think we sometimes view the birth of Jesus like this:
When really it looked something like this:
Let’s get one thing straight: The setting for Jesus’s birth was not exactly Christmas-card-approved. It doesn’t jive with the neat, curated, porcelain nativity scenes that adorn nearly every home in America around Christmastime. Jesus was brought into the world in humble surroundings: a dingy, dirty, dank stable. In Biblical times, stables were often just caves carved into the side of a mountain. Jesus was born in a cave, and instead of resting in a plush crib, he was placed in a manger—a feeding trough for barn animals.
This doesn’t make sense—why would the Messiah be born in this environment? This is certainly not the atmosphere we’d like to think of when we consider the birth of a Savior-King. In fact, the setting for the birth of Jesus Christ seems antithetical and inconvenient.
Think about this: The entire Christmas story unfolded in a way that no one would have expected: a virgin birth. An unlikely marriage. A long journey to register for the census at nine-months pregnant. Being rejected by the innkeeper. Giving birth in a dirty stable, without the comfort of being surrounded by family and friends. The most unexpected crowd being invited by God to the birth.
Yet, as we can see now, God orchestrated it all. Every piece of the Christmas story fits together in the most unlikely of ways.
Romans 8:18, 28 (NIV)
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Maybe this holiday season doesn’t look quite as expected this year. Maybe you don’t have a picture-perfect, Christmas-card family to celebrate the holidays with. Maybe, everything looks perfect on the outside, but internally, your world feels broken and chaotic and lonely and messy, and you feel a little bit like you’re falling apart.
If your life and your Christmas story aren’t going quite like you’d hoped, or if Christmas doesn’t feel shiny and neat and agreeable, you’re in good company with the Savior of the world and all of the people who were a part of his birth.
We, as God’s people, are part of an upside-down kingdom. And everything in God’s kingdom has significance. What if God has you right there, in that messy, unexpected story, for a reason? What if there is great purpose behind your Christmas story and your life? If it feels inconvenient, you are likely right where God wants you to be. And perhaps inconvenient, wearisome, uncomfortable situations are not something to turn away from, but rather to pay attention to, because perhaps, God is there.
God provides and gives us what we need, when we need it. Many things in the kingdom of God go against the grain, are unexpected, don’t turn out how we thought they would, and are certainly inconvenient. That does not mean that God is not behind the scenes, orchestrating it all.
We can trust God in our dark places.
Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
He is right there with us in our lonely, dark “stable”: that job you were so excited about that turned you down, the relationship that rejected you and shattered your heart, the broken family, all of the pressure and the pain and the uncertainty.
What if that rejection was actually a divine redirection?
What if you were placed in that broken family so you could love them like Jesus, and develop the strength needed to end the cycle of generational trauma?
What if the pain and confusion could increase your trust and your dependence on God?
1 Peter 4:12-13 (TPT)
Beloved friends, if life gets extremely difficult, with many tests, don’t be bewildered as though something strange were overwhelming you. Instead, continue to rejoice, for you, in a measure, have shared in the sufferings of the Anointed One so that you can share in the revelation of his glory and celebrate with even greater gladness!
Oftentimes, if Christ does not immediately deliver us from a certain situation, he uses the unexpected, inconvenient, unplanned parts of life to help us become holier. This gives us a reason to rejoice, and to celebrate our Christmas story that—just like the Savior’s—did not go quite as expected.
Where do you find yourself in the Christmas Story in this season? Who is God calling you to become through the inconvenient parts of your life? How does this give you reason to rejoice?
Becoming generous
weekly family activity - Reflection
Each week of this Advent season your family has an opportunity to grow in its generosity.
This week is a time of reflection. Gather your family and a Bible and read through the story of the first Christmas found in Luke 2:1-20. God demonstrated the generosity of his character by giving us his only son, Jesus. Discuss what your favorite generosity activity has been during this advent season. A generous heart is something that we can cultivate year-round. Where can you add more opportunities for generosity into your lives?
To follow along with this study, mark your calendars for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in these weeks leading up to Christmas. Each post will be hosted here. If what you’re learning is meaningful to you, click one of the share buttons at the top of these posts to invite more people on this journey of becoming.
We also invite you to spend Sunday mornings with us to hear what the pastors have to share with us during this season. Services start at 9:30 and 11:15am each week. See you there!
Weekly Reading - Dec 23-27
Monday Isaiah 7:14
Tuesday Luke 2:21-40
Wednesday Galatians 4:4-5
Thursday 1 Timothy 1:15-17
Friday Titus 3:3-7