Thursday, December 08, 2011

Christmas

The Christmas Season is upon us. Life can become frantic as we try to keep pace with all the demands we allow to crowd our lives. Sometimes we need to stop and take a breath, and consider what this season of celebration is all about. We encourage you to pause a moment and consider the Christmas Narrative in a fresh way. Put yourself in the shoes of those we find in the Christmas Story.
We sing about the Three Kings who came from the Orient following a star to the place of the birth of Christ. In all probability these individuals were not kings, but foreign priests or spiritual advisors who were following the stars to the place where a king was to be born. We might wonder how God could use people like this to confirm the fact that the Son of God was born on earth!

Then there was Mary. Why did God choose Mary to be the one to give birth to the Son of God? What about Mary’s dreams and plans? All of life was going to be affected! Yet, Mary was humble, obedient and devoted to her Lord. God used her to help change the world.

And then there were the farmers. Well, we know them as shepherds. To them was given the most amazing news! Good news of great joy – which was to be for all people! God didn’t give them the news to keep to themselves.

Then of course, there is the Centre of the whole story – Jesus! We can become enamoured with all the trappings of those surrounding the story and forget that the whole point of what was going on was that God was stepping into this world to bring hope.