From Luke chapter 1...
the angel
said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You
will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David, 33 and he will reign
over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
You know, there’s that
pretty Christmas song “ Mary Did You Know”.
I bet she did. I bet the
angel Gabriel told her much more than the Gospel writer recorded.
I think her response to
each question in the song was…
“Yes, the angel Gabriel
told me.”
Imagine Joseph and Mary, ordered by Rome on the journey to fulfill the census requirements of Rome as they expect a
birth.
Imagine the Wise Men, guided by a star, on
their journey to establish good foreign relations with a new King.
Imagine the shepherds,
invited by angels, on their journey to behold their new King in a setting where they would not feel out of
place such as in a palace, but fully at home and at ease.
This Advent, leading to
Christmas, are you on a journey to discover Jesus?
As you fulfil some contemporary bureaucratic
requirements do you anticipate the birth of Jesus in your heart?
Do you bring gifts to
establish a good relationship with you king. What are those gifts?
Do you feel excitement and ease in the presence of Jesus as did the shepherds?
We all should.
These next few days let
us prepare the way of Jesus toward our hearts.
And on Christmas day let
us excitedly witness the birth of peace, restoration, and forgiveness in our hearts and in the contemporary world.
