This week, we’ll consider what we’re really singing about in our traditional Christmas songs. Our often romanticized perspective of circumstances we’ve not personally experienced, creates an unrealistic view of life in those times.
Let’s begin with “O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie…”
Bethlehem was insigni. cant, yet God chose this tiny town for
the birth of His Messiah. Under Palestinian control, Bethlehem was then—and still is—often the center of political unrest. In Jesus’ time, those so-called quiet streets were the scene of unspeakable horror and violence when Herod covered homes in Bethlehem with the blood of little boys, in age from birth to two-years.
God chose Bethlehem so no one could boast, “The greatness of our city motivated God’s choice!” He chose a cave for the birth of His Son so no property owner could boast, “He chose the comfort of MY inn!” He chose a stone manger so no carpenter could boast, “He chose MY excellent craftsmanship!”
And God chooses us freely and unconditionally by His grace, to eliminate all human boasting. The deeper meaning of Beth-
lehem's insigni. cance is that God does not hand out His sal-
vation on the merit of greatness or achievement. He chooses freely whosoever will respond, to magnify the greatness of His own mercy. So let us say with the angels, “Glory to GOD in the highest!” Not glory to us. We get the joy. He gets the glory.
Each Christmas we hear the familiar words to “Away in a Manger”: The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky And stay by my cradle ‘til morning is nigh.
When we sing the myth that Jesus never cried as a baby, we discount His absolute, fully complete humanity. Jesus was born into a human body, so of course He cried when he was hungry or cold, or His swaddling clothes were wet! He was a fully helpless human baby and He had no other way to make His needs known.
When we ask Jesus to look down on us from the sky, we reinforce the false belief that He is separated from us, living up there, out there, over there somewhere, and someday-byand- by-in-the-sky-when-we-die-we will suddenly be joined to Him then. Jesus is the Head; believers are His body. There is no life in a Body separated from its head. The truth is that Jesus does NOT look down on us from a distance in the sky.
He lives inside each believer, eternally, inseparably connected by His Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17-20 The one united with the Lord is one spirit with Him…do you not know that your body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. You have received Him from God, and you are not your own! You have been purchased at great cost. Therefore glorify God with your body.”
Listen to the words you sing and pay close attention to the traditional Christmas stories you hear and repeat. The reality is often quite different than we’ve learned to believe!
During this Christmas Season, thank you for joining me in
the . ght to restore and strengthen families. In a crisis situa-
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