I had the opportunity to go to 2 Christmas parties this past weekend. Both were fun, and I enjoy getting to know other people. It’s taken me awhile to get in the “Christmas spirit”, but with Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, I think I am finally ready to go ahead and look forward to Christmas.
I realized the other night that, traditionally, most of my gift giving consists of asking my family what they want for Christmas, and then getting it for them. There is little thought involved in this, and I do say that, if I’m not careful, it can easily become an obligation. Perhaps I can make some progress with my giving this year…
When I think about Christ’s willingness to come to the Earth, I certainly can’t imagine it being out of any sense of obligation. Instead, it was out of an unconditional love for the world and out of obedience to the Father. What is remarkable to me is the humble beginnings that Jesus had. His birth was announced to the Shepherd’s, one of the lowest classes of people in Israel. Why did God choose to announce Jesus’ birth to them? Jesus came to save this type of people - the broken, the lowly, the humble. Why wouldn’t He announce His coming to them? He could easily have been born in Jerusalem to a rich, religious family - that’s what we would expect. Who would have ever guessed that King of Kings would be born in a manger? Certainly not me.