Christmas Eve holds many picture memories: toddlers wearing brand new footed pajamas staring with excitement at the sparkling tree on Christmas Eve, family and friends sitting close over a holiday meal, baking cookies to place on a special visitor's plate later in the night, gazing out the windows of a cozy Christmas tree lighted living room at the fluffy snowflakes gracefully falling to the cold ground.
The pictures in our memories are the lenses that we look though and see the holiday season. These memories help to frame the heart and mind and the perspective that this year's holiday experience will hold. Some of the pictures memories may not be the warm, fuzzy examples of a Currier and Ives Christmas card or a thirty-minute Christmas television special. But our minds hold these internal pictures, both light and dark, as our eyes look to see and capture this advent's addition to our memory banks. So in the perspective of both the light and darkness, what will become our picture memory of this Christmas?
In Luke 2:1-20, the picture of Jesus arrival provides a dramatic contrast of the angelic and humble characters placed together in a earthly setting, Bethlehem's manger. Multitudes of angels announce their message of the long awaited savior to a meek audience of shepherds. In this account of Jesus' birth there is a biblical picture of Christmas, a snapshot of what is available to the world and to the church – if only we have the eyes to see it.
Imagine Michelangelo's painting of God reaching down from heaven and touching the hand of his creation Adam. God is in pursuit of mankind and has been so from the beginning of time. In the moment of the birth of the long awaited Savior the light of heaven and the darkness of earth make a joyful and miraculous connection. God again is reaching to make contact with His creation.
Shepherding was not considered to be an esteemed occupation in the eyes of the community. It was a position that would only be held by "shiftless, dishonest people that grazed their flocks on other's lands." (Commentary Luke 2:1-20) How is it possible that God would choose to send the message of his son's birth to a group of people so lonely and outcast?
God has a way of operating in a way and means quite opposite to our expectation. Throughout his life, Jesus spent much time with the poor, outcast, and overlooked people of the community. It is only right that his birth announcement was heard first by the people that he had come to serve. The Angels had come to announce the good news, defined as the proclamation of the gospel, to be joy for all the people. Not a select of privileged group - but to all of humanity.
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Psalm 96 reflects the joy and unity of all people in the prompting to acknowledge the fact that God who, "was, is and will be king (Exodus 15:1-21), is interested in working in and among "all peoples".
God desired to reach out flawed humanity through giving Jesus his son. God took the risk to entrust his infant son to human hands, in a world full of darkness. As the Church, it is our responsibility to continue to reach out to the world, to hearts, and people who are filled with darkness. The Bethlehem touch of God is the good news that will help us connect and make contact.
God isn't afraid to reach out to us, even in the most unexpected and humble ways. Our calling and new song this Christmas is to personally know the joy of reaching back to the God that is always reaching out to us, and then sharing it with others.
So what picture do you have in mind for this Christmas? May our picture of Christmas become clearly focused on each one of us becoming an extension of God's hand and good news in a world looking to see His true light shining out into darkness.
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