Thought of the Day !!

(Joseph) took with him Mary, his fiancé, who was obviously pregnant by this time. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn. – Luke 2:5-7 (NLT)

Most of us have heard the story of the birth of Jesus over and over again.  How the shepherds saw an angel proclaim the birth, how some wise men saw a star, how there was no room in an inn, how Mary pondered the happenings of the night in her heart.  Yes, many a stage has been filled with children acting out the first Christmas and many shelves, counter tops and even yards have displayed nativity scenes.  

We do know the story (If you don't, look to Luke 2), but what about those who came to see the baby?  Did they know what to expect?  Think about the shepherds.  They came to the place where the Savior of the world was born.  And even though they were told that he would be wrapped in "swaddling clothes", or strips of cloth, I wonder if they were surprised.  

I wonder if the shepherds, and later the wise men, were surprised to see what they had heard was a King residing in peasants' care.  I wonder if they were surprised to see that a stable, and later an ordinary house, was where this king resided.  I wonder if they thought that they might have the wrong address.

No, I think not.  After all, they had been told.  And even more importantly, I imagine that when they saw the baby, they just knew.  My only reasoning for this is that when we meet Jesus, we know that there's something different about him.  He attracts and pulls us to him.  There's no mistaking the one person in the world who will love you more than anyone else.    

He may have been a fragile baby in a cold stable lying in a hay-filled manger, but he was something special.  And even now, we are drawn to him.  May he bless you this Christmas as you are attracted to the manger.  And may we all share the gift that God shared with us so many years ago, the gift of love.  Merry Christmas.

In the love of Christ,

greg