I know I’ve always said I won’t be preachy here at The Ranch. And I’m not now. But…it’s Christmas, so we’re going to talk about the Christmas story today so please indulge me this moment.

I don’t know why, but this year the Christmas story has had greater impact on me than ever before. I was fortunate to hear some really good sermons this season. I’m sure that has something to do with it. But more likely, it’s because I have been tuned into the Bible by adding Scripture to illustrate each post since January. That has kept me in the Word every day for nearly a year. I’m becoming better versed as to where to find what book, how to use a contemporary compendium, and how to reach a stillness inside to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me.

To me, the Bible houses a living, powerful force. It’s almost as though it is a living, breathing organism. And it speaks to me from my current level of experience. I have had people say they have read a particular verse a hundred times and then, when it’s used in a different context, it becomes contemporary and speaks to them. When I am experiencing difficulties, or when I have a question, I can literally hold my question in my heart, open my Bible to any given chapter and verse, and quite often the answer is right under my fingertips. This is not only remarkable given how long ago the Bible was written, it’s also delightful. It’s reassuring to know we can have quite literal conversations with God. I am a scientist at heart. I need empirical evidence. When I feel, see, and hear the Holy Spirit moving in my life, that’s all the evidence I need.

But, back to the Christmas story. The Christ child was born in a stable, wrapped in what was probably not much more than rags, and placed in a manger. This is not a sterile hospital environment. This is not a place where we would be comfortable laying our own newborn to sleep. There were animals in there with them. Dirty, smelly farm animals. This was really nothing more than a place that offered some shelter from the elements. And angels came down from Heaven to proclaim the birth of the Messiah. To whom? The Priests? The Kings? The wealthy socialites? No, the angels came down to shepherds. These were not ranchers. These were not wealthy land owners tending their flocks. These were a rag tag bunch of social outcasts doing a dirty, difficult job that no one else wanted to do. These were the lowliest of manual laborers. These men weren’t even allowed to stand in the synagogues. They were forced to stand out in the courtyard, if they were allowed in at all.

So why, when for centuries the Jews were expecting the Messiah to come with trumpet blasts into the highest of their social and religious hierarchy, did God choose to send His only Son in the form of a poverty stricken, vulnerable infant, placing Him in the dirtiest of environments, then send angels to announce it to the lowliest of society? Is it any wonder the Jewish people could not accept Christ as the true Messiah? They had been living this much anticipated event over and over in their minds till it was fantastical. Have you ever planned a fabulous vacation then been bitterly disappointed when you got there and it wasn’t anything like you imagined it? Well, multiply that by a zillion and you’ll come close to what the populace was expecting. It sure wasn’t what they got.

As it turns out, it was so much more. The Christ child was introduced in the basest of fashions so we could relate. Who did Jesus hang out with? Who did he minister to? It was workers, and fishermen, and thieves, and prostitutes. Tax collectors and shepherds. The lame, the blind, the lepers, the demon possessed. These were the lowly ones. The simple ones. The poor ones. They were far more apt to hear His message. They needed saving. They recognized they NEEDED salvation because they had nothing. They had no wealthy benefactor looking out for them. And thus, a movement was born that ripped the world apart and opened the hearts of man. He came to live with us and offer salvation. Not in a chariot. Not with a trumpet fanfare. But with barnyard animals lowing all around him and with an unwed virgin for a mom. For me. And for you. Wow.

So, my wishes for you this Christmas are….. That your dreams come true. That you find joy in the simplest of things this day. And…that you find Peace.

❤️

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

Photo Credit: mymerrychristmas.com