What captivates your imagination at Christmas? What evokes a sense of wonder and amazement? For children it can be virtually anything. Have you ever spent a bunch of money on some toy, only for your child to be more enthralled with the ribbon and bow than the gift itself? Small children are easy to impress!
But as we get older, we tend to lose that childlike sense of wonder. Sitting on Santa's lap isn't the same at forty as it is was at five. Those mall cops are stronger than they look. Seriously, I just wanted to talk to Santa. I didn't want to cause any trouble.
One thing that never fails to evoke a sense of wonder and amazement in people of all ages is the birth of a child. The birth of a child, no matter what the circumstance, conceived of the Holy Spirit or not, conceived outside of wedlock or not, always tugs the heart strings. Mary and Joseph would have marveled over the birth of Jesus.
In Luke 2:1-7 (ESV) we read this account of Jesus' birth. "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."
Oh, what a relief it must have been for them to finally have this baby. This baby was conceived of the Holy Spirit, out of wedlock, during their engagement. They were disgraced in their hometown. Because of the census, they were being forced to travel to Bethlemem with Mary late in pregnancy. Mary was giving birth, not among friends and family, not in the comfort of their home with familiar midwives, not in their hometown, but giving birth in a dirty barn among bleating sheep, dirty goats, and animal waste. The baby was being laid not in a warm bed or crib, but rather in a wooden feeding trough. Really, God?
Of course, it was about to get much worse. Soon they would be hunted by Herod's murder squad and sought after by magi from distant lands. They would flee to Egypt by way of camelback or foot. Then they would have to resettle in Nazareth, where they'd reestablish their name, reputation, and livelihood.
Timothy Keller is right when he says, "God loves to work in a way that confounds the world's idea of greatness." God chooses the small, weak, and frail things of this world. He works through a teenage mother and a baby in a manger. His mercy and grace is evident in the midst of the unexpected, the inconvenient, the undesirable, and the inhospitable things of life. This birth would have filled Mary and Joseph with wonder.
But the birth filled some unsuspecting shepherds with wonder too. The shepherds would have been the lunchbox Joes of the first century. Hardworking. Overlooked. Taken for granted. Unappreciated. Yet they would be swept up in the wonder of Jesus' birth. In Luke 2:8-20 (ESV) we read how, "... in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!' When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
It wasn't just the parents of Jesus, nor just the shepherds, but also the angels of heaven who were caught up in the wonder of Jesus' birth. In this midst of this passage, we're told how, "... suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!' " Why all the fanfare? This wasn't an ordinary birth that was taking place. Something cosmic was unfolding-- something that captivated not just the wonder and amazement of man on earth, but of all the creatures of heaven. What were the angels singing about?
The angels were singing about divinity wrapped in flesh.
Jesus wasn't just a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths. He was divinity wrapped in flesh. He was the living God, fully divine, taking on human form. John 1:1-4 (ESV) says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men." And John 1:14 (ESV) continues, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." Oh the marvel of it all!
The angels were singing about divinity wrapped in glory.
John 1:14 (ESV) continues, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Collossians 1:15-19 (ESV) tells us, "He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell..."
Hebrews 1:1-3 (ESV) says, "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."
Jesus was the fullness of God dwelling in bodily form. He is not only the fullest picture of God on this side of heaven, but he is the perfect and complete portrait of God. Everything we'd ever come to know about God, we know in face of Jesus. Jesus would tell one of his disciples, Philip, in John 14:9 (ESV), "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."
The angels were singing about divinity wrapped in humility.
Three times in Luke 2, three times, we're told that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The God of the universe, descending from glory to the earth, taking on flesh, and being laid in the humblest of places, a wooden manger. It would be indicative of the life he would live while he was on earth with us.
In Philippians 2:6-11 (ESV) the early Christians would sing of Jesus, "... who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to glory of God the Father."
Humbled in birth, humbled in death. Humbled in a wooden manger. Humiliated on a wooden cross. Humbled born naked, and quickly wrapped in swaddling cloths. Humiliated in execution, his nakedness exposed, the garment of cloth ripped from his body.
The angels would have been filled with a sense of wonder and awe over what was so precious, and so urgent, and so necessary about redeeming sinful man, that the God of the universe would humble himself into their care, humble himself into their service, and humble himself unto death.
They were singing about divinity expended for sinful man.
Collosians 1:19-20 (ESV) says, "For in him (Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile in himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."
The God of the Universe, clothed in humanity, the son of David, the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord, was on a mission of peace to be Savior of the world, to bring peace to all men.
1 Peter 1:10-12 (ESV) says, "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look."
I don't know how you feel about Christmas, but the angels in heaven think it's totally awesome!! Every time some wayward soul responds to the Christmas story, they throw a party! Two times in Luke 15 Jesus tells us that there is joy in heaven amongst the angels. Luke 15:7 (ESV) says, "...there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." And in Luke 15:10 (ESV) Jesus tells us, "... there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
So what captivates your imagination at Christmas? What evokes a sense of wonder and amazement? For me, it's the birth of a child. For me, it is the humility of the whole thing. God in human form. The glory of God taking on flesh. The willingness of God to come and suffer and die, that we might have life and peace. The wonder and amazement of the angels over the spectacle we've come to call Christmas.
Now that is something to really sing about!