Pr. DFD : 14 December reflection

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

14 December reflection

December 14, 2023

Joseph and Mary had to travel. From Nazareth to Bethlehem. Because Ceaser said so. How far did they have to travel? From Nazareth to Bethlehem? About 75 miles. From here to Muncie. By car. One hour and 17 minutes. If you follow the speed limit. On foot? About two days. Maybe three.

Most pictures of the Nativity have Mary sitting on a donkey. Maybe that’s so. Perhaps they had to travel on foot. And when they finally arrived. We’re told there was no place for them to stay. Because there was no room for them at the inn.

The Lord suffers in all the afflictions of His people. Because of His love. He feels what we feel. He hurts when we hurt. He suffers when we suffer. When the Lord called Moses, He said that He heard the cries of His enslaved people in Egypt. No one ever suffers alone. No one ever walks alone. No one ever lives alone. Only to themselves. The prophet Isaiah reminds us, “In all their afflictions He was afflicted.” In sending Christ into our world the Lord shows us His love and care for all people. No one should be forgotten. Especially at Christmas.

There is a person who knows and understands you. His name is Jesus Christ. We need to remember. Especially today. That there was a nativity. Jesus entered time and space to be human just like you.

In that manger. The Son of God didn’t just insert Himself into human activities. He inserted Himself in the grittiness of human flesh. He was also a person who knew pain and anger. He became angry Himself on occasions and was the victim of anger. This life that you live. Your struggles. Your weakness. Your woes. Your sorrows - Your Lord knows all. Even your joys exactly. Because He became a man.

The coming of Jesus into our world changes everything. For we do not have a God who was too proud to know His people. Or a God content to rule from a great distance. Or a God whose majesty was too awesome for us to behold. We have just the opposite. Jesus the son of Mary and Joseph experienced the very same humanity. The very same problems. And the very same challenges that we do.

No. You do not walk this road alone. Jesus is the God who came down from heaven. He was that man.

Isaiah would remind us, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. –Isaiah 53:3-5

We are living in a broken world outside of Eden. We live in a world filled with disappointment. Wounds. And loss. Today, show your scars to Jesus and He will show you His. He will take your scarred heart in his scarred hands. And love you. And love you. And love you still more. Until all that matters is not the scar upon your heart, but the scar embedded in His hand.

The good news is that at just the right time our Lord Jesus broke into time and space to be our Savior. He intervened at precisely the right time. His entry into this world happened according to the Father’s perfect will for this world and especially for you.

Jesus does not change. He makes it a habit of showing up at exactly when He needs to. And specifically in those places he has promised to be found. In His Word. In his gifts. In his action of forgiveness. Throughout this time of preparation. Be mindful that the Lord has specifically had you on his mind from the beginning of time.

You were on his mind when he entered this world. And he has remembered you every single day since. Now that’s good news each of us can appreciate.

In one sentence St. Paul writing to young Timothy gives us this explanation for what Christmas is all about. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance; Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. And then he adds, of which I am foremost.

What the LORD did not become Hi could not save. And so, Jesus came into this world as one of us. To save us. Jesus came into this world to be counted with sinners. To save sinners. That there might be peace on earth. And goodwill toward men. Jesus is the Lord’s gift to this world. He is the Lord’s gift to you. When Jesus entered this world, He was thinking exactly of you. And why? Because He loves you so much.

Heavenly Father, we thank you that Your Word emboldens our hearts with praise and thanksgiving as we rejoice in Your promises. Thank You Lord for fulfilling Your word through Jesus, our King of Kings, and our Lord of Lords. Thank you for showing us the way of humility and blessing by taking the form of a baby to bring the hope of the world and salvation to the nations. Lord, your ways are so much better than ours. You are our Peace and our Joy and our Salvation. To You be the glory! Amen