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“God made so little of his Son’s coming.”

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Because of Bethlehem  (with Bonus Content): Love Is Born, Hope Is Here (p. 132). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

We, parents and grandparents, make such big deals of birthdays, don’t we?  But what about God the Father?

Max says, “God made so little of his Son’s coming. He didn’t even circle the date on the calendar. Ancient Christmases bounced from date to date before landing on December 25. Some early leaders favored dates in March. For centuries, the Eastern Orthodox church celebrated Christmas on January 6, and some still do. Only in the fourth century did the church choose December 25 as the date to celebrate Jesus’ coming. We’ve made bigger deals out of lesser comings. How could this be? No exact date of birth. No hoopla at his birth. Is this a mistake?  Or is this the message?

“Maybe your life resembles a Bethlehem stable. Crude in some spots, smelly in others. Not much glamour. Not always neat. People in your circle remind you of stable animals: grazing like sheep, stubborn like donkeys, and that cow in the corner looks a lot like the fellow next door…  If you wonder if God has a place for a person like you, find your answer in the Bethlehem stable.”

Max says, “It really comes down to that: God loves us. The story of Christmas is the story of God’s relentless love for us… The moment Mary touched God’s face is the moment God made his case: there is no place he will not go. If he is willing to be born in a barnyard, then expect him to be at work anywhere— bars, bedrooms, boardrooms, and brothels. No place is too common. No person is too hardened. No distance is too far. There is no person he cannot reach. There is no limit to his love. When Christ was born, so was our hope."

Max then says, “This is why I love Christmas. The event invites us to believe the wildest of promises: God became one of us so we could become one with him. He did away with every barrier, fence, sin, bent, debt, and grave. Anything that might keep us from him was demolished. He only awaits our word to walk through the door. Invite him in. Escort him to the seat of honor, and pull out his chair. Clear the table; clear the calendar. Call the kids and neighbors. Christmas is here. Christ is here.

“One request from you, and God will do again what he did then: scatter the night with everlasting light. He’ll be born in you. Listen as God whispers, ‘No mess turns me back; no smell turns me off. I live to live in a life like yours. Every heart can be a manger. Every day can be a Christmas. Let “Silent Night” be sung on summer nights. Let Advent brighten the autumn chill. The Christmas miracle is a yearlong celebration.’”


So if you haven’t, would you invite him in?  Would you?
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