Growing up, I eagerly anticipated
Christmas cards that had a family picture attached. It was fun to see how
families creatively posed to produce the “perfect picture.” But there’s one
Christmas family picture that tops it all. It's like no other. The background
is not a brightly decorated living room but a modest stable strewn with hay. Joseph
bends over the cradle; his face wrought with tension, for his fiancé had just given
birth and rumours were spreading. Mary gazes at an unassuming animal feeding
trough where she placed her firstborn son, hardly the cradle she had dreamt of.
Ordinary shepherds from a nearby field peer into this picture, joyfully amazed;
while dignified wise men, clutch expensive gifts in their hands.
An angel hovers over the scene as
if to remind us—that this gathering of strange people divided in life are
united by a single goal—the worship of their Saviour. To this helpless babe, the
lowly shepherds come. To this royal babe, the affluent wise men come. In this
wondrous babe, Joseph finds strength to face the gossip and Mary gathers
courage to nurture her Saviour. For a
child has been born—for us! The gift of a son—for us! He is our Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal
Father, Prince of Wholeness (Isaiah 9:6 The Message).
In our worship of the Saviour, we
find strength to press on through difficult times and freedom to live life anew.
In our adoration of the Servant King, we are united as one big family and
community in Christ, though otherwise divided by ethnicity and class. As we take
time to linger at the manger this Christmas, may its realistic simplicity and
profound mystery infuse within our hearts a wondrous praise of the kingly babe.
Picture perfect indeed!
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