Just like them

Personal Photo: A favorite decoration of mine, this time of year always fills me up with emotion. We have so much to be thankful for, so many reasons to be joyful. We are saved, my friends! Hallelujah, He is born!

I was just getting settled underneath a blanket in the family room of my parents' Tennessee mountain home and the glow of the Christmas tree lights illuminated the room, casting the soft lights against the warm wooden walls. That was when I felt the tension in my shoulders begin to unwind, felt the quiet of the space fall like soft snowflakes against the carpet and drape across the wrapped gifts around the tree. In that moment I felt so far away from all of the things that rush me, the responsibilities that push me from day to day and leave me exhausted in the early morning light. I felt myself breathe, heard the beating of my heart, and I let myself ponder this time of year so long ago when Jesus came to us as a baby.

I couldn't help but think about how comfortable I was, how soft my clothes and blankets were, while Jesus was born in a manger. The modern-day conveniences that are part of my everyday made it challenging to even begin to imagine how it might have been for the people of Jesus's age. For a brief moment, I felt so different compared to those people, so drastically removed from the story of our Savior. As quickly as the feeling came, it went, and I could almost hear the Holy Spirit whisper to me that we are just like them. A concept that fascinated me as much as it comforted me, I think we could all use the reminder this Christmas that we are just like the shepherds that the angels announced the coming of Christ to, just like the awestruck wisemen that recognized the importance of His birth, just like the disciples that followed Jesus through His journey on earth, and just like the mesmerized crowds that flocked to Him to understand who He was.

It might feel impossible to relate to, but the reality is that this fact is not so far away. For the shepherds, they were tending their flocks when angels came to them, frightening them at first, and then telling them of the great joy in the gift of Jesus. The shepherds then went and found Jesus and afterwards "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them" (Luke 8:17-18). Shepherds in this culture were considered lowly, and not looked upon with much respect. In this way, we can easily find a chance to relate, as we are lowly in our sin, unworthy of respect and glory. Just as the angels announced the coming of Christ to the shepherds, we too are told of His gift of salvation, called to spread the good news about Jesus. We might have different circumstances, but we are just like the shepherds that heard of the gift of Jesus and shared it with others.

The wise men that gave the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh followed the star that led them to the baby Jesus. We are told of how they found Him in Matthew 2:9, which reads "After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was." Don't we do the very same thing? We look up to His light to find Him, we seek God out to take the paths that lead us straight to Him and His glory. And when we are blessed with the Lord's presence, we give Him thanks and praise. Matthew 2:11 describes that "And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh." The awe that overwhelmed these men still strike us today when we consider all of the grace the Lord gives to us, the peace that overcomes our troubles when we depend on God. We often feel compelled to give back, to thank God for His glorious gift of salvation through Jesus.

The disciples are some of the most interesting people we meet in the Bible. A group of misfits, a cast of imperfect supporting characters, they are often as frustrating as they are admirable. I think they might be the most relatable of them all to us today. We fall just as much as they did, struggle to understand the words of Jesus, and wrestle with the reality of what kind of love it takes to sacrifice the precious gift of Christ. Luke 6:40 tells us that "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher." We can see here the importance of our submission to God, the ways in which we must not question the plans of the Lord. When we learn to trust in God, have faith like those who abandoned their lives to travel with Jesus, we are rewarded with intimacy and clarity. Mark 1:17 states "And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'" We too are called to follow Jesus, to bring people to Him and to save souls through giving glory to God.

The people in the Bible that are passersby in the story of His journey might be easy to overlook at first, but they are important to recognize. We are often focused on our own day-to-day when we find God amidst our mundane. It mesmerizes us, captivates our hearts, and refreshes our faith when we see God working around us. When we find His grace, we cling to it, we thirst for it, and we seek it out. Luke 9:11 tells us that "But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing." God's answers to us are always those of a teacher, always responding to us with love and healing. We are just like those who flocked to Christ when they heard of Him. We seek Jesus out too, clinging to Him when we need the healing Hand of love, and the guidance of a Teacher.

Time changes so much around us, and we find that our culture shifts so quickly from old school to new school, dumping off anything that is not trendy today. Technology leaves people behind, aging is seen as a fault, and sin runs rampant at every turn. Even the fear that the people from the Bible experienced as they were surrounded by the devil's work, we go through too. It can be challenging to keep up with today's society, let alone find ourselves relating to the world and the people that we meet in the pages of the Bible. When we find ourselves feeling hopeless with this world, isolated from others, we can lean on the fact that we are not as far away as we might think. The gift of Jesus to the world, the amazing salvation of eternal life, the humility of baby Christ bring us close to Him, allow us to place ourselves in the story of His birth, and feel the same joy and excitement that was first experienced on that night. The glory of the angels when they appeared to the shepherds are just as bright today, the star the wisemen followed still leads you and me, the faith that the disciples leaned upon we tap into in our lives as well, and the love and guidance that comforted the crowds that flocked to Jesus still comfort us today. Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope you find yourself as filled up with love and gratitude this season as our friends from the Bible!