Yes Here, Yes Now and Yes It Is Good News!
The frenzy of Christmas preparations is upon us. Shopping, planning for the holy-day feast, seeking to keep disparate members of the family happy by going here today and then there tomorrow can be a logistical nightmare. Yet, in the midst of all the craziness we are drawn to a manger scene from two thousand years ago.
Imagine a world where the superpower is Rome; where might makes right. Taxes, the enemy of today, was the enemy back then. A census was taken and people were on the move to their ancestral homesteads across the Promised Land. One couple among hundreds, if not thousands perhaps, arrives in Bethlehem. Door after door announces the news, “Sorry, there is no room.” Finally, one innkeeper takes mercy on the young woman about to give birth. “There is a stable, it’s not much, but there you can find shelter and warmth,” the man apologetically offered. It would have to do, Joseph thought, what else could he do? Mary was weary from the journey and who knows when this child would come. “Of all times,” he most likely thought, “let it not be tonight, not in a filthy stable, not so far from home.”
Yet the mysterious nature of God’s sovereign choice played out. Yes here, yes now and yes it is good news. Like Joseph, we may not see the wisdom of God’s plans but that doesn't mean that the Lord isn't acting very wisely. If you find yourself this Christmas wondering why here, why now and how can this be good, take the time to consider that stable in Bethlehem and thank God for His timing and His providence. Humanly speaking, it may not be the best of times but in our Heavenly Father’s eyes, the timing and place are perfect.
Imagine a world where the superpower is Rome; where might makes right. Taxes, the enemy of today, was the enemy back then. A census was taken and people were on the move to their ancestral homesteads across the Promised Land. One couple among hundreds, if not thousands perhaps, arrives in Bethlehem. Door after door announces the news, “Sorry, there is no room.” Finally, one innkeeper takes mercy on the young woman about to give birth. “There is a stable, it’s not much, but there you can find shelter and warmth,” the man apologetically offered. It would have to do, Joseph thought, what else could he do? Mary was weary from the journey and who knows when this child would come. “Of all times,” he most likely thought, “let it not be tonight, not in a filthy stable, not so far from home.”
Yet the mysterious nature of God’s sovereign choice played out. Yes here, yes now and yes it is good news. Like Joseph, we may not see the wisdom of God’s plans but that doesn't mean that the Lord isn't acting very wisely. If you find yourself this Christmas wondering why here, why now and how can this be good, take the time to consider that stable in Bethlehem and thank God for His timing and His providence. Humanly speaking, it may not be the best of times but in our Heavenly Father’s eyes, the timing and place are perfect.
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