Day 10
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, 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. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Story from the Blue Seats:
I’m currently reading this scripture as my wife and I await our first child in the next few days. Reading the story of the coming of Christ as we await our baby brings an entirely new perspective. I now understand the fear and anxiety that comes with being entrusted to care for a weak and helpless newborn baby, having never done it before. Fear and self-doubt begin to creep in. What kind of man will our baby turn out to be? Are we capable of being the parents he needs? Will he understand how much he was prayed for, longed for, and waited for?
How must Mary and Joseph felt? As they prepared to welcome their baby, they were faced with the incomprehensible knowledge that this baby would also be a savior for all of humanity. That this was a baby that was prayed for, longed for, and waited for by all of civilization. Imagine being asked to raise the Son of God and you’ve never raised a baby before!
As I anticipate bringing our tiny, infant home in a few days, I’ve realized how incredible it is that the Lord came in the form of a newborn. I wonder how much he weighed. I wonder what he looked like as he struggled to open his eyes and see the world for the first time. Did he struggle to catch his breath? Did he need to be close to his mom to shield him from the scariness of the big world? Like all of us, Christ was raised and cared for by his mother and father before he could fulfill his promise.
This advent season as we remember the birth of Jesus and the community that surrounded him, I will especially be reminded of the preciousness of newborn life and the importance of creating a village of support to raise a child.
