As I sit here in my chair, off to my left I see my nativity set. I love my nativity set, it is one that has, carved on each person, the scripture that goes with that person’s part of the Christmas story. Today, as I looked at it, I was struck with some very powerful and deep thoughts; I feel compelled to share these thoughts and believe there is at least one person out there that needs to hear the message.
As I look at each character I think about the level of faith that each person in this incredible story had to have. Mary was given word that she would give birth to the Son of God. I imagine, as the story tells, that she was very afraid. I mean, she was 15 or 16, a virgin and engaged to be married…now she is pregnant. Imagine, as the angel came to her and told her what was going to happen, the level of faith she had to have in God that all things would work out perfectly. Joseph, the man who was engaged to Mary, gets word that his virgin fiancée is pregnant and he is to raise this child as his son. Think about the faith Joseph had to have in God to endure the ridicule that I am sure he and Mary would face as this story unfolded. The shepherds were in their fields, watching their animals, just minding their own business when angels appeared to them. These angels told them of the birth of Jesus and that they were to go to where He was and worship Him. Imagine, for a moment, the faith that it took these shepherds to leave their home, their livestock and their families to worship a King that angels in the sky told them about. Think about how crazy they must have looked to the people around them. Then you have the wisemen. Yes, they were originally sent, by the king, to get information about this Royal Baby. Imagine the faith these wisemen had to have to go find this King and realize Who He was, give Him gifts and then bow to Him in worship; their loyalties and bows should have been reserved for the king who sent them to this baby (according to their customs) and they could have been killed for bowing to another, yet they did it anyway. Then there is Jesus…Yes, I know He is the Son of God and is perfect; surely at some point, though, He may have questioned His Father’s plan to save the world with a baby. The faith that Jesus had in His Father, God, to come to Earth as a baby, be born in a manger to a virgin. Every aspect of this incredible story relied on total and complete faith in God. Imagine if even one person or group of people in this story didn’t have faith that God knew what He was doing.
As I write this, I think about all of the situations in my personal story; situations where great faith was required from me. There have been times where faith was required and I certainly waivered and took my focus off of God; times when I didn’t trust that God knew what He was doing in my story. Then I go back to this incredible faith story of the birth of Jesus; if even one of those people didn’t have faith the story could have ended very differently. These people lived in a time where they could have been ridiculed and even killed for following God’s plan, yet they just followed. No one has ever tried to kill me for my faith, yet I struggle to trust God. As I sit and look at my nativity set and think about this story, I think about the usual things that come with this story…you know, the virgin birth, the wisemen following a star, the angels who appeared to Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. Today, I realized there was a huge part of the story that I have always overlooked…the faith part!
So, as I write this, my prayer is to be more like Mary; my prayer is to have the faith of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wisemen and even Jesus. Imagine how our stories would unfold if we had the faith of each of these people! So, this Christmas season, as we attend church services and parties, remember to look at the nativity…look really close at each character. Remember the faith that these amazing people had! Remember to carry the faith of each of these people into your story!
MARY
Luke 1:26-35, 38 (MSG) “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob’s house forever-no end, ever, to his kingdom.” Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.” The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God…And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just and you say.”
JOSEPH
Matthew 1:20-25 (MSG) “While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus-‘God saves’-because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this-a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”). Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.”
Luke 2:15-18 (MSG) “As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.”
WISEMEN
Matthew 2:9-12 (MSG) “Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshipped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.”
THE BIRTH OF JESUS
John 1:14 (MSG) “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”
