Christmas

When we mention Christmas we usually think of a Nativity scene similar to the one depicted here and don’t think about all the planning that God had to do for all this and its aftermaths to happen. For starters, it was well known that the Messiah, or Christ, would be born in Bethlehem, but Joseph and Mary didn’t live in Bethlehem, and their baby needed to be born in a primitive place like a stable, not a house or an Inn, that way no one could ever feel that Jesus got a better start in life than they did. God also knew that King Herod would try to kill the baby Jesus, because Herod would fear that Jesus would usurp his throne, so God needed to arrange for some financial help for Joseph, so that he, Mary, and the baby, could flee to Egypt where they would have to stay until Herod died, after which Joseph could come back and set up his carpentry business in Nazareth. God also knew that in later years, Jesus disciples would require “Diplomatic Immunity” and “International Passports” so they could travel to all the nations around the Mediterranean Sea in order to spread the Good News of God’s Saving Grace that was achieved through Jesus Death and Resurrection.  Quite a lot for God to sort out really.

The “three wise men from the East,” that are depicted in this photo, were guided to solve Joseph’s financial problem as they brought a quantity of Gold as part of their gifts for the baby, and of course gold is an international currency. (My God shall supply all your need) is a relevant text in this case. (Philippians 4:19).

The “Diplomatic immunity” problem was solved by God choosing a unique time in history for Jesus birth: it was a time when all that area, and right through to England, was part of the Roman Empire, so men like Paul had no problem travelling from country to country and were even able to call on the protection of Roman soldiers if they were bullied by the locals. Indeed, Paul even appealed for Caesar to personally hear his case when the Jewish leaders charged him with Blasphemy. As a result of this Paul was able to discuss his faith with leaders like King Agrippa and his wife Bernice as well as Roman Governors and Centurions.

Now how did God arrange for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem? No problem, He got Caesar Augustus to decree that there would be a Census so all people had to return to the town of their birth; so Joseph took his wife to Bethlehem. Only God  would have been able to arrange the exact timing, so that Mary was in Bethlehem on the day of Jesus delivery. And because of the crowds of visitors there was no room in the Inn, only a stable for the Christ child to be born in. Who but our all- knowing God could have sorted all that out to perfection?

The way God sorted all the above out is a “template” or pattern, for the way He also wants to help you and me. The actual bible quote for this is: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”. Which clearly indicates that if we get our priorities right we will arrive at our “Bethlehem” and our needs will be supplied; it is a matter of trusting Him. (Proverbs 3:5).

Now it wouldn’t be Christmas without someone mentioning “Santa Claus”. Who then is this old man, and what is his significance?

His real name is Saint Nicholas and over the years it has just been pronounced incorrectly. Saint Nicholas was a devout Christian who lived in the Northern Hemisphere where there is plenty of Snow at Christmas, and people use Sleighs as a means of transport. Realising that Christmas is all about God’s love for us in sending Jesus to procure our Eternal Salvation, Nicholas decided to show love in a practical way by giving out presents. Children loved him then, and they probably love him more now as the “Santy” we now know has also taken on “magical” powers having Reindeer that fly and so on. This doesn’t worry me, (I believed in the “Tooth Fairy” too, when I was young, I loved the mystery of it, and even “Superman” delighted me as he did so much good).  The important thing is that children understand that Santy is just doing kind things because Jesus wants us to behave that way.  Have a happy and blessed Christmas, Tom and Audrey.