Our Savior is born: Meditation for December 22-28

This is the season of our Savior's birth: the record of His First Coming, the historic beginning of the fulfillment of the Promise of our eternal Redemption. It is a familiar story. We know the main events and recall major occurrences. But at times, we miss significant details which seem less momentous, but very important. Here is a passage from Luke's record, declaring and affirming the birth of Jesus Christ the Son of God, of virgin Mary. Indeed, Our Savior is born. Our Lord is born. Our salvation has come. Our hope is fulfilled. Our faith is complete. God's Promise is fulfilled. The Seed of the woman has come to crush the head of the Serpent.

Luke 2:1-20 (GW)

This is the Word of God. May the Spirit of Truth give us wisdom and insight to receive what has been conveyed through His Word by His Inspiration.
Who or what can separate us from the Love of God?!

2:1-3
¹At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire.
²This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
³All the people went to register in the cities where their ancestors had lived.

In the months following John's birth, the Roman government issued an imperial directive decreed by Caesar Augustus, born Gaius Julius Octavius, AKA: Octavian, commanding all subjects to register in the appropriate administrative locales of their respective lineage. Luke tells us that such an enormous mobilization took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria, putting the event in a historical context of the Roman rule over the provinces of Syria and Judea.

Such a census is usually conducted to facilitate taxation, conscription, allocation of resources, and public services. As subjects of the Roman Empire, the citizens obeyed the edict issued by the Emperor and traveled to the cities and locales of their respective lineage. This particular census was not an expedient political move commanded by a clever ruler. Rather, it was a historic event decreed by God in order to mobilize the collective events of history to focus on this divinely appointed moment in time.

2:4-7
⁴So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem. Joseph, a descendant of King David, went to Bethlehem because David had been born there.
⁵Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.
⁶While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.
⁷She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn't any room for them in the inn.

As Jewish subjects of the Roman Empire, Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to register because they were from the ancestral lineage of king David, even though they themselves were from Nazareth. Mary had to go with Joseph not just because she was under his care as his betrothed wife, but due to God's sovereign plan which required her to be in the city of David, Bethlehem, to deliver Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Mary's time to deliver her baby came while they were in Bethlehem for the census. Because Bethlehem was too small to host the influx of people who came to register, Joseph and Mary could not find suitable lodging. They took the only space they could find.

They took refuge in a stable. There, the Holy Infant, Jesus Christ the Messiah, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords was born. They bundled him with strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough. Such were the meek and lowly circumstances under which the Creator entered His own creation to begin, in time and space, His work of redemption.

2:8-14
⁸Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night.
⁹An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified.
¹⁰The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid. I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with Joy."
¹¹"Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David's city."
¹²"This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."
¹³Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying,
¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (KJV)

The promised Baby was born. The anticipated Messiah had come. No fanfare, pomp-and-circumstance, or any spectacular public display. He came quietly amid the pandemonium of a busy people coming and going for the census.

As He did with Mary, God chose the lowliest place for the arrival of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus was born in a stable, because there was no room in the town for the mother in labor. He Who sovereignly chose Mary and the stable in Bethlehem for the coming of His Son into the world, also preferred lowly shepherds to hear the Good News and become the first witnesses of our Savior's birth: A perfect setting for the revelation of God's glory and His sovereign Will.

Shepherds watching their flocks at night is a common sight in the hill country of Judea including the outskirts of Bethlehem. This night was not different from any other night before it. The same shepherds who tended their flocks at night were doing the same thing on the eve of Jesus' birth. But these particular group of shepherds were the privileged recipients of a special message from God.

The shepherds watched with fright as the area around them abruptly filled with a glorious light and the angel of the Lord appeared before them. They were no longer alone with their sheep in the darkness of the night skies. The sudden appearance of the angel was accompanied by the glory of the Lord, brightening the skies above them and lighting the entire area. They were terrified.

The angel comforted the terrified shepherds however, with the promise of God's Good News of Joy and Peace. Although his heavenly appearance was unusual and frightening, his sudden presence broke the night's darkness with the magnificence of God's glorious light. The angel told them not to fear. He broke the darkness of the night with God's glorious Light and dissipated the darkness of their hearts with the Good News of God's redemption. The angel revealed to them that their Savior was born in Bethlehem, and His name is Jesus the Christ.

Implying they should go at once and see God's gracious favor with their own eyes, the angel told them that they would find the Baby lying in a manger, bundled in bands of cloth. This way, the shepherds could confirm the words of the angel and believe for themselves that the Baby was truly Who the angel said He is: Jesus Christ their Savior; our Savior.

Unlike Gabriel's visit with Zechariah and Mary, the angelic visitation with the lowly shepherds did not end immediately after the proclamation of God's message. Instead of departing the scene immediately, the heavenly host of the angelic realm offered God the Father and His Son a sacrifice of praise and adoration, leading the shepherds in a glorious worship.

The skies above the shepherds exploded in a bright array of glory. The shepherds, though frightened by the spectacle, must have felt safely encased in the dazzling splendor of God's majesty. Even though they were terrified by the unusual heavenly scene, they were ushered into heavenly worship serenaded by an angelic choir. The angelic choir joined in heavenly harmony across the horizon of the night sky singing the praises of God. They echoed their affirmation of God's matchless redeeming Grace. They acknowledged His supremacy in all things and extolled His name, proclaiming the greatest event of history that had just occurred.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth Peace, Good Will toward men." (KJV)

2:15-20
¹⁵The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about."
¹⁶They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger.
¹⁷When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him.
¹⁸Everyone who heard the shepherds' story was amazed.
¹⁹Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.
²⁰As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

The angels completed their mission and departed the scene. The night sky returned to its normal condition. However, the shepherds were changed forever. Their spirits were exuberant because they had witnessed the heavenly host praising God and glorifying His name for the wonder He had revealed through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.

They decided to go and see what God had revealed to them. Filled by the Joy of God's favor and moved by the unmatched experience of heavenly worship, the shepherds left their flocks in the field and went to meet their Savior and offer Him their praise in person. They learned from the words of the angelic chorus that the birth of Jesus Christ is the divine occasion in which God's Peace and His Good Will toward the lost world is revealed. They found everything as the angel told them and returned to their flocks telling everyone of what they heard, saw, and experienced. They became the first witnesses, setting an example of faith and obedience for everyone to follow.

Everyone who heard the shepherds was impressed. It was not necessarily the eloquence or high-powered presentation of the shepherds that caught listeners by surprise. Though they told their story with excitement, it was ultimately the content of their message that stirred the hearts of their listeners.

While the shepherds and the people who heard their stories were impressed with the awe of the wondrous birth of our Savior, Mary quietly observed what was happening to her and her Son. Consistent with her demeanor during her audience with Gabriel, she remained calm and collected, pondering God's mighty hand at work in her life and the revelation of God's redeeming Grace through Jesus Christ. She was changed forever. The shepherds were changed forever. And all the saints of God across the ages are changed forever, because our lives are touched by the irresistible Grace of God's redeeming Mercy through Jesus Christ born of virgin Mary; on this specific night of God's sovereign choice; on this special night!

On this night, on this special night, Christ our Savior was born. Christ was born so that we might be born of the Spirit in Him. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, His name is Wonderful. Counsellor. Prince of Peace. A mighty God. and The everlasting Father.