SCENE:
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  (Luke 2:13-14)

SYNTAX:
Heavens.
the sky or universe as seen from the earth, firmament; the abode of God and the 
Angels

SONG:

Gabriel! Come.  Assemble your band,
for the birth of My Son is now at hand.
Harmonies layered with the brush of wings
as each cherubim and seraphim sings.

Glorious! Glorious!  Make your praise glorious
with every refrain made more melodious
by the sound of all creatures, the heavens and the earth
pounding in praise of His miraculous birth.

Myriads and myriads of angels sound
the joyous news that peace has been found
in the babe, God’s Son, and brought to all men.
Glory to God in the highest, AMEN!

SCENE:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:8-16)

SYNTAX:
Forget.
to lack concern for;
Neglect; 
to leave behind unintentionally, to fail to mention

SONG:
We spend our nights on hills, forgotten by the world.
That’s why we were frightened and amazed by what we heard.
That night in Bethlehem, a Savior born most precious,
and the angel came to us as if we were special.

The prophets call You mighty and a prince of peace,
but You were in a stable, a place built for sheep.
How strange to be born surrounded by straw and hay,
and laid in a manger where sheep and cattle graze.

The angel said You came to be a Savior for all mankind.
But sometimes being a shepherd means you get left behind.
We’re thankful You weren’t born in a palace to a queen,
for in a stable even shepherds can come and be received.

SEARCH:
I’ve often heard that even if I were the only one, Jesus would have still come to earth.  Little Drummer Boy and I read it just the other day in God Gave Us Christmas, a great little polar bear story about what Christmas means by Lisa Tawn Bergren.  When I look at the angel’s message, it’s interesting that he said “For unto YOU is born….”  Not unto mankind.  Not unto all the good little boys and girls.  Not unto just the rich and famous.  Unto YOU.  It bears notice that noone was forgotten at the foot of that rough-hewn trough.  Not the night shift.  Not the scented animal keepers.  Not the dirty.  Not the working class.  In fact, Jesus’ first night as a part of mankind was spent in a place where those shepherds could be perfectly at ease.

The foot of the manger and the cross are both equal opportunity real estate.  All bended knees welcome. I suggest to check out real estate closing lombard where you will find the best real estate deals.

SONG:
It’s my first time to see the dark of night.
So, this is what the underside of stars look like.
My very first tear and the feeling of cold –
how odd that my body will actually grow.

My first few feelings of being human
are the same but different from what I imagined.
I know this body in intricate detail,
but, my knowing of the Father is different – I can tell.

Heaven looks hazy and faded from below,
but, inside a deep seeking, a longing to know.
It must be man’s emptiness, the one I will  fill,
when I become their Savior and all their sins heal.

SEARCH:
How are the diety of God and the frailty of man resolved in the flesh of one tiny babe?  What was it like for the One who made the world to be born into it?  Was His vision of heaven the same from within our firmament?  What was it like for the Light of the World to look into the dark night sky for the first time? Was His “knowing” of God, His Father, different after taking on human flesh?  Did He sense the human longing for God?  Through infant tears, did He remember what it was like to rest in the perfect peace of the Father’s bosom?  Mighty God.  Infant God.

SCENE:
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed… And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David.  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him  in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:1, 3-7)

SYNTAX:
Crowd.to press, cram, or force tightly together,
to put Pressure on 

SONG:
Running, bumping, pushing and shoving
Busy, busy, everyone is rushing.
So many visitors in Bethlehem  that night,
but, something was strange about this family’s blight.
We didn’t have a room, but he was quite insistent.
Imagine traveling in that condition –
a young man and his wife about to deliver.
She was already cold and starting to shiver.

The inn was all full, not a single bed open.
I know that our stable was not what they were hoping.
My wife and I helped her when it was time for the birth,
and she bore the pain bravely, for the babe had more worth.
They watched Him for hours, seeing something almost wise,
like they saw the face of God when they looked into His eyes.
I never would have believed in the bustle of that night
that we would find such stillness in a tiny infant’s light.

The others without time to wonder what they missed
didn’t see the face that tears had barely kissed,
but, we were reluctant witnesses to an evening filled with awe,
and the busy-ness of our hearts was stilled by what we saw.

SEARCH:
Born in a barn.  How odd.  There, in an animal stall with it’s hay and manure, it was not exactly a scene that commanded attention.  And, by our estimation, it was not a scene fit for a Baby King.  I’ve been in barns.  I wouldn’t want to lay my Baby Girl there.  Yet, by God’s estimation, it was the chosen spot.  The Sovereign Babe had been crowded out by so many other travelers, busy about their tasks.  The Savior of the world had arrived, and there was “no room in the inn.”

A good friend sent me some comments on my recent dignity post, and they really resonated with my hopes for this season.  It was another reminder to pay “intense” attention in our homes so that the important messages aren’t crowded out.  “It is so easy to get caught up in the endless urgency of mothering and miss the quiet, yet intensely important moments,” she said (you know who you are My Fair Lamb–“composition-challenged?” Harumph!)  Truth revealed.  Don’t we live in a world of “endless urgency?”  Each activity, mode of entertainment, and work task is vying to be heard above the din.  Each voice is screaming to be louder than the next.  Especially at Christmas time, our schedules are filled with events and to-dos clamouring to get to the top of our priority list.  Quietness is sometimes lost.   The moment, the experience, the person that is not able or willing to shout is sometimes lost.  As Karol Ladd wrote in her book, The Power of a Positive Mom, the most important thing (or person) is not always the one screaming the loudest.

Mary’s moment of pregnant urgency crashed head-on into Bethlehem’s bulging flow of urgent travelers.  Who knew that the Christ child was about to be born?  No doubt if there had been an ad placed in the Bethlehem Times announcing “New King Born Tonight – Free Drinks,” many would have lined up for tickets.  If a media consultant had sent flyers promising “New King Campaign Rally — Featured Speaker: Joe the Carpenter, t-shirts and bumper stickers for sale, sponsorships available,” many would have raised their signs and cheered.  If the local talk show had announced “Virgin Birth — Live on Monday — Vote for a boy or girl in our on-line poll,” millions would have tuned in.

But, God did not choose to clothe Himself in flesh that way.  Salvation was not designed to be a spectacle.  The God of the universe does not desire to compete to be seen or heard.  No wonder His birth assembled such an odd blend of worshippers.  I hope I would have been one of them.  I hope I’ll choose to be one of them now, this day, this afternoon.

His birth calls me to be still.  Listen.  See.

SCENE:
Behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

SYNTAX:
Faith.
Belief 
that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence

SONG:
Mary is kind, gentle and pure.
No thoughts of deceit, that’s why I chose her.
But, when she told me what she’d heard and seen,
the story was really too amazing to believe:
that God was going to send His Son
to be born of a woman, and she was the one?
Betrothed to be married, but now with child,
She would be accused, the baby reviled.

Then in a dream the angel came to me, too
with a message that all Mary said was true.
God’s only Son was growing in her womb
and I was blessed to raise Him as my own.
A carpenter by trade, a simple life to trod,
how can I be father to the Son of God?
I’ll make her my wife, the one you have given.
I’ll embrace this child of grace, this tiny view of heaven.

I’ll trust You to be faithful in spite of such a scandal.
I know you won’t give us more than we can handle.
Lord, I believe even though I can’t see.
Your word is enough, whatever the end will be.

SEARCH:
 Since my children were born, we’ve been on the continual mission of teaching them to obey.  As the boys are growing older, they are learning more and more about playing together, sharing, and taking turns–habits hard to master even for adults sometimes.  One of our challenges is to teach them to let Mommy and Daddy handle the moments of conflict, rather than giving in to whining, angry outbursts or tussling over toys.  The learning steps along the way reiterate how important fairness is, how important it is to carefully hold the wishes and desires of each child equally, and how easy it would be to instill jealousy and a competitive spirit without even realizing it.  I’m reminded that obedience is so much easier when you trust the one you’re asked to obey.

It’s amazing to think of how courageous Joseph was to accept the calling God had for him, taking on the challenge of a scandalous marriage and child–not to mention the daunting task of being a surrogate father to God’s son.  Although we don’t know much about him, he was obviously a man of action.  There was no wavering in his commitment to obey God.  We can see it in his willingness to take Mary as his wife after the angel’s visit, despite what I’m sure the “neighbors” would say.  The neighbors weren’t privy to an angel message.  Joseph was willing to have them think ill of him, to accuse him of wrong, to whisper behind his back.  His faith was so deep that he was willing to lose his reputation to obey.  He didn’t need to justify his own innocence.  He didn’t need to disavow the rumors.  He was able to trust that God’s path was leading somewhere worthy, no matter how incredulous it seemed.  It’s a stark contrast to the appearance-focused culture we live in, where every hint of opposition or unpopularity must be assuaged.  Where every out-of-vogue, politically incorrect gesture must be decried.  Where every decision must be weighed against the opinion of those speaking the loudest.  For Joseph, it was enough that God approved his task.