December 12–Christmas Chaos

It’s Wednesday and it is 12 days until Christmas. Do you have all of you shopping and decorating finished? This time of the year is chaotic, isn’t it? I went to the mall yesterday and I didn’t think I was going to find parking. Inside it was crazy with people everywhere. 


Do you think that’s how Bethlehem must have been when Mary and Jospeh got there? Bible scholars tell us that there could have been as many as a million people crammed into that little town. Can you imagine the lines at Walmart if a million extra people crammed into your town? In my little town, traffic would be at a standstill! And people would be camped on every empty pice of ground. 


“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire...All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:1, 3-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬


Isn’t it odd that God chose that overcrowded, chaotic place for the birth of the Savior? Or did He have a beautiful lesson for us in all of it?  

He chose to send His son in the middle of nerves frayed, not enough room, and a greedy government. People pushing and shoving, smelly animals and then, Jesus came and the presence of this baby changed the purpose of everything. When our lives get chaotic and crazy just like Bethlehem, if we can turn our eyes on Jesus, the purpose changes and the chaos fades away. 


Dear Lord of heaven and earth, we pray that you would free us from the chokeholds of business, chaos and sin. Help us to draw ever nearer to Jesus and to love you with a pure and holy passion. We want to center our lives on you, not on ourselves and the craziness that surrounds us. Thank you for the mercy you pour out on us and we ask you now for the fire of the Holy Spirit to fall fresh on us. You are our God and we are your people and we worship you this day with all that in within us and we bless your holy name. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear one, 

Pam




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