As the Christmas season approaching too soon we seem to be at glee. That amidst the tragedies like typhoons and even the pandemic we people feels like it is never gonna be a hindrance on their way of celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.
Don't you know that during the time of St. Francis. St. Francis was the one who established a tradition of nativity scenes in 1223. With live enactments by people and animals during the midnight mass on Christmas eve in his church in Italy.When the French revolution came about and the tradition already stopped.They could not display anymore the nativity scene during Christmas. So what they did was , they brought the nativity scenes into their homes.The people who were used by St. Francis to enact the nativity scene were ordinary people.Yes, like us,the nativity scene is composed of ordinary people., ordinary places, who welcomed Jesus coming into their lives no matter what the circumstances maybe.
Let's take a look at some lessons from the nativity.
Lesson No. 1
God chooses unlikely people and places.
Mary- was a youth, she accepted God's will for her life to be the mother of Jesus.
(But if we try to imagine being Mary, what would you think if an Angel will come to you and tell you to conceive and bear a son. Remember, Mary was a virgin,she was not yet married to Joseph. But then she obeyed the call of the Lord and she was a model of discipleship,she said yes to the call. Mary was an ordinary woman..)
Joseph- he was a carpenter,an ordinary man,of course we know, that Joseph as betrothed to Mary and then he learned that Mary was with a child. now, if we were Joseph, try to imagine . Joseph was going to marry a woman who was already with a child, already pregnant.Actually Joseph thought of breaking away with Mary,but in his dream, the angel came in his dream and told him to take marry as his wife because the baby will save the people from their sin. Joseph was a model of obedient and surrender to God. Yes, a carpenter but chosen by God.
Shepherds- this was considered an unskilled labor. Shepherding, in Jesus time, was considered an unskilled labor,they were of no high stature in the community, of course they were in skilled yet, what happened, the Lord revealed Himself to them.God chose them so that He could reveal Himself to them.
Manger- the manger was a feeding place of animals, who would have thought that the Savior of the world will be born in an animal feeding ruff, a barn, a feeding area for animals.It could have been very smelly over there, but God chose that, an unlikely place .
If God chose unlikely people and unlikely places to reveal himself to the world. God can also chose you and me, and reveal himself in the most unusual manner. God is not a respecter of persons.If at all the requirement of the Lord to reveal himself is humility and surrender, that's why, as I've said, He will reveal himself in a very unusual manner.
Lesson No.2
God is bigger than circumstances
Mary had to travel in a donkey. And when her time of delivery came, there was no room for them in the inn.That is why Jesus was born in the manger. Imagine, Jesus birth was full of problems And yet the glory of God shown to the glory of the darkness of difficulties and during these difficult times.
If you were in a difficult situations, and you are experiencing difficulties right now, and I think we are.
Look at the Belen.
The Lord will find a way for you.
He can turn your bad news into good news.
He can turn your mourning into dancing.
He can turn your sickness into health.
Remember,
He is the God of the turnaround.
Lesson No.3
God's plan does not always look like our plan.
Let's talk about the Magi,the magi did not know where or how to find the Savior.They were just following a star.Maybe having their minds when reach the place to where the star pointed to it was a glamorous event. But no it was not, it was a manger .If I think of it , when the Magi reach the place, maybe they could have been surprised, but yet they offer their gifts because they knew that was the savior.
God's way is above ours and His thoughts are way beyond our thoughts. Trust God, He knows best.
On December 1,2019, Pope Francis went to Italy, the place where the first nativity scene was created by St. Francis.In his letter, he wrote .
"I wish to encourage the beautiful family tradition of preparing the nativity scene in the days before Christmas . but also the custom of setting it in the workplace,in schools,hospitals,prisons and town squares. The nativity scenes shows God as he came into our world but it also make us reflect on how our life is part of God's own life.It invites us to become His disciples if we want to attain ultimate meaning in life."
Luke 2:11 says "For today in the city of David, a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord."
Gaze at the Belen again, gaze at your Belen , I know a lot of us already have Christmas trees.And imagine what it was like then and look into your circumstances now and be grateful for being saved. In Jesus name.Amen
MERRY CHRISTMAS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!
