When God Comes Near, Part I

The Christmas story has everything a great story needs. There is conflict and fear, as well as amazement as the story begins. There is an upright man who is engaged to be married, but he finds out his wife-to-be is with child. What should he do? How will he handle this most delicate situation? Then an angel appears in a dream and tells him of wondrous things he couldn’t even imagine. (Matthew 1:18-25)

There is concern, as well as anticipation as the story continues and a census is ordered by Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1). Joseph and Mary make a long, treacherous journey from Galilee down to Judah, to the city of Bethlehem, the city of their ancestors (vs. 4-5). During that difficult journey they had to be looking forward to the birth of their son, God’s Son.

There is drama throughout the story, from the journey itself, to their arrival in Bethlehem where the streets are crowded with all sorts of people and there are no rooms available in any of the inns. Seeing that Mary was with child, a kind innkeeper allows them to stay in the stable out back, where soon Jesus is born (v. 7). It wasn’t exactly what they had in mind for a delivery room!

Then there is also political intrigue; a government wanting to eliminate anyone that might affect the status quo and a king seeking to find and kill this baby, a baby people refer to as a King (Matthew 2:13). Again, danger is in the mix as eventually Joseph, warned in a dream, has to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee for their lives to Egypt (v. 14).

And yet the Christmas story is really quite simple and straight forward. The whole saga begins in an insignificant village, Nazareth, when an angel of God visits Mary and Joseph separately. It ends in another insignificant little town, Bethlehem, when baby Jesus is born in a stable and laid in a manger, which is also an insignificant place.

But that is what makes everything about the Christmas story so intriguing! In insignificant places, Nazareth and Bethlehem, God finds and uses insignificant people, a carpenter and his betrothed wife, and through an insignificant event, the birth of a baby, He changes the world!

The “happening” places of the world at that time were Rome and Syria. The world rulers lived there. That was all that mattered. No one gave much thought to Palestine, tucked away in a small little pocket of the Roman Lake, also known as the Mediterranean Sea; that is, except God.

When God comes near, everything changes. When God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning. And that is what really matters. When God acts, the important places become less important and the insignificant places of the world suddenly become important and are noticed.

The Christmas story focuses on little places—towns, villages, small cities, and other places that people usually ignored. Places like Nazareth and Bethlehem. When the census was ordered (Luke 2:1-2), “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.” (vs. 4-5).

Nathanael once asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). That is how the world viewed these small towns—as insignificant. Yet it was in Nazareth where God found Mary, a faithful woman, and Joseph, a faithful man, and put His work of salvation in motion. Yes Nathanael, something good can come out of Nazareth.

Likewise, Bethlehem is called “the city of David” because David was born there, but it really was not a city of any noticeable size and it had no great importance as far as the world was concerned. This little village was actually known for sin and rebellion against God (see Judges 17-18 for one story and 19-21 for another story). Yet a third story that takes place in Bethlehem is that of redemption (see the Book of Ruth). And it is here that the birth of Christ takes place.

God takes the common things of the world and gives them meaning. When God comes near, common things are no longer common. When God comes near, insignificant places are remembered throughout history. When God comes near, ordinary things are looked upon with favor and even remind us of the great things God has done. Everything is given meaning when God comes near.

When God comes near, He changes everything, and most importantly, He changes you. He makes you into a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is what Christmas is really all about. It is about your life being changed by Christ and for Christ. Monday I will pick up on that theme and expand it further. Amen.