This Day

Today is Christmas Day. Some want to make it the day Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a manger surrounded by shepherds and wise men.

It makes for a good story and acceptable lyrics.

Let’s be honest. No one knows what day Jesus was born. Our current day is a cultural mashup of various traditions, none of which come from the Bible.

“When” is not essential. A simple reading of the story in Matthew and Luke describes something obscure and unrecognized. It happened in the dark, hidden by poverty and lack.

God invaded our world in a way we would never expect. On Sinai, God gave the law to Moses. It regulated and prescribed. But that was not the “what.” The focus is “what.”

John reminds us of the importance of “the day” (not to be confused with this day).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)

Jesus was God who became like us so that we can become a child of his.

While the tinsel and twinkle lights fill the mind with wonder, God in the flesh fills our lives with destiny.

Thank God for the day.