Every morning, while I walk the 2 blocks from my house to my office, I try to make it a point to stop and take a moment to look at the Bears Paw Mountains from the end of my driveway. They never fail to impress me. One of the things I fell in love with about Big Sandy when I interviewed here 6 years ago was how beautiful Montana is. An odd thing has happened in the last few years: there are quite a few mornings when I am in a rush or am stressed out and I simply step over my morning ritual because taking a moment to appreciate the scenery is a luxury when I have a million things on my to-do list. Of course, it’s a silly thing to think that I am too busy to take 3 or 4 seconds to look and reflect. But when I feel overwhelmed, it seems like too much to ask that I enjoy the moment.
The idea that we can become too rushed or too stressed or overly familiar with something beautiful, and consequently, stop taking the time to appreciate, is an especially pressing reality during the Christmas season. Between shopping, wrapping, decorating, going to Christmas programs, sending cards, and all the other to-do list items that inundate us during the month of December; it’s easy to feel too busy to take a moment and really appreciate what Christmas is about. Last weekend, I preached on the story of Jesus’ birth recorded in the book of Matthew. It’s one of the shorter accounts in the Bible, spanning only a few verses, but in those few verses, we encounter some really impressive events. Joseph is engaged to a woman, only to find that she was pregnant before they were wed.
According to ancient Jewish law and custom, Joseph was required to divorce her in response because it was assumed she was guilty of adultery. Before he does, Joseph is visited by an angel who informs him that Mary is pregnant because the Holy Spirit had conceived her child. That child would be known by a name that means “God saves” and people would say of him that “God is now with us.” The meaning behind this proclamation is simple: God recognized that men could never follow rules well enough to climb up to his level, so he came down to ours and dwelled among us to save us from our sins.
Not only do we have the announcement of the coming of the Son of God, the passage also brings the Holy Spirit to the forefront of the story. The Holy Spirit is alluded to in the Old Testament, but isn’t described in detail until the New Testament. There is a whole aspect of God’s person that we are introduced to in this passage.
In addition to all of this, the virgin birth is a miracle unparalleled in history. Of all the components of this account: the appearance of an angel, the Holy Spirit, the coming of the son of God to dwell with men, and the virgin birth, the angel is the least impressive one, which is saying something. When angels showed up in the Bible folks tended to be terrified or tempted to worship them.
They were impressive to say the least, but in the Christmas story, the angel is the window dressing next to the amazing, beautiful actions of God. It is something that is worth taking a moment and appreciating. It is a beautiful and amazing story that is easily lost in the shuffle of the busyness of the season. Presents, parties, obligations, and the stress of the season often bring us to a point where we simply don’t notice the beauty of Christmas.
It’s worth taking a moment away from all of our obligations just to enjoy God’s gift to us in Christmas.
