Christmas Party  
Wait a minute! Stop the madness! What am I running around for? It's not my birthday anyway. It's Jesus' birthday. He had quite a party, although He probably wasn't wise to it, since he was just an infant. Let's look in and see what kind of party they had for the Messiah. A party? Yes! On the surface it would seem that there wasn't much happening in Bethlehem except that silly census that seemed to cause a bit of a stir. Business! It was all business as usual. That night behind the inn a wonderful thing happened. A baby was born. He looked like an ordinary baby. Two arms, two legs, ten fingers and ten toes. That may have been the concensus of the town's people, but a few miles away in the fields where the shepherds were tending sheep, there was quite a party goin' on. As the shepherds were quietly tending their sheep and minding their own business, thank you very much, there was a loud noise. So loud, in fact, it terrified them. It was the angel of the Lord and he told them not to be afraid because he had great news for them. It must have been some news for God to send a special angel all the way to the fields outside Bethlehem. The angel explained that today the Messiah had been born in the city of David. They could find this baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. Suddenly, a large group of heavenly hosts appeared alongside the angel and they praised God saying: Exit Angels. I imagine the shepherds must have joined in the fun at this point because the next thing that happens is they run off to find the baby, probably laughing and yelling all the way. After they had checked Him out, they went scurrying around town telling everyone who would listen-- and some who wouldn't-- that the Messiah had been born and he was right there in Bethlehem. Some probably asked where this child was and where could they find Him, others, no doubt, thought these shepherds had been tending sheep too long and were looking for some excitement in their boring lives. This didn't stop them from telling the story of Jesus' coming. The scene at the stable was fairly quiet. Jesus was sleeping. Mary was pondering these things in her heart and getting a well-deserved rest. Joseph was keeping watch over his family and the animals were munching on hay. Though all was quiet in the stable, let there be no mistake, God did not let the birth of His only Son, our Savior go unnoticed. He held "the mother of all" parties. The truth of it, so powerful that the party has continued into the new Millennium. Many more than a few shepherds have found the Savior through the centuries and many more will find Him if we continue to proclaim Jesus, as that lowly group of shepherds did at the very first Christmas party. Party on! --Proclaim Jesus until He comes Again! |
