12.17- Two Weeks of Discomfort

 12.17-

Two Weeks of Discomfort

Two weeks after Jeff’s due date, Sheila started telling me that there was a problem. She couldn't walk comfortably. She was unlike my side of the family in that her family was medium build to skinny build. Our side of the family was mostly "stocky" build. She looked like a couple of tooth pics carrying a watermelon on her stomach. She was unable to sleep well. Sitting caused many kinds of issues. God had created us and blessed us to help create Jeff.

The shocking, scandalous story of Christianity is that Jesus was the instrument of creation of everything. Now two weeks before Christmas, Mary was carrying her own Maker inside her body. She was riding to the town of her son’s birth on a donkey? Sounds impossibly uncomfortable in many ways.

She was pregnant and there had been no wedding ceremony. She had been tucked away in private by a move of grace by Joseph, her future husband.

After arriving in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus and placed him in a manger, as the sign that this was the long sought for Messiah. Scandalous. What a place for the King of the Jews and King of the Gentiles to be born.

We have a couple of more weeks to reflect on what it means that the Savior of the world would enter in Bethlehem as a Scandal and die on a cross in Jerusalem as a Scandal.

Yes, Christianity is a Scandal from start to finish except the reality that Jesus lived the perfect life, pleasing His Father in heaven and meeting each need for compassion with a loving response.

Jesus grew up to love all sinners, religious and prodigal. He ended up being killed by the political and religious power players in the most cruel way possible. Dying saying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” and to thief who had faith on the cross beside Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

The good news is that on the third day, as Jesus had predicted, they came to that tomb and the stone had been rolled away. He was not there. He had risen. We now have our hope anchored in heaven.

Luke 2.

2 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all [a]the inhabited earth. 2 [b]This was the first census taken while [c]Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was [d]betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the [e]time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a [f]manger, because there was no [g]room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is [h]Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [i]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly [j]army of angels praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people [k]with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [l]manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.