Christmas Archives - Page 2 of 2

Ritual Means Little
If The Heart Hasn’t Changed

As I mentioned in a previous post, the phrase “Christmas Story” encompasses far more than just a nativity scene. There are other related events and people that add a lot of color and meaning but receive nothing more than a passing glance. Leaving them out means we get only a partial picture.

Zacharias Is A Good Example

One person connected to the birth story that gets very little attention is Zacharias. His story is found in the first chapter of Luke and takes place six months before the conception of Jesus.

Let me share his experience.

Serving But Possibly Cynical

The story opens with a few background details about Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth.

He is a priest and they are described as righteous and blameless (upstanding) but childless. They are also well beyond their child bearing years. Not a happy state since children were believed to be a sign of God’s blessing. Culturally it was considered shameful not to have kids.

At the time of the story Zacharias is in the Temple burning incense and something very unusual happens. An angel appears and tells him very matter-of-factly that his prayers have been heard. He and Elizabeth will have a son whose name will be John.

There couldn’t have been a more appropriate time for the angel to appear. Incense was symbolic of prayer and this is obviously something for which Zacharias and Elizabeth had prayed. His response, however, was anything but believing. Instead of humbly accepting this good news and being thankful he was skeptical. His response: [Read more…]

A Camel Passing Through
The Eye Of A Needle
Is Nothing
Compared To The Incarnation

When a person says or hears the words “Christmas” or “Christmas Story” what usually comes to mind? The answer is obvious. A manger scene, including: a barn stall, feeding trough (with hay), a baby, a new mother, a few shepherds, maybe the wise men and a collection of farm animals.

That picture is “Christmas.”

Well, that may be the public’s favorite part of the story but it certainly doesn’t cover all the details. It is only one moment in a long chain of events.

Several other things happened before and after the actual birth of Jesus, over the space of several months and involving people not included in the nativity, which are significant also, albeit not as publicly appealing. The list is long.

Along with Joseph, Mary, the wise men, the shepherds and Herod the Great, there is also:

Zacharias (father of John the Baptist) – a priest who comes across as bored and possibly cynical about his part in Temple ceremonies.
His wife Elizabeth
Simeon
Anna
And John the Baptist

Since Jesus was born in a barn only because there was no room in the Inn we don’t need to mention the Inn Keeper. He never appears in the nativity but his part is represented in the stories that accompany the scene. He isn’t a neglected or forgotten element to the story.

Long List of Miracles

And the same thing could be said about miracles. Even though the Virgin Birth gets most of the attention there is a long list of other miracles some of which are never mentioned:

The incarnation
Joseph’s dream
The appearing of angels to Zacharias – they announced the conception of Zacharias’ first child, John, which he refused to believe without an additional sign. The angel wasn’t enough.
The muting of Zacharias – the sign he got.
The conception of John the Baptist (his parents were very old)
The re-enabling of Zacharias’ speech.
The vision and prophecy of Simeon
The discernment of Anna
The angels’ announcement to the shepherds
The Christmas star that guided the wise men to Judea
And the sparing of Jesus’ life till he was safely established in Galilee

But there is one miracle, the biggest of all, that is rarely discussed. That is the miracle of transforming God the Son into the form of a human. [Read more…] about Christmas Story: The Big Picture