It really is a great time of year. We all have various activities and traditions around Christmas. There are parades, programs, and all kinds of decorations that are scattered all around our various areas. When the kids were smaller, one of our favorite things to do was to drive around and look at all the Christmas lights. Among the Santas and sleighs, the lights and trees, we would see nativity scenes displayed. We would often drive past and comment about how nice it looked, or admire the way it was set up, without paying much attention to what is actually communicated in that scene. What if we stopped and looked?

We see a couple with a newborn baby. We see a group of shepherds. We see what appear to be wealthy kings. We see three very different and disparate groups of people with little if anything in common. Yet, these are three groups of people that we find in the accounts of the birth of Jesus recorded in Matthew and in Luke.

Mary and Joseph, the young couple from Nazareth were ordinary people on a their way to a life that was probably quite predictable. The shepherds were people who were just going about their lives in one of the least honored vocations of their day. Then there were the kings from the East, wealthy and educated who studied and watched for the fulfillment of prophecy. Three groups of people that we see in various scenes all around us at this time of year, all brought together by a singular event.

That singular event was one that had been in the works for centuries, ever since the fall in Genesis 3. That singular event consisted of an angelic messenger, an imperial edict, a miraculous conception and birth, communication to various people via dreams, the appearance of a star, and a chorus of angels making the grand announcement. All of this, plus many more acts of God of which we read throughout the Old Testament, brings together people from all walks of life with God in their midst. There are several things we need to notice as we look at that first nativity scene.

We see the importance of stepping out in faith, trusting in what God can do. When Gabriel shows up to make the announcement to Mary, she really doesn’t know what to make of all this. Who would? She was just told that she would conceive and give birth to God’s son, that he would sit on the throne of his father David, and that his Kingdom would never end (Luke 1:26-33). After asking how this could be possible and hearing the explanation of Gabriel, Mary replied, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) She had no idea where this would lead. She simply said, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

Joseph is another example of this kind of faith. Imagine being told by your fiancé that she is pregnant and that her child was the result of a miracle. It’s no wonder that Matthew tells us that he wanted to “put her away.” But when God communicated with him, confirming what Mary had said, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24-25)

We see the importance of being watchful. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1) We know little of these men. How far did they travel? Who exactly were they? We can tell that they were people who were expecting God to do something. They had been watching and waiting for the promise of God to come. As a result of this, they were able to witness a marvelous event.

We see that this event was good news for everyone; no one was to be excluded. “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12) The shepherds, the least of society, were the first to hear of this news and to be invited to the celebration. It wasn’t just for the rich, the respectable, the religious, or even just the Jews. God sending his son is good news for all.

We see that God does all of this in order to be with us. The divide between us and God due to sin was something we could not resolve. God wants to be with us badly enough to show up as a vulnerable infant, born in a stable. I pray that this is what we see as we stop and look at a nativity scene. I pray that this is something that we remember every single day of the year.