[Mary and Joseph] couldn't find anywhere except an old, tumbledown stable. So they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed.
And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son.
Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as his cradle.
And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.
Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"--which means, "God has come to live with us."
Because, of course, he had.
Whatever your circumstances are today, just remember that God did indeed come to live with us so many years ago.
And while He lived on this earth, many witnessed the wonders and signs that He performed.
But the real reason He came to earth was to die. He came here to die for you, and for me.
Don't worry though, He did not stay dead.
He is alive!
He rose from the grave, and He went back to live with His Father for awhile. Not forever. For awhile.
He sent us something much greater while we wait for Him to return to take us to Heaven too.
He sent us His Holy Spirit to live in us. Not just with us. In us.
And he didn't want us to just sit around keeping all of this a secret either.
No.
He built a church before he left. A church made up of people filled with His Holy Spirit. A church that has grown and grown for many years. It can't be stopped. It won't be silenced.
And we have an assignment to make sure everyone hears this story. The Good News. God's Rescue Plan. His Son, the Savior of the World, come to save us from the darkness.
So, we wait in joyous anticipation for His glorious return. And while we wait, we spread the news.
And that, my friends, is the miracle of Christmas.
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