The Sides of the North were sitting on edge with the anticipation of the imminent events. Everything was in full preparation in the celestial city, all the players had been ready from the beginning, and "The Plan" that was established before the foundation of the world was about to shake the groaning creation, releasing the death hold of the curse and breaking the chains of the fall.
It was evident that the only full knowledge of the plans were held by The King. Every one else involved held but a piece of the plan, and all were on a "need to know" basis. The Messenger had already been sent and delivered the edict. "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And, Behold though shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS."
In secret and under the cover of full purity, the Almighty and the Spirit cast a shadowed veil over a humble servant girl creating The Salvation Miracle within her womb. In that moment of salvation's time capsule, only a small portion that Virgin Girl's song of humble praise would reverberate off of the souls most intimate in her life; because the veil would remain until she would be delivered. Even her fiancé would be held in wonder by the words of the Messenger, and take her as his wife in order to keep all appearances as normal and keep his bride out of public scrutiny.
Who would even notice one insignificant couple whom history had removed from out of the view of their royal bloodline... This was held under the veil until the fullness of time and the Word would reveal it.
Heaven in all of its splendor was ready to burst salvation forth upon all of creation. The Star had appeared and positioned, the Angel of the Lord was ready with the announcement, the angelic host was ready for their Glorious moment of praise. And to what epicenter of Earth's power and prestige would they appear in all of their glory??
The Angels didn't question this remarkably strategic move of simple stealth: Their glorious announcement would be revealed in the remote hillside pasture outside of a small and violently insignificant town of thieves known as Bethlehem (the House of Bread) would be their destination.
Their audience: The outcasts - "Shepherds" keeping watch over their flocks, to whom alone... the message would make sense ... "You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a feed trough!"
Imagination will have it: There may have been a pause as eternity waited for the signal. Then quietly the veil was pulled back to reveal a young teenage mother entering the pains of death to be delivered of her firstborn child... And then it happened; from the thick darkness of the Judean night rang a small but distinctly wonderful sound ... The first tender cry of Pure Unconditional Love wrapped in the brokenness of humanity... And they called Him, Jesus.
What? A Babe ... He shall save His people from their sins? Time stopped: almost hesitated in Awe!
Then the Host of Heaven praised God in such glory that the shepherds left off their keeping of their sheep to see this thing spoken by the Angels. And the Shepherds saw... "The Babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, just as the Angels said".
Why do you think that the world has made such a fuss and clamor in the centuries to follow?Could it be that it wants to make so much noise that the Babe's cry is driven under the notice and beyond the hearing of the desperate heart. What makes this time of year so broken and yet so miraculous. Perhaps it is that fact that this Babe was not just born for the romancing of the Christmas season, but to extend the shadow of the cross over all of the glamour and glitz as the last hope/remedy for mankind's potential eternal separation from God.
True Christmas of the heart comes when we see that the whole story ... The feed trough, the swaddled baby, the shepherds, the wise men, the words, the healings, the tears, the life, the betrayal, the mockery, the thorns, the beating, the cross, the blood, the swaddled broken lifeless body, the sealed grave, the rolled back stone, the empty tomb, the resurrected LORD, and the soon Coming King: and we, by faith, realize this was and is for US. And He shall be called Emanuel, which being interpreted is: God with us.
The Veil of His Grace, still remains, and all those who believe are safely hidden under it until time is no more and the Father makes the final announcement .. "Merry Christmas to all who have come, and to the chains of the past ... Gone with the night - Come Home!"
Don't be far away from Jesus this year, gather close to know Him and the Miracle of His Love.
HLFA,
Jeff