An Insightful Moment with Mary & Joseph

As I read through this my first thoughts were about childbirth and what a sissy I am. I know not very deep or spiritual but I have often thought there is NO WAY I could have delivered a baby back in "those days." And then the thoughts of how unsanitary it all was, I mean giving birth around a bunch of filthy animals with no GermX or other sanitation products. No Doctor, no nurse, no group of women to encourage you and challenge you on, no nursery to send the baby to so they can get cleaned up and checked over and all that. Wow, pretty amazing just in that.

But then I got to the prayer. It seems his prayers always get me. I read about how God comes into the world with no pomp or pageantry. How He shows us that the road to greatness is through humility. I'm reminded of a book I read a few years ago, "Descending into Greatness" by Bill Hybels.

The world, the enemy, our own flesh try and convince us the road to greatness is through pride. Work hard, rise to the top, show people how spiritual you are, smack them down with just how good you are and how lacking they are. I am reminded that my Savior, my King, my Lord had EVERY right to come down and turn the world upside down. He could have had angels lighting up the night sky, grand pageantry the likes we have never seen but instead he enters the world as a helpless baby, the son of a very lowly unlikely servant girl who was not yet married, and born among the animals.

He shows us how to rid ourselves of pride, pick up the serving towel and bow to our Father in Heaven and boast only of what HE does and not about ourselves. To Him who is so far much more than we can even imagine be all the glory and all our worship.

Praise be to my Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.