Without question, the end of the first century BC was a miserable time to live in Judea. Historians named this period the Pax Romana, the "peace of Rome," but it was a brutal peace. Political intrigue, economic oppression, racial tension, rampant immorality, and acts of terrorism by impetuous zealots characterised Jewish life under the tread of Rome's heavy boot.
In the midst of this tumultuous time, an angel appeared to a teenage girl, delivering a shocking announcement: "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favour with God. . . . You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High . . . and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
Mary would not have missed the significance of the angel's words. Hundreds of years earlier, prophets foretold the coming of a larger-than-life King who would claim the throne, destroy Israel's enemies, inaugurate a time of peace, and ultimately rule over the whole earth. Every Jew anticipated the arrival of this Messiah, longing for Him to come and overthrow the Romans, ending the suffering of the nation. And she would be the one to bear Israel's Saviour.
Nine months later, God arrived.He pitched His fleshly tent on a bed of straw . . . in a stable . . . under a star.Jesus silently slipped into our world and breathed our air, felt our pain, became acquainted with our sorrows, died for our sins, and rose again to offer us eternal life.
Everything that Mary experienced along the way-from the angelic announcement to Joseph's dream, from the timing of the Roman census to giving birth in a stable, from the worship of shepherds to the gold of kings-every event served a divine purpose. In response to God's movement in her life and through her Son, Mary "treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
This Christmas, I encourage you also to ponder the work of God in your life over the past year. Many similarities exist between the time when Jesus came to earth and our own.
We live in a corrupt world where suffering, injustice, and oppression are an inescapable part of everyday life. But today-just as He was then-God is in control. He still provides, protects, and preserves. He is sovereign. And if we look hard enough . . . if we focus on Him as the centre of our lives . . . we can see His hands holding us together....... through it all.
In the midst of this tumultuous time, an angel appeared to a teenage girl, delivering a shocking announcement: "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favour with God. . . . You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High . . . and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
Mary would not have missed the significance of the angel's words. Hundreds of years earlier, prophets foretold the coming of a larger-than-life King who would claim the throne, destroy Israel's enemies, inaugurate a time of peace, and ultimately rule over the whole earth. Every Jew anticipated the arrival of this Messiah, longing for Him to come and overthrow the Romans, ending the suffering of the nation. And she would be the one to bear Israel's Saviour.
Nine months later, God arrived.He pitched His fleshly tent on a bed of straw . . . in a stable . . . under a star.Jesus silently slipped into our world and breathed our air, felt our pain, became acquainted with our sorrows, died for our sins, and rose again to offer us eternal life.
Everything that Mary experienced along the way-from the angelic announcement to Joseph's dream, from the timing of the Roman census to giving birth in a stable, from the worship of shepherds to the gold of kings-every event served a divine purpose. In response to God's movement in her life and through her Son, Mary "treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
This Christmas, I encourage you also to ponder the work of God in your life over the past year. Many similarities exist between the time when Jesus came to earth and our own.
We live in a corrupt world where suffering, injustice, and oppression are an inescapable part of everyday life. But today-just as He was then-God is in control. He still provides, protects, and preserves. He is sovereign. And if we look hard enough . . . if we focus on Him as the centre of our lives . . . we can see His hands holding us together....... through it all.
