The older I get, the more I am filled with awe and wonder at the way God sent His son, our Savior, to earth. Every facet of the story shouts His glory and love over us! Here are three beautiful strands of God’s glory woven glitteringly into His advent:
1. God’s Plans Are Unstoppable
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:4-7).
God used a worldly power that I would have written out of the story — Herod — to bring Mary and Joseph to the specific spot they were meant to be for the birth of Jesus. I love this flourish God includes to let us know that even over the cruelest of leaders, for this was the Herod who killed the baby boys, He ultimately sits sovereign over them.
When I look at the world and it aches my heart to see the pain and darkness, God never feels helpless or at a loss. He might grieve with us. But he sees the completion of the story.
We see His creative power in creation and only have glimmers of understanding of how it all works together and survives the changes of the millennia. And it will be that same creativity we see unleashed on all our individual stories, woven into His, that set right all the wrongs we endured or did at the completion of all things.
And the Christmas story shows us a little hint of how unstoppable His plans are because He is not hindered in His agenda just because there is an evil ruler in the mix. He will even go so far as to use him, just because He can! That is comfort and joy!
When Mary and Joseph could not find a place to deliver Jesus, God’s plans were not frustrated, but He again threw His flourish over the human events that looked dismal. A stable with animals was where God chose to bring His son into the world!
The most humble of places for the King of Creation to be born in! It’s unfathomable and yet so powerfully glorious! Nothing stops our Lord! No place is too lowly, poor, or dirty for Him to reach into. That is comfort and joy!
There is no power too lofty He cannot bend it to His will and there is no place or person too low for His hand to reach! He is our unstoppable Immanuel.
2. God’s Plans Include Everyone
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told (Luke 2:13-15,20).
It ministers so deeply to my heart when I think of God sending His celestial birth announcement not to rulers or religious leaders but to shepherds on the outskirts of town. I mean can you even imagine? The ones no one would have invited to the party got the invitation from heaven!
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”…When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-2,10-13).
God didn’t just stop with peasant shepherds. With the birth of Jesus, He reached to the far edges of the world to draw people to Him. He used the mystical religion of three wise men in the East to call them to Himself.
All were welcome where Jesus was. Everyone had a place, in particular those who were not generally given such invitations, God went out of His way to include them. God’s great reaching out to everyone is nothing short of beautifully glorious.
3. God’s Plans Are Always Better
Mary and Joseph hadn’t planned on being parents to the Son of God. They hadn’t planned a long journey in the days leading up to His birth. They hadn’t planned on not being able to deliver Him somewhere decent and normal. They didn’t plan on having shepherds pop on by for a quick peek right after Mary delivered Jesus.
They hadn’t planned on the attention they got at Jesus’ first visit to the Temple. They hadn’t planned on having wise men visit sometime later because they followed a star to His home. They hadn’t planned to flee in the middle of the night to Egypt to keep Him safe from the crazy, baby-killing Herod. They hadn’t planned any of it.
When they accepted God’s call on their life, I’m sure they thought His plans would feel different. I’m sure they thought that if God Himself, could hang the stars in the sky and speak the world into existence, surely, they would feel a sort of divine strength and plan to their calling to bear and raise Jesus.
But as far as we can tell from the story, it might not have felt like they imagined it would. It probably felt like riding one ocean wave after the next but with less rhythm to it.
We have no idea how Mary and Joseph would have coordinated their own callings, but when we feel lost in what we thought God called us to, we can rest our hearts in the hay at the manger and know that the unexpected is always part of His way. And in the unexpected is His majestic glory, even if we can’t perceive it at the moment.
May all the glory, comfort, and joy of Christ’s advent capture your heart this Christmas season!
“For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A light of revelation to the gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).
For further reading:
Why Do We Say ‘Glory to God in the Highest' at Christmas?
Why Do We Say ‘Good Tidings of Great Joy’ at Christmas?
What Does it Mean That God Is the King of Glory?
What Is the Meaning of Shekinah Glory?
What Is Glory in Christianity?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Piotr Wójcik
April Motl is a pastor’s wife, homeschool mom, and women’s ministry director. When she’s not waist-deep in the joys and jobs of motherhood, being a wife, and serving at church, she writes and teaches for women. You can find more encouraging resources from April here and here.
