As the holidays come upon us and Christmas carols fill the air, we begin to realize how blessed we are that God gave His only Son so we can have the gift of eternal life. But as we get reminded of this greatest story ever told, we lament at how crudely the King of Glory was received when He came to be born in a world of His own creation.
Come to think of it if we were there at that time and place, would we have acted differently? Could we have been among the residents of the city who were too busy they had no room in their hearts for Him or would we be among the shepherds who rejoiced with the angels that celebrated and joyfully sang at His birth?
A poem written by Mary Flynn poses this rhetorical question.
Jesus, When You Were Born
Jesus, when You were born
In Bethlehem long ago,
Did You mind being out in a stable
When there was o place else to go?
And Jesus when You were born,
Son of God, in a stable You lay,
And the people didn’t know who You were,
Didn’t come to You and pray.
But I wonder if I had been there,
In Bethlehem looking at You,
Would I have known in my heart who You were,
Or would I have shut my door too?
So, now Jesus I will promise,
Because I know what to do,
I know that You are the Son of God,
And I will open my heart up to You.
Rightfully so, the really important question now is whether we recognize Him today and whether we know Him to be the Savior and King of our lives. If we do, Christmas would be a wonderful time and Jesus’ mission from heaven to earth would not have been in vain.