My Christmas Post

Are the Christmas accounts in the gospels in conflict? Did Mary and Joseph first live in Nazareth as Luke seems to indicate or were they already in Bethlehem as Matthew seems to indicate? If they lived in Nazareth, why did Mary go with Joseph to Bethlehem if only the male was required to be present for the purpose of the census? What is the deal with the star, was it really a star, a comet, or some kind of pillar of fire, similar to the OT exodus accounts. The simple fact is that the Gospels just aren't clear on many things that we might find interesting concerning the birth of Jesus.

Unfortunately, we tend to think that a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, being born in human flesh is not interesting enough.

I just recently saw a few minutes of a documentary, one of a million that seem to surface during Christmas and Easter, concerning the "lost years of Jesus." The documentary was asking the question, why didn't the gospel writers include more information about what Jesus was like and what he was doing as a kid. Most of these kinds of shows highlight the missing details of the bible and probe the question, do we really know the whole truth? These kinds of questions can be interesting and perhaps even helpful when piecing together the story of Jesus, but there is no great mystery here. Despite how curious we might be as to why Mary went with Joseph or the details of the structure of the star of Bethlehem, the gospel writers did not see the necessity of including those kinds of details into their account. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the writers of the gospels were telling a single story; a Savior has been born! Sin has lost its power, death has lost its sting. To get overly bogged down with the missing details of the narrative that were purposely not included leads to a lessened emphasis on the wonder of God in human flesh and the victory over sin. Detailed study and greater understanding is, of course, a welcomed exercise in our faith and need not be neglected, but at the end of the day we must return to what the authors found most important, Jesus born to save a dying world. If tomorrow we could magically have all the answers to the missing links in the gospel narrative, how wonderful that would be! And it wouldn't change a thing. Even after our new found knowledge, all that will still matter, from now to the end of the ages, is that Christ has come to save.

So, enjoy the simplicity of Christmas day. Don't get too bogged down in the details of your life that the power of Christ and the love of God is forgotten. Christmas day is here. Hope is here!