Luke 2

"Light of the world you stepped down into darkness..."

That's what I think of as I read Luke 2. God came down, light entered the dark world, and as I read this passage I hear so many of the other stories we've covered on Sundays this year echoing Jesus...

Creation -Jesus is the Light into darkness    

                               

Noah - Jesus is the the Ark to save us

Abraham - Jesus is the Sacrifice God will provide for us

Jacob - Jesus is the thin place, the Ladder to heaven

Moses - Jesus came down to earth to save us because He saw, He heard, He cared

Joshua - Jesus is our strength, he will fight for us

Ruth - Jesus is our Redeemer

After a history of pain, fear, desperation, tragedy, oppression and judgment, finally some good news.

The Lord has come. I hope I never stop being overwhelmed by this story - the birth of the Messiah. The details are mindboggling. All the events God put into motion to fulfill the prophecies of His Son: the census, no room in the inn, the star, the shepherds, the wise men, the angels.  He went to so much trouble to put it all together. I am overcome by His grace to think that the God of the Universe did all of that so we could know Him.  

And if that weren't enough. The other details given in the chapter 2 allow us to see that Jesus was not only fully God, but also fully man. The humanity of Jesus tells us that He knows the frailty, the weariness, the awkwardness, the joy and the love of being human. Jesus grew up in a family, with all its dysfunction; a real, living, breathing, laughing, crying, hard to put up with family.

 And then He reminds us that this world is not our home. He told his parents, “didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?” I don't know about you, but sometimes in the chaos of life here on earth I forget that I too am created to be in my Father's house. Lord, you came in humility, setting aside Your Glory, to be a part of our humanity, but also to rescue us so we could be at home with You. Does it get any better?

- Shari Horne