A Christmas Mess

A Christmas Mess

Christmas morning is messy. Once the kids tear into the presents, the wrapping paper, packaging, and the toys themselves get strewn about the floor. On Christmas Day, my family stays put in our home, enjoying both a great breakfast and dinner prepared by my lovely wife. We snack throughout the day and enjoy the sweets of the season. On any other day of the year, Julee would be clamoring for the house to be picked up, but not on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, it’s okay to leave it messy, because we’re celebrating Jesus’ birthday, and the evidence of that is a beautiful sight.

When we look at the conditions in which Jesus entered the world, it’s easy to conclude, as the Skit Guys have, that “he came to get messy.” From the messy conditions of his birth to the geopolitical landscape into which he was born, Jesus’ birth was the first Christmas mess, and it, too, was a beautiful sight.

You see, things were about to get cleaned up. To the tribes of the north in the region of Galilee of the Gentiles, a light was dawning. Joy was on its way. It may have gotten worse before it began to get better, but a Kingdom of everlasting and ever-increasing peace was inaugurated. That’s why the angel could proclaim to those messy shepherds in Luke 2:10-11, “Don’t be afraid! . . . I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”

Was it a mess? Yes, but oh, what a beautiful sight! Merry Christmas!

Don’t be afraid! . . . I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Luke 2:10-11