Luke 2:7: “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
The birth of the baby Jesus was the culmination of one of the greatest miracles of all time: The Son of the Almighty God Himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. One would think that the most important King who ever walked the earth would have been born in a magnificent castle or a great palace, but the birthplace of our Saviour could hardly have been more modest.
We all know that God could easily have arranged things so that Jesus could have begun His earthly life in the grandest fashion possible, but He chose instead for Him to be born in a dwelling intended for livestock. I believe He chose Christ’s birthplace as He did in order to send a clear message to us humans that although Jesus was (and still is) fully God, He was also a flesh and blood human being, just like us.
Like the rest of us humans, Jesus was subject to all of the ills, pain, suffering and temptations that we struggle with each and every day. But unlike us, He would ultimately accept His unthinkable suffering with complete humility, even going so far as to ask the Heavenly Father to forgive the men who had beaten Him beyond recognition and mercilessly hung Him on the cross to die a long, drawn out, miserable death. And although Satan tempted Him at every turn as He trod the dusty ground of this earth, He never faltered or succumbed to the natural human tendency to commit sin. Instead, He went to His death as the only human being who ever managed to live a perfect, sinless life. But should we have expected anything else? After all, He was – and is – God.
Jesus didn’t have to be born in the manner of a King in order to prove that He was one. He proved it each and every day of His life via the manner in which He lived it. He also proved it by the wisdom with which He spoke and the gracious way He willingly laid down His life so that the rest of us could live eternal up in Heaven with the Father instead of a fiery hell. The mighty King of Kings rose from the humblest of beginnings to become the Great Physician who could heal the sick with nothing more than a touch, and raise the dead with the mere sound of His voice. The Babe born in that lowly manger and wrapped in rags on that cold night in Bethlehem would grow up to become the Saviour of the world.
On this Christmas day let us all enjoy the company of loved ones, share a wonderful meal or two, and exchange gifts in the spirit of the amazing gift of eternal life that the Saviour gave to each of us to either accept or reject of our own free will. But most importantly, let us take the time to thank Him for that wonderful gift of life – the greatest gift that has ever been given.
Note: This being Christmas Day, I will not be publishing a “Picture of the Day”. Instead, I ask that you simply let a vision of Christ’s boundless love and mercy be the “picture” that you carry with you throughout this holy day.
Today’s “picture” is the most beautiful one that you have ever published Rick. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
What a splendid narrative on the birth of our Saviour Rick! I’ve been a Christian for 42 years and a Baptist minister for 33, and I couldn’t have writen anything nearly as clear and concise as this. God bless you and your family as well as everyone who is a part of this amazing TodaysPhoto community.
You said you didn’t publish a picture today Rick, but it seems to me that you’ve published quite a vivid one. Thanks so much for all you do here at TodaysPhoto. Merry Christmas!
So beautiful, and so true. Well said Mr. Rouse.
I love it! Merry Christmas!!!!
Mr. Rouse, I happen to be an athiest and a number of my friends often ask me why I bother visiting this site. And to be honest I’ve asked myself that question a time or two as well. I guess there are severa reasons that I like this site in spite of its religious tilt. First of all, the pics are amazing. Thank you!
Second, while you are obviously strongly convinced that your faith is grounded in reality you don’t try to shove it down people’s throats. You put your views out there for all to see and then leave it up to them to either accept them or reject them. Thanks again! I respect that.
Third, I enjoy the community here. The “regulars” appear to be good people who would make great neighbors, even to those who don’t happen to share their religious views.
Bottom line: I don’t see why athiests, agnostics and believers have to be at each others’ throats. You have your beliefs, I have mine. A debate is fine under the right circumstances but arguning and begrudging get us nowhere. I do enjoy being a part of the TodaysPhoto community, and I hope I am still welcome after leaving this comment. Once again, thank you!
I love today’s PICTURE Rick. Very well done sir!
Sarah, you are definitely still welcome here as are any other non-believers who come here with the intention of enjoying the photos without trying to argue why my beliefs are unfounded (in their opinions of course). Perhaps something will be written here that will inspire a person lacking faith to find it over time. Even though you surely doubt that it will do any good, I will pray for you. Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas and a thoughtful one to all who visit here.Happy Holidays and may we all strive for peace in this world among us all.
WOW!!!!!!! That is a powerfully amazing message you have shared with us today, Rick. I love today’s “picture” too. I am so glad that God has a plan. I agree with Sarah Gwynn; there is no pressure to believe one way or another here on this site, and the photos are always amazing and this is a wonderful neighborhood of gentle kind people that intermingle very well. I love it here!!! I wish everyone here, there and yonder a very Merry Christmas. Thank you Rick for this site and all the things you do to make it a such an inviting and easy place to stop and visit.
Thanks so much for the kind words Kathy. Your daily visits and many generous contributions to the TodaysPhoto community are greatly appreciated.
Sarah, I’ve never discussed my own personal spiritual beliefs here at TodaysPhoto, nor will I today. But I welcome your forthrightness and courage, and assure you that you, along with anyone else who appreciates the amazing beauty of our home on this Earth, are always welcome and appreciated deeply when visiting this site. Rick, a dear friend, is very open about his beliefs, and he has drawn many kindred spirits to his site. And while one can either accept or reject the concept as Jesus as Savior, I think we all agree that the basis of a Christians belief is unconditional love. Rick displays this every day with his welcoming and generous spirit. That is something for which we can all, believer or non-believer, be thankful.