Applying the Christmas Story to Your Life

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

Every year after Thanksgiving people all over the world begin to gear up for the Christmas Season.  Who could blame anyone for doing this.  The sights and smells of the season, the shopping as well how everyone seems to get a lot nicer during the month of December.  While all of these things are nice they are not as the cliche states, "The reason for the season."  The reason of the season of course is to celebrate the birth of Christ and while most do exactly that do we really get the main lesson out of Christmas?  In the bible you will often see many occurrences of the same story told from different perspectives which depends on the audience that it was written for.  This offers us more insight into the message so that we as readers can get a better understanding.

Let's look at the Christmas story told from the book of Matthew and Luke.  In Matthew it is told from the perspective of Joseph and in Luke it is told from the perspective of Mary.  Both accounts have one thing in common which is that an angel appears to both to let them know about the birth of Jesus and what is also interesting is that both of their responses are the same as well.  Joseph did what the angel told him to do and Mary responded with,"be it unto me according to thy word."  The question becomes how would life different be if we all took this approach to obey God? The fact of the matter is that we are not very receptive to God birthing Christ in us or to being obedient to God.  The Apostle Paul stated in, "Gal 4:19  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you."  When we begin to apply the Christmas story to our lives then we will be truly blessed beyond measure.  True blessing is not having material things or opportunities but it is having Christ in us the hope of glory.  I encourage each one you on this Christmas to think about the birth of Christ but him being formed in you so that you can then become a Christmas gift for others.