2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though
you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one
who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from
ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until
the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to
join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his
flock
in
the strength of the Lord,
in
the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will
reach to the ends of the earth.
- Micah 5:2-4
In one of the most insignificant towns of Judah was born the
most significant person in all humanity.
God became one of us, truly an infant, truly human, and yet
truly Christ, Son of the Father and Son of Man.
This year our celebration at church is more subdued than
usual and yet may be reaching just as many or maybe even more people. If I
count my 3 years in the late fifties in the Sunday School and the Junior Choir
I have been part of St. Augustine’s for roughly 50 years and this year is
certainly (and hopefully) unique. Many of us are also having quieter and
smaller celebrations in our homes. Simone and I are likely celebrating
Christmas Day just the 2 of us for the first time in 42 years (2 days after our
wedding). We do plan to celebrate with our children and grandchildren at some
future date when we can responsibly assemble. Then we can enjoy the usual busy house,
piles of presents and turkey with all the trimmings.
But we will celebrate quietly and well today as we remember
the unassuming but blessed event of the birth of a child who was settled into a
manger more than 2000 years ago.
So, to paraphrase ‘God rest ye merry, Gentlemen’……..Hey
folks, be happy, don’t forget that our Savior was born on this day.
