Lynn Jones: Christmas-You can find the Child
By Lynn Jones
One man said, “If God really does exist, why doesn’t He give me some sign—like depositing a million dollars in my name in a Swiss Bank account?”
The fact of the matter is that God has given us a sign, and the sign is worth more than a million dollars in a Swiss bank account. God deposited in our midst His most precious possession. He sent His Son to be born in Bethlehem.
Problem was that a lot of people missed the sign, and we keep on missing it It’s not hard to do. E. B. White once said, “To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult every year.” The mighty sign of God is hidden well behind the wrapping. Seeing the child this season is difficult.
It was difficult that first Christmas, but God had a message for some shepherds and for us. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them of the birth of the Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Then, the angel instructed them, “This shall be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Lk. 2:12). “You will find a baby!” Thank God for the reassurance and the reminder that we can find the baby at Christmas. The sameness of our routines dulls our senses to the presence of God. Robert Orben once asked, “Do you ever get the feeling that life is a violin solo, and you are wearing mittens?”
I’m afraid that we all do so on occasion. We become insensitive to the mighty movement of God around us. God is doing mighty things around us and we miss Him altogether. That is never more evident than when we approach Christmas. But the assuring word to the shepherds and to us is that “you will find a baby.” The place that you will find him is “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
What an unusual place to find Him! That’s not the place you would expect to find Him. We are impressed by wealth, power, and influence, but God does business in a different way. Christmas is a “riches-to-rags” kind of story. God works in a different way.
Bob Benson said, “I like to tease and say that we were taught in the seminary that if we didn’t have anything to say to say our sermon to say it loud.” Benson added, “There’s something about me, however, that the more important something is to me the quieter I say it. And if it’s really sacred to me, I’ll probably whisper.”
That’s what God did that first Christmas. He said the most sacred thing in history, and He softened His voice to a whisper. He did not shout from Sinai this time. He whispered from a manger in Bethlehem. Listen carefully and you will hear Him and find Him this Christmas!
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com.
