Where Are You Tonight?

The shepherds were watching their flocks the night that Christ was born. The wise men were far to the east when the Christ star appeared, doing whatever wise men do. Joseph and Mary were crowded into a stable in Bethlehem for a census decreed by an emperor who was merely concerned about his tax base, while his puppet king remained blissfully ignorant. All of the major players in the birth of Jesus were where they were for very ordinary reasons, just doing what they were supposed to be doing on the night God came to earth. Some were interrupted and put on notice while others slept on in silence when Jesus took His first breath inside of time and human flesh.

“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home.

He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.

They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.

“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “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! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.”

Luke 2:1-16 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.2.1-16.NLT

So where are you tonight? Whether you made plans or plans were made for you, God knows precisely where to find you. He knows exactly how to get your attention and when. Jesus came to earth on a night like any other. Shepherds heard the angelic chorus announce Messiah’s arrival. Maybe the angels missed their coordinates but I doubt it. Wise men saw a new star in the sky and knew a king had been born, one important enough to warrant costly gifts and a two year journey. Where were the angels then? Don’t they seem better suited for a wise man’s revelation? Why weren’t the Roman emperor and his cronies put on notice?

Take a breath. Slow down. Read the Christmas story today with new eyes. Don’t let familiarity rob you of the revelation that awaits you in the pages of Scripture. After all, Jesus is the living, breathing Word of God.

“In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

So the Word became human and made his home among us.

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

John 1:1-4, 14 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.1-14.NLT

Christ came to earth on a day just like this and for many people, life went on uninterrupted. Maybe they managed to ignore or explain away the brightness and jubilation outside the city in favor of an hour more sleep, or maybe the angelic choir was drowned out by their own revelry. If they happened to encounter one of the shepherds after he’d seen the Christ child, were they astonished for long? Did they wonder aloud if maybe they’d passed the young parents on the road or wish they’d had a chance to offer them a room?

The shepherds told everyone they met what they had seen and heard, and then they went back to work glorifying and praising God. The wise men dreamed of God and set everything aside to worship a baby king while daring to defy an evil tyrant. These men offered their costly treasures and returned to their country by another route, their pockets lighter but richer for their journey. Warned in a dream, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt in the night, narrowly avoiding a massacre before returning to Nazareth where they raised the son of God along with other children God gave them.

Luke says Mary treasured all these things in her heart. That’s what I find myself doing more of this Christmas. In quiet moments and sometimes even in the thick of it, I pick through the interactions of my day, pondering, reflecting, wondering where I might have encountered or offered Jesus. All the things become dim in the light of His glory and because of His grace. In just a few days, Christmas will be past. The tree will be taken down but in the empty place where it now stands is a window to the east. The sun will rise on each new day, reminding me of another promise given by angels.

“So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.

As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven?

Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!””

Acts of the Apostles 1:6-11 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/act.1.6-11.NLT

On the day of the Lord’s return, we will all hear God ask what he asked His first children.

Where are you?