Why a Stable for a King?

Today I find myself pondering the real meaning of Christmas.  It isn't easy as I find myself caught in the trappings of what America seems to believe it to be.  Working in a retail environment has shown me commercialization of Christmas as I have never seen it before.  People pushing, shoving, and being rude to one another all in that last ditch effort to buy that perfect gift.

The perfect gift, however, has already been given to us in the Christ child.   How busy we get, and how easily we forget the first Christmas.

I try to imagine what it must have been like.  For Mary and Joseph, there was surely embarrassment and a sense of shame in the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried.  To explain to the vast array of onlookers that you are giving birth to the son of God and that you are actually a virgin would have caused more than a few chuckles of unbelief.

Imagine trying to explain to others that God chose to come to earth by being born in a filthy smelly stable surrounded by farm animals.  Can you imagine?  Have you ever really thought about it?

To come to the realization that God chose this path for His beloved son to be born certainly makes one question "Why?"  Why would the God of the universe send his only son to earth in such a manner?  After all, He is God.  He could have chosen any surrounding He wanted.  He could have chosen a palace fit for a King...a palace fit for the Prince of Peace.

So why did God choose a filthy, smelly stable?  There was no doctor, no midwife.  There was Joseph and Mary, tired from traveling...and most likely scared.  There was no anesthesia for the pain.  Just a couple following a directive from God, having faith in what they were told to do.

Perhaps God chose the humblest birth to demonstrate that He is available to all of us, regardless of our circumstances in life.  Perhaps it is His way of showing us that there is no situation too unclean for Him to enter into.  Perhaps it is His way of showing His willingness to save us, even if it means entering into the dirtiest part of our being....the part that we try and hide from the world.

God did not choose to save us by having us come to Him.  He came directly to us in the form of the Christ child.  Available. Willing to crawl into our dirty sinful world.  Willing to experience the pain that we experience, the sorrow that engulfs us.  He came to show us the way to Heaven...a place of peace, joy, and endless health.

During this season, take some time away from all of the holiday trappings to consider the true meaning of Christmas.  The true meaning of Christmas exists without Christmas trees, holiday music, or presents.  Never forget the Christ child, or the ultimate price He paid for all of us.