The Path to Christmas 06

Imagine this scene for a moment. You come to your family’s home on December 24 and look inside, seeing a Norman Rockwell-like scene… fireplace, Christmas tree, stockings hung and the smell of coffee brewing and Christmas ham wafting from the kitchen. You come with gifts you chose for the members of your family you haven’t seen for some time. Once again, you carefully check to make sure each gift has a tag with their name. You love these people. They are your flesh and blood… your family.

And so you come to the door, and as you step inside the people stop laughing and celebrating… and stare. You don’t understand, but you say “Merry Christmas everyone,” and they continue staring in silence. And then, the children leave the room. And the adults come to you and stand blocking your entry into YOUR home! Now, you’re more than a little confused and frankly, hurt. They did not welcome you. They did not invite you in. They did not want your gifts. In fact, without reason why, they simply say, “We’d like you to go.”

Now if you’ve read yourself into that painful scenario, you can begin to understand the emotion that accompanies the verse in John 1:11 which says, “He came unto His own, and His own did not receive Him.” They did not welcome Him. They did not rejoice to see Him. He began, from birth, to experience the prophecy in Isaiah which said, “He was despised and rejected by men.”

But now, that’s history. What’s important is this: When Jesus knocks on the door of your heart… will you welcome Him in?

“….He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” (John 1:11)

Father, the account of our Savior’s birth has many soft edges… but some that are jagged and hard to hear. This is one part that is hard. To imagine Your only, begotten Son coming to us in love and to read again of the rejection is heart tearing for us. Thank you that, in spite of our ingratitude and lack of rejoicing in His Presence, He came anyway, and died for us. We love You for that sending, and for the Savior who came… for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

 

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