BETHLEHEM
What did I think I'd find? Maybe an ornate throne set in a gleaming palace. Surely, at the very least, a large house with many rooms filled with fine furnishings.
As I traveled, I tried to imagine the trappings of a palace, how large the rooms would be, the fine cloth on the furniture, the weave of the carpets. I could see in my mind the servants lined up ten deep, all waiting to fulfill the slightest need. The air inside would smell of fragrant incense and flowers. As I shivered in the cold, I kept thinking how warm the room was going to feel and how I would thaw my hands next to the cedar logs blazing in the great fireplace. I could almost hear the crackling of the fire and see its patterns dancing on the walls.
In the dead of night, a man whose robes were bright as lightning visited me in the field and invited me to behold a king just arrived, whose presence was marked by a shimmering star hanging from the heavens. I left my flocks and followed this star a great distance to where I stand now.
There is no palace. There are no servants and no fireplace. Just a rundown stable filled with a few animals and several people gazing upon an infant resting in a dirty manger. Royalty resides in a stable? This tiny child will rule the civilizations of the world?
I came seeking a powerful ruler with a palace and riches, but what I discovered wasn't greatness as measured by man.
I found the glory of God among us, and his name is Emmanuel.
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:5)
Merry Christmas to all -