The Glocal Church

As I celebrated Christmas this year, it was much to my delight that my little 7 year old read the Christmas story out of the Gospel of Luke the Sunday before Christmas. It was picture-perfect, as it mirrored Linus’ reading of the same story in the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Except I believe my little girl excelled far beyond Linus!

However, as I began to think about the Christmas story, I became focused on the biblical truth that the Savior of the world, who was God, but who became lower than even the angels (Hebrews 2:9), and was born of the flesh, as both human and divine, all for you and me! Once more, I was captivated by the fact that there was no room for Jesus in the Inn in Bethlehem that night…Therefore, our Lord was born in a cave and laid in a feeding trough.

That’s where I recognized my first dot; of this “connect the dots of biblical narratives about Jesus.”

The second dot which I plotted along my course to a simpler understanding of the humanity and deity of Christ is found in Matthew 8:20 where Jesus said: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  The world had no room for Jesus as he was in the prime of His public ministry…Do you see where I am headed?

The third and final dot is found in the empty tomb…I am delighted, yet even more so, humbled, to say that even though the world had no room for Jesus as a baby, or as an adult…The grave had no room for Jesus either (Luke 24:1-6)!

As I plotted my simple line graph, I quickly found out that it was not a graph at all, but a beautiful Mosaic of Grace. For the world neither had, nor made room for Jesus, However, through His abundance of grace, Jesus has made room for all who call on Him…For those who believe in Him and receive Him as Lord (Acts 10:43).

It is indeed a mighty God who can take a simple three point line graph and paint the most incredible masterpiece in the history of the world!!!