Preparing for Christmas

When I was growing up I was not a fan of history.  As a matter of fact, I hated it.  "Pointless garbage and a bunch of useless information.  Who cares what happened all those years ago? They're all dead anyway."

Wow.

Thankfully I graduated High School and have a much wiser outlook on how important our history, any history is.  We learn lessons from the mistakes and gain a perspective lost because of how well important events were documented.  There is such a delicate thread that it seems if one thing were to be lost, the risk of losing the entire account of an event could be gone...forever.

Myself, as a member of a first generation family to the United States, I have no records of anyone past my own parents.  Sure, we know the birth dates of the grandparents but nobody knows where they were born and they are long gone already.  That's it. No other information available for our family to pass on. Forever.

So what about Jesus? Why is it that we have information about a simple man who lived approximately 2000 years ago?  Why do we know so much about Him and hardly know anything about leaders in other parts of the world...from the same time?

David Jeremiah gives us a small taste of the answer in his book Why the Nativity?

Day 6 - December 6th

"Why did Jesus come when He did?"

He writes:

"In a world ruled by the sword, this teacher spoke of perfect peace. In a world of violence and retribution, he spoke of loving ones' enemies. In a world of death, he offered hope of new life - for now and for beyond the grave. The Romans dominated through the power of terror, lifting high a cross that performed it's deadly task with unimaginable pain. Jesus accepted that cross, submitted himself to it, and lifted it high as a bridge from the grief of earth to the joy of heaven - and that bridge, he made it clear, was available even to those who persecuted him.

...In the fullness of time, just when his truth and love could spread with greatest impact, Jesus came to bring the most radical, most wonderful message that has ever been presented. What began in a stable in little Bethlehem would redefine history - at the perfect time, and for all time."

Dr. Jeremiah's conclusion is after he gives us a glimpse of what historians know about this period of time.  He comments on the Greek spoken and the use of roads and waterways.  While reading, I myself had asked the question, "Couldn't Jesus have come at a later time?".  Yes, I'm sure He could have. God isn't hindered by our perception of "perfect timing".  However, just in these few pages in Why the Nativity?, I began to see how the history I had studied and despised so much during my childhood, formed the perfect stage for the greatest story ever told.

My perspective broadens with each page I turn and history isn't so boring anymore.

I'm so happy to be reading this book again this year.

  I know you'll be happy to read it too.








Blessings for your day,