Don't Take It for Granted!

This year we had our Cornerstone Kids Christmas event "Merry Marketplace." Families visited four different stations making crafts that correlated to the birth of Jesus. They started at Station One, "The Angel," decorating their wooden angel ornament while hearing about how an Angel of God told Mary that she was going to bear a child - the Holy Child! Then, they moved to Station Two, "The Donkey" and decorated donkey ornaments while hearing how Mary and Joseph rode a donkey to Bethlehem. The third station was "The Manger." The kids decorated a canvas with popsicle sticks arranged to look like the manger scene. The finished up at Station Four, creating little shepherds out of cardboard tubes while hearing about how shepherds followed the guidance of angels and a star to bring baby Jesus gifts. We wanted to bring the story of Christmas to life!

I grew up in church, at Cornerstone in fact, and I remember every Christmas being told the story of Jesus' birth over and over again, the same way it had been told the year before. An angel came down to Mary and told her she was going to bear a child, and Joseph freaked out (until an angel appeared to him), and the rest is history. I know the story like the back of my hand. And so do most of the older kids who are a part of Cornerstone Kids. We start to tell them about the story of Jesus and they already know it all. Which is fantastic! But, when they are talking about it, sometimes they have their heads resting on the fist, eyes partially closed, and no inflection in their voices. They've heard this story a thousand times. They don't respond with the wonder and awe like they did when they first heard it. They're taking it for granted.

But isn’t that how a lot of us think about the story of Jesus? Especially for those of us who have been going to church for a while, it kind of becomes white noise. We hear pastors preach about it every Christmas and start to tune out when it comes to the retelling of the birth of Jesus. From a consumer culture, we want to consume more than what we already have, or in this case, know.

But I want to challenge you to really consider about the birth of Jesus. Put yourself in the shoes of Mary and Joseph. This woman, who just wanted to get married and live her life with her new husband, was told that she would be carrying God’s son. Imagine trying to tell people that you are a virgin and you are carrying the son of God. Think about how Mary had to feel giving birth in such a filthy and stinky place. Think about how Joseph must have felt not being able to provide a clean space for his wife to give birth in. Think about what Jesus gave up and stepped into out of his love for us.

So, this year, I urge you to think longer and deeper about the birth of Jesus. Think about how Jesus’ life wasn’t glamorous. Think about why God may have chosen the people that He did to be a monumental part of the story. Think about why the story of Jesus is amazing! And next time you catch yourself feeling like it’s the same old story, think about it from a different perspective.