Check that out! If you saw this in my yard you’d think nothing of it. I live in the country, that’s an ordinary sight. But, if I told you where this was, you’d freak out. Ok, I’ll tell you – downtown Washington, DC. Yep, I know, it’s crazy. My nephew sent me this picture a few weeks back. It was in his neighbor’s yard. Right downtown! Isn’t that wild? That’s bigger than any buck in our neck of the woods, though my men would protest. But, how extraordinary to see that in the hustle and bustle of a busy urban area.
Well my nephew went on to tell me that there’s actually a herd of deer that live in his neighborhood. They see them from time to time. Of course, with the dense people population and traffic in that area I expect the terrain is probably a little precarious for them. It’s just out of place, right?
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.
Luke 2:6-7
Talk about out of the ordinary… Can you count on one hand the number of folks you know that have given birth in a stable, who had no crib for a bed? Think about it. I know none. It’s just out of place, right? But, when in Bethlehem? I mean sure, we’ve all had trouble finding a hotel when traveling – No Vacancy! Travel trouble usually comes when we’ve had an overly long day on those desert highways and we just want to stop, eat, and rest. But, how many of us have had to hole up in a stable with the cows and the donkey we rode in on? How many of us have used a feeding trough as a place to cradle our baby’s head? I know none. Joseph and Mary were following God’s will and the birth of the Messiah in a stable was certainly out of place. Following God took them on an extraordinary journey. But, isn’t that just how God works?
Wednesday
Read Luke 2:1-7.
Thursday
Read Luke 2:1-7 from a different version.
Friday
List all the extraordinary happenings in Luke 2:1-7.
Saturday
Following God took Joseph and Mary on an extraordinary journey. Think about your extraordinary journey of following God. Where has God taken you? Do you feel out of place?
Sunday
Spend time in praise today for the extraordinary, the Son of God born in a stable.
Monday
Read Romans 12:1-2.
Tuesday
During this Christmas season how can we not copy the ordinary behavior of the world? How can we show extraordinary this Christmas season? How can we be out of place?