Merry Christmas, Eve

 

Just one bite—and Eve knew she blew it. 

As soon as her teeth sank into the skin, the exciting enticement of forbidden fruit tasted like bitter guilt. She quickly handed the fruit to her husband, whose chomp changed the world forever. The perfection of Eden was shattered by a sinful choice and a crafty serpent. The snake had twisted the words of a generous God making Him seem like a selfish Scrooge who was hoarding good gifts and holding them back from being their best, and they believed the lie. How could something so delicious, so delightful, and so desirable be so bad?

Now Eve knew. She felt ashamed and exposed, aware of failure and full of fear. Fig leaves offered little cover, and the sound of footsteps made her cower. How beautiful life had been before the bite. Her heart had known nothing but joy, and her soul had been filled with nothing but peace. She had passed the moments of each glorious day hand in hand with her husband and face to face with her God. Heaven had lived on earth, and the thought of hiding from His presence had never entered her mind—until now, but all the blame-shifting, broken spirits, and bitter tears couldn’t restore the connection that had been severed by the bite.

So the serpent crawled, the woman labored, the man toiled, and the reality of Eden’s sweet, sinless communion became a distant memory and a dim dream…until that night when a woman labored, a newborn cried, the angels sang, and the serpent cringed.  “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”(Genesis 3:15).

Good news of great joy!  A Savior has been born!  He is Christ the Lord. The One who knew no sin became our sin so we could walk again with God in the garden, and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! The old has gone! The new has come!  No more need for fig leaves.  No more need to shift blame. Yes, we are guilty, but so much more, He is grace. Our bitter tears are wiped away by His boundless love and we are filled with the joy of salvation. You will call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!

Merry Christmas, Eve, and everyone else too.

 

 

No Room

 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

Joseph’s ancestors were from Bethlehem, but they hadn’t bought a timeshare. With the local motel all booked up and no immediate family offering a guest room or at least the pull-out-couch in the office, Joseph and Mary found themselves sleeping in a stable. The events leading to their abnormal accommodations aren’t chronicled for us to read. We only know they ended up in the barn and that’s where Jesus ended up being born.  All because there was “no room for them in the inn.”

How could the innkeeper deny the definitely due Mary?  Where were the gentlemen who would give up their comfort for a laboring mother?  And if we’re pointing fingers, let’s ask the obvious—could not God have reserved them a room? Of course.  But if He had, the shepherds would have been turned away at the door, their search for the Savior ending in dismay and not delight. The inn was not accessible, but the stable door stood wide open.

The shepherds came to worship; then they went to witness (Luke 2:17).  And God took care of Mary and the baby, even providing a manger bed as the Messiah’s bassinet.

“No room.”  It’s a holiday reminder that what we think ought-to-be isn’t always what God knows needs-to-be, and it’s a guarantee that He can use even the most bizarre for His very best. This Christmas, if your plans are falling apart or not falling into place, trust that God is working in your life so those around you can see Him better.

Maybe being born in a barn isn’t so bad after all.