Grace and the Birth of Jesus

I know it is July but I read Luke 2 this week and noticed how full of God’s grace the birth of Jesus is. God had given the promise of the Messiah as early as Genesis 3. Jesus came not because people or even a person saw the need and prayed for a Savior to come. Jesus came because of God’s love for us, His human creation, and because of God’s grace.

Jesus’ birth draws groups to converge to show the world the majesty and greatness of God.

“As weak as a baby” is a common phrase that expresses total weakness and even absolute helplessness. Jesus came as a baby but, because of the grace of God, His birth brings circumstances and groups to accomplish the will of God.

Luke 2:1-7

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Augustus Caesar was ruling the Roman Empire, but God was in charge. God used Caesar’s edict to move Joseph and Mary seventy-five miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill God’s Word. When Joseph and Mary submitted to being used to bring the Messiah into the world, they were available to do whatever God chose for them.

God promised that the Messiah-Savior would be:

A Human

A Jew

A Member of the Tribe of Judah

A Member of the Family of David

An Offspring of a Virgin

A Birth Occurring in Bethlehem

God accomplished all of these by His grace through the faith of Joseph and Mary.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is allowing God to direct our life’s paths and destinations.

Luke 2:8-14

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

God’s grace draws the angels from heaven to the earth to announce the good news of the coming of Jesus the Savior into the world. The wonder of the Creator being born as a creature moved the angels to praise God. The first announcement of the Savior’s birth came to a group of anonymous shepherds. This visiting of the angels to the shepherds reveals the grace of God toward humanity. It was an unmerited and undeserved gift of a gracious, loving God to sinful humanity.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is worshiping God for who He is – Grace.

Luke 2:15-20

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made know to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made know the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorify and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The announcement of the angels about the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem drew the shepherds out of the fields into Bethlehem. Shepherds were considered unclean because their work was ceremonially unclean. It also kept them away from worship at the Temple for weeks at a time so they could be declared clean. In revealing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds God was showing that it is not just to the rich and mighty that God works, but in the poor and humble. These shepherds are great examples of what to do when we experience the grace of God proclaim: it to everyone God brings into our lives.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the grace of God and with great joy proclaiming and sharing that with others.

Angels have never experienced the grace of God, so they can’t bear witness as we as humans can. Telling others about the Savior and His grace is not just an obligation, but an awesome privilege, and we who are followers of Jesus have been given that privilege.

By God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls

                                          Joe