Just a Baby
I heard there was a baby born in merry old England this week...
Crowds gathered even before the baby was born. News channels lined up outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mother as she entered the hospital. People camped out in front of the doors, and others camped out thousands of miles away in front of their televisions. Would it be a boy or a girl? How would the birth go? And, when the baby was born, the debate began: what would they name the child? Why all this attention to this baby? Why, don't you know? This boy will be king of England one day. He will rule over a nation. Well, not really, of course. His rule will largely be ceremonial. But he will have the title and all the privilege that goes with it.
I also heard there was a baby born in a backwater town in Israel, over two thousand years ago...
Crowds gathered even before the baby was born. But they weren't there for his birth. They were there for the census that the government had ordered. And because of the crowds who had filled all the guest spaces, this baby was born in a stable. No journalists gathered outside that stable, and no one waited nearby to see if the baby was a boy or a girl. Thousands of miles away, no one cared about a baby born in a manger. They had their own problems to worry about. And, when the baby was born, he was given a name that was promised to him by an angel before he was born: Jesus. It was a common enough name. Many boys in that day were named Jesus. He seemed to be just another baby. Except...
Except that the ones who announced his birth were not journalists, but angels. And they didn't announce it to everyone, only to a few shepherds, nobodies, no-accounts. Those shepherds were the only ones who witnessed this baby in his first few hours of life here on earth. They knew, even if no one else did. They knew this boy was already king of the world, king of the universe. He rules over all of creation, even if the world doesn't (yet) recognize his reign. His rule is eternal, and not only does he have the title King of Kings, he also has the power. And yet, with that power, he gave up privilege and stopped down to wash the feet of those who followed him. He called them to do the same to each other. He's that kind of king.
So, let me ask you: in the end, which king should we pay more attention to?
Crowds gathered even before the baby was born. News channels lined up outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mother as she entered the hospital. People camped out in front of the doors, and others camped out thousands of miles away in front of their televisions. Would it be a boy or a girl? How would the birth go? And, when the baby was born, the debate began: what would they name the child? Why all this attention to this baby? Why, don't you know? This boy will be king of England one day. He will rule over a nation. Well, not really, of course. His rule will largely be ceremonial. But he will have the title and all the privilege that goes with it.
I also heard there was a baby born in a backwater town in Israel, over two thousand years ago...
Crowds gathered even before the baby was born. But they weren't there for his birth. They were there for the census that the government had ordered. And because of the crowds who had filled all the guest spaces, this baby was born in a stable. No journalists gathered outside that stable, and no one waited nearby to see if the baby was a boy or a girl. Thousands of miles away, no one cared about a baby born in a manger. They had their own problems to worry about. And, when the baby was born, he was given a name that was promised to him by an angel before he was born: Jesus. It was a common enough name. Many boys in that day were named Jesus. He seemed to be just another baby. Except...
Except that the ones who announced his birth were not journalists, but angels. And they didn't announce it to everyone, only to a few shepherds, nobodies, no-accounts. Those shepherds were the only ones who witnessed this baby in his first few hours of life here on earth. They knew, even if no one else did. They knew this boy was already king of the world, king of the universe. He rules over all of creation, even if the world doesn't (yet) recognize his reign. His rule is eternal, and not only does he have the title King of Kings, he also has the power. And yet, with that power, he gave up privilege and stopped down to wash the feet of those who followed him. He called them to do the same to each other. He's that kind of king.
So, let me ask you: in the end, which king should we pay more attention to?
Wow...how beautifully written and how true.
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