Unwrapping Christmas - Viewing the Nativity Through Luke's EyesSample

Day 2

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.  Luke 1:3-4

An orderly account.

In Luke’s Gospel, the Christmas story unfolds with a medical doctor’s analysis for an accurate and concise narration of the Savior’s life. Our Savior, King Jesus, who steps into our disorder, our muck and mire, and takes our lives from up-side-down to right-side-up. He is The One.  He brings order, meter, and rhyme to our life stories that have gone terribly wrong.

Luke is writing to Theophilus, an unknown but honored gentleman, whose name means Friend of God. Luke, who has studied Jesus’ life from every angle, has questioned eyewitnesses, and has experienced the love of Christ for himself, writes to each of us as well. Amazing. Amazing because we, too, like Theo, are called friends of God.

And why does Luke write? So that Theo and we who would follow in faith could know the certainty of what we believe. The certainty of what we have experienced. The certainty of God’s Word. The Miraculous invading the mundane. The Divine piercing the doubtful. The Breath of Life 'quickening' the pulse of the hopeless and dying.

Luke wants us to understand. Luke doesn’t want us to just take our faith at face value without the depth of comprehension of all the whys Lord Jesus came to earth. Why He subjected Himself to leaving heaven’s incomprehensible wonder to come to earth’s bloody, muddy, messy, and selfish terrain. Why God moved into our neighborhood (John 1:14 MSG). Why the twinkle-light celebration we love was actually a rescue mission for our souls. 

Luke doesn’t want us to guess; he wants us to understand it all. And he wants us to understand with assured confidence.