Our Daily Bread: Celebrating JesusSample

A Down Under Christmas

Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him. -Matthew 2:2

I love seeing pictures of our Australian friends celebrating Christmas. Not because they have more creative decorations or a fancier tree, but because they’re usually celebrating at the beach! It’s easy for people who, like me, live in the Northern Hemisphere to forget that countries in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas during their summer months. It’s just not what I expect to see at Christmas.

Sunny Christmas celebrations also point me to the reality that so much about the first Christmas was unexpected. At Jesus’ birth, men from countries east of Israel saw a star and recognized it as a sign that the promised future ruler of Israel had been born (Micah 5:2). So these highly educated scholars left their homes and, after arriving in Israel, went to the place they expected to find a new king: the palace. But Jesus wasn’t there. Realizing their mistake, they continued to be directed by the star until they reached a humble home in Bethlehem. It was there that they found Jesus (Matthew 2:10–11).

Regardless of whether we celebrate in the sun or snow, at Christmas we remember the birth of a baby who grew up to teach us about God and offer to all the most amazing of gifts, a relationship with Him. Like the wise men, when we search for Him and accept this gift, we find hope and joy beyond all our expectations. -Lisa M. Samra

What were other unexpected aspects of Jesus’ birth? How else did Jesus turn people’s expectations upside down?

Jesus, thank You for coming to earth in an unexpected place to bring us peace with God.