Our Daily Bread: Jesus Light of the WorldSample
The Centerpiece of Our Lives
You will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. -Luke 2:12
Two key characters were suddenly missing from our little townâs nativity sceneâMary and the baby Jesus. I did a doubletake as I drove by.
My first thought was to put out a missing personâs report with the local authorities, but then I didnât quite know what Iâd say. Everyone was there, but the two. Weâd just had a terrible windstorm, so maybe theyâd been blown away.
Then again, perhaps criminal activity was at play, and someone stole them (as strange as that may sound). Either way, the nativity scene simply wasnât the same without them and especially without Him.
The characters in the birth narratives of Jesus are important in that they all played vital roles in the unfolding story: Joseph, a âdescendant of King Davidâ (Luke 2:4);
Mary, âto whom he was engagedâ and âexpecting a childâ (v. 5); the shepherds, âguarding their flocksâ (v. 8), and a radiant âangel of the Lordâ (v. 9).
But the focus of the entire scene, the key to Christmas, the âsignâ on which everything else depended way back then and still today is âthe Messiah, the Lord . . . [the] baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a mangerâ (vv. 11â12).
Our lives and the roles we play in the ongoing narrative of Godâs redemption story are vitally important. But the main character was, is, and always will be our beautiful Savior, Christ the Lord. Heâs no longer the baby but the King who reigns forever and ever.
By John Blase
Which of the human characters in the nativity do you resonate with the most? What can you do this season and throughout the year to ensure that Christ stays the centerpiece of your life?
Jesus, thank You for inviting me into Your grand story. Help me as I seek to live so that all glory and honor always goes to You.
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About this Plan
Celebrate Christmas with 10 personal meditations, and remember that Christâs love shines for us all.
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