The Unexpected Arrival: Finding God in the Mess of Christmas

The Unexpected Arrival: Finding God in the Mess of Christmas
The first Christmas was nothing like we imagine it should have been.
There was no comfortable inn with clean sheets and warm hospitality. No family gathered around to celebrate. No carefully orchestrated birth plan that went according to schedule. Instead, there was a young couple far from home, a barn that smelled of animals, and a feeding trough that became a cradle.
The first Christmas was, by all human standards, a mess.
Yet in that mess, God was orchestrating the most magnificent rescue mission in human history.
When Plans Fall Apart
Joseph never dreamed his betrothed would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Mary never imagined she would have to travel seventy to ninety miles while pregnant, only to arrive at their destination with nowhere to stay. And neither of them could have anticipated that their first child would be born in a stable, with only each other for support.
Nothing went according to their plan.
But everything went according to God's plan.
Centuries earlier, the prophet Micah had declared: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among thousands of Judea, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be the ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2).
God used a Roman emperor who thought himself a god to issue a decree that would move Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem at precisely the right moment. Caesar Augustus believed he was in control, but the true King was orchestrating events from heaven.
This should give us tremendous comfort. God has a remarkable ability to take what we perceive as a mess and use it for His glory and our good. When our carefully laid plans fall apart, when circumstances seem to spiral beyond our control, when nothing is going the way we hoped—God is still sovereign. He is still working. He is still in control.
Good News for Unlikely People
On the night Jesus was born, angels didn't appear to kings or religious leaders. They didn't visit the wealthy or the powerful. Instead, they came to shepherds—teenage boys and young men doing one of the most looked-down-upon jobs in society.
Shepherds were considered uneducated, lacking in social skills, and low on the ladder of respectability. Yet these were the ones chosen to receive the most glorious announcement in human history.
"Do not be afraid," the angel declared, "for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).
Notice those words: "to all people."
Not just to the religious elite. Not just to those who had their lives together. Not just to the respectable members of society. The Messiah came for everyone—including those whom society overlooks and dismisses.
This is the heart of the Christmas message: whoever is willing to believe may receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. It doesn't matter who you are, where you've been, or what you've done. God's love extends to you.
The Sign of the Lamb
The angel gave the shepherds a specific sign: "You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12).
To our modern ears, this might not seem particularly significant. But to those shepherds, it would have resonated deeply.
Around Bethlehem, shepherds raised the lambs that would be sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem. Twice daily—at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.—a perfect lamb would be offered as a sacrifice for sin. This practice had continued for generations, based on God's command in Exodus 29.
When a ewe was about to give birth, shepherds would place her in a protected birthing area—often a cave or stable. After the lamb was born, if it was male and without blemish, they would wrap it carefully to protect it from injury. They would then place it in a manger to keep it safe until the priest could inspect it.
When the shepherds heard about a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger, they would have made an immediate connection. This wasn't just any baby. This was the Lamb of God.
The Perfect Sacrifice
For centuries, the people of Israel had sacrificed lambs hoping God would forgive their sins. Twelve lambs every week. Forty-eight every month. Five hundred seventy-six every year. The blood never stopped flowing because sin never stopped happening.
But all those sacrifices pointed forward to one perfect sacrifice.
Thirty years after that night in Bethlehem, John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching and declared: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Three years later, Jesus was crucified. The timing is remarkable. He was placed on the cross at the third hour—9 a.m., the exact time of the morning sacrifice. He died at the ninth hour—3 p.m., the exact time of the evening sacrifice.
Jesus was born in a place where sacrificial lambs were prepared. He died at the times when sacrificial lambs were offered. The message couldn't be clearer: Jesus is the Lamb of God, the final and perfect sacrifice for sin.
As Hebrews 9:22 reminds us, "Without shedding of blood there is no remission." But now, because of Jesus, no more lambs need to be sacrificed. No more blood needs to be shed. The debt has been paid in full.
The Invitation
Receiving Jesus is as simple as ABC:
Admit your need for Him. We cannot save ourselves through good works or religious activity. We need a Savior.
Believe in Jesus—that He is who Scripture says He is, that He lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose from the dead.
Confess Jesus as Lord. Acknowledge from your heart that you are a sinner and receive Jesus as your Savior and King.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
That "whoever" includes you.
The Response of the Shepherds
After encountering Jesus, the shepherds couldn't contain their joy. They made widely known everything they had seen and heard. They returned to their fields glorifying and praising God.
This is the natural response to encountering Jesus. When we truly grasp what God has done for us, we cannot help but seek Him more, share Him with others, and worship Him with our lives.
This Christmas season, amid all the busyness and activity, may we slow down enough to remember what truly matters. The greatest gift ever given wasn't wrapped in pretty paper under a tree. It was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger.
Jesus came into the mess of our world to bring us peace, hope, and eternal life. That's worth celebrating—not just on Christmas Day, but every day of our lives.