Being born in a stable is like getting married at Maccas
(and they both really happened!)
Fast-food fanatics Carlos Munoz and Marisela Matienzo tied the knot at a McDonald’s in an upscale district of Monterrey, Mexico.
“Some of our guests thought it was a joke. Our parents were resigned to it,” Matienzo told local media. The local franchise for McDonald’s said the wedding was the first in one of its outlets in Latin America, a custom that has already taken off in Hong Kong for people seeking to depart from traditional marriage protocols.
Call me old fashioned, but I would not tie the knot at Macca’s. Surely something as special and important as a wedding deserves something better than that. A Bride and Groom just seem out of place in a Golden Arches Restaurant; don’t they?
And then I read the Christmas Story.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12).
The long awaited, much anticipated Saviour of the world arrives. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed, promised, eternal King. And he is now other than the mighty, magnificent God of the universe. And where will he be found? Lying in a manger!
Surely someone as special and important as God deserves something better than that. The Saviour of the world seems out of place in a manger; doesn’t he?
That is the beauty of the God we serve. That he would humble himself to this. That he would deny himself such grandeur. That he would endure such a state of helplessness.
And why did Jesus do this? Well there are several answers to this question, but let me give you one from 2 Corinthians 8:9;
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
So why did Jesus do this? It was for you. Yes, YOU. Jesus did what he did to give you a gracious gift; eternal life. He gave up the riches of heaven for the messiness of earth, so that you could swap your mess for his righteousness, your stains for his spotless radiance, your depravity for his divinity, your sin for his salvation.
You would think that a manger is not an appropriate place for God's son to born. And you would think that a Cross is a terrible way for Jesus to die. But this was all part of God’s plan to give grace to the world.
Is Jesus your Saviour? Is Jesus your King? Is Jesus your God? Have you accepted this gift of grace? If “yes”, then, rejoice this Christmas, and always.
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