It is not simply the greatest story ever told; it is the story that has been told most often. Every year, millions of people, religious and non-religious alike, celebrate the birth of the One who separated B.C. from A.D., brought light into a darkened world, and destroyed the works of the evil one (1 John 3:8). The Son of God left the golden streets in heaven for the dusty byways of Israel. In glory, He was enthroned with shouts of “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come (Rev. 4:8) but was accused of working in tandem with Beelzebub by religious leaders here on the earth (Matthew 12:24). Within the span of one week, He went from cries of “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him!” Why would Jesus Christ do such a thing? John 5:19 gives us the answer, “… Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” To paraphrase, He was simply doing the will of the Father.
The Christmas story is filled with servants who were following the will of their Creator, even when it meant going directly against the inflated opinion of man. Zechariah withstood the prevailing sentiment of the day by naming his son, John, instead of giving him his own name. When a fourteen-year-old young maiden was told, she was going to carry the Savior of mankind, she, no doubt, had some understanding of what that would mean for her reputation, especially living in a small town like Nazareth. She would be the frequent target of wagging heads and wagging tongues. Even though this would be her lot, she simply replied, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Then there is the unsung hero, Joseph. After being told in a dream that he was to take Mary as his wife despite her seemingly illegitimate pregnancy, he was willing to endure the taunting mockery of these same townspeople as well as their misplaced suspicions. Then, the Wise Men made a journey of five to six months to gain only a momentary glance of the Christ-child and honor Him with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
All of these individuals were willing to make the necessary sacrifices to fulfill God’s will for their lives at this moment in antiquity. Most, perhaps all, had little to no idea of the historic repercussions their lives would spark. Like us, most of them were everyday people, commoners, unimportant and unnoticed by the world. In God’s economy, however, they were special simply because each was intent on honoring God through obedience. As a result, their names now live in infamy.
The goal of many in contemporary America is to do something great in order to obtain some sense of importance in the eyes of man. Ironically, God is looking for just the opposite, people who are willing to be small for His sake. We need men like Joseph, who work hard every day, so their wives have the privilege of staying home to teach their children day after life-changing day. We need millions of young Marys who lay down promising careers because they are convinced that speaking into the lives of their children and grandchildren has a greater impact on world history than working in a corner office for the temporary applause of culture.
Homeschooling Dads and Moms, thank you for living out the Christmas story every day of the year by discipling your children at home. We pray your daily sacrifices will reap their own repercussions in the history of your children, just like they did on that first Christmas.
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