Sometimes people view narrowness as being intolerant or small-minded. They view it as exclusivity–something evil, available only to the rich or powerful. God views narrowness differently.

He views His Narrow Way as universally life-giving and open to all even though not all will choose Him. When we choose to seek Him and not to rely upon the smorgasbord of the world’s delights to satisfy our days, we might be viewed by others as choosing a narrow way–a way that restricts or seems intolerant. My choice to seek Jesus, however, doesn’t make anyone else less free to choose what they will do.

Perspective might show that the world’s standards and earthly pleasures appear to be miles wide but in fact, they’re paper thin. God’s way might be a narrow selection but it goes infinitely deep and therefore will be more life-giving and satisfying than anything this world can offer. Think about the Narrow Way as leading to Life and seek Jesus while He may be found.

One of the things we can expect in this world is trouble.  Each day has enough of its own.  Some days, it feels like a whole week’s worth hits you all at once as if you’ve been banking it for such a time as that.

Jesus tells us to expect it because when we’re unprepared, it can hit us like a ton of bricks.  Spiritual attack in the form of discouragement can get the better of us unless we keep our focus that this life is just a shadow of the real life that is ours in Christ.  Jesus doesn’t promise to rescue us out of every trouble, but He does say that no one can snatch us out of His hands.  He is faithful to preserve us through any trouble that comes our way.  Be of good cheer!  Take heart!  Be encouraged!

Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. (NIV)

From the moment that we’re born, we enter mortality—               life with an end. 

We don’t enter into immortality–eternal life–when we’re born.   We enter it when we’re born again.

The sad story of humanity has been that since the fall of mankind, mortality is the routine we get.  We’ve been going to hell in a hand basket, personally, as families, as governments, as a culture,–indeed in every way possible our routines have followed the same old rut of mortality.

But then God interrupts all of this.  He interrupts with a Savior.

Today’s passage—indeed the whole Christmas story—is God’s interruption in the midst of man’s routines.  Our plans involve getting up every morning and living life in the same old way until our lives are over.  But for Mary and Joseph, God’s design interrupted their whole future and gave it entirely new meaning.

While God interrupts and inconveniences us in many ways, He doesn’t view these interruptions as veering from the plan.  They ARE the plan and in light of eternity, we can see that it’s all by God’s perfect design.  Just look at these interruptions:

• Mary would supernaturally conceive the Christ child, Jesus –even though it would strain her relationship with almost everyone she knew (including Joseph who was originally thinking of divorcing Mary quietly). 
• But after an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he would take Mary home as his wife even though it would ruin his reputation forever as a righteous man. 
• In the last days of Mary’s pregnancy, the government would suddenly get the bright idea to inconvenience everyone by making them go to register in a census in Bethlehem, about 100+ miles from home.
• Walking at the speed of a full-term pregnancy, they would arrive presumably later than many others and they would find no room at the inn.  They’d stay in a stable.
• So on Christmas night, Jesus would be born in a most inconvenient place: a stable.  His first bed would be a feeding trough.

But here we see evidence that when God interrupts, He does it by design.  In this way, Jesus would be born exactly as the Scriptures foretold and the shepherds would know where to find him, distinguished from all the other babies in Bethlehem.

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

“Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.” (Luke 1:56)

I wonder about “about”.  Three plus six equals nine.  Elizabeth was six months along when Mary heard the angel’s words and hurried to see her relative.  Elizabeth would be at nine months at this point.  The question would be, “Did Mary stay until Elizabeth had delivered her baby or did she leave just prior?”  Scripture (interestingly) doesn’t say.   Instead, it just describes the birth of John the Baptist who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

Luke 1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us– 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.  76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.