December 13th

You can usually tell the importance of something by how it’s presented. Presentation is communication!

Turkey is just turkey…until it’s put on those fancy plates that only come out a couple of times a year. 

Milk is just milk…until it’s in that kid sized glass, next to two chocolate cookies, carefully placed on the hearth of the fireplace so Santa will feel at home. 

Presentation is everything!

So do not overlook the fact that Jesus was born in a Bethlehem stable.

God could have chosen Jerusalem. Most important things happened there. God could have at the very least chosen a house, or hotel. A place fit for childbirth. But God chose a stable in Bethlehem. And that choice told the world so much.

Jesus was not coming to be pampered. Jesus was not coming to impress. Jesus was not coming for the elite. 

Jesus was coming for everyone. The rich and the poor. The important and the ignored. And He was not coming to be served. He was coming to serve. 

From the very beginning of His earthly story, Jesus was announcing His upside-down Kingdom way! He would perfect the art of making the last things first and the first things last. 

The people of Bethlehem felt like second-class citizens compared to the people of Jerusalem. When God chose Bethlehem over Jerusalem, He was telling the world: “My value system is different than yours! I am unimpressed with things on the outside. I’m looking at the heart.”

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
Micah 5:2-4

 Right now, take a moment to thank God for being willing to leave behind the perfection of Heaven to walk the dirty streets of earth. Then, take a few moments to ask God to help you notice the people who feel unimportant, unappreciated, overlooked, and unloved.