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. — 2 Corinthians 8:9
A big department store was gearing up for its holiday ad campaign. The VP of marketing was dead-set on outselling their competitors, so he decided to play on people’s sentiments.
“We’ll have a nativity scene!” he exclaimed in their first meeting. “And our slogan will be, ‘It’s more blessed to give than receive.’”
The VP instructed his sales staff to display a huge variety of gifts at the manger scene. The wise men would hand baby Jesus all of the most popular toys. The shepherds would be sporting the latest styles of hip fashion. And even Mary herself would be seen taking advantage of the most convenient products for moms on the go.
When the VP saw the final images for the campaign, he was ecstatic thinking of all the money they would make. But then he scoffed when he saw baby Jesus lying in a plain wooden manger.
“We don’t sell mangers,” he said. “Let’s trade that dirty thing out for a luxury bed!”
If we miss the humility of the Christmas story, we miss Christ’s invitation to us. The lowliness of the manger scene is a reminder that we are all poor and broken apart from Jesus. But He – whose majesty and splendor is beyond anything we could ever imagine – entered into our brokenness and identified with our poverty.
So this Christmas, rejoice in the lowliness of Christ’s birth. Because His humility is your invitation to be made truly rich in Him.
Prayer Challenge
Ask God to help you focus on Christ this Christmas. And praise Him for identifying with you in your poverty so that you could be lifted up in the richness of His grace.
Questions for thought
How did the circumstances of Christ’s birth contradict what most people expected of the Messiah’s coming?
What do those circumstances teach us about God’s character?