The Jewish people anticipate a great messianic return. Elijah tore off to Heaven on a chariot of fire, and he was merely a prophet! In ancient Israel, under the yoke of Roman occupation, the entire Jewish nation pined for the freedom the Messiah would bring and for the promise of the Covenant fulfilled.

Despite the anticipation, from the moment and manner of His birth, Christ sought to conform our wills to His. No triumphant return, but a common birth to a family with no title or land, all from a backwater town long forgotten by even the shadow Jewish government. Can anything good come from Nazareth? He was born in an anonymous cave, long forgotten by history, and welcomed by a few dirty shepherds.

There were no royal messengers dispatched to the four corners of the kingdom announcing the birth of the new king, no festival organized for days of celebration. There was only the total stillness of a dark winter’s night deep in the country.

It was the opening salvo in a ministry that sought to reorganize the world from top to bottom. A violent global population that only focused on survival and expanding temporal power was challenged by the message of Jesus. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.

The message is simple. Though our hearts may yearn to be known, respected, desired, honored, praised and consulted, the slave is not greater than his master. We are called to live simple, quiet lives, fulfilling the high duty of our vocation, loving those around us, and walking in Christ's footsteps, from the hill country of Bethlehem to the rock of Golgotha.

Tags: Spirituality