Merry Christmas Eve!

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:1-7, ESV).

Months have passed between the end of Luke 1 and the beginning of Luke 2. It is finally time for the Messiah to be born! You know what happened, there was no room in the inn. We assume Mary and Joseph were forced into a stable because of that - and the fact that there was a feeding trough - a manger - there. Don't you know it must have bothered them both. Here they were, trying to birth the Savior and forced to have the baby in something less than adequate. Do you wonder if they thought they had messed it all up?

No doubt, Mary had an idea of what she thought it should all look like, and be like, yet it wasn't. Jesus was still born, history changed, and our lives changed forever. Regardless of what you thought Christmas and Christmas Eve were supposed to look like, it doesnt' matter! It is here so rejoice in it and be glad! Make the most of it! Mary lay Jesus in a manger. Use what you have, go with the flow, and make the best of it!

Have a "Mary" Christmas!