When I first read today’s verses, the first thing I thought of was how difficult it must have been for Mary to give birth to her Son surrounded by a bunch of dirty animals, not having a place to keep her baby. Jesus, the King of world, wasn’t born into riches or in a fancy building. Verse 7 says “and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

Despite the fact that Jesus was the King of the world, above everyone and everything else, no one made room for Him to be born. Jesus didn’t need the crown or riches for Him to be born. He didn’t have to have the fancy robes or a fancy inn for people to know that he was King. As Christmas is just over a week away, we have to remember Christ’s love for us too. He loved us so much that even though He deserves all the riches, fame and glory, He came to Earth in a way no one could ever imagine. A lot of times at Christmas you hear people say “remember the reason for the season”. I know for me, a lot of times that goes in one ear and out the other. But as I read and prayed about these verses, it struck me that without Christ’s birth we would all still be sinners bound to live a life ending in death for eternity. So in a week and a half when you wake up on Christmas morning with presents and stay in your PJs all day, don’t forget to take a step back and actually remember the reason for the season and what your life would be like if Jesus hadn’t been born.