Mayhem in Bethlehem

So yeah. I went to Walmart between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. with only eight days left until Christmas. Not smart. Then I came home to four piles of unfolded laundry and about ten gifts to be wrapped.  Then I sat down to make a grocery list for my holiday cooking: (background music swells)

4 yummy cakes,
3 pecan pies,
2 shrimp dips
and a partridge in a pear tree…

On top of this, our new Lab puppy named Lucy has decided that her wake up time is about 5:00 a.m.  Is there a Babywise for puppies??

Anyway, all this mayhem combined with the stress reflected in the faces of people I was shopping with made me think about Bethlehem.  With the influx of people coming in to town for the census, it must have been crazy.  Imagine game day in Tennessee multiplied by 100.  No hotels, standing lines at eateries, bumper to bumper traffic. Only there is no exciting game to anticipate, just more hassle from a hostile government.

And here He comes.  In the middle of all that commotion Jesus comes, quietly tucked into a stable but still in the middle of it all.  When we talk about the “peace that transcends understanding” think about the contradiction of God being born right smack dab in the center of town.  Peace that defies explanation, that goes beyond the ability to calculate or manipulate.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

He came in peace, lived in peace, left in peace. Even today He gives peace and leads in peace. I mean to say, He pours something into us. Just like God placed His Son into the world, He puts His peace into our lives. So despite the laundry and the to do lists, reflect on peace. It really does stretch you beyond your understanding.

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