They were all visited by God

When I say the supporting cast of the Christmas story was comprised of common folk, I don't mean their experiences were common. In the course of their common lives, doing what they commonly did, each of them was uncommonly visited by God.

They were all visited by God:

Mary was visited by God. The shepherds were visited by God. Joseph was told by an angel to take the baby Jesus to Egypt; years later he was told to bring Him back to Israel.

The stories of Christmas in these common lives began when each was uncommonly visited by God.

We often describe wonderful real-life stories as “stranger than fiction.” Why stranger than fiction?

Well, because we know that fictional stories are written by authors – and we assume that “real life” events just happen randomly. The most devout among us often assume life events just happen randomly.

In order for our "real" lives to be filled with Christmas stories, of course there needs to be an author of those stories.

And of course there is one: Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith," as the New Testament tells us.

So when I say Christmas stories come out of the experiences of common lives, I must not leave out the treasure we have in earthen vessels. The vessel is common. The presence of Jesus, the treasure, the author and finisher of our faith, is not.

God has not only visited us, he is Immanuel (= God with us): in our salvation always true, in the Word always with us, in the body of Christ all over the world.

We live in a time when the eyes of faith ought to tell us that the Word in us is more powerful proof of God with us than when the angel Gabriel visited Mary.

And if we practice His presence in Word, in spirit, and among the saints in this world, there will be many stories to tell.

These would be the Christmas stories of our lives.

Logos2Go

Luke 1.26-27 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

Luke 2.8-9 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Matthew 2.13 ... an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

Matthew 2.19-20 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

2 Corinthians 4.7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us ...

Hebrews 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ...