Even More On Hustle And Bustle

As we have come to our final day, we are reminded of our text. And everyone went to their own town to register. Luke 2: 3.

We were also told that the words of this text would be our inspiration and fortification for the remainder of the week. Well, we have come to the end of this second week in Advent and I know that many of us have had and are having our minds shifted in the hustle and bustle of our time, to know that birth of the Living Word of God, can and will still take place in the midst of our hustle and bustle.

Now we continue with our statements of interest.

Second statement of interest - Nativity is circumscribed around human preparations.

We know that there is much movement going on in the Roman world. Nothing of the hustle and bustle, absolutely nothing, I tell you, has to do with Nativity. No one knows that Messiah is to be born or has been born. It has just been given the dawn of light on my mind that even after Jesus was born, the census was still going on. What I mean is this, Jesus was born in census time and His birth did not automatically stop the census. It means therefore, movement continued to take place, hustle and bustle continued to be the order of the day, as the decree of Caesar Augustus had to be carried out. Think about it!

How can it be said that the Nativity of Jesus is circumscribed around human preparations? We know that preparations are being made by many people who have to leave their homes and travel, whether near or far, to their birthplaces. Travel preparations will have to be made. There will also be preparations made for hotel or motel accommodations, if one has to stay overnight. Even in-house preparations will have to be put in place, for leaving one’s home. There will be many other preparations, I’m sure, some we can think of and others we can’t even imagine, which some of the Jews will have had to make. Albeit, the fact still stands that none of these preparations had to do with the Coming of Jesus, Messiah, King of the Jews.

Sovereign, Almighty, Father God, in His impeccable wisdom, chose to limit or contain the Nativity of His Son around human preparations in the midst of their hustle and bustle. Who can deny and decry the Lordship of Creator, Sovereign God?

Third statement of interest - Nativity is contained in human responses.

We are zeroing in on Joseph, as he is the person from whom we are receiving knowledge and encouragement. Already stated is the fact that Jews would take this ruling seriously, as people under foreign, Hitler-type rule. Joseph responds to the decree of Caesar Augustus and makes all the necessary arrangements to leave his home in Nazareth of Galilee, to travel the long and arduous road to Bethlehem in Judah. His response is to his earthly ruler’s issued decree and not to his heavenly Ruler’s issued decree. Have you ever considered that? Also, his response included the love of his life, Mary, to whom he was pledged to be married. This decision to take Mary with him, had nothing to do with her having to be registered also, in David’s town. I know that much. Why he took her, I don’t know, but we all know that she was pregnant. Honestly, when you think of it all, Joseph’s responses concerning going to be registered in Bethlehem, had nothing to do with the command of God.

Sovereign, Almighty, Father God, in His immutable wisdom, chose to place the Nativity of His Son in the responses made by Joseph to the ruling of an earthly leader, which caused human hustle and bustle. Who can doubt and disbelieve the Lordship of Sovereign, Creator God?

Whatever has been your inspiration, fortification and expectation, whatever has brought you to new, victorious and joyful thinking in God, we all share this in common. You and I have been graciously favoured, to know that in the midst of our human hustle and bustle, in this Christmas Season, we can be expecting people, looking for God to birth truth in us, as we have never known.