So many people today live in poverty. Regardless of country and race, many people around the world experience being poor and are making the most of the meager resources they have at their disposal. This is a sad reality, and the Lord Jesus Himself said it:
"...the poor you have with you always..." (John 12:8)
That said, how can we find hope in the midst of our financial problems? How can we face our daily lives knowing that our resources are scarce and our needs are great? By looking to Christ Jesus.
A simple yet glorious coming
This Christmas season, many poor people are longing to have at least a decent Christmas dinner. They long to be remembered, to be given gifts, to experience love and warmth especially as it is really cold, literally and figuratively.
Most of us do not realize it, but in our poverty God does not forget us. We long to be remembered; God remembers us. We long to receive gifts; He gave us the most precious and priceless gift of all. We long to experience love and warmth; He loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to let us experience His fiery love for us.
This Christmas, we are given an opportunity to know God's love in a better way: how the Saviour was born a human.
Luke 2:1-20 records how our Saviour came: in a simple yet glorious manner. Let's see how this helps us find hope in our poverty.
1) Christ was born during a census - Luke 2:1-3
The Lord Jesus' coming happened while all the world, or at least that region, was busy with a census. This tells us that nobody in that place knew that the Saviour was coming that very day. Everybody was busy with their own thing.
People can be so busy with their own stuff that they are unable to care for others. The Lord knew this, and understands just how the poor and neglected feel.
2) Christ was born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling cloth - Luke 2:7
Unlike babies today, Jesus was laid in a manger, which is basically a feeding trough used to feed farm animals. He had no baby clothes but a swaddling cloth to keep Him warm. This is a very unlikely entry for the King of kings, but He entered this way.
Now, some of us might feel bad that we are poor or have come from a poor family. We might think that we have nothing to give. We might think that we are of no value. Well, the Lord Jesus Himself was born in something that no sane human today would use to lay their newborn children on.
Some of us might even think that we don't have anything good to wear - but Christ Himself had no diapers or cute baby onesies. He had nothing but humble cloths wrapped around Him.
His coming should make us realize that regardless of our lineage or how poor we are, we matter to Him. He came for the rich and the poor, simply because we are all loved by Him.
3) Christ's birth was announced by angels - Luke 2:8-14
Jesus' birth was not announced via birthday cards or a Facebook post. It was announced by God's angels.
Some people might ignore us, but God does not. Our life matters to God: He knit us in our mother's womb, brought us forth on the day we were born, was with us as we grew, and will never ever leave us nor forsake us. (see Psalm 139:13; Isaiah 66:9; Hebrews 13:5)
The Bible tells us that heaven rejoices at the repentance of a sinner (see Luke 15:10). The Bible also tells us that God keeps a record of people who were born into His family through Christ (see Psalm 87:6).
If God holds us very dearly, who can go against us to accuse us before Him (see Romans 8:31-34)?
