Born in a Barn

On the old television show, Mama’s Family, I’ll never forget one of the lines that Mama delivered when her daughter came to pick her up from jail. Her daughter was concerned of what people would think. Mama said, “Yeah, there was this kid whose Mama got pregnant before she was married and was born in a barn. He was Jesus. Look how he turned out.” While trying to be funny, the writer was absolutely correct. Jesus’s beginning was not what anyone would expect for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but that’s exactly how God works.

So many times, we are waiting for the big exciting events to happen in our lives that we miss the little experiences that God gives us graciously. The town of Bethlehem was so full of people at the time that Jesus was born that there were no more guest rooms in any of the facilities, so Mary and Joseph had to go to the barn that the person that they went to who owned the inn offered them. Since Mary was about to have her baby, they took what they could get.

It’s interesting to note that Joseph is in his hometown and he couldn’t stay with relatives. It was a huge disgrace for a woman to be pregnant before she was married at that time period. For some people, it is still a disgrace. No one believed Mary that she was pregnant with the Son of God, but that doesn’t matter. People need to show love and grace to everyone. I would like to think that Joseph’s family may have behaved high and mighty, but there were many people within that family that were very sinful, because the people who cannot accept people that have live differently than them are usually the most sinful.

So, Mary had Jesus surrounded by animals and she placed him in the feeding trough. I often wonder if one of the animals came to see the baby, and then also nibbled on the hay. Then, some shepherds come to visit. They were the first people to see Jesus. When they left Jesus, they went and told people all what had happened to them. They were also the first missionaries. They found Jesus and then they told others about Him. That’s what we all are supposed to do.

The shepherds were considered lower class in that time period. People looked down on them. They were the first ones to see Jesus. Where were the religious leaders? They never saw Jesus until he was twelve years old, but the shepherds were there. They were just doing their job watching their flock and an angel came and told them about Jesus. The angel said, “You will find the baby in a manger wrapped in cloths.” They decided to go see Him. The angel didn’t say go to Him. The angel let it be their decision. They went and had a life changing experience because they were willing to take a risk. God uses people who are willing to leave what they know and step into the unknown. They told others. Then they went back to being shepherds, but they were different. They would always remember this night. God uses people of all economic classes to proclaim his message.

Jesus could have come to earth in a fiery chariot. He could’ve just come onto the scene and made a big deal with fireworks, lights, and loud music. He didn’t. He came at a time when everyone was busy. He came to a town that was full of people who didn’t notice one young pregnant girl. He was born in a barn, not a hospital, a castle, or even a house, but a barn. He lowered himself to become human, and when he was a human, he chose to be one of the lowest.

This Christmas season, I’m trying to see how God can use me in His plans. I live in a city where many people have big dreams and want to get noticed with a big entrance. As I have grown older, I have realized that the people who make the bigger impacts upon the world are not the ones who are noticed, but the ones who are faithful and do what is not always noticed, but their impact is noticed. I’m trying to look for the little acts of goodness and kindness this season. In order to appreciate what God does, it is necessary. To see God work, we must open our eyes and notice those who others may have forgotten or look down upon, because they are the very ones that God is using to impact the world with his message of salvation.