Luke 2:7 - “and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger…”

For Christmas Eve I chose to focus on this simple verse describing Jesus’ birth. This is such a plain statement of the most significant and most divisive moment in human history. Think about how the everyday act of a child being born (a poor child at that) changed absolutely everything for absolutely everyone.... forever. This moment didn’t just start a religion, it was the landmark moment for the very existence of our species; the point from which our entire concept of time is divided into “before” and “after”.

Not only does this moment divide recorded history, it created a division of two types of people in the world: those who believe in the importance of this moment, and those who do not. It created the eternal classification of people into the believers and the non-believers, the haves and the have nots, the chosen and the untouchables, the Sneeches with stars and the Sneeches without stars. And, like other class systems, the fates of these two groups of people are remarkably different.

But, unlike other classification systems, this one isn’t based on the achievements or fortunes of those it classifies. It doesn’t require that we come from a rich family. It doesn’t require that we ascend to the top of a Fortune 500 company. We don’t have to write a #1 song, score the winning touchdown in the Superbowl or be the star of the next comic book hero movie franchise. All we have to do is believe in the importance of that simply stated event of Jesus’ birth. As John writes “…But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”(John 1:12). By being born into the flesh and dying for our sins Jesus gave an open invitation to the most prestigious club in the universe. Not only did he approve our membership application, he paid our membership dues for all eternity. And, unlike other exclusive clubs, ALL are welcome to join this elite group through the miracle of his birth and victory of his death.

Just as this child was born in Bethlehem we are born into the family of God. And on this Christmas I want to encourage us all to never forget that. By our faith in him we have become the “haves”. We ARE the Fortune 500 CEO, we ARE the star quarterback. We ARE the sons and daughters of the only royal family that matters. We are the children of God and that was all made possible by the simple, humble birth of a poor boy in a barn in Bethlehem. As we celebrate Jesus’ birth let us praise it for the world-changing event that it is: beautiful in its simplicity, perfect in its necessity and triumphant for all eternity. What a wonderful savior is born to us this day! Merry Christmas.