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Scandalous
by Aaron Griffith It was a night not unlike any other night. The same cold darkness fell across the same earth. They were people just like you and I, full of questions and imperfections. The carpenter and his young bride had traveled a long and difficult distance to be counted by Caesar in the city of his ancestors. They were a scandalous couple, there were more than a few rumors about them. She was pregnant and not by her husband and everyone knew it. In the face of scrutiny, he had chosen to accept her as his wife and her son as his own, a radical love and acceptance that would be later shown by the step son that he raised and mentored. This scandalous couple, who had traveled miles into the dark night, into uncertainty, and danger, finally arrived at their destination only to meet closed doors and cold hearts. The only shelter offered to them in the whole city was a barn. So it was there, in straw mixed with manure, on the ground surrounded by livestock and filth, that she endured the pain of childbirth with only her exhausted husband at her side to assist. There in the filth, two frightened and weary outcasts held close to each other and delivered a son. They named him Jesus, as they were directed to by the messenger that had visited them. A name that means, "God is Salvation", because that night, as prophesied hundreds of years earlier, the Messiah had come. It was an act of warfare, an invasion unlike any other in history. It was as scandalous and outrageous as the parents that had bore Him. The King of Glory, God Incarnate, had slipped into the world nearly unnoticed to be born in a barn, in feces and mud. The Prince of Heaven, The Son of God, tended to by a motley crew of lowly Shepherds and wealthy wise men, various farm animals and a host of Angels, and held by an imperfect mother and step dad who fearfully held close to their hearts the hybrid God-Man that would one day free the world from Death. The story doesn't end there, for soon Joseph would be forced to protect his wife and child by fleeing to Egypt, escaping the murderous plot to kill the newborn sons of Bethlehem. A few years later, again as the prophecies foretold, the now grown Jesus would be rejected and abandoned by those He loved. He would walk the streets of Jerusalem, bloodied and filthy from hours of torture, carrying a cross that he would be nailed to for the collective sin of mankind. Then, hours later, he would arise and walk out of his tomb victorious over death! This is the greatest Love story in history. It begins in a barn, is killed on a cross, raised from the dead, and written on your heart. The story of Christmas is a story that continues today. It is a story of God's love for you. Since 2003, Aaron Griffith has been a follower of Jesus Christ. He and his wife Rian have two beautiful girls & together they lead Isaiah 58:10 ministries sharing the transforming grace of Jesus by serving the needy in their community. Aaron also serves as a worship leader & Men's Ministry leader. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |