Devotional-The First Christmas

Ready to rethink Christmas beyond the soft glow of the nativity scene? We trace the raw edges of a story packed with impossibility: a miraculous conception that risks reputation, a fiancé crushed then redirected by an angelic dream, shepherds abandoning their only income to chase a sky split with glory, and magi crossing borders for years guided by a stubborn star. The familiar becomes startling again, and that shock opens a door to courage.

This conversation isn’t about nostalgia; it’s a call to live alert. Where might God be interrupting your ordinary with an extraordinary ask—reconciling a relationship, giving with sacrifice, pivoting a career, or trusting a nudge that won’t let go? We close with a simple charge for the season: marvel at the outrageous generosity of the Father and offer your own gift—reckless abandon to follow Jesus. If this resonates, share it with someone who needs courage today, subscribe for more devotionals, and leave a review so others can rediscover the wonder too.al to begin preparing you for Christmas.

Chapters

• 0:00 Invitation To A Deeper Advent
• 0:19 Christmas As Anything But Normal
• 1:02 Walking In Mary’s Shoes
• 1:36 Joseph’s Shock And God’s Intervention
• 2:02 The Shepherds’ Terrifying Wonder
• 2:37 The Magi’s Long Uncertain Journey
• 3:04 Fleeing To Egypt By A Dream
• 3:30 God’s Otherness And Our Courage
• 4:09 Seasonal Charge And Blessing
• 4:45 Resources And Ways To Support

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:04

The Father's Business was founded by Sylvia Gunter to encourage people to a deeper relationship with God. Thank you for listening to this devotional. This year we all just want to get back to normal, whatever that means to each of us. As we look towards Christmas and the celebration of Jesus' birth, I find it comforting to realize that the story of Christmas is anything but normal. It's really absurd. It's full of biological impossibilities, strained family dynamics, emotional turmoil, supernatural encounters, a failed assassination attempt, and people asked to do the craziest of things. And yet a lot of times, as we read Luke 2 or put out our favorite nativity on display in our home, we fail to see just how unprecedented it was for all involved. This is an invitation to deeply experience the Christmas story. Take a moment and think how would you feel if God told you that you are bearing his son? Feel the fear of telling your fiance and your parents that you're pregnant and Joseph is not the father. Sense the shame as the village whispers about you. Imagine the weight of knowing you are carrying God's son and hoping that you don't mess the whole thing up. How would you feel if you were Joseph and your beloved comes to you and says she's pregnant and you know the baby isn't yours? Feel the rejection and the betrayal and the heartbreak of Joseph based on wrong conclusions about Mary, and then the supernatural way that God straightens the whole thing out by sending him an angel. There's nothing normal about it. How would you feel on an ordinary night taking care of your sheep if an angel of the Lord shows up and says, drop what you're doing and go? Feel the fear of such a supernatural event with the glory of the Lord filling the sky, followed by the doubt that creeps in and says, Did I just make all that up? And what about leaving the sheep, which is your sole source of income? Sense the wonder and fear and uncertainty and hope of the shepherds as they come and meet their savior. What if you were one of the servants in the entourage of the magi? You're following your master who's basing his journey on a star? It's not a short journey either. It was weeks, months, maybe even years before you arrive at your final destination. How long would you keep walking to a place you don't know to meet a person no one else seems to know about with only a star as your guide? Then, as the story continues, when is the last time that you had a dream that you woke up from and knew that you, your wife, and child were to leave immediately to live in a foreign country? What was that discussion like between Joseph and Mary? Would you leave friends and family to go to Egypt based solely on a dream that your spouse had? The story is full of one crazy event after another. Beyond recording the details of Jesus' birth, the Christmas story reveals to us the otherness of God and how he longs to partner with big-spirited people to do the impossible. His reality is so much greater than ours. While we are thinking about getting married and settling down with the family in our hometown, he's planning to partner with us to fulfill his plan for the entire world. The joy of this season is that with each twist and turn in the story, God finds people who choose to live from their spirit and follow when they are challenged to believe what they have not seen and do what they have never done before. That same God of wonders is still active and present today, even in 2022. This Christmas, marvel at the outrageous and awesome links to which God the Father will go to give you the perfect gift. Give him the gift of the same reckless abandon of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi to pursue and follow your King Jesus. May your spirit be so large and in tune with the Holy Spirit that when God shows up in the middle of your ordinary day with an extraordinary plan, you are ready to follow him regardless of how absurd it might sound.

SPEAKER_00: 4:45

This devotional is taken from strength to equal your days. This is our latest resource. It is a 365-day devotional. You can purchase a copy at www.thefathersbusiness.com. Thank you for listening to this devotional. You can find an archive of devotionals and other podcasts on our website. Also, this podcast is made possible through donations from people like you. To donate, click on the donate tab on our website. Again, our website is www.thefathersbusiness.com.