December 20, 2024 - Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” Micah 5:2 NLT

Jesus, your ways are so confounding to the way we think. When we look at the way you entered the world it just seems so opposite of how we would have arranged it. When I imagine what it might look like when the most powerful King of Kings, and Lord of Lords comes to earth to save his people, you enter in some spectacular way that gets everyone’s attention and declares your majesty. It seems you would enter showing off your glory and power for all the world to see. Then people would have no doubt who you are and would throw themselves at your feet in submission. But that is not how you chose to make your entrance. You chose the small village of Bethlehem.  You, God-Almighty, have such a way of using the small unassuming things to display your glory. Bethlehem fits this as a small, unassuming town.

But you have reasons for everything you do. Bethlehem means house of bread. Jesus, in John 6 you told us that through you the Father was giving us true bread from heaven. You were the bread that came down from heaven to give life. You are our bread of life. How appropriate that you were born in a place called the house of bread. How wonderful that you don’t do things the way we expect. You didn’t come down in a way that your power dictated that we come to you, but you came to draw us to you through your love. You came to find the hungry and hurting and give them bread that will fill them for eternity. You came to give us eternal life through you. We praise you for your love and humility. Help us be more like you and not live for showing off who we are but let us learn to live humbly bringing glory to you in all we do.

In Jesus name, amen.