Christmas: Inconvenient but Eternally Convenient

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

Have you noticed just how inconvenient is the Christmas story?

Mary’s plans are disrupted, she becomes pregnant not of her own making and definitely not what she had planned for her future. Joseph’s plans are disrupted as he becomes a father of a child that is not his and definitely not what he had planned for his future. His plans are disrupted. Instead of setting up home, Joseph and Mary’s plans are disrupted. While Mary is heavily pregnant they have to go to Bethlehem. Their plans are disrupted.

It seems that sometimes we need to be disrupted in order for God’s plans to come to fruition. God can be inconvenient at times. He breaks into our space and time and interrupts our way of doing things and asks for us to do things His way. Following his ways requires a posture of being willing to be disrupted however inconvenient this is for us. Even if it means going to another town while heavily pregnant.

What Mary & Joseph probably did not recognise at the time was that they had to go to Bethlehem in order for God’s prophetic promises to be fulfilled. How inconvenient for them but eternally convenient for us all.

Christmas is the beginning of the culmination of God’s self-giving. He inconvenienced himself to become like us in every way in order to bring us all back to him, fulfilling his eternally convenient plan.

It may be that your life of following Jesus seems to make things quite inconvenient. Do not be discouraged God is working something far more wonderful in your life (and the lives of those with whom you may interact) than you could possibly know. As inconvenient as it is ask the LORD to show you what He is doing.

Are you willing to be inconvenienced? It will mean holding your plans lightly so God can change them to fulfil his plan for you and for others.

Maybe he is asking you to open your home this Christmas to more than your immediate family and show the hospitality of Jesus to others. I remember my first Christmas Day as an adult Christian. I was on my own in a flat halfway around the world in London with no family around. Out of the blue, I received a knock on the door and there stood a church friend, Arun Kataria, with a big smile of his face. He said “come to lunch with our family we want you to be with us”. I felt so loved and noticed. He had driven across London to pick me up and afterwards dropped me home. Arun allowed his family to be inconvenienced and through it, I met Jesus’ care in them.

There are many others ways to be inconvenienced to become a blessing this season. Maybe he is asking to you serve at the City Mission on Christmas Day. Perhaps God is asking you to bless someone financially this Christmas.

Whatever it is, this Christmas season, may the inconvenience of God disturb you and draw you into his eternally convenient plans.

Blessings

Fraser