Scenes from The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
The miracle of Christmas. What does that really mean? Yes, the virgin birth was miraculous, but I think there is a miracle that is even greater that is gift wrapped with the bows of Christmas. Have you ever stopped to ponder the fact that the Extraordinary became Ordinary so that ordinary could become extraordinary? Did you get that? Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe 
came to earth and became an ordinary human being so that ordinary human beings could become extraordinary.
The Hebrew nation was seeking the Messiah who would come and set up an earthly kingdom. Jesus came, not to establish an earthly kingdom, but to establish a heavenly kingdom and the ways in which He did that were anything but ordinary. Think about it for a moment.
God chose for The Extraordinary One to be born, not into a royal family, but to an unwed, peasant teenager. He would not be wrapped in royal robes and placed in the royal nursery but rather he would be wrapped in tattered blankets and laid in an animal’s feeding trough. His birth would not be announced on the finest of papyrus, but instead it would be largely ignored by those who lived in that moment. The men who first heard of this birth would not be the elite businessmen of Bethlehem, but rather simple, likely smelly, shepherds. This baby would not live a life of ease and luxury befitting a King, but rather would learn the trade of his earthly father, Joseph the carpenter.
The adult life of The Extraordinary One would not be so different from His childhood. He surrounded himself, not with the elite of Jerusalem and the Galilee, but rather with simple working people—the very ones He came to save. Oh, be sure He came to save the elite, but most didn’t seem to have much time for a King who didn’t wear a jewel-studded crown. Jesus seemed to actually prefer being with the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the outcast. Perhaps, He even felt more comfortable with them because, in fact, He was one of them—at least on earth. The Extraordinary One who became Ordinary touched the unclean and saved them, looked into the eyes of the outcast and loved them, befriended the lonely and gave their lives meaning, and healed the sick.
Once the ordinary man or woman came in contact with The Extraordinary One, they were never the same. Gaze at Paul, the sinful woman, John the beloved, and Peter. Suddenly, because of Jesus, the ordinary became extraordinary.
The Extraordinary One became Ordinary so that He could understand those whom He came to save. Men, women, boys and girls just like you and me, the beloved of God, worthy of the life and death of His only Son.
No matter your status or position in life, Jesus, The Extraordinary One, came to earth and became Ordinary for you. Whether you realize it or not, He did it just for you. He would have done it if you had been the only ordinary person on planet earth, because that is how much He loves you. Once you, an ordinary person, accept this Babe of Bethlehem as your Lord and Savior, you become extraordinary in His kingdom. I invite you to ponder for a while today on The Extraordinary One Who became Ordinary.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1: 1,2,14. (NKJV)
