We are familiar with the story of Christmas. I was listening to Christmas carols last week about the keeper of the inn, the angels pressing in to see Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the wise men and the star in the east. I began to think about all the people, places and circumstances surrounding the birth of our Savior.

I thought about the inn keeper. He had no room for these two young people looking for shelter. His life, as well as his inn, was full. These two kids seemed kind enough, but he had plenty to do. His work was busy and his rooms were full. All the people in the inn meant more cleaning, cooking, hosting, and a busier schedule.

I thought about the angels. The angelic hosts that knew the son of God in heaven, but now were scrambling for a peek at the son of God wrapped in swaddling clothes and the flesh of humanity. Angels pressing into see who they already knew in a way they could not imagine.

I thought about Mary- a young and virtuous woman. She was called to bear the son of God and the disapproval and questions of man. She had a story that was just so hard to believe. It sounded so…impossible. She was the virgin mother of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, that had been prayed about and sought after for thousands of years in her own womb. She would be the mother to the savior of the world.

I thought about Joseph. He was a righteous man that was now the topic of much gossip and speculation. I thought about how the angel of the Lord told him this was from God. I thought about how Joseph must have struggled with what people believed when he knew what was true in his heart.

I thought about the wise men, dropping everything to follow a star. Some people had to think they were a little crazy. Matthew 2:10-11 tells us that when they say the star they were “overjoyed”. When they found Jesus, they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of great value.

Then, I began to think how, in many ways, we have all been each of these people in the story of Christ’s birth. Jesus Christ entered this earth through the most humble of ways. He could have come any way, but God gave us a king that was a humble servant from His birth to His death. He came to save you and me. Many times I have been the inn-keeper. I have just been too busy to be a part of the miracle that an experience with the Savior of the world would be. I have been the angels, struggling to see a God that I know in a way that I have never seen before- real, tangible, and here to save my world. I have been Mary & Joseph- young, afraid, and uncertain. I have been concerned about people opinions and words spoken that cut to the bone.  I have been the wise men, following the signs as the Holy Spirit leads and laid my earthly treasures at His feet out of pure adoration and wonder.

I believe most Christians can relate to me and my association with the people of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. I am flawed but I am following. I am human, but I am saved by grace.

The one person in the Christmas story I most want to be like is Jesus. I want to have the mind of Christ. I want to see others through His eyes of grace, mercy and truth. I want to be the hands of Jesus, bringing healing and hope to a hurt and lost world. I want to be the feet of Jesus, willing to walk the hard paths to save those that are lost. The center of the Christmas story is, after all, Jesus. He is the one that I need to focus and think about the most;  He truly is the best gift of all.

Courtnay Aycock