This holiday season, the song "The First Noel" along with "Silent Night" have quickly become my #1 and #2 most listened to songs on repeat the past couple or several months.
One night after listening to "The First Noel" for the......let's say eightieth time, I quickly hopped onto my phone, put aside all of my notes and projects from finals week, and started writing and researching the Nativity story from the book of Luke and Matthew.
I had come up with this idea that the first "noel" came from the very second that Jesus was born. Whether or not this is true, I just thought how amazing it would've been to be present at the birth of Christ.
He's outside in a stable out in the middle of nowhere witnessing the baby who would be born to live not even half a normal lifetime, perform miracles without a PhD or any education other than some carpentry lessons from Joseph, and would be the proclaimed son of God.
I'd take that over any present I could ever receive.
Luke 2:8-14
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
What's written above is the scripture that derives from the song "The First Noel". What's so special about music is while you can argue one thing over another, music is really something that can be interpreted to fit your own feelings or emotions, customs or beliefs, and wishes or motivations.
"The first noel was to bring us all together."
Imagine this:
A room full of young teens and old folks, introverts and extroverts, democrats and republicans, atheists and Believers, poor farmers and wealthy scholars......do you see a lot of agreement and joy coming from that room? I didn't think so.
- NOW -
Here's what's so amazing about that first noel:
You had the teenage virgin, Mary, who just gave birth (probably a little awkward for those who didn't buy that she was a virgin), Joseph, who wasn't much more than a lowly carpenter, some tamed animals, probably a donkey and an elephant, coming from all over just chilling with a newborn baby who was born into poverty, shepherds that were SCARED TO NEAR DEATH who weren't sure what the heck was going on, then come 3 wise guys who had enough riches to make Jesus a king in an instant, and angels from Heaven above just sitting up on the rooftop of the stable overlooking God's new kid on the block.
I'd argue that this was the very first miracle Jesus performed: bringing people together to find peace among one another in celebration of a baby they had little knowledge of except of the rumors that people were spreading about him becoming a king of kings and coming to save the world.
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So......I guess if you get anything out of this devo, it's this:
Jesus was brought forth for many reasons, but the first noel was to bring us all together.
And thanks be to God for His indescribable gift of Jesus! (2 Corinthians 9:15)
While we all have our differences, coming home for the holidays and cheering for one football team over another, talking about one political thing over another, or one person in the family is foretold to be splitting apart the rest, know that God's intention bringing Jesus into the world wasn't to celebrate a bunch of holidays with presents, trees, Frank Sinatra and mistletoe, but to come together in celebration of one thing:
His love surrounding all of us while we love one another. Setting aside all of our past thoughts and grudges, being faithful to God, and truly doing our very best to just love the people around you. Because it only takes one car accident, one cell of cancer, one needle, one bullet, one of something to break everyone apart.
But God is stronger than an accident. He's stronger than cancer, He's stronger than a needle, He's stronger than a bullet, and He's not going to let us fall apart. That's why we have Christmas.
Not to open presents, not to sing we all so joyously a first noel on this silent night of happy Christmas, but to enjoy and love one another because God brought everyone together for a reason, and THIS is that reason.
God loves us all, and Christmas time is a time of celebration that Jesus brought us all together just as He brought those in the stable together, and He continues to bring us together after all of this time, in order to love and be kind and bring love to this weary world we live in.
With that said,
Live joyfully, love with all the love in your heart (even if you have to dig really deep into your heart to find some), and be loved by the most annoying family members you have. You can lose them in a second, so don't you dare take the time you have with them for granted.
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