“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Luke 2:15

     The first Christmas was surely a momentous event. God’s plan of salvation was planted on Earth at the first Christmas. The virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is a miracle indeed, but God’s plan of salvation is even more miraculous! Every time we read the Bible and see the accounts of how God’s business works, it further underlines the fact that this book could not have been written by man but most surely was inspired by God Himself.

     There is a wonderful correlation between the church and the first Christmas, especially regarding the local church. No church could be a church without the Lord Jesus Christ. And He was there, the Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the King of Kings though as a baby in Bethlehem, laying in a manger; here was the incarnate God. And all those who attended the first Christmas were called out, beckoned by grace to bethere. The shepherds were some of the most despised people in the area, but were welcomed by the angels. Mary and Joseph didn’t understand what was going on and it seemed the most unlikely place for them to be, only to find out church is the best place to be even when we don’t want to be there. It seems the Lord knows how to get us where He wants us to go even when we don’t feel like it. And the church is a place where God wants us to go. If you are in church on Sunday morning, you are where God wants you to be. If you can’t go to church on Sunday, but want to,Jesus will come to where you are. Just because there was no room in the inn didn’t stop the first Christmas from happening. The place isn’t allthat important to God. Jesus Christ was born in a manger and God’s grace can bring Jesus into your heart right where you are. Maybe theplace you are right now is exactly the place God wants you to be, even if it seems the most unlikely place. Never complain about your surroundings, but look for Jesus and you will bloom right where God plants you. Joseph and Mary did it in a stable!

     The first Christmas church is where Christ was first.

     I am not sure why some churches put “first” in front of the church but the truth is their true soundness will happen because Jesus Christ is first. When we put Jesus first nothing else comes ahead of Him. This does not come by default though, for there are lots of things, people and places that fight for first in our lives. Keeping Christ in Christmas means Christ comes first. Even the name Christmas testifies of that. Don’t you see it? Leave off Christ and all you get is “mas,” maybe even a mess!

The first Christmas church was where faith grew.

     Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem. They thought they were going for Caesar Augustus, but they were really going for God. The shepherds were all keeping their flocks by night when all of a sudden they were prompted to follow a star. Mary and Joseph and the shepherds knew Jesus was coming, they just didn’t understand how nor did they know where. The difference that faith makes in our lives is that it moves us to go after something we can’t see but we go anyway because we know it’s the right thing to do. we know it’s the right thing to do.

     When we gather at the church in Jesus’ precious name we do so by and in faith. We cannot see God nor Jesus physically, but we know His presence is real. What brings us to church is the same thing that brought Joseph and Mary and the shepherds to the first church service—faith. Paying their taxes and following a star were only players God used to get them where He wanted them to be so that they could do what He wanted them to do—worship the King. Sometimes God use trials and painful events and uncooperative people to grow our faith too. After all, faith pleases God and that should be our first desire this Christmas. Faith sure was at the first Christmas for some pretty important people.

The first Christmas church was where Heaven came to Earth.

     The local church service during worship service ought to be as much like Heaven as God will allow us to make it. Love came down from Heaven on Christmas! God is love and the baby in the manger was the greatest love gift that could ever be given. There in that feed trough was the Bread of Life, The Hope of Glory, and God Incarnate.

     The church is like Heaven because there we find love in action — the love of God drawing His redeemed children into His fold and the love of God’s people exhibited toward one another. Circumstances may get confusing but they cannot thwart the unconditional love which comes down from Heaven. There was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary but in the end, the glory of the Lord shone all around about them and everyone else present.

     The Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights, of whom there is no shadow of turning or variableness. The first Christmas church is the very place Almighty God chose to reveal the real gift from which all other gifts and graces would flow. God had promised for a long time something glorious was coming. He came to Earth at the first Christmas and He came from Heaven.

Merry Christmas!

Brother Randy