THANKFUL PRELUDE

(Guest Post by: Trent Claybaker – Blogmas Day Nineteen)

Several weeks back, I was invited to a coworker’s “Friendsgiving.” If I’m honest, I really didn’t want to go.

Part of the text invitation stated BYOB, bring your own beverage, with a clause that said, “plenty of room for overnight in the event you overdo it!”

The other reason I was contemplating not going was that this coworker’s house was just over two and a half hours away! Thankfully, I am blessed (or cursed depending on your perspective) with a great friend that reminds me from time to time that, “you, my friend, may be the only one that reflects any Jesus.”

It was further pressed upon me while reading in Hebrews 13:16, “…and do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased,” that I indeed needed to attend this get together! The evening went about as I expected, but all in all, it was a nice time, and I was certainly thankful that I went.

On the ride down, I had turned the radio off so that I could hear and concentrate on the directions. The radio was still off as I was leaving, and I left it that way. Shortly after I had gotten back to the main highway, I received a call from my great friend inquiring about how the evening went.

I gave him a bit more detail than I mentioned here, but our ensuing conversation was an immense reminder to me of what God had delivered me from.

In my BC (before Christ) days, that was definitely ME. I would have been the fella drinking to excess, being obnoxiously louder than any human being ever needs to be, and would have needed to take my host up on the offer to stay the night!

I had zero understanding at that time what was meant in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the spirit.” It was just the lifestyle that I had chosen to live at that time.

I’m guessing at this point, many of you would like to politely remind me that we are in the month of December, and this is Blogmas after all! The Christmas story, best known as The Birth of Our Lord and Savior, can be considered the ultimate prelude to literally everything else.

Even in today’s culture, I’m sure that most of you are familiar enough with the story of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and Jesus’ birth.

Luke 2:1-7 very plainly states the events of that time. “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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

There is so much here that we could unpack. Why did Caesar Augustus want a census taken in the first place? Couldn’t there have been a concession for Mary not to go since she was pregnant? Why did Jesus’ birth have to be from that of a virgin? So on and so forth.

My point here is not to get stuck on all the wonderful details of the Christmas season, but to remind each of us that we have so much to be thankful for and it is all because of this glorious God that we serve.

We know that before death, there must be a birth. Thankfully, for you and me, we know too that the ensuing resurrection is our ticket to eternity in the Lord’s presence.

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

I’m thankful that a friend of mine routinely reminds me on most Monday mornings, “that we get to!” I’m thankful that a young man I am very close to, “is going to experience Christmas from a whole new perspective” because of his newfound freedom, having just this year professed Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to live out my faith in front of others who would most likely never see or hear anything about Jesus.

The prelude to all this thankfulness starts with and is because of His Birth. My prayer for each of you this season would be that you live your lives thankfully.

Jesus’ birth is the Prelude.