"The First Nowel"

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

Everything about Jesus' life from start to finish is incredibly irrational. He and his ways go against everything that we know and everything that we seem to live out on a daily basis. At first glance people are turned away maybe because it seems impossible that Jesus was really like everything says that he was. He is easily cast aside into that group of childhood fable characters along with Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, as soon as a child is old enough to reason for himself that no such thing could be true. "A man from the North Pole arriving in a sleigh.....ha." "A king arriving on earth in a stable, yeah right." Jesus lived his life completely disregarding the influences of politics and religious law, peer pressure and stereotypes, social class and sin. How is that possible? And yet, if the bible is true and Jesus is who he says he is, then Jesus living his life any other way would make no sense. Suddenly a man with no regard for social stigmas and acceptance makes perfect sense. Suddenly a manger seems a perfect place to lay the head of the one who will bind up the broken hearted and rescue the poor and needy.