4 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. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 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.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:4-11

As we enter this Christmas season, it’s time to take a step back from the noise of the day. Let’s go back to some basics of the Christmas story.

Let’s consider the baby in this story. Of course we all know it’s Jesus.

Helpless. Dependent. Vulnerable. Innocent. Cute. Messiah.

God sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. We know this. But the Son came to this earth in the form of a baby. He had to go through everything we go through just to survive. A lot of things had to line up in order for him to be born in Bethlehem. Add to this that Herod wanted all children under the age of two to be eliminated, and it was no small miracle that Jesus survived his first few years of existence.

It was a strange and Divine plan indeed, something we would have a hard time conceiving. The story was as implausible as it was ingenious.

He would be born of a virgin, in a trough, wrapped in rags, under the threat of a death warrant issued by a king.

Even now as we consider the birth 2000+ years later, it gives fresh thoughts about the phrase “what was He thinking?”