A Note from Hixon Frank
Hey Church!
Like a lot of people this time of year, we like to get in our old truck, grab some coffee/hot chocolate, and “go see the lights!” Through neighborhoods and businesses, we drive, singing Christmas songs off-key, and slowing down at the displays we like the best. But as we drive and share, we are reminded how different we are! Margie “never met a Christmas display she didn’t like!” From displays that would “rival Clark Griswold’s” to a simple candle in the window of a modest home…she loves them all. (I guess she is a “little bit country”)
Me? I am a little more, shall we say, “discerning.” I like simple, old school, and understated. Not too many lights, but not too few. The displays having C7 Christmas bulbs and include the colors green, red, gold, and on occasion “royal” blue are my favorite! In rare instances, including clear LED lights is acceptable but must be tastefully done. The absolute best displays involve the Christmas tree in the front window that includes all the lights mentioned above. (I must be a “little bit Rock and Roll”)
Some of my fondest memories of Christmas are driving around with Margie and looking at the lights. I hope to do that with her for another 30-40 years. But this Christmas, if I am honest, has felt a little different. It has felt more serious, more sober. I’ve still been interested in the lights and spending time with Margie but been less interested in the pageantry than in the reality of what we celebrate.
A few weeks ago, knowing something was stirring in me, I sat down for an extended “quiet time,” prayed and asked God what He might want me to focus on this Christmas. Over the course of a few days, He began to flood my mind and heart with a number of reminders about the very familiar Christmas Story.
LUKE 2:1-14
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!
The Christmas story, as narrated in Luke 2, offers insights into God’s redemptive plan, His character, and the nature of His Kingdom. This chapter is far more than a historical recounting of Jesus’ birth; it is, as one commentator said, “a theological tapestry that reveals God’s purpose in sending Christ into the world and how His coming fulfills the promises of Scripture.”
At the very center of Luke 2, of course, lies the mystery of the INCARNATION, that God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Verse 7 states, 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
The Son of God being born into such lowly circumstance underscores that God did not choose to enter the world in grandeur or majesty, but in humility and vulnerability.
Philippians 2:6-8 reflects this reality, declaring that Jesus
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
7 Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
This doctrine is foundational to the Christian faith, as it demonstrates His willingness to identify with the lowly and marginalized. And by the way…that is all of us!
Luke 2 is also the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The location of Jesus’ birth—Bethlehem—fulfills Micah 5:2, which foretold that a ruler over Israel would come from this small town.
The beauty of this chapter, in addition to the obvious nature of the Gospel, is that Luke takes care to anchor the story within real historical events: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered.” (Luke 2:1). This historical detail, proven by even secular historians, verifies the census, Quirinius, and even taxation in one’s hometown during this period. God orchestrated these simple historical “verifiers” so that Mary and Joseph, residents of Nazareth, would journey to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth, thus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah’s birthplace.
Even the role of the Shepherds was a powerful tool, or as one writer puts it, “theological motif” to validate the Christmas story. God chose to announce Jesus’ birth first to lowly shepherds. In verses 8-14, an angel appears to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks at night, proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to people He favors!”
Shepherds were often viewed as lowly, unclean, and of little significance in society. Again, it is to them—not kings, priests, or the wealthy—that God first reveals the arrival of the Messiah. This choice reflects a recurring theme throughout Luke’s Gospel: God’s Kingdom upends worldly expectations. Jesus Himself would later teach that the last will be first, and the humble will be exalted (Luke 14:11).
In Luke 2:14, the angelic host praises God, saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”
Glory and peace. Glory and Peace. The ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming: to bring glory to God and peace to humanity. The peace spoken of here is shalom—a state of wholeness, harmony, and restored relationship with God.
The image of Jesus laying humbly in a nasty feeding trough serves as a profound symbol of the fact that God’s salvation is for everyone who humbles themselves, regardless of background or status.
So, as the days have unfolded this Christmas season, it is as if the Holy Spirit were telling me, “Hixon, enjoy the bright lights and pageantry of the Christmas season. Sing the songs and drink the hot chocolate. Be “a little bit country”… or a “little bit rock and roll” … BUT DON’T MISS THE POINT!
Maybe He is telling you the same thing…
Merry Christmas y’all,
Hixon