Much ado about something very big …

When I moved to Hawaii in 2003, I found myself in a place that was very different culturally than any place on the mainland. Learning and exploring those differences was part of the fun of living in a new place.

One thing caught me off guard … the significance placed on a child’s (or “keiki’s”) first birthday. It’s a really big thing in Hawaii!

I would find out by receiving an invitation from one of my employee’s to attend her daughter’s first birthday celebration. Okay, so I guess they’ll have cake and games for kids and …

Oh no, it wasn’t that simple. They had rented facilities at a posh country club and were making plans on a grand scale!

All over the birth of a baby!

Such attention and celebration pales in comparison to the birth of Jesus. This was a birth over which there was celebration like no other!

The pregnancy itself was revealed by an angel (Lk. 1:26-38, mt. 1:18-25), and when the time came for the baby to be born, heaven simply could not contain itself …

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased,’” Luke 2:8-14.

That’s a whole lot of attention and celebration for a baby! But not just any baby …

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” Isaiah 9:6-7.

That first Christmas, there was much ado about … something very big!

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children,” Galatians 4:4-5.

That’s something worthy of the grandest of celebrations. No wonder heaven responded with unrestrained praise!

If it’s the birth of Jesus you’re celebrating this month, you’ll likely be moved to heights of praise and worship as well. It will take you past all the consumerism that attempts to drown the days, and will give you reason to make much ado about the season.

Scotty