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All I Want For Christmas... Is Lots of Company
Brian Mashburn
December 20, 2009
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Lots of Company
One of the things that happened at the birth of Jesus that is often talked about, but not noticed as significant, was that it drew a crowd.
And not just any crowd, but a very unusual crowd. It included people that, except for the birth of this child, would probably never have met or associated with each other.
A humble carpenter, a scared teenage girl impregnated out of wedlock, a group of working men (sheep herders), and a group of astrologers from the Far East.
So right from the beginning, Jesus was in the business of pulling people to himself and together. And the audiences that he fellowshipped with, noticed, and addressed might surprise you.
Most everyone will either be the company or host some company over Christmas. This might be the part of our current culture's tradition that is actually in line with what Christ might want for his birthday.
For sure, Jesus would want a relational party over a consumer party.
But who would Jesus party with?
If you look at who Jesus "partied" with in Scripture throughout his life, you might be surprised. It's not that he never fellowshipped with his family, but he certainly didn't limit himself to them, either.
Eating together is a big part of Christmas today, but it pales in comparison to what eating together meant to first century Jews.
here were strict rules about who you ate with, and it reflected on who you were and what you represented.
Today, I want us to look at the cast of characters that Jesus ate with as an example of who Jesus might want us to "eat with" as we consider his birthday.
Perhaps who we eat with reflects on who we are, too, and what we represent. And we want to represent Christ.