By Brandon Lemons
It is often said that “Hindsight is 20/20.” When we look back and reflect on what happened in the past, we can usually see with greater clarity than when the events were originally happening.
Here in 2020, we have the advantage of hindsight as we look back on the first Christmas. However, the participants in the original Christmas story saw the events surrounding Jesus’ birth through very different eyes. They were living it in real-time. They were surprised (and, at times, shocked and even dismayed) by what they experienced. They did not know how it was going to turn out.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were a childless couple whose future looked empty. Joseph discovered his fiancé was pregnant, and he wasn’t the father. The shepherds were disregarded by society. Mary’s world was turned upside down. Simeon and Anna were devout saints clinging to their hope in God. When we look at Christmas through their eyes, we can experience a fresh sense of astonishment and joy that puts the craziness of 2020 into perspective and compels us to worship God with renewed delight.
I encourage you to tune in to Friedens’ sermon series called Christmas Through Their Eyes, whether in-person or online. It will run from December 6th-27th. We will see the pivotal events surrounding Jesus’ birth not only with the benefit of divinely-inspired 20/20 hindsight, but through the eyes of those who experienced God’s plan as it unfolded.