It’s one of the most famous stories ever told: The birth of Jesus. We’re about to celebrate it in a few days.

Shepherds, angels, and hostile Inn-keepers have appeared in thousands of Christmas pageants for hundreds of years.

But when we hear something so much, we stop hearing it. Instead of paying more attention, we pay less. There was a man who lived right beside an airport. Over time, he stopped hearing the planes take off. They were still zooming around, of course, but his brain learned to tune them out.

In the same way, we too can tune out the familiar, even when it comes to the story of Jesus’ birth. We can miss the bracing elements of the story which so powerfully shook our world in the first place.

That’s why, over the next few days, I want to encourage you to simply take some time with the story. Here are some ideas about how to do that.

1. Read Luke 2:1-20 and then pray to God asking how he wants you to walk with Jesus as Saviour, Messiah or Lord in 2021.

2. Read Luke 2:1-20 and spend 10 minutes writing down details or insights that perhaps you haven’t noticed or thought about before.

3. Read (or listen to) my recent post called “The Nativity You Never Knew? – An in-depth, historical look at Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:1-20.” Since details matter, I think God will illumine something for you personally. [Link below]

Luke 2:20 says: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

Are we still amazed? Or have we heard the story so much that we’ve actually stopped hearing it?

May the opposite be true for each and every one of us this Christmas.

By Matthew Ruttan

—“The Nativity You Never Knew? – An in-depth, historical look at Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:1-20.” You can read it, or hear the audio version, by clicking here.

–If you don’t have a church home, you’re invited to our online service this Christmas Eve at Westminster (2020)! It goes live here at 5:30pm (EST), and will be available all evening.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.